Practicing Safe iPod
I got me one of them shiny new black iPods a couple weeks back. It’s real purty. While the black is very nice looking, it’s also going to scratch if you breath on it with anything less than freshly brushed teeth. I’m not much for the cases – I don’t like hiding my iPod, but I DO want to protect it. So I set out to find some skins to properly protect my new toy.
DecalGirl and The Invisible Shield hooked me up with a couple to try out. I went through the installations of both, and tried each out for a few days to see how it protected my iPod from daily use. It’s been widely established that these new iPods scratch far too easily, so while I take good care of my things, having these protective skins was a great help.
I got the IPV9000 skin from DecalGirl. It’s pretty cool – looks like H.A.L. from 2001:A Space Odyssey. There’s a front and a back, but the sides are left bare. Not a huge problem unless you’re anal retentive about that kind of thing. The disappointing part that I didn’t realize until I got the Decal in the mail, was that there’s no screen protection. That’s the most important part to me – especially now that I’ll be watching video on it. Otherwise, the Decal looks sweet – I really like the H.A.L. look. I would have left the button labels off though, to preserve the coolness.
Installation was pretty easy. The non-gummy adhesive is a great feature when adjusting for that perfect placement. But don’t stick the thing down all the way, as it doesn’t remove from the iPod so gracefully. I found that the best way to place it was to line up the BOTTOM edge, and lay it down slowly. That way you eliminate bubbles, and get the edges lined up just about right the first time.
Protection wise, the DecalGirl skin did a pretty good job. Actually, in the areas it covers, it does a great job – but I only give it a ‘pretty good’ because of the lack of screen protection. It’s possible to put a stand-alone screen protector under the Decal, or possibly wrap a clear skin over the Decal if that’s what you want, but by itself, it was left slightly wanting.
The Invisible Shield is apparently a solution by the US Army for protecting Helicopter Blades from the elements. It’s tough stuff. Watch the video to see them trying to puncture the skin with a pen – they’re not successful. Let me tell you now – BELIEVE THE HYPE. The Invisible Shield is just that, invisible. If you apply it well, you’ll barely know it’s there, except for that your iPod is basically invincible to scratches.
You should know first off, that The Invisible Shield installation is not simple if you’re a perfectionist. It takes a little while to get it on right, and looking good. So be prepared to spend up to 30 minutes. There are instructions on their website for installing it, and they link to a tutorial that includes pictures to appease those desiring visuals. TIP: Apply the back first, to get an idea for how it goes on, that way if you smudge it up some, you can try to do it better on the front.
You’ll be lightly applying soapy water to the film, and then putting that wet film on your iPod…But don’t worry, you’ll squeegee the moisture out and it doesn’t harm your iPod at all. (Though you may want to tape over your ports temporarily.) I would suggest being somewhat liberal with the amount of water you use, as it gets difficult to adjust the Shield as it dries. You can still remove it after it dries, but you may notice smallish stretch marks in the skin when all is said and done.
The one thing I was displeased about is the way the click wheel and center button are scored-out of the front skin. It goes on as one piece, but if you need to re-adjust in that area, it’ll become 3 pieces really fast.
Once finished, it’ll take a good couple of days before the entire thing cures completely. Each day following installation, my Invisible Shield looked better and better, despite the small spots and ’smudges’ (see pictures) I thought I’d just have to come to terms with – they all went away!
Protection is what the Invisible Shield is all about. It covers the sides, top, bottom, front, and back. There’s just a couple minimal spaces around the ports that are left bare, but you’d need a razor blade to mar them at this point. I even got up the guts to slash at my newly protected iPod (granted, only the back, I’m not crazy enough to go at the screen!) with my keys. There’s NOTHING on the skin itself! It doesn’t scratch, the iPod doesn’t scratch beneath it. It’s perfect. I really could go after my screen if I wanted to, but that’s just not going to happen.
While I liked the DecalGirl skin (the black decal on the back looked pretty awesome, and I would have left it on if not for the IPV9000 graphic), I couldn’t get past the lack of screen protection and the labels on the buttons. (There’s only 5 possible buttons, I KNOW where they are…) Since I got my skins to review, DecalGirl has come out with a new product – the Crystal Shield – that offers FULL front and back protection, and is [obviously] clear. They’re selling for $3.99
The Invisible Shield is all it claims to be. You can’t tell it’s there, and it will absolutely protect your iPod from anything that could possibly happen to it (ok, not ANYTHING, but you know what I mean). You can check out all my pictures of the 2 skins below.
