March 2019 – Page 22

totallee iPhone Xs Max screen protector review

REVIEW – I am definitely a firm advocate for the use of screen protectors, going back to the cr@ppy thin plastic films I applied on my Palm Vx. I even pressure many friends and family members to use them. I even go so far as to supply and apply them…obsessive, compulsive I know. Today’s multilayer, precision-crafted tempered glass screen protectors do an incredible job protecting your smartphones and have become impressively inexpensive/cost-effective to use. For this review, totallee has sent me their new edge-to-edge screen protector for the iPhone Xs Max to see how it compares to an insanely crowded field of competition.

BACKSTORY – I’ve reviewed and used all types of tempered glass screen protectors over the years, ranging in price from $2 all the way up to an eye popping $50+. The one you see in this picture is a generic one I purchased from Amazon.com for all of 3 for $10. I’ve had it on my iPhone Xs Max since day one and it has done a fine enough job…though thankfully never truly tested. But as you can see, it doesn’t cover the entire screen, sitting several millimeters off all four of the edges. I actually felt bad taking it off, more or less destroying it in the process, to do this review…hopefully this totallee edge to edge screen protector makes it worth the effort/carnage .

What is it?

This totallee screen protector is an edge to edge piece of tempered glass, engineered specifically for the iPhone Xs Max.

What’s in the box?

Tempered glass screen protector
Installation card
Alcohol prep pad
Cleaning cloth

Design and features

As I mentioned, this screen protector is made from a very thin (0.33mm) sheet of glass that has been precisely cut to fit over the entirety of the iPhone’s OLED screen. Other than its edge-to-edge fit, the only two design features of note are the speaker cutout at the top and 2(ish) millimeter black band encircling protector’s edge.

Setup

Installing the totallee screen protector was easy enough. You more or less lineup the speaker cutout and sides correctly and then let go (see video here). Though like any glass screen protector, you have to be careful to not have or let any bits of dust sneak between the two pieces of glass during installation. I did have to use scotch tape to remove a few myself and the screen protector withstood the force of me lifting an edge or two several times to get it perfect. The only thing I might suggest is that totallee include an installation tray which would help place the screen protector more precisely since it is so exactly fitted. If you’re off just a fraction of a millimeter, you may need to reseat the thin sheet of glass which could break or get dust under it.

The totallee screen protector fits the iPhone Max perfectly. The black bezel makes the screen protector almost disappear (much more so than the previous one I had on my smartphone).

The totallee is relatively thin, thinner than some other tempered glass screen protectors I have used in the past. There has been no impact to screen sensitivity or FaceID accuracy.

Performance

While I haven’t tested its strength, hardness, or protection factor, the totallee screen protector is doing a perfectly fine job protecting my screen. It marks off all the typical boxes for a tempered glass screen protector these days: completely clear, extremely thin, 9H hardness rating, and oleophobic coating. Add in the fact it covers the entire screen, the totallee screen protector does not disappoint.

What I like

Perfectly fitted for the iPhone Xs Max
Edge-to-edge protection
Easy to install
Oleophobic coating

What needs to be improved

Expensive
Lacks installation tray

totallee makes tempered glass screen protectors for a multitude of smartphones, ranging from the Pixel 2 to the latest and greatest iPhone Xs Max. They offer a 30-day money back guarantee and 2 year warranty on all their gear.

Final thoughts

With countless screen protectors under $10 on Amazon, justifying a $25 screen protector is pretty tough these days. That said, the totallee tempered glass screen protector certainly isn’t the most expensive one on the market either. totallee has created a very well done, nicely thought out iPhone Xs Max accessory that does an excellent job protecting your $1000+ smartphone. With its edge-to-edge design and oleophobic coating, you hardly know it’s there while providing solid protection.

Price: $25
Where to buy: The totallee tempered glass screen protector is available directly from their website and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by totallee.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Cases and Covers, iPhone Xs Max

totallee iPhone Xs Max screen protector review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 21, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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MoviePass tries unlimited again – with limits

NEWS – MoviePass – once the darling of movie lovers everywhere – then the bane – is back at it again.

