Getting a new iPhone, or any smartphone for that matter, is always fun (and expensive). Besides the new features they bring, I enjoy dressing it up with new accessories.
I’ve had my iPhone XS for a few weeks now and finally had a chance this week to get it ready for action. I know Apple purists want smartphones used as is and pretty much naked, but that’s not for me since I’m accident-prone and have already dropped it.
I started with an InvisibleShield Glass Plus Anti-Glare for the Apple iPhone XS. All screen protectors are not the same and I’ve been a fan of this Zagg product for many years. It’s designed with EX Apply tabs for putting the screen on in seconds and bubble-free.
Along with having three times the shatterproof protection compared to an unprotected screen, it has a matte finish to keep it fingerprint- and smudge-resistant. This helps keep your fingers gliding for easy use on the full-screen touchscreen.
As its name says, the screen is anti-glare, with technology to disperse light hitting the screen to reduce the glare.
www.Zagg.com $44.99
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There are a lot of features I like on the iPhone XS and on top of the list is wireless charging. It’s not really full-fledged wireless charging but there is no wire needed to connect to your smartphone. The iPhone doesn’t ship with a wireless charger, just a lightning cable and USB AC plug.
Ventev new Wireless Chargepad+ is as easy as it gets. Just connect the included 5-foot USB AC cable to the AC adapter (or into a port on your computer) and the charging pad.
To charge an iPhone or other Qi fast wireless charging devices, put the phone on the pad. Charging starts right away and stops when you take it off.
The rounded pad has a 3.5-inch diameter, a depth of 3/8 inch and has rubber nonslip pads on the bottom. I used it flawlessly without a case and with a case. I’m sure there will be some thicker cases that won’t work, so shop carefully.
Another use is connecting the chargepad plus to the USB port in a car and having wireless Qi charging on the go.
https://mobileaccessories.ventev.com $49.99
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The Hitcase Shield Link case is as versatile a smartphone case as you can get.
It’s a full-enclosure case when you use the included Aqua Shield to give your phone IP68 waterproof protection to depths of 10 feet. The case is built using military specs for drop-proof protection.
For everyday use, take out the Aqua Shield and snap in the Air Shield, which is an open-face covering. With both shields the phone was full functional with access to all the ports, controls and touchscreen, and worked perfect with Qi wireless charging.
Another great feature of the case is the magnetic Link mounting system. This includes eight magnet Link mount accessories and three TrueLUX lenses for improving the phone’s lens for digital images. All these accessories are separately.
Each lens is built with precision-grade optical glass and is waterproof. Choices are super-wide, wide and macro, which all worked well and mounted effortlessly. In photo mode, the super-wide has a 148-degree view, the wide is 111-degrees and the macro has a 3X magnification.
The lenses are built with anodized aluminum construction and have an anti-reflective and anti-scratch coatings.
www.hitcase.com $89.99 for the case, available in black and rose gold; the lenses are $39.99 each or a 3-lens bundle for $99.99
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Contact Gregg Ellman at greggellman@mac.com. Follow him on Twitter: @greggellman.
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