DecalGirl skins run about $6.99 while The Invisible Shield runs $24.95.
If you’ve tried other protective skin options – especially the new DecalGirl Crystal Shield – let us know your experiences.
(Both sets of pictures are immediately following application. In the case of The Invisible Shield, all the goobery lookiung spots have since vanished.)
DecalGirl Pictures:
1 2 3 4 5
The Invisible Shield:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
EDIT:
2 months later, here’s how my ipod with Invisible Shield is looking:
1
2
3
4
5
Fats Vernon on November 15th, 2005 at 10:03 am
I was also turned onto the Invisible Sheild. I used it for my new white Nano…..it is everything you said it is. It’s so gratifying to be able to use my $250 investment as I see fit without any fear of scratching or smudging.
I think this should be shipped with evey iPod. I got the shield with the click-wheel cutout. I wanted to retain the feel of the wheel.
Anyway, glad to see someone else is in on this awsome product.
Fats
Seijornec on November 15th, 2005 at 12:00 pm
“The one thing I was displeased about is the way the click wheel and center button are scored-out of the front skin.”
That’s because Invisible Sheild offers 2 types of ipod skins. One with the click wheel cut-out the other not (front sheet is whole). Sounds like you applied the version that was meant to leave the click wheel uncovered.
I have the cutout version on my nano and love it. The nano is protected but you can still see the cool matte finish of the wheel.
Elvin on November 24th, 2005 at 11:33 pm
Is the Invisible Shield thick enough that it would interfere with placing an iPod in a dock?
John Huie on December 7th, 2005 at 9:37 am
do you have any pictures of your ipod after the first several days, when your ipod looked better and better?
what do you think of the martin fields case?
http://www.martinfields.com
Thank yoU!
Nick Santilli on December 7th, 2005 at 11:01 am
John – I wasn’t able to get a MartinFields at the time. I was interested in them though – especially for the supposed polarizing effect on the screen.
I’ll get some pics posted soon, of the ipod in its current state. check back.
Mark Lowerson on December 8th, 2005 at 10:51 am
Ever thought of using both?
Ideally you’d want it all in one skin but could you customize it with the DecalGirl then protect it with the invisible shield?
Does this work okay?
Peter on December 15th, 2005 at 10:01 am
Thanks for the review, this helped me a lot. I was first shown the InvisibleShield and while looking for a cheaper alternative I saw the Crystal Shield. Your blog covered both. After reading this, it tells me that 25 bucks to cover the ipod without a thick rubbery case and be as protective as the demo movies, it’s worth it. I had bought one of the rubbery cases for 20 or 24 dollars and took it back the next day. You didn’t mention how safe you felt your ipod was with the Crystal Shield. Besides looking pretty, do you think the shield would have protected it from keys in the pocket or sliding on the desk type scratches for a long time?
Liquid88 on December 17th, 2005 at 12:17 pm
Thanks alot. I loved ur review, but I have a slight problem and need some advice. I live in The Bahamas and I’m waiting on the Tuffwrap Accent case for my Nano (which I decided not to open until the case get’s here) I ordered yesterday to arrive I was wondering if there was a retail store in the U.S. that would carry The Invisible Shield.
I think I’m gonnna use both products..The Invisible Shield to prevent scratches and the Tuffwrap Accent to protect my Nano from short falls.
Thanks again for the review!
Nick Santilli on December 17th, 2005 at 12:35 pm
I don’t know of any retail stores that carry the Invisible Shield. I’d bet there are a few kiosk type places that may have them, but I’ve not seen evidence of this yet.
thanks for reading – hope the case/skin treat you well!
Liquid88 on December 17th, 2005 at 3:41 pm
Thanks for the reply Nick, so I guess the only thing I can hope to do is order it online….but how long do you think it would take to ship?…Remember I live in thE Bahamas not the U.S. but i’m prepared for the $14.00 airmail cost? I’m just really anxious to see what the Nano can do.
Thanks again…
Fred on December 24th, 2005 at 11:08 pm
I applaud your informative review..Folks, here I found you a similar skin to the invisible shield but 3 to 4 times cheaper!! check it out http://www.bestskinsever.com/servlet/the-All-Products/Categories
alex on December 26th, 2005 at 9:21 pm
Like Mark Lowerson asked up there, is it even possible to use both products simultaneously, invisibleShield on iPod, then DecalGirl skin on Top for style?
