So – Anyone else tired of the post-SDK launch hype? Personally, I’m really excited but waiting until June is going to be like waiting for paint to dry. And 20 posts per site on each little thing in the SDK event is driving me crazy. So, lets break up the “news” for a little while and give you a look at the Zagg invisibleSHIELD for the Apple iPhone. Note: I bought this myself. This is not a review unit supplied by Zagg … so any glowing (or not so) praise is all me.
Alright – not too exciting, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. Of course boxes are never too exciting but the packaging for the invisibleSHIELD is pretty nice compared to some of them that I receive. More on that in another review coming soon.
Here’s what you get. In the first picture is the “solution” and the squeegee. In picture 2 is the invisibleSHIELD itself, a product registration card (not needed if you buy from their site) and some instructions/tips. Now frankly the boxed instructions could have been a bit more helpful, but there’s videos on the Zagg website to help you out if you need it. I decided not to use the videos – one because I’m a guy and we don’t stop to ask for directions and two because chances are good none of you folks are going to either. So – I’d rather get the same experience you folks will. Note: Use the videos and follow the tips on the installation page. You’ll be glad you did.
More after the break
About the installation. TAKE YOUR TIME. And take lots of it. Most “screen protection” only takes a couple minutes to prep and apply. The invisibleShield Full Body shield is NOT one of those. It took me almost an hour to really get things applied properly and at least another hour of “perfecting”. By perfecting I mean going back every once in a while over multiple hours and re-sticking various parts and pieces – especially the corners – to make sure I didn’t have a lot of bubbles or loose edges sticking up. I figure I spent a few minutes here and there for a couple hours… so again don’t think you’re going to do this in 20 minutes and then be done.
There’s not enough solution by the way. Not to really do it the way I did and not for the full body application. I’m not sure if they short change this to save cash or what, but they could have filled the whole bottle and saved me the hassle for less than a penny I’m sure. I mixed a bit more and rolled on.
Back to the pictures. The ones above and the ones following were all taken shortly after the application. Notice the tiny air bubbles.
During application make sure you’re in a fairly lint free area. If you aren’t – get in one or at least clean up the area you’re in by spraying some Pledge and having some paper towels around. I did it in a house that has 2 dogs and 2 cats … so if I can get a clean area so can you.
Also – use a lint free cloth to help you soak up the fluid and hold things in place. The corners need a lot of love to get them stuck right and you don’t want a lint covered dust mop to hold them down! I have to thank my friends at Proporta for sending out a cloth a while back for another product – talk about a life saver!
So … after a couple hours of fiddle farting around with the application I finally got it all how I wanted it. Seriously … application is a pain in the arse. (It’s a family site – or I’d be a little more frank.)
Now … sit back, relax and don’t touch it for another 24 hours. Yea. You read that right. 24 fricking hours!! Luckily for me I have another phone to use so it wasn’t a big deal to put my iPhone down and pick up the AT&T 8525 I keep around. Honestly, it sucked. I used Windows Mobile for 12 hours – and I wanted to take it out back and shoot it to put it out of its misery. For those of you not so lucky to have another device floating around… call your friends before you start and tell them you’re out of commission for the rest of the day. You really don’t want to handle this thing for at least 12 hours. Once you get started you’ll see what I mean, but suffice it to say that handling a half dried device can lead to things “shifting” and “un-sticking”.
Anyway, sit back and relax. There’s drying time involved, as well as setup time, bubbles disappearing, and all of that jazz. Magically, the bubbles really do disappear! Well, for the most part.
As you can see the back is almost completely bubble free. The front isn’t perfect – but darned near. I’ve got one tiny little bubble on the left side in roughly the middle. Not bad considering how many pets I have and how many bubbles I started with!
And I managed to get all the corners to stick!! Or course they may not look like a “pro” did it … but I’m proud.
So overall I think it looks alright. As you can see in the above pictures, there’s a lot of what I would call orange peel looks to the invisibleSHIELD. This is definitely going to be a drawback for a lot of people since the screen on the iPhone is one of the biggest draws of the device. But, can you take a razor blade or keys to the screen of your iPhone and not worry about it? Trade offs my friends – trade offs.
The invisibleSHIELD also adds a bit of reflection to the screen itself which should be evident in these last pictures. But its really not as bad as I read around the web. I’ve used the OtterBox Defender on my iPhone for a looong time now and frankly I think between the two (screen only) the invisibleSHIELD is a lot easier on the eyes. The Defender however is still my favorite case… because it can take a serious beating and come back for more.
Another thing the pictures don’t show and I can’t take a picture of is how it responds to fingers all over it. Obviously the iPhone is a “touch” screen device. All interactions are mainly done through the screen. In all honesty it’s a bit tacky, but overall not really tough to get used to. You’re not sliding across glass anymore so there’s definitely some increased drag. If you’re used to sliding your finger along the glass and having your fingernail drag along behind it (ladies) you might want to trim them up a bit because it’s going to catch on the invisibleSHIELD. I figure this will take some getting used to, right along with the orange peel.
Anyway, here’s the wrap up. I just put this on yesterday so I don’t have any long term thoughts quite yet (I’ll follow up in a week or so) but here’s what I’ve got so far:
Pros:
Keys, Razor Blades, Pens, Pockets … you name it, you don’t have to fear it.
Lifetime Warranty. 30 Day Money Back.
Peace of mind.
“Grippy” – compared to the slickness of the sides on the iPhone itself, I’m a lot less worried about the iPhone sliding out of my hands.
Cons:
Installation/Application is a pain
Looong dry time
Orange Peel looks, Reflectivity of the screen, “grabby” feel if you’re a fingernail slider.
The Zagg invisibleSHIELD for the iPhone is $24.95 for the full body version and $14.95 for the front only.
Continue reading:
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- Apple Watch Pre-Order
- Apple Research Kit launches with 5 Apps
- Apple TV now only $69
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