Spigen GLAS.t SLIM Glass Screen Shield for iPhone 5

Up for review this evening, I have the all new GLAS.t SLIM premium glass screen shield from Spigen SGP.  Spigen is the absolute master of premium glass screen shield products.  They have recently released a line of SLIM products and the GLAS.t has received the SLIM treatment.  

First off let me start by saying if you have never had the opportunity to use a pure glass screen shield, you are missing out on a must have product. Spigen's glass screen shields provide a level of smoothness that is superior to the naked iPhone 5 glass.  Think I am exaggerating?  You honestly have to try for yourself.  The GLAS.t line of premium glass screen shields are silky smooth, resist fingerprints like nothing i've ever used before and are extremely tough at at harness of 8-9H. 

The SLIM version of the GLAS.t comes in at 0.26mm thin versus 0.40 of the standard GLAS.t.  I previously reviewed the standard GLAS.tR and this slim version is very noticeably more thin.  This is particularly obvious at the home button as it is not as far recessed. With this one, I don't feel as if I need to use a jelly or aluminum home button sticker due to the recessed area.  

I honestly cannot express how insanely awesome this screen shield is.  If I could recommend any one "must have" product for iPhone users, it would without a doubt be a GLAS.t screen shield of any type i.e. GLAS.t or .tR or either slim version.  The price is not easy to swallow at $27.99 but I can assure you it is money well spent especially considering their replacement policy which allows $15 replacements if you ruin it on install or in a drop.  Go out and get one to try for yourself!

Spigen Linear Blitz for iPhone 5

Today i'll be reviewing the Linear Blitz case from the folks at Spigen SGP. It seems that as of late, Spigen has been diligent in releasing cases with real aluminum parts. There is something “high quality” about a case that has metallic parts versus a cheap feeling plastic or rubber and they've hit that mark with this case.

The Linear Blitz is a multi-piece case comprised of 3 components; a frame, a backplate and a lower frame that locks all the pieces securely together. The frame parts are polycarbonate while the backplate is 100% real aluminum.  Spigen has built in plastic buttons for the volume and sleep/awake buttons that function perfectly, not degrading their functionality at all and look awesome.  There is a nice large cutout for the mute switch providing easy access to it.  The lower frame part has a series of cutouts over the speaker and microphone to ensure sound isn't hindered during normal operation.  Cutouts for the lightning port and headphone jack are on the slim side but don't pose a problem for apple's accessories.  The only branding on the case is Spigen's name on the left side and "Linear" written on the back plate.

I've been testing this case for a bit now and can say that there is no degradation of wifi signal due to the aluminum back.  I had seen some complaints about this online but no issues here.  The only issue to note from my personal testing is that the back plate has a tiny bit of "play" in it i.e. when the case is assembled, I can slide the backplate up and down by a tiny bit and is noticable to me.  I do not think this will cause any scratching of your iPhone but it is a minor annoyance to me. 

I have paired this case with a Spigen GLAS.t slim screen shield and can report that it works perfectly, almost like they were designed to compliment each other.  With the screen shield installed, there is a tiny bit of lay-on-the-table lip but it's almost negligible.  These two combined together is one amazing combo and would highly recommend it to you guys.

The Linear Blitz case is available in 3 colors; metal slate, metal red and satin silver for $31.99 on Amazon here.  Included in the packaging, you will get a Linear Blitz case, Steinheil ultra crystal screen shield, microfiber cloth and a set of jelly home button stickers. 

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Lifeproof Fre for iPhone 5

Hey guys, today i'm going to be reviewing the new Lifeproof Fre case for the iPhone 5.  I had the opportunity to review the Lifeproof case for the iPhone 4/4S here.

The Lifeproof Fre case is essentially the same case as was offered on the iPhone 4/4S.  The ports and controls are covered in the same fashion and the lightning charging port has a small door just like previously.

Something that I have to add (assuming you read my Lifeproof review) is that they have improved the touch screen cover on this new version.  Immediately after installing the case, it sat a lot more flush to the screen with only a slight air gap.  Over a week or so, the gap is pretty much gone except for the top towards the earphone.

My wife has been testing this case for a few weeks now and she is pretty tough on her phone i.e. tossing it in her purse, shoving it in her wristlet, dropping it etc.  One thing worth noting is that the screen cover tends to accumulate a lot of oils from the users face as it does not have an oleophobic coating, but this is easily cleaned.  All in all, the case is holding up to all the abuse she can throw at it and the phone is totally pristine when I remove it (couldn't even find specs of dust inside).

Lifeproof is offering this case for $79.99 and is readily available here.

Graft Concepts Leverage for iPhone 5

The product I will be reviewing for you guys today is the Leverage case by Graft Concepts.  I had the opportunity to review the same case but for the iPhone 4/4S here

The iPhone 5 version of the Leverage case is very similar to the iPhone 4/4S version and there is definitely reason for it.  Why change something that already works and works well?  This version works on the same premise that the case is one big piece that is connected by the latching mechanism that Graft Concepts is known for.  

There are some things to add which are notable on the iPhone 5 version.  One major thing is the fact that they have added a metallic rocker style switch for the volume buttons whereas the iPhone 4/4S version had a cutout for those buttons.  The rocker switch looks really good and has nice tactile feedback when pressed.  The sleep/wake button is still covered with a metallic button built into the latch and also works well.  Around the button of the case, there are separate cutouts for the lightning port, mic, speaker and headphone jack.  

This Black version of the case is comprised of a soft touch material that feels great in hand.  There is a good amount of lip that protrudes past the front and back of the phone providing a solid amount of lay on the table protection.  Even with my Spigen GLAS.t Slim installed, there is still a lip above that.  One more thing to mention is that you will get a back plate along with this case which you can choose to install or leave off.  The backplate simply locks into the case and the latch holds it all together perfectly.

