One thing an iPhone owner may worry about is protection for their device. Some people may decide to go with just a simple Wal-Mart purchased face coat, others may go the distance – adding a two sided protectant along with a hard waterproof case.
There are different advantages to having and not having a case for your iPhone, as well as worrying if the plastic cover you ordered is going to be compatible with a stylus you may have purchased for your iPhone. Some of these shields actually restrict the touch of your iPhone or iPod, which can be frustrating due to wasting your money and still having no protection.
The guys over at Zagg have been producing skins called the “Invisible Shield”. You can get shields for your laptop, gaming devices, MP3 players, and GPS devices. They provide the option for front, back, or full coverage. Generally ordering the full body is a greater advantage not only because you get full protection, but it’s usually not that much more expensive than a one sided shield.
Zagg claims that their materials are the same materials used by the military which coat helicopter blades. They go in depth and show a video of two iPhones – one with a shield and one without. The video demonstrates how scraping your key across both devices shows that the one with the Zagg protection will resist scratches, while the unprotected one has magnificent dents scraped into its backside.
I’m the type that likes to have the best type of device or accessories out there, so after reading about the product I wanted to give this a try. I had spent around $50 previous in different skins/shields to find one that worked for me – but all ended up getting scratched really bad, ripping, or falling off. I figured why not.
The contents of the package are the two pieces to the shield (which by the way, the iPhone is SO much easier to put on than the Palm Centro), spray, squeegee, and instructions.
My suggestions to installing the shield would be to definitely wash your hands thoroughly before putting the shield on. This way you avoid carrying particles like dirt, lint, or hair onto your phone. Use a soft micro fiber rag and use some type of cleaning solution to again thoroughly clean your phone and get all of the particles off of the device.
Here is what I used for my shield.
When you’re done following the steps, your phone should look something like this. You’ll notice when installing that the back part is harder to install. The pieces that loop from the side to the top like to bend and not stay down. You can either wait for the rest to dry, and spray more onto it… Or you can just grab some scissors and cut these parts off, on the last two shields that’s exactly what I did.
Try to get the bubbles out as best as you can, it takes some work and patience but if you use the thicker end you shouldn’t have any problems. s
After using the IS I won’t go back to any other type of protectant. I have now installed my third IS for the iPhone – most recently on the iPhone 3GS. I’ve discovered it protects greatly against scratches from keys, change, or other objects being in the same pocket as your cell phone – I never keep other objects in the same pocket, I was just testing it. Also it works great against spills. I have laid my iPhone face down in water accidentally thanks to marble counter tops, and it still has combated against water damage.
I don’t suggest taking your keys to the device like in the video, I tried on my first shield and saw some scratches, but it was because i was hammering the key down pretty good. Also don’t try pushing a pen through the shield because that DOES work. The shield will protect against general use in your pocket, on docking stations, on your desk, wherever. It’s kind of fun to use when you set on a glass plate table and can slide the glass off the table using only your phone. And yes, the shield provides added grip so you’re less likely to have an accidental drop.
The shield is pricy, but it comes with an excellent warranty. If it ever fails you, you can send it back for a replacement – and this is a lifetime warranty. I’ve used the warranty twice already for shields on now three different phones The customer service is excellent, something I value highly in any company I make purchases from.
