Whether it is hard key or soft key, Android always have three “buttons” at the bottom of the device so that users can easily go back a page, go straight to home, or pull out the task manager. iOS does not have this luxury and up to this point, Apple chose not to go the three-button route – even in the face of thumb-challenging situation posed by large screen devices. The best the solution it could conjured up is double-tapping to “shrink” the display so the top is within the reach of thumb. Still, you will need a pretty big hand and a corresponding lengthy thumb to be able to work the big screen fluidly. Well, that is until now.
Meet Nombiss Intelli+ Smart Glass Screen Protector for iPhone. Looking like any tempered glass screen protector, the Intelli+ Smart Glass Screen Protector puts two invisible “buttons”, one on either side of an iPhone’s Home button, so you could tap places at the top corners (like the camera icon and back arrow of, say, the Instagram app) of the iPhone screen by touching the spaces on either side of the Home button. So what kind of voodoo is this? Well, there’s nothing magical. It is just the wonder of engineering and science.
The invisible circuit embedded within the otherwise ordinary tempered glass protector makes this possible. The circuit uses the small electrical charge our fingers generate, much like how current phone screen tech works. When you touch the spaces next to the Home button, small electrical charge passes through the circuit in the glass and to the top, triggering the touch. In a way, Intelli+ Smart Glass Screen Protector kind fools the iPhone thinking that a finger has touched it and thus, triggering the associated action.
Because of this, it does come with a slight caveat. Apparently, the magic is only possible when holding your iPhone. So, you can’t leave on a desk and tap like you do with Android devices. Wait. There is another caveat: it only works in portrait mode. But it is super cool nonetheless. As a screen protector, it is pretty much what you can expect, namely a tempered glass layer that’s oleophobic coated to minimizes smudges and whatnot.
It is kind dope because, not only does it “remap” the top function soft buttons to the bottom, it also protects your device’s display. Seriously, what more can one ask from a screen protector, right? Plus, with the current discount of $29.49, it is on par with some so-called premium screen protector, but with this one, you get the extras.
Here’s the official product intro video:
And if you care, this is a review by Unbox Therapy:
Images: Nombiss.
via Yanko Design.
