Short Order Techout here there be geeks

Back in June when I got my 3GS, I decided to try out an InvisibleShield from ZAGG. A friend of mine from work raved about his, and although I was some what “iffy” on the texture of the product and how “grippy” it made the screen feel, I decided to give it a try regardless. Now, three months later, here is my review.

The Good:The InvisibleShield is very grippy. It wont slide around in the car and it feels firmly planted in your hand. The protection it provides is incredible. I have literally keyed, scratched, bitten, and abused the phone with this on without any fear of damaging the finish. Note, I said the finish. I still wouldn’t drop it on the ground. This material is what helicopter blades are coated with, and I can personally verify that I was unable to puncture it. On the website they show a video of a person pushing the material down over a ballpoint pen and it will not damage it. I did just that and it didn’t

The Bad:The grip of this product is some what of a double edged sword. While its great to hold on to, its not very comfortable against the ear. It grips at your ear the same as your hand, which I found to be unpleasant. Given that I rarely use my iPhone for talking, I was able to live with it. The other issue is that installing this thing is a royal pain in the ass. It is wet applied with a mister and squeegee . You begin by misting down the shield, carefully placing it in position, and then working the water out from under it with an applicator. Once that is done you need to let it cure over night, and if you don’t get all the bubbles out of it, it looks like crap. Did I mention that if you get it good and stuck, there is no going back as pulling it off pretty much ruins it? Its like plastic model decals. You get one good shot at it and every other attempt after that just screws it up little by little.

The Ugly:As seen in the pictures below, I started to notice that the shield was turning yellow. I used it for three months and assume it just absorbed enough funk over that time to discolor. It could be due to heat, I am not sure. I will say that ZAGG is replacing it free of charge because of the discoloration.

The Verdict:If you want to protect your phone but don’t want a bulk case, I say go for it. These things run about thirty bucks and are replaceable for life through the warranty. I can also verify that it pulled right off with no damage to the phone. I have one of these on my SLR camera and my kids iPhone, and have full trust in its ability to prevent screen and body scratches no matter how severe the conditions.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone