I recently got an iPhone 3GS, and having had friends with various different cases and protective screens, I wanted to purchase something that wouldn’t make the phone too thick, and worked well. After spending a considerable time looking through the various recommended options online, I decided to invest the $30 dollars and go with the Zagg Invisible Shield.
Prior to the iPhone, I had owned an iPod Touch and had never bothered to put any protective covering on it. In the two years with it, it only sustained minor scratches on the screen and an understandable amount of wear to the back. For what it was worth, it seemed like the screens on these devices could hold up to abuse very well. Unfortunately, having a deep scratch across the screen can become a nuisance, so with my iPhone, I decided to protect the screen.
Zagg’s invisible shield appealed to me because it covered almost the entire body in a thin, supposedly super strong, military grade, plastic coat that was advertised to be easy to apply and would last for a long time. The company also offers a lifetime guarantee, which is pretty outstanding considering that some of my friends had already purchased two to three different body covers and replaced their screen protectors a few times.
At the time of purchase, I felt I had made a good investment–and granted, was prepared for a tricky application process, even though most of the reviews I’ve read had stressed as to how easy it was.
Application:
The Invisible Shield kit comes with a sponge and solution tray, a coupon card that acts as the squeegee, a lint free cloth [which my kit was missing] and the protective "shields" for both front and back, the home button and the chrome endings on top and bottom. As instructed, I cleaned the phone off with (my own) lint-free cloth, washed my hands and set up a working area in a clean part of my house. The instructional videos stress the importance of wetting your fingers while working with the "shield" as the adhesive side is really sticky. Well, my experience was that no matter how much of the solution I put on the adhesive side, or on my fingers, it was sticking to my fingers and when placed on the phone was definitely not loose enough to slide around into position. And I will repeat here that I put a LOT of the liquid from the sponge. What this resulted in was a two hour ordeal of several attempts at positioning the cover so that it would align perfectly with the phone’s contours and not extend beyond either edge. The back cover was especially tricky as the phone curves near the edges, and other than the hole for the camera, there is not much else to reference the position by. It is fairly easy to put the cover too much onto one side, so that the edges extend over the edge of the screen. But you only figure this out once you place the entire shield down and squeegee it.
After putting the back and front cover on, squeegeeing it, and then spending even more time trying to the get thin pieces to stick to the corners, I was done. It was recommended that the phone dry for 12-24 hours. My experience found me having to reapply pressure to the corners and repositioning them so that they would fit properly.
Result:
Granted, this was my first time battling with the Shield, but hey, most consumers will be doing it for their first time too. My reaction to the look and feel was slightly mixed. The covers have a rubbery feel to them, which may not be liked by everyone. I personally don’t really care about how it feels, but it does look like you have an uneven, bumpy rubber/plastic surface on it. So much for the "invisible" aspect of it, I guess.
Unfortunately, in the process of applying the screen cover, I must have gotten some piece of lint stuck to it, which is now a reminder of the two hour headache. Some of the back corner parts that had to be repositioned multiple times dried on with a bit of a whitish residue, which once again, I’m not really too picky about. Other than these few small things, I will say that I am very happy with how it works.
I’ve only had it on for a week, but I can already see where problem areas will arise. First of all, the screen may not scratch, but it does stretch. So you will start to acquire stretch marks and indentations with regular wear and tear. Another thing to consider is the fact that the cover will be a magnet for lint dirt particles, because of its rubber-like texture. Not to mentioned accumulation of oils from your face and hands, as these won’t be wiped away as easily as with the iPhone’s normal surface. One last thing to look out for, the ends and edges of the shields will create an area that will also collect fibers, dust and dirt.
Final Words:
The Zagg Invisible Shield is probably the best solution out there if you don’t want to add thickness to your phone in the form of bulky PVC cases, and keep it looking nice and slick. Be prepared to battle with the application process, especially if you have never applied similar types of products before. It will never look and feel the way you may imagine, and I can say that there are definitely clearer and better looking screen protectors that I have seen.
But for $30 and a lifetime guarantee, it is a worthwhile investment considering the money you will place into replacing torn and worn out cases. I can say that it wasn’t what I expected, but it was good enough and probably the best in its class on the market.
