After reviewing the Best Skins Ever skin for iPod touch, I thought it would be only fair to review the Invisible Shield iPod touch skin as well. The folks from ZAGG Inc were kind enough to supply a free sample skin, as well as a few strips of material for the review.
The skin arrived in a well padded retail pack, consisting of the skin itself (front and back covers), application solution spray bottle, installation squeegee and the installation instructions sheet.
The application was fairly easy. One thing I particularly liked is that the back cover does not go all the way around, but rather leaves about 2 mm gap around the edges, which makes fitting it so much easier.
The front shield covers the glass and the fame around the glass, and upon initial installation it leaves some air pockets around the glass edges. However, two days later the air pockets are gone and the skin sits very nicely, barely noticeable on your iPod touch.
The surface is somewhat waved, just like the other products, but you really have to put some effort into getting to see it. In the normal use it’s completely invisible and totally unobtrusive.
The left edge shine is not an air pocket, it’s a reflection of the light globe from the lamp just inches above the iPod.
You may wonder how does a touch screen behave under the skin. The answer is simple – exactly the same as without it. The skin is very smooth and the touch screen works absolutely fine.
I have tested the scratch resistance with my old mobile phone, with an improvised skin made from the material strips. In a nutshell, to cause any damage you need a sharp object and you need to pull that object while pressing very hard against the skin. I managed to do so with a brand new key, a screwdriver, knife and a razor blade.
If you press a sharp object against the skin, its surface will dent a little but then it comes back (just like the jelly stress balls), unless you really go wild on it and cut the skin.
I have also placed the phone into my pocket, added two bunches of keys, some coins, and a few loose computer screws and tumbled the lot for a few minutes, without having any mercy on the phone. Once out of the pocket, the phone was like brand new, not a single scratch. That encouraged me to try the same with my iPod touch, even though this time I did have some mercy :-) it came out fine, absolutely no traces of any other objects being in touch with the ‘touch’.
Below is the picture of an iPod touch with the Invisible Shield skin, and another one with the BSE skin. I’ll leave it to you to figure out which one is which.
Verdict
Package 10/10 – solid retail package, very safe even when mishandled by the US, Australia <your country> Post.
Instructions 10/10 – Instructions sheet is provided with the skin, and there is an URL to the the installation guide on the manufacturer’s website, including a video.
Ease of installation 8/10 – Minor annoyances in getting the back cover alligned, apart from that – very easy.
Look 9/10 - The skin looks great, with minor, barely noticeable wavey pattern. But you can’t see it unless you try really hard.
Feel 9/10 – It feels really good, like there is nothing on your iPod, particularly the skin on the back.
Value for money 7/10 – considering the skin costs three times as much as the BSE one, but also provides better package, lifetime warranty, application solution and great application instruction – it’s really your call. I would say that including another skin into the pack (hence making it a twin pack) would justify the US$ 25 price tag.
Overall score – 9/10
Order via ShieldZone website.
If i only had an iPod Touch…. :D
Great Review
How do you get manufactures like that to send you a free sample. What would some of the requirements be? Great article. Again, like the guy above me said, if only I had an iPod Touch
After searching for independant information on the ‘Invisible Shield’ I stumbled upon your site! So after reading your review I am now prepared to purchase one of the products for my Ipod touch safe in the knowledge that someone else tested it on theirs first…. Well done very brave!!
Thank you.
Pffft…you’re iPod touch doesn’t need this. They made the screen virtually unscratchable. I can see something like this being worth it for another iPod type, but this one doesn’t scratch. I have taken my iPod touch screen to the corner of a brick wall and there is not a mark on it. Steve Jobs even said it himself: they engineered the iPod touch screen to be unscratchable. For the first time ever, I can take a gadget out of my pocket and think, “Whoa, it looks brand-new!”
You spend $300 or $400 on an ipod touch so $25 is a small price to pay to ensure it is not scratched. I got my touch over the weekend and I ordered the skin today thanks to the reviews I read here. Great review!
Question: Let’s say months and months (hence a few years) down the line, i decide to remove the invisible shield. Does it leave a residue on the actual iPod touch? And will i be able to reuse the invisibleSheild?
Thanks.
Taking the invisible shield off of any gadget it is on does not leave any residue. You will not be able to re-use the original shield but you can send it back to ZAGG(Invisible Shield) with S&H of $3.95 and they will send you a new one with application spray and squeegee.