I might not always want to have a skin on my iPod covering my hilarious engraving. So i would want the option to remove the DecalGirl skin & let it shine through a transparent film.
thank you
funkpod on January 1st, 2006 at 9:27 pm
hey guys, check out this review i wrote about my combining of a MARTIN FIELDS and INVISIBLE SHIELD (actually, a BEST SKIN EVER).
i think it’ll help some of your questions!
http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=809601#post809601
NARU on January 19th, 2006 at 12:04 am
I just ordered a DECALGIRL skin for my white nano, and a screen protecter as well, all that totaled up to 11.23 WITH standard US shipping :) i think it was a good buy. now here is my question: for the decal girl skin thing, how it DOESNT cover the sides of my ipod, does it make it look weird? i was thinking of possibly just covering the front to prevent scratches and keep the back bare(i like the shiny back) but i justed wanted someone elses imput.
Nick Santilli on January 19th, 2006 at 12:13 am
MARK – sorry I neglected to reply sooner. Yes, in theory that should work fine to put on the DecalGirl skin, and cover with an Invisible Shield. Though the Invisible Shield is EXTREMELY precise in its sizing, so even the slight thickness of the DecalGirl skin would probably offset it slightly enough to be noticeable.
NARU – I didn’t think it looked odd at all with the sliver sides showing – though I had a black decal on the top AND back. I actually liked the black decal on the back, and considered leaving it, if not for the somewhat cheesy “IPV9000″ part.
My Invisible Shield is going strong. I ‘toss’ my iPod around with nary a care these days, and there’s not a blemish to show for it. It’s completely unlike me to handle it that way, but the Invisible Shield really lets you concentrate your anal retentive efforts elsewhere.
I’m kind of curious how I’d actually remove the thing, were I ever to want to re-apply a new one, or take it off for some reason. It is ON there. But not a real concern. I don’t see any need to un-protect my iPod.
Ian on January 24th, 2006 at 11:32 am
Nick:
Can you post pictures of your iPod now? I applied my Invisible Shield two days ago and I still have some “smudges” and small bubbles similar to what appear on the lower right part of your iPod as shown in your pictures. Unfortunately, I’m very impatient and don’t know whether I should try and remove the “offending” portion and reapply it.
THANKS!
Nick Santilli on January 24th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
Ian -
Yeah, I’ll get some new pics up for you.
My recommendation would be NOT to remove and reapply though. The smudges I had were mostly from trying to reapply. As the invisible shield would stretch, it put marks into the shield itself. So i’d stick with your original.
But check my pics to decide for yourself.
Nick Santilli on January 24th, 2006 at 12:53 pm
here’s the pictures from today:
1
2
3
4
5
NARU on January 24th, 2006 at 11:10 pm
I have a white ipod nano, and i love it, so far, i hope it doesnt break, im getting a decalgirl scin in the mail ANY day now, i ordered it last week, so it should come in pretty soon.
i have a question about my nano though, in the “settings” menu on my ipod nano, it has an option saying “sound check:, what the hell is that? and what are compilantations?
also, im having trouble with the calender, how do i set up TO-DO lists? or any of that sort of stuff?
Nick Santilli on January 24th, 2006 at 11:16 pm
NARU -
The soundcheck – I believe – sets all tracks’ volume to the same level, in case they were ripped/recorded to your computer at differeing volumes. This Sound Check ‘fixes’ that.
not sure about the to-dos though. I’d investigate ical/isync when you have your ipod attached, to see if anything stands out.
NARU on January 24th, 2006 at 11:36 pm
dang, you replied very quickly!! but thanks anyway :) its nice to know this blog isnt dead like many others are, and people actually respond to out questions instead of saying good/bad things about the ipod.
oh, and to get to-dos on you go to microsoft outlook (for windows) and sync it to the ipod i went to ipod support page :)
ok, a couple more questions on decal girl skins.
for the skin, does it actually protect the ipod from scratching? or do scratches go right through the skin and onto the ipod?
thanks
Nick Santilli on January 24th, 2006 at 11:42 pm
Nope, we’re not dead here. ;)
While I wasn’t comfortable trying to scratch my ipod through the decal girl skin, I don’t think I’d rely on the Decal Girl skin to protect against major scratches.
the ipod’s surface is susceptible enough on it’s own, that I think any covering will protect it from daily use and handling. But the Invisible Shield will protect it from just about anything you can throw at it.