First a refresher

MoviePass disrupted the movie industry with their unlimited movie plan. For ten bucks a month, paid annually, you got yourself a spiffy red debit card like this:

When you were jonesing to see a flick, you got yourself within 100 yards or so of your favorite cineplex and fired up the MoviePass app on your phone. Once your location was verified, you picked the movie you wanted to see at that theater. MoviePass loaded the full price of the ticket on to your debit card and you then used it to purchase your ticket. You could do this once per day, every day. Taken to its logical limit, and assuming $10 tickets, you could see $310 worth of movies for a meager $10. What a deal!

Much like the car dealer – “We lose money on every car we sell – but we make it up on volume!”, this model was not sustainable. The real dollars were supposed to be in the metadata about the consumers, their viewing habits and so on. But, that didn’t pan out so well either and the company bled cash like…well like a company losing money on every transaction.

Being recently retired when MoviePass came out, my wife and I jumped on it and used it. A lot. Not 31 times a month, but we saw nearly 40 movies in about five to six months.

Then the bottom fell out. MoviePass restricted available movies, forced you to take photos of your tickets, limited the number of movies you could see per month, and so on. And, they did all this, changing the terms of the deal, even though we paid for an entire year. We were given the option of canceling, so we did, and recovered just under 50% of our money back. All in all, we were out a total of about $120 – $60 each. Not bad for 40 movies – each.

MoviePass was dead, or so it appeared. But, just like this guy,

it appears it was just a flesh wound.

The here and now

MoviePass is back with a new “uncapped” plan. While that sounds like “unlimited”, there are caps.

For a limited time, MoviePass Uncapped is available for $9.95 per month for a 12-month subscription period when paid in advance via ACH payment. Monthly subscribers take a 50% hit at $14.95 per month via credit card payment – also a limited time deal. MoviePass says the standard full price will be $19.95 per month via credit card payment, once the limited time deals expire.

You can see an unlimited number of 2D movies, but only the movies MoviePass determines are available on any given day. One positive change is the ability to reserve tickets three hours before showtime and check in at the theater between 30 minutes before showtime up until ten minutes after showtime. MoviePass is good at over 30,000 screens across the country.

MoviePass’ Select, All Access and Red Carpet plans, introduced in December 2018 are no longer available but will be honored for the duration of a user’s paid subscription.

The verdict

That’s really up to you. If you love movies and want to see a lot for a little scratch, MoviePass is a great deal. But that’s only if you can live with MoviePass telling you what movies you can watch. From their website:

Your movie choices may be restricted due to excessive individual usage which negatively impacts system-wide capacity.

For someone that likes to see movies, especially not the latest blockbusters, MoviePass can be a real windfall. And, if you can be flexible, the blockbusters should eventually be on the list and available to see with MoviePass.

You can learn more at MoviePass.com.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

MoviePass tries unlimited again – with limits originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 21, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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Call of Duty Coming to iOS and Android. Pre-Register for Beta

Do you get done with a long day of work and just look forward to getting home to play Call of Duty on the computer, X-Box, PlayStation, etc. to relax for a bit? Soon you won’t have to wait to get home, as Activision has announced it will be launching Call of Duty: Mobile for iOS and Android. Call of Duty: Mobile Beta Call of Duty is a first-person shooter multiplayer game that was first set in World War II when first released by Activision in 2003 and later took on different eras. It’s available on Windows, macOS, PlayStation, Xbox, and more. But soon Activision… Read more

Call of Duty Coming to iOS and Android. Pre-Register for Beta

Do you get done with a long day of work and just look forward to getting home to play Call of Duty on the computer, X-Box, PlayStation, etc. to relax for a bit? Soon you won’t have to wait to get home, as Activision has announced it will be launching Call of Duty: Mobile for iOS and Android. Call of Duty: Mobile Beta Call of Duty is a first-person shooter multiplayer game that was first set in World War II when first released by Activision in 2003 and later took on different eras. It’s available on Windows, macOS, PlayStation, Xbox, and more. But soon Activision… Read more

4 Facebook Scams You Should Look Out For

Facebook is one of the biggest hubs of social activity, which makes it a ripe target for people who want to cheat and swindle others. From spreading fake information to using Facebook’s own site against them, scammers have taken to Facebook in hopes of cheating its vast user base out of their personal information. As such, it’s a good idea to wise up to their tricks so you can avoid falling prey to their dastardly tricks! Let’s take a look at some ways scammers are targeting users. Related: Five Facebook Alternatives for Those Who Are Looking to Switch 1. Scam Ads Unfortunately, Facebook has had… Read more