I recieved my iPod touch the other day, and have used it for two days, using only an iSock for protection! I did say to myself i wasnt going to take it out of the box until i had relevant protection for it but due to the sheer beauty of the device, i couldnt help myself lol.
Anyway after two days of use, i have begin to notice minor scratches on the rear of the device, the only thing i am still angry with apple at, the chrome surface, surely jobs would of realised, that its prone to scratching! Same happened with my 5.5g although was incredibly worse after 2 days!
Today however i ordered the Shield, from the reviews i cant wait to get it, and have returned my iPod to its original packaging until it arrives.
Great review.
Is it easy to remove after applied?
The non-scratch guarantee of the shield is impressive but what about the adhesive giving around the edges? Does it begin to curl or just come loose from the iPod after normal usage…ie putting in and removing from pockets, purse, etc.?
I have one on my 30gig, same company, same invisible shield. I put it on the day I bought my Ipod. I can honestly say that there has been no lifting, and no curling whatsoever. I am pretty rough with my devices, in and out of pockets, purses, and tucked inside my bra (don’t ask) but I have seen no wear and tear on this puppy, it still looks brand new 2+ years later. I have one on order for my ipod touch, and one for my razr phone too. Well worth the money
I got 2 of the shields for my ipod, and the girlfriends. We have the 160gb. I used the applesauce product to clean, and the shields went on with great eaze. I tested it out myself. They are amazing! My recommendation is this. When installing leave some of the paper on the film, and unroll, as you go down device. Also start at the top of the ipod, and go down.
Scott Marnik said:
Pffft…you’re iPod touch doesn’t need this. They made the screen virtually unscratchable. I can see something like this being worth it for another iPod type, but this one doesn’t scratch. I have taken my iPod touch screen to the corner of a brick wall and there is not a mark on it. Steve Jobs even said it himself: they engineered the iPod touch screen to be unscratchable. For the first time ever, I can take a gadget out of my pocket and think, “Whoa, it looks brand-new!”
The back of the iPod is insanely scratchalbe
What if anything can you say about removing this protective film? Does it leave a residue or any other indications on the Ipod when the film is removed?
nvm now I see the previous pst ty for the review
I have used the Shield Skin on my cell phones and iTouch for since Oct 2007, and these skins are the best. I had one skin peel on my iTouch, which was because my wife handled it while lotion was on her hands and it started to peel/bubble there after a couple of weeks. I took it in to the kiosk at the mall where I purchased it and it has a free warranty. I peeled off the old one, which wasn’t hard, but required a good grip on it and it came off comletely clean. Let me emphasize, THERE IS NO ADHESIVE TO REMOVE once the skin is removed. She recleaned it and stuck the new one on and it’s been on for over six months now with no problems. Go to their webstite and check ‘em out at http://www.zagg.com/.
Scott Marnik says the iPod touch does not need the shield to be scratch proof. I agree with him 50%. The screen is nearly unscratchable but the shield gives the added comfort. But Scott is completely 110% wrong about the back not scratching. It will scratch like crazy. Just tell the whole truth when you say something Scott.
My only concern is that there are spaces on my ipod that are not completely covered… they say they computer “cut” the shield to your device perfectly, but this is a lie…there will be a small space around the scroll wheel that is uncovered and small spaces on the perimeter of the ipod… also do try to get rid of all the air bubbles becuase they do not completely disappear in 2-3 days as they claim…
Oh and I forgot to mention that the squeegee process will scratch both the screen and the back of your ipod… I know becuase I applied the invisible shield right after taking my brand new ipod out of the box, and it now has vertical and horizontal scratches on the screen and on the rear metallic surface…
Article says “but also provides better package”.
I wish Zagg could provide a better product.
I didn’t buy Zagg’s InvisibleShield to get a fancy package, I bought it so it could protect my phone from scratches and marks, but apparently that’s not what InvisibleShield does, because my touchscreen and the back of my ipod touch was as vulnerable to scratches as it was without the protective film.
And as for only “minor” annoyances…
Hey, if installing InvisibleShield is only a “minor” annoyance, then that means building a ten-story building all by myself is a pretty easy thing to do. LOL!
Are you kidding? Trying to install InvisbleShield is really frustrating and difficult.
Definitely not worth it, there are cheaper products that aren’t so frustrating to install, I would say Gadgetshieldz for example, it’s easy to install, and it really cleaned up the appearance of my iPod touch, both the metallic back, and the touchscreen,in stark contrast to InvisibleShield. I used InvisibleShield, its installation process is simple on paper, but baffling in practice.
And as for it