ZAGG Invisible Shield Extreme - Is it worth it? Does it live up to the "indestructible" hype? We're about to find out...

So, we've all seen the "millions sold..." major screen protector manufacturer ZAGG claim many accolades about it's previous screen protectors, but this time it's getting real. Very real. In the past, the hype was usually about it's "nano-memory" scratch-resistant plastic-film screen protectors being über scratch resistant; but Impact-resistant?!? Can it be?!? Well, we're going to find out in the video, but the short answer is yes. I don't really want to spoil it for you, though, so you'll just have to watch the video to find out for yourself... ;-)

So, what did we find out in the video? It actually stood up against a hammer? Yep, it did. I must say, I was very impressed once my iPhone 5 didn't shatter under the impact; I was holding my breath. It stood it very well, and if you want extra proof, here's another insane video showing the ZAGG Extreme withstanding a bit more than you'd expect to put a phone through...

So, after watching those few videos, what do YOU think? Personally, I know very well what my impressions and thoughts are. Impressed. Amazed. Shocked. First thing we know about the ZAGG, is that it is most certainly impact resistant, and should keep your iPhone from a cracked screen. So, here's my in-depth analysis.

Pros:

• Very impact resistant; can withstand a hammer, a drop onto concrete, and supposedly, even a bowling ball.
• Has a huge 45 day money back guarantee if bought on the ZAGG website, so if you really don't like it, you can just send it back.
• Has an enormous Lifetime Guarantee (Warranty) so you can get a replacement for the $3.99 it costs to ship the free replacement, or even choose a different one of their screen protectors (HD, Original, etc.) as the replacement for no extra charge.
• Great customer service!

Cons:

• Slightly plastic-like feel to it, but not as bad as the original Invisible Shield
• Only partly good at scratch resistance, but other than blunt objects, like keys, or small rocks, it will not stand up to a knife, or very sharp object
• Costs a significant $29.99 for just the front protector, which is $2 bucks more than the SGP GLAS.t Premium screen protector (the best one on the market for clarity and feel at the moment, due to it being made out of a sheet of tempered, impact resistant glass)
• Wet application is slightly dangerous when on an electronic device

Well, there are my thoughts on the ZAGG Extreme!

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Olloclip for iPhone 5? Does it even exist? What do you do? We're here to find out...

So, now that you have your shiny new iPhone 5, what are you going to do with your old Olloclip lens?!? (if you had one, that is) Well, fear no more, as the "new gadget-old accessories" problem is now solved when it comes to a lens kit. This Photojojo lens kit works universally on anything with a flat surface that can fit inside the adhesive ring, and then the lens just magnetically snaps right into place. But, what about the Olloclip, you say? Well, here are a couple of options...

The first, and best IMO, thing to do would be to take a look at this video of the Photojojo lens kit. It's great because you can put it on many different devices and it's not limited to the iPhone only. It'll work with an iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad (best with 1st gen as it's flatter, but fine with 2nd, and 3rd), iMac, MacBook FaceTime camera, Samsung Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2 (II), Galaxy S3, and many others. I can't vouch for it's compatibility with it's Android counterparts from experience, but check the compatibility chart on their website for more info. (http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/cell-phone-lenses/)
I have one of the cutout adhesive metal rings on my MacBook Pro (Retina) and it's great when using Skype to video conference with people, or relatives in other locations. It's a great kit because of it's universal-ness and should be given kudos because of it's great price of: $49 Check out the video 

Second thing you can do, is modify your Olloclip lens to work with your shiny new iPhone 5. How? Here's how:

If you skip to 1:33 you'll se how he got it onto his iPhone 5...

iPad Nüüd LifeProof - LifeProof for iPad Quick Review - Waterproof iPad Case

Ok, so I've finally gotten my hands on this new fancy case, called the Nüüd from LifeProof, and, according to it's box, it's supposed to be waterproof. Well, obviously, if you know me by now, I absolutely must verify this claim. In the short video following, I'm going to cover most everything you'll need to know, but if you must have something to read, I'll post the written version after the video.

So, obviously, an iPad + Bathtub = disaster, but there's something you can add to the equation to remedy that...

From the same company that makes the world renowned Waterproof, Drop-proof, Snow-proof, practically idiot-proof LifeProof case for the iPhone 4/4S, comes the new Nüüd LifeProof case for iPad 2nd/3rd Generation. So, with that in the equation: iPad + LifeProof Nüüd Case + Bathtub = One awesome YouTube video, and a working, very wet, iPad. After doing the preliminary, yet very important, water test with the piece of dummy plastic provided, I went a step further by putting in my iPad and trying it in my sink, and then finally the bathtub. Almost surprisingly, it worked very well! Even though there isn't a screen protector/cover of any kind, and it's using an o-ring seal around the front of the iPad, exposing the entire front glass of the iPad, it still manages to be fully water-tight!

First impressions, before a full in-depth analysis? Well, first of all, it's a real looker. I mean, it really looks good compared to any ruggedized iPad case I've ever seen, or held. The back of the iPad is visible through a thick polycarbonate window of plastic designed into the case, and I must say, it looks wonderful. Having the back of the iPad showing, is kinda the point of having an iPad usually, so this was a most intelligent design aspect for aesthetics. Everything around this case in general, is beautiful. All of the ports and buttons are usable, yet the iPad is still fully protected. To charge it, you do have to open the charging port door and expose it to the elements, but once you're finished charging, simply shut the door. There's even a little "bung hole" for the headphones. You simply unscrew the "bung" and plug in your headphones. Keep in mind, you'll want to use the headphone adapter to keep it's water-tightness if you're using headphones, as just unscrewing the bung and inserting headphones will leave the iPad susceptible to water entry through the newly unscrewed port; hence the adapter. 

At first I thought the exposed screen was a bit extreme, but then I realized that anything this big will destroy itself if dropped from adequate hight, or when encountered with an auto accident. Having the screen uncovered is probably the best part of the case. Responsiveness when compared to it's competition can't be beat, period. Also, if you do happen to drop it anyway, it's got a good amount of rubber for a cushion all around, and, unless you drop it on a very pointed rock towards the screen from a decent height, you won't crack the screen at all. It's one very tough case, and it's got plenty of travel between the guard around the edge of the screen and the screen itself, so even if it hits the cement face first, it will be fine; so long as there isn't about a 3-4" rock where it'll fall. It's the best rugged iPad case I've ever seen. So, to wrap up the first impressions/quick review, I give the case 5 of 5 stars. If you're going to need a rugged case, this is the one to get. Yes, the $159.99 price tag does kick you in the nuts a bit, but it's well worth it when you compare it to the $399 min price of a new iPad, or if you're like me, the $829 price tag of the top-of-the-line model iPad that you're toting around. Of course, if you're sitting in an office all the time, the extra bulk may not justify itself, but as soon as you take it out of your office, or anywhere near the cement outside, you might just want to consider the bulk as a benefit. :)

Till next time, 

Your Techno Friend,

Joseph

Ya'll take care now!

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Graphics Performance Test - Retina Display MacBook Pro

So, do the performance benchmarks you've seen all over the web true about the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display? In short, yes. I've gone through a couple test before on my older/previous computers and Macs, but never have I seen performance like this before. The MacBook Pro w/Retina that I'm testing things on is a built-to-order with 16GB of RAM MC975LL/A model. Today, I've decided to take a look at something that isn't really something a user of this "ultimate professional mobile powerhouse" would do, but that we'd all love to see anyway... a game performance test.

First we're going to take a look at what gaming looks like in a Windows 7 (Boot Camp) environment performs like, and then we'll take a look at it on it's native Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 environment.

Have a look at what happens:

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Super Stick Man Golf - Video Review 2012

Ok, so we're taking a look at the iOS Universal Game called Super Stick Man Golf from the Apple App Store. It's not the newest game on the block, but it's close enough to a classic as needs to be. Basically everything pertinent will be in the videos following this text, but in a nutshell: SSMG is an arcade styled 2D Golf playing game. The multiplayer gameplay, which will be in a later video, is brilliant fun, and works great. Here are the videos...

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