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Seidio's Vitreo tempered glass screen protectors: solid iPhone 5 protection
Many iPhone owners wrap their devices in a case for protection, but don't stop to think about protecting the screen. If they do, the screen protector is usually some sort of thin plastic film that shows bubbles or "rainbows" due to the material being different from the hard glass used on the iPhone. Seidio has released a tempered glass screen protector for the iPhone 5 called Vitreo (US$39.95) that uses an oleophobic glass with tapered edges to provide extra protection to your phone. Before we go any further, I'll admit that I'm not sold on the idea that iPhones really need screen protectors. The glass on the screen is quite durable anyway, and on the seven iPhones I've owned since 2007, I've never scratched or broken a screen. But I do know people who have dropped an iPhone and had the screen promptly shatter, so perhaps this product does have a sizable market. Opening the box, you'll find the Vitreo tempered glass screen protector, a microfiber cloth and alcohol wipes for cleaning the screen prior to installation of the Vitreo, some home button stickers (since the home button will be inset a bit more with the glass installed) in black, white, pink and light blue, and a plastic "pick" used to -- wait for it -- chase out any bubbles that might appear between the two glass layers. Unlike the plastic screen protectors, the Vitreo is quite stiff. In fact, you're warned not to bend it as it will break if you do so with enough force. The glass also adds about 0.4 ounce of weight to your iPhone 5, more than you'd expect from a plastic screen protector. The glass is rated with a 9H hardness, meaning that it is virtually shatterproof. Seidio says Vitreo can "withstand the impact of a 90-gram steel ball dropped from a height of 25 cm." That's roughly equivalent to dropping an unprotected iPhone 5 screen-first onto a rounded surface from about 20 cm height. The Vitreo can be removed once you've installed it, although Seidio recommends that you do this delicately to avoid bending the glass to its breaking point. I found the installation process to be remarkably simple, and much to my surprise there were no bubbles to be found between the Vitreo and my iPhone 5 screen once it was installed. There's only one problem with writing a review about a glass screen protector -- none of the photos I took of my iPhone 5 with the Vitreo installed really showed anything. Sure, it's visible to the eye as an extra layer of glass on your phone, but photos didn't do it justice. So the two photos for this product basically show what you get in the kit before your install the Vitreo protector. Is it worth the US$40? I'll leave that call up to you. It will most certainly keep your iPhone 5 screen free from scratches and possible breakage, and if you plan to keep your device for quite a while, it's probably a good investment.
Five iPhone 5s in five days: win a black Verizon iPhone 5 and two cases, courtesy of Seidio!
Whether or not you're having a case of the Mondays, you have to admit that this is a pretty solid way to start off the week. Amidst the swarm of tech news coming out today, we're kicking off a full week of iPhone 5 giveaways! Seidio is here to get things going the right way, offering a black 16GB Verizon iPhone 5 and two of its rugged cases: the ACTIVE, complete with metal kickstand, as well as the CONVERT Combo. As you may have already guessed, Seidio produces a full ecosystem of premium accessories like the ones you see above. Head to the link above (and the Facebook link below) to see more options if you're still on the lookout. And while you're on the lookout, keep an eye out for the rest of the iPhone 5s we give away this week! Remember folks, we're extending the life of each contest to five days, which means you have until Friday night to submit your entry -- all you have to do is leave a comment below!
Introducing Engadget's next giveaway: Five iPhone 5s in five days!
