Friday, July 24, 2009

Invisible Shield Installation Tips and Review

So, I purchased the Invisible Shield (IS) a few weeks ago, and appliedit the moment I received them in the mail. There
are two parts of this story, one being the first time I applied the IS, and two being the second time I applied the IS.

Story #1:
I did the installation on my desk. I washed my hands, cleaned the table, did all the little recommendations, and began. Instead of using the Windex idea to apply the IS, I used the solution it
came with. I put on the screen cover, an
d lightly squeegyed (sp?) the bubbles and extra solution.
Then I moved to the back. I literally spent two hours applying the back. It seemed like the corners were never going to stay down. Every time I would put down one of the sides, the whole skin would move, forcing me to reapply it over and over again. After much work and frustration, I finally got the corners to stay.
I let the skins dry for the 48 hours, and went to go look at my shielded iPhone. But to my dismay, the screen could not
have looked worse. The screen appeared to have a look on it very similar to when you get a television screen wet. I let it dry for two more days, but the look never went away.
After about a week of use, I decided to remove the first IS, sent out for a new one and applied the second set of skins.
Story #2:
This time, I decided to apply the IS in a steamy bathroom, as some have suggested. Again I tried using the solution included to apply the IS.
First, I wiped the screen with the micro fiber cloth. Then I cleaned the screen with Windex, then wiped using the micro fiber cloth. I applied the screen cover, but this time, rather than lightly squeggying the screen, I pushed hard. Not so hard as to break the screen, but I really put some pressure on there. I got every last little micro bubble and bit of solution there was underneath that screen cover.
I let the screen dry for ten minutes before applying the back.
I went onto the back. First, I just applied it on the back without worrying about the sides/corners yet. So once I got the back in place, and made sure everything was centered, I let it sit for 15 minutes.
When I came back, I did the sides, then let it sit for 15 minutes. Then I came back, and did the top and bottom, then let it sit for another 15 minutes. Finally, started working on the corners. Do not be discouraged if the corners are not going down, they take a little longer to dry, and do not try to remove the excess solution with your finger or a cloth, just let it air dry or use a blow dryer.
So I finally got all four corners, and then I just let it sit. I let it dry for the two days without touching it at all. When I came back two days later and turned on my iPhone, low and behold! The screen looked amazing, the corners were perfect, and I couldn't even tell that there was anything on the screen.

So, my tips for everyone trying to apply IS:
-Do the application process in a steamy bathroom.
-When squeegying, do it pretty forcefully to remove every bubble and bit of solution.
-Use the solution included.
-When doing the screen part, there is no such thing as too much solution, as long as you squeegy as much of it out from underneath after you have it in place.
-When it comes to the back, there
is such thing as too much solution. I used three squirts of solution, then rubbed it around onto all the corners.
-Make sure your hands are EXTREMELY washed.
-HAVE PATIENCE!!!!!

Putting it on is a little bit of a pain, and just incase it's too intense for some people, there are actually Zagg Invisible Shield kiosks in malls that both sell and apply Invisible Shields for a small charge. I know that currently, Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara, CA and Oakridge Mall in San Jose, CA both offer this service. Try calling up your local mall and see if they have these kiosks and then ask if they offer this awesome service. It was really helpful when I got an Invisible Shield for my MacBook Pro. There's now way I was about to try and apply one of these to my computer. That would have been a red hot mess!
Now, how do I feel about the actual Invisible Shields, well, it has some really great positives, but also has some big negatives. The good things are that it really is invisible. I can't say it looks incredible because I can't even tell it is there. If it wasn't for the change in the way it makes my phone feel, I would probably never even realize it was there. I really like feeling completely comfortable placing my phone down on a table without worrying about scratching it.
The downslides though are that the screen cover makes it too difficult for me to do any of the gestures required to use the iPhone (but I will say that Vince somehow got used to it). Also there are some cases that cannot accommodate the iPhone if it has an Invisible Shield on it.
With these minute negatives aside, the Invisible Shield is an incredible investment for your iPhone's protection. You can buy just a screen protection for $14.99, a back-only coverage for $18.99, or full body coverage for $25.99. Get them at Zagg's Website. While the price may seem steep, remember that you are also getting a lifetime warrantee that says you can simply send back an invisible shield and receive a brand new one for no charge, all you have to pay for is shipping. That's a great deal by my standards!

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