Oct 24 2008
ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD for 2G iPod touch
Typically, when first buying an iPod, you spend a day or two blissing over its beauty. This fades quickly to paranoia over protecting that beauty. The world of iPod accessories has no shortage of options for protective cases, but most of them hide the beauty they were designed to protect. There are some nice looking cases out there, but few if any are as nice as the naked iPod form.
This is where the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD comes in. It’s is light, thin, transparent and, thus, barely alters the iPod’s appearance in any significant way. What it does do is change the degree to which the iPod is susceptible to scratchs and dings. The material from which the InvisibleSHIELD is made is a durable adhesive film that is exclusive to ZAGG. You may find other protective films available, but they’re not the same. This stuff seems to almost absorb a strike that would have otherwise produced a nasty scratch and turns it into a glancing blow. It won’t keep your iPod screen from breaking if you mishandle it, but would you ever put an iPod touch in your pocket with your house keys? I do all the time–no problem.
The film comes adhered to a paper backing and you apply it by removing the backing and spraying the sticky side of the film with a spray ZAGG packages with the InvisibleSHIELD (I suspect the spray is just simple water). Making the film wet puts a liquid barrier between the extremely sticky adhesive and your iPod and gives you more opportunity to slide the film around until you find the possition it was meant to take on the device. Once you have the InvisibleSHIELD where it’s meant to be, you use the squeegee (also provided) to squeeze out any water or air that might remain trapped between the film and your iPod. Pesky edges and tabs that refuse to stick down are to be heated and dried with a hair dryer (not included) set on low until they submit to your will.
If I were to advise you on areas where the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD doesn’t quite measure up, I’d say that on the version I got for the 2G iPod touch, the screen protector didn’t fully cover the screen area. It seems like it could have used another 1/8-inch of material on the right side when the piece was perfectly lined up with the touch’s menu button. Also, even using the hair dryer maneuver, corners seem to be a sticky spot with the InvisibleSHIELD… uhr… actually… a “not so sticky” spot: mine puckered irrepairably at the corners creating rough edges that eventually had to be cut off with a razor blade. The fact that the InvisibleSHIELD leaves the corners of your iPod bare might be considered a weak spot too. The edges of the film also attract lint a great deal, but that is fairly easy to remedy with a bit of glass cleaner.
With these problems aside, I really do like the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD. I love that my iPod looks like an iPod without being left totally unprotected. I also like that I don’t have to remove the device from a case in order to dock it. That is a big plus for me. ZAGG offers a 30 Day Money-Back Satisfaction Guarantee as well as a Lifetime Replacement Guarantee. If you don’t like the InvisibleSHIELD, return it with 30 days for a full refund or if your invisibleSHIELD ever becomes scratched, torn, or damaged in any way while protecting your device, ZAGG will replace it at no cost to you, for as long as you own your device.
The ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD for 2G iPod touch is available for USD$24.95 for “full body coverage” or USD$14.95 for just protection of the front of the device.
