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.
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