Graft Concepts has retained the same colorways as the other cases in which you can choose from a soft touch Black or a high gloss White.  You will also have the option to choose a matte or chrome latching mechanism.  It looks like Graft Concepts has dropped their price from $59.99 previously to $49.95 currently.  Overall, I like the case and I will definitely recommend it!

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Olloclip for iPhone 5

Today, I’ll be reviewing a little bit of a different product for you guys.  That product is the Olloclip for the iPhone 5.  Olloclip is a photo lens attachment that easily and quickly slides  on to your iPhone to provide a few different styles of photos similar to how you swap lenses on a DSLR camera.  It sounds like a novelty at first mention, but it’s surely something to speak about for photo buffs.

The Olloclip is nice and small making it easy to tote around with its included small bag.  They also provide lens caps for both sides to ensure nothing scratches them.  So, you must be wondering what kind of shots can this lens attachment take?  There are 3 different variations as follows; Wide angle, Fisheye & Macro.  The wide angle makes for nice wide shots.  The fisheye is extremely pronounced making the lens alignment very important to maximize the effect.  The macro lens focuses at about 15mm (very close and very cool).

The idea of having 3 different lens attachments that you can hold in the palm of your hand to enhance your camera (iPhone!) is an extremely neat idea.  The product works flawlessly and I am a big time fan of it.  For $69.99, it may be a little bit of a sticker shock but remember you are getting essentially 3 different lenses all-in-one.  You surely cannot buy a quality DSLR lens for as little as this, let alone 3. 

iCarbons for iPad Mini

The product for review today is an iCarbons wrap for the iPad Mini.  Skins or wraps like this serve a dual purpose which is dressing up your device as well as providing a good amount of scratch protection but of course won't do much in the event of a drop.  I am a huge fan of using gadgets as they came from the factory (avoiding using any type of case) and iCarbons is perfect in every way.  

I had the opportunity to review an iCarbons wrap for the iPhone 5 and I couldn't have been more excited to check out their iPad Mini version.  They were nice enough to send over a black carbon version.  I was also fortunate enough to get a version with the apple logo cut-out before apple put the hammer down on that.  I see that they are now offering versions that do not cut out the apple logo at the time of this writing (06MAR13).  

I recall being impressed by the exact cuts that they're using which fit the device absolutely perfectly.  Well, the iPad Mini version is certainly no exception.  The pieces of the wrap fit the device in the most exact and perfect way.  It is almost so perfect to the point that the installation was a little bit of a challenge.  I would have to say that is my ONLY gripe on this and I can't even justify it as a complaint. Every single cutout around the perimeter of the iPad is cut with extreme precision - absolutely no issues accessing any buttons or switches.  

Like mentioned above, installation takes a little bit of patience but with the help of iCarbons instructional videos, it wasn't too bad.  The back piece took quite a few tries to get the top and bottom to align perfectly.  The nice thing about these skins is that you can lift them back up repeatedly when aligning it without loss of adhesion.  Moving to the front skin install, I started at the bottom and worked my way to the top which took me about 3-5 minutes.  

All in all, I can honestly say, BUY THIS!  It is an amazing product and well well worth the money; $24.95 for the front/back and $14.95 for either front only or back only.  

Mophie Juice Pack Helium for iPhone 5

The product that i'll be reviewing for you guys today is all new from Mophie and it's called the Juice Pack Helium.  Mophie has been a household name when it comes to battery cases for your iPhone and is top dog as far as i'm concerned.  Mophie products are targeted to the user whose work day goes beyond 9-5 and having extra battery power is paramount.  

Lets start with my first impression of the Juice Pack Helium.  Holding the case in hand, you will immediately notice the premium soft touch finish of the case; it is REALLY nice.  The next thing I noticed is that they have finally moved the status LED's to the back of the case versus having them on the bottom.  In addition to that, when the case is being charged, the lights will illuminate for 30 seconds but will turn off after that as to avoid being bothersome when you have this charging on your nightstand at night.  The last major thing I noticed is that the charging port has moved to the bottom instead of the side which should help out a lot with broken ports like the prior cases.  

The case itself is surprisingly lightweight (2.44oz) so it doesn't feel like a brick when installed.  The Helium design is pretty typical of their iPhone battery cases which will add length to the device but certainly does not inhibit with the speaker and mic on the bottom of the phone.  Starting there, you'll see that the headphone jack is recessed by a large amount and Mophie has included a headphone extender to offset that issue.  There is nothing more that Mophie can do about that since Apple moved the headphone port to the bottom.  The left side of the case has one large cutout that is wide open for the volume buttons and silent switch; no issues using any of those.  The top of the case is similar and has a perfectly sized opening to access the sleep/wake button.  Like I mentioned above, the back side of the case contains the status LED's, a button that illuminates those LED's to check charge status and a switch to trigger the battery on and off.  The opening for the camera and flash is black lined so it does not cause any flash back.  

As for the technical specs of the all new Helium, it packs a 1500 mAh battery which is touted to provide roughly an 80% charge of your device.  This will vary of course based on your usage while it is charging along with your phones settings i.e. email push etc.  This amount of power should suffice for most users without a doubt.  One thing to note is that you cannot sync your phone over the provided wire.  You will have to sync wirelessly to iTunes.  This should be a non issue for most people especially since most users sync to iCloud over night anyways.

So, with all that being said, I love the Helium case and certainly recommend it.  You simply cannot go wrong with a Mophie product.  The Helium case retails for $79.95 and is available in 2 colors - Dark metallic and Silver metallic.