Spigen SGP Steinheil Series Ultra Oleophobic Screen Protector

Up for review today is the Ultra Oleophobic screen protector made by Spigen SGP for the all new iPhone 5.  Big shout out to Spigen SGP for sending me this screen protector and having it in my hands before my iPhone 5 was delivered.  

This screen protector is part of the Steinheil series of screen protectors which are historically great screen shields.  The Ultra Oleophobic is their oil resistant version that is supposed to prevent smudges and clean easily similar to the bare glass.  In my test, I found that smudges didn't clean as easily as the bare glass and also showed fingerprints a lot more.  It was not nearly as bad as other crystal shields i've used in the past so the Oleophobic coating surely works.  I used a clean microfiber cloth to occasionally wipe the phone and found it took a little work to clean it entirely as the cloth seemed to wipe the smudges around more than clean them off which lengthened the cleaning process.  Not a deal breaker at all but worth mentioning.  

The screen protector has zero scratches on it so far and it is absolutely crystal clear.  Unless you look at the screen at an angle in direct light, you cannot tell it is installed.  It is just about as smooth as the bare glass and does not degrade the screen quality whatsoever.  

This screen protector is going to be compared against their Ultra Crystal version in an upcoming review, so look out for that review coming soon.  The Ultra Oleophobic is available for $13.99 and comes with 2 shields, a squeegee and dust removal stickers to ensure you get a perfect installation.  

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Qmadix Xtreme Case with Kickstand for the iPhone 4/4S

Today i'm going to be reviewing a case by Qmadix called the Xtreme Case with Kickstand and Holster.  I've reviewed another case by them in the past and I am a fan of their products and quality.  How does the Xtreme case compare? Check out my full review below.

The Xtreme case is very versatile by design.  The case itself is a double layer construction comprised of a silicone as the first line of defense and a hard duro vest protector as they call it which is a polycarbonate hard shell that installs on top of the silicone.  This duro vest protector has a built in kickstand on the back which doesn't add bulk and is nicely built in.  In addition to all of this, Qmadix even includes a holster which also doubles as a kickstand with the high quality belt clip.

As far as access to the ports and controls while the case is installed, the top has an oversized cutout for the headphone jack and secondary mic while the on/off switch is covered by the soft silicone.  The bottom of the case has a nice oversized cutout for the 30 pin dock connector port and 2 more separate cutouts for the speaker and microphone.  The left hand side has an oversized cutout for the silent/vibrate switch so that it is compatible with all versions of the iPhone 4 - in addition to this, the volume buttons are both covered with soft silicone just like the on/off switch.

This case certainly should stand up to quite a bit of abuse with its rugged design.  Qmadix nailed it again with another great design and great product.  This gem of a case sells for $34.99 and is highly recommended!

Timbuk2 Custom Envelope Sleeve

Today I will be reviewing the Custom Envelope Sleeve by Timbuk2 for you guys.  This company has been around since 1989 and is all about making custom bags to order in San Francisco.  They make a large variety of different styles and I happen to have this Envelope Sleeve for review right now.

The Envelope Sleeve is a very simplistic bag if you want to call it but it does not have a shoulder strap. It is a simple sleeve to protect your laptop when you are out and about.  The interior of the bag is lined with high density foam but does seem like it's a little thin.  I would have preferred to have a thicker foam in the event I dropped my laptop.  On top of this foam, there is a soft scratch resistant liner, red in color, to ensure your laptop does not get scratched.  The exterior of the sleeve is comprised of 3 panels which are up to the user to choose when designing the case (or there are many pre-made choices that you can pick from).  I chose waxed canvas gray for the left and right panels which is a neat material that will break in and wear the more that the bag is used.  The center panel I chose a plain black.  All 3 materials literally feel like they will never ever be compromised.  The material feels nice, thick and resilient.  The stitch work and build construction, which is all done by hand and made to order, is outstanding.  Finally, the flap is firmly secured by velcro.

I am a fan of Timbuk2's products and this is surely not an exception.  This sleeve sells for $49 as seen in my review (the waxed canvas was $10 extra) and is available through the Timbuk2 website where you can create the custom sleeve of your own imagination.