NARU on January 24th, 2006 at 11:54 pm
YET again a fast and speedy reply, :)
Im not gonna be throwin my ipod around, nor will it ever be left on the ground or anything, i just spent 250 dollars on it, and i sure wouldnt like to replace it. i just want something to porevent those dang hairline scratches (those really thin ones that you can see when shining a bright light on your ipod). I hate those and will do almost anything to prevent them (in my 20 dollar budget)
so is decal girl the best reccumended for my problem? or is another product for the same or close to price better than decalgirl?
Nick Santilli on January 25th, 2006 at 12:02 am
I’d say for your needs, the Decal Girl skin should do you just fine. For everyday use – from which those hairline scratches seem to appear – you’ll be fine.
If you think you’ll like to see the pretty white of your ipod, maybe consider the Decal Girl Crystal Skin (or whatever it’s called). I didn’t get to test one of those out, so I cannot attest to it competing with the near-invincibility of the Invisible shield, but it should at least do as well as their other skins which will do the job you’re looking for.
I’m headed to bed now, so the responses will slow down at this point…
NARU on January 25th, 2006 at 12:06 am
I got the “cool blue flames” or whatever its called, i dont want a invisable thing because of bubbles and smears, but it should work,
thanks for all your help, next time i have question, ill be sure to come here :)
im off to bed as well
Seijornec on January 26th, 2006 at 10:06 pm
I have to followup and say I’ve been very impressed with the Invisible Shield and the company Protective Solutions. My nano conked out on me so Apple replaced it. I pulled off the IS. I then emailed PS and asked for a replacement and they responded within the day and said that a replacement would be on the way. They just asked that I return the used Shield when I received my new one. Anyway I got it today and applied to it my new nano. I put on in a few minutes. Took much less time the second time around. The first one held up extremely well and my nano looked as new as the day I bought it. I know there are cheaper “clear” solutions out there but knowing PS makes good on their lifetime warranty says a lot I think.
-a happy customer
Jeff on January 27th, 2006 at 8:14 am
Wow, I put my Invisible Shield on yesterday and was really discouraged cause when I was done it looked like hell. I woke up this morning and I’d say 90 percent of the blurry stuff was gone. I have a few bubbles on the back that I didn’t catch because they were in the middle of the blurry stuff but I can live with that. If it continues to improve I’ll be more than pleased.
NARU on January 28th, 2006 at 12:24 am
Well, i went to my P.O. box today and there i found my decalgirl skin for my ipod nano. i love it, but i just cant stand the Center butten sticker for it, its too big. thats my only complaint. i even like the back
NARU on January 29th, 2006 at 1:55 pm
Here is a 7.00 way to safly protect your IPOD nano SCREEN and UNIT:
Step 1: Perchase a Decalgirl Skin at decalgirl.com for your ipod nano. 5.99 tac = 6.20
step 2: Remember the earphone cotten things that came with your nano? Open them and use the see-through plastic wrapping for the screen protector.
When your decal girl skin on, place the plastic from the earphone muffs on the screen, then TAPE them with see through masking tape to the nano. Its residue free and it works. If youd like a picture just e-mail me at cattadoris03@hotmail.com
John on February 1st, 2006 at 9:35 am
I found another Invisible Shield type product. It’s called Protech, and you can find them on eBay. I had the thing on in only a few minutes, and it’s working great. They claim it’s the same material as the invisible shield. I’ve had it on for about a week, and it looks great, and there’s no scratches at all.
Khushi on February 23rd, 2006 at 1:48 pm
Does the invisible sheild hide existing scratches? I’d really like to know, thanks.
Nick Santilli on February 23rd, 2006 at 2:14 pm
Khushi -
I handled my iPod VERY carefully before I put on The Invisible Shield. Even being so careful, I still got the small swirly type scratches in mine.
With The Invisible Shiled on, I don’t really notice them…But if you’ve got serious scratches all over the place, I doubt it’ll do much to conceal them. It’s basically just clear plastic after all.
Khushi on February 24th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
Hey thanks for the quick reply! I accidentaly wet my ipod recently (just by cleaning it with a little water, i didn’t submerge it or anything) and some water got in. It played dead for a bit but its ok now. Do you think getting the ipod wet to install the shield would cause too much of a problem?
Nick Santilli on February