Logitech RMA - Big Thumbs Up

My Logitech G5 Laser Mouse has been tracking erratically for the last few months. I was waiting for a sale to pick up a G500 to replace it, but I remembered that my old mouse could still be under warranty.

Calling their customer support line, I was able to speak to a human being after only three computer prompts and no time on hold! Amazing. Giving the serial number of my mouse, the agent confirmed that I was still covered. He went through the routine diagnostics that were probably standard protocol. I could tell he knew I was tech savvy enough to troubleshoot the situation myself and that it was indeed a hardware problem. He whipped up the RMA request, and four hours later I had a UPS shipping label in my email from Logitech to send my old mouse back to them. I dropped by the UPS Store in town later in the day and the gentleman there got my old mouse packed up and shipped.

They are sending me a G500 as a replacement as soon as my old mouse has been returned. It's probably going to be a refurb, but it's a nice free upgrade after nearly three years, and really shows how much Logitech stands behind their products.

Unboxing: Vantec NexStar TX 2.5" Hard Drive Enclosure

The internal hard drive on my MacBook Pro has been teetering around being completely filled the last few months, so I desperately needed an external storage solution to store some of my movies and pictures. I managed to order a 640GB WD hard drive from Canada Computers during their Black Friday sales. Unfortunately the location near me was in the midst of a location change, so I'm still waiting on the drive to be found in/shipped to the store. Not to waste a trip, I picked up the enclosure which I'm unboxing here now. (more after the jump)

NexStar TX Enclosure in its box.

Cut the Rope version 1.1 Released

One of my favourite iPhone games, Chillingo's Cut the Rope, was recently updated. The object of game is to deliver a piece of candy to the game's mascot, a cute monster, named "Om nom", by cutting ropes that suspend the candy. The original release featured 100 puzzles spread across four different "boxes". The 1.1 release brings 25 more puzzles in the Cosmic Box. Although I haven't achieved three stars on all 100 levels of the original yet, the game felt a bit short, so I was eagerly awaiting the release of 1.1 and new levels to tackle. (more after the jump)

First Impression: iOS Game - Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4

Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 for iOS was released last weekend. I don't consider myself the biggest Harry Potter fan, but I am familiar with the story. Based on what I've seen of the game around the internet, it looked very entertaining so I had to give it a try. (more after the jump)

Review: iOS Game - Trainyard

Trainyard is an interesting puzzle game for iOS. The premise of the game is simple, you must draw train tracks upon which coloured trains travel from a starting point to a depot. Only appropriately coloured trains are allowed in their respective depots. (more after the jump)

Trainyard main screen.

Review: PowerSupport HD Antiglare Screen Protector

Ordering and Pricing

My HD anti glare film was ordered from jr.com on November 6 and it arrived at my house here in Canada on November 16. The film set cost $14.95 US and after shipping and currency conversion $21.52 CAD came out of my PayPal Account.

What's in the box?

Included in the package are: two HD anti-glare front screen films, one "pre-installation" film, and installation instructions with troubleshooting tips.

Installation

PowerSupport makes it very easy to install the film. The backing of the film has many tearaway notches allowing you to install the film one small section at a time. It took me less than five minutes to install the film. I peeled the backing from the top and lined up the camera and speaker cutouts. After confirming that the home button would line up, I took the remaining backing off and laid the film down slowly from top to bottom.

The cutouts for the front facing camera, speaker and home button are perfect. The film is also 100% compatible with the Apple Bumper case. The edges of the bumper meet the edge of the film and there is no "bubbling" of the film at all.

Post Installation Thoughts

Does the screen affect the Retina Display? Of course it does, but that is to be expected. The screen protector makes things look slightly more diffuse. Since I am writing this review immediately after switching from a naked screen, the differences are more prominent. I figure that after time, it won't be as noticeable. At distances that you'd normally be viewing the phone, the screen looks perfect. The film is most noticeable when there is a white image displayed on the screen. 

The anti glare makes the screen a matte screen, which is what I'm used to with my 2008 pre-unibody MacBook Pro. This matte appearance provides more clarity in bright environments. 

There are no negative effects on the responsiveness of the screen. What I enjoy the most about the screen is how smooth it is. It is a different texture from the bare glass, but it is incredibly smooth. With the bare screen I would find that sometimes the screen gets sticky, especially when my fingers were a bit sweaty or after fingerprints had built up on the screen. With the PS anti glare screen protector, the surface is extremely consistent and repelled fingerprints amazingly well. I also have a first generation iPod touch with a Zagg Invisible Shield applied and there is no comparison. The PowerSupport is heads and shoulders above the Zagg. There is definitely no orange skin effect with the PS film.

Conclusion
I highly recommend The PowerSupport HD Antiglare screen protector. It offers extremely good fingerprint resistance and has a minimal effect on the Retina Display.