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.  

Clear Coat for iPad mini

Hello guys, up for review today is a Clear Coat wrap for the iPad mini.  Clear Coat has hit the market with urethane films for a wide variety of devices.  These films are marketed as crystal clear and scratch proof for those users who prefer to use their device "naked" or case-less.  Who would want to strap a bulky case on the already slim iPad mini? 

I've been using the full wrap on my iPad mini for a few weeks now and I can vouch for the scratch proof claim of the Clear Coat.  My major gripe comes down to the screen shield.  The smooth silky touch of the bare glass screen is totally lost with the Clear Coat installed.  It feels tacky (not sticky like zagg) yet hard to explain; it's sort of like dragging your finger on dry skin.  This screen shield is not something I would buy again.  In contrast to this, the film that covers the back feels surprisingly smoother and I didn't seem to experience the same issue. 

Moving on to the accuracy of the film cuts, I found that the back film is cut perfectly around

the cutouts and buttons around the perimeter of the iPad mini.  The screen shield is a bit odd as they've chosen to cut it pretty "short" of the perimeter of the screen perhaps to keep the edges from peeling and to provide room for cases that wrap around the screen.  Another thing that i'm not a fan of is the way that the screen has a pocket cut out from the home button that extends to the bottom of the device rather than using a circular cutout. 

Installation was tricky but not difficult if you take your time and have patience.  Installing the screen shield was not bad using the provided installation liquid and squeegee.  Installing the back film was pretty challenging.  Locating the film was a breeze as long as you use enough installation liquid.  Getting the edges to stick was a daunting task which involved a lot of hair dryer and elbow grease (i.e. holding each flap down for a long time).  I would say it took me over 30 minutes to install the back film alone.  Installing the front film took ~10 minutes. 

Lastly, I'd like to speak about the clarity of the Clear Coat.  The screen shield is not optically crystal clear like they are claiming.  It has a grainy look when the screen is on and has an orange peel look to it when the screen is off.  The same orange peel look applies to the back film but isn't as noticeable when installed. 

You can pick up a full body Clear Coat for $34.99 and a screen only option for $24.99.  Overall, I would rate this product as "It's Ok".

Spigen Linear EX Slim for iPhone 5

Today i'll be reviewing the Linear EX slim series case from none other than Spigen SGP.  The folks over at Spigen have recently released a bunch of products in their "slim" line.  I am a big fan of the linear EX case...will this one make the cut?  Read on for the full review below.

I had the linear EX case for my iPhone 4S and liked it a lot; a lot more than the OEM apple bumper.  The iPhone 4S version did have a little bit of bulk to it, not more than any other bumper, but it was surely noticeable.  When I saw that they were releasing a "slim" version of this case, I was really anxious to get my hands on one for review.  You definitely have to get one of these if you like a nice slim case that doesn't make your thin iPhone 5 a thick gaudy gadget.  

The linear series of cases from Spigen are a 2 piece design with 2 "L" shaped pieces that lock together to complete the frame.  Another thing I really like about them is that the volume buttons and sleep/awake button are totally covered but still provide perfect "click" when the buttons are depressed.  The cutout for the silent switch is a little on the smaller side but they don't have much room to enlarge this due to the thin form factor of the case.  Along the bottom side there are slits to ensure perfect speaker and microphone usage as well as a pretty small lightning port cutout and a moderately narrow headphone jack cutout.  

There is a small amount of lay on the table "lip" to the case but when using it with a Spigen GLAS.tR, like I am, the lip is non existent (it almost seems like the screen shield extends beyond the case lip).  I would have liked to see a little bit more especially since Spigen is the one that owns the design to the GLAS.tR and touts all of their cases to "work" with it.  

Along with the case itself, you will get a high quality Spigen crystal screen shield, clear back protector and a set of jelly home button stickers for the low price of $21.99.  I think this is one of the best deals that they're offering right now considering the Neo Hybrid EX case is selling for $31.99 and is essentially the "same" type of case.