If you want to maintain your BlackBerry’s sexiness, you have to keep it protected. It brings a tear to my eye to see true BlackBerry abuse. Some scratches and nicks are one thing, but when a BlackBerry looks like it was dragged by horse through town is just awful. As soon as I purchased my Curve almost a year ago, I bought a black skin to protect it. It added some bulk to the device, as far as size went. Since then, my Berry has been looking great for its age, but the skin has become dull and worn looking. Should I opt for another skin? Should I let my Berry run around in the buff like “Curves Gone Wild”?
Enter BodyGuardz from NLU Products!
BodyGuardz are transparent, thin skins that offer all over protection from scuffs, dings and whatever you carry in your pockets. While my Berry slips into something a little more comfortable, click on for more!
Got it Covered
Excellent marketing!
NLU Products offer scratch-proof skins for more than just BlackBerrys. These custom fit skins can be used to protect your PSP, iPod, MacBooks and more. The material used for the skins are also used to protect the front of your vehicles from the elements. This material is tough as nails! When they asked me to try out their product, I leapt at the opportunity. I had been eyeing their product in the CrackBerry store for months. I loved the BlackBerry skin I had sported for so long, but the BodyGuardz skin gave me the chance to bask in my Berrys naked glory.
Read the instructions on the left carefully!
The packaging opened like a book, perhaps a new chapter in the story of protection. Within this package I found:
- 2 complete, Curve customized sets of skins
- A squeegee card, sporting the BodyGuardz logo
- Step by step instructions
- A bottle of the super duper secret application solution (okay, not really a secret. It’s water and baby shampoo)
All you need for complete protection
The solution is crucial during the “fitting” portion, as it will prevent the adhesive skin from sticking to you, and itself, as you position it on the Berry. The customized sets are custom cut to fit your device. Hence you cannot use an 88xx skin for the 83xx series. I cannot stress the following key points enough when dressing your Berry:
- Read, reread and follow the directions
- Take your time, a rushed job is a poor job
Seeing as I was going to be a while, I waited until our little CrackBerry Abuser-in-training was in his crib, and my wife was deep into 27 Dresses before I dove in. I started off with the Battery door skin, it went on easy enough. The skin covers most of the area, with a millimeter on each side to allow for easy door removal. A rectangular hole was left for the camera, flash and mirror. The LCD skin came next, followed by the difficult part; the sides, bottom and keyboard perimeter. I’ve never been good at corners, and I was having a hard time getting with either getting them to stick, or preventing bubbles from forming. This is where the squeegee came in. I gently glided it over the applied skin, making sure it would end up nearly invisible. If you have any difficulties with the application, let the problematic section sit for a few minutes and then try working at it again. You may have better luck. Once I was finished I realized the hardest part yet; I couldn’t touch my Berry for 12 hours!! I went to bed to pass some of the time by.
Berry is only skin deep
Once the 12 hours were up, the Berry looked almost perfect. All of the foggy patches were gone, leaving behind my Berry and the BodyGuardz skin. The corners I had trouble with earlier, were not sticking well and bubbles formed. This was purely an aesthetics issue as the corners were still protected. Perhaps I didn’t spend enough time, carefully applying the skin. Now all that remained was a field test. Having babied my Berry for so long, it was difficult to let loose. I need some ideas so I watched their video showcasing the skin. Since applying the skin, I’ve been carrying my Berry in my pocket with coins and keys. I’ve been tossing it in my drink holder in the car, the organizer on my desk, you name it. The skin showed no sign of wear and tear. With these results, it’s hard to see why the send you 2 full sets. Maybe the second is a backup, in case you mess up during the application process, like I did. On top of this, NLU Products offers life time replacements!
The Verdict
Folks, I am sold. I can now revel in my BlackBerry, as it was meant to be. Though the BlackBerry skin added protection, it also added to the Berry’s dimensions. The BodyGuardz skin is more like a transparent membrane, offers protection while displaying the beauty that is the BlackBerry. You can either purchase the full set, or the LCD skin alone. The CrackBerry Store offers the BodyGuardz Skins for various BlackBerrys, all for $24.95. With this kind of protection, I guess I should stop babying my BlackBerry. Sigh, they grow up so fast...
Pros
- Superior protection
- Minimal bulk added
Cons
- Cannot rush to add on the skins (be very careful!)
