Different themes have different lock screens, and some are more interesting than others. For the most part, though, they all contain the same basic information: date and time, message count, signal strength, battery life, and owner name. For some that’s enough. The lock screen, after all, isn’t something you look at very often — if you’re looking at your Berry chances are you’ve unlocked it. If you often pull your Berry out of your pocket, though — perhaps to check the time, perhaps to check for new messages — you might get sick of seeing the same old thing. In that case, you might want to check out Office Hot Shot, an app that gives some life, and some fun, to your lock screen.
The app is definitely filed under the novelty section, and I don’t expect people to use it longer than a couple of weeks, but it looks like it could provide entertainment in that time.
Functionally, Office Hot Shot allows you to automatically lock your BlackBerry under certain conditions. For instance, when your phone connects on a call (good for touchscreen users), when the phone disconnects, when you’re charging, when the backlight dims, etc. The app then displays plenty of relevant information, including the full date, clock, unread message count, battery level, and water cooler. One aspect I don’t see on other lock screens: missed call count. On many themes, at least the ones I’ve used, I don’t get that separately from my messages. You can even set a password to unlock, complete with reminder.
Visually, the lock screen displays your battery level in the water cooler and your signal level in the plant. You can hit B or S to display them in more recognizable form. Finally, the lock screen includes a game where you toss crumpled paper into the garbage, adjusting for wind speed and direction. That can kill a few minutes I’m sure.
If you’re bored, you can get Office Hot Shot for $2.99. It works on BlackBerry models with OS 4.6 or above, though it seems like a better bet for the Storm series.
Hat tip: BlackBerry Cool.
This post originated at BBGeeks.com – home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.
Give your lock screen some life with Office Hot Shot
This post originated at BBGeeks.com – home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.
Give your lock screen some life with Office Hot Shot