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/24/iphone-5-campaign/"><img alt="Introducing Engadget's next giveaway Five iPhone 5s in five days!" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/09/iphone-5-2012-09-14-600-1.jpg" style="margin:4px;width:600px;height:400px;"/> </a></p><p>A lot of you out there have been anxiously awaiting the holidays, and -- more importantly -- an excuse to get your hands on the latest <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/18/apple-iphone-5-review/">iPhone</a>. In fact, the demand is so high that Apple is still experiencing inventory shortages. We don't want that little niggle getting in your way, of course, so we've teamed up with five different companies to get you set up with an iPhone! So here's the deal: beginning Monday, we will begin one new iPhone 5 contest every day through Friday. Some of the contests will feature the actual phone (carrier branding may vary), while others will offer an Apple Store gift card to cover the cost of buying one without a contract.</p><p> You can enter each individual contest once, giving you five separate opportunities to win over the course of the next week. So be on the lookout starting Monday, and make sure you come back every day to increase your chances of winning! Below you'll find the companies involved, so that way you know exactly who to thank for your new toy. This post is not a contest, by the way, so leaving a comment here <i>won't</i> enter you to win. Just make sure you're back here bright and early on Monday -- believe us, there will be plenty of other awesome news to check out that day while you're here.</p><p> <strong>Note</strong>: this next week is going to be a pretty hectic one, so we're going to keep each contest open for five days rather than the usual two.</p><p></p>
Seidio's 3200mAh battery for Nexus One: the results are in
So we topped off the charge on our Seidio 3200mAh battery for the Nexus One shortly after we posted our hands-on and started the long (and we do mean long) process of letting it discharge. Basically, we got right around 30:15 (that's 30 hours, 15 minutes) of what we would consider to be normal use coming off a full charge from a wall outlet -- we had to connect it to our PC a couple times to pull screen shots which automatically starts charging, but it was only connected for perhaps 20 minutes total. Breaking it down, that included about 7:30 of solid, uninterrupted standby while we got some shut-eye and roughly 45 minutes of intense Tower Raiders game play, all on a relatively weak T-Mobile 3G connection. Blueooth, WiFi, and Google Sync were all enabled for the entire time. Granted, we don't do a ton of voice calling, but the display is the real killer on the Nexus One -- and rest assured, we had it on plenty. By comparison, we typically get around 11 hours on the Nexus One's standard 1400mAh pack with the same usage pattern, so the 30:15 figure falls actually outdoes the 2.3x capacity boost the Seidio cell should offer by a bit. Obviously, your results will vary depending on how you use your phone, but regardless, we can definitely verify that you'll see significantly more life out of a charge using this kit than you will with the phone's OEM battery and we think you'd be able to eke a full day's use out of it no matter how hard you pushed it -- it's really just a question of whether you can tolerate the $70 asking price and the huge soft-touch hump.
Seidio 3200mAh Nexus One battery hands-on
We just took delivery of a 3200mAh powerplant for the Nexus One from the extended battery specialists over at Seidio, and if we had to sum the kit up in a single phrase, we'd say this: it's not for the faint of heart. Gone are the Nexus One's gentle sloping curves around back, replaced with a giant soft-touch shell designed specifically to accommodate the hulking cell within. We haven't had a chance to stress-test it and see exactly how much more real-world life it gives us against the OEM battery's comparatively meager 1400mAh, but we know already that only the hardest-core users -- road warriors who can't be tied down long enough to slip in some extra juice here and there -- should be considering this behemoth of a kit, especially considering the $70 asking price and the fact that it'll preclude you from using Google's dock. Follow the break for some introductory video. %Gallery-89251%
Seidio's Innocase for the Pre is Touchstone-compatible
Say you've got a Pre and a Touchstone. Say, further, that you've got butterfingers -- or maybe you just really can't stand the thought of your glossy beauty being scratched beyond recognition by the occasional encounter with a lint ball in your pocket. Normally, the answer would be a case -- but the Touchstone requires special handling since it needs contact with a non-slip back to stay firmly planted and deliver the wireless juice, so what's a Pre user to do? The answer might just lie with accessory maker Seidio, which has released its $29.95 Innocase complete with the promise of Touchstone compatibility -- no need to remove the phone to do your thing. You still need to have the Touchstone battery cover installed for the solution to work, but since it's all concealed by the case anyway, who cares?[Via jkOnTheRun]
Seidio Palm Pre battery adds more staying power, retains slim figure
Admit it, your 1150mAh stock Palm Pre battery is far less than stellar -- it's okay, we won't tell anyone. In fact, you can pick up an even larger, 1350mAh battery from Seidio that manages to keep the same physical proportions as its predecessor, meaning no dead giveaway / gaudy bulge the back of the phone. Ideally, that'd get ya an almost twenty percent bump in usage, but we doubt it pans out so nicely in field testing. Feel free to find out for yourself, it's on sale now for a cool $45.[Via jkOnTheRun]
Seidio's oversized G1 battery is bursting with juice and joy
We're not particularly fond of over-sized battery covers in general; your average smartphone is chubby enough. That said, some handsets need more help than others in the longevity department and, given that we found the G1's battery life to be about a third that of the iPhone's in our review, it certainly falls in the "more help" camp. Seidio's Innocell 2600mAh replacement does the trick, offering more than twice the oomph of the stock 1150mAh cell, but it also resulting in a considerable bump in the chubbiness of a phone that wasn't particularly slender to begin with. Suffice it to say if you're still bummed about the G1's chin rubbing you the wrong way in your pocket this won't be the upgrade for you, but if your little Android stays constantly tethered to your laptop just to keep kicking, this might be $55 well spent. [Via CrunchGear]
Seidio adds 400mAh to your G1 without a new cover
We've been hearing intermittent reports that T-Mobile may or may not be sending new, better batteries for owners of juice-deprived G1s in the field, but in the meantime, Seidio has a solution of its own. This 1400mAh battery is rated a full 400mAh higher than the OEM unit, presumably giving you an extra hour or two of Android-powered bliss between charges -- and even better, it fits in the same space with no replacement cover needed. $42.95 sounds steep, but then again, it's hard to put a price on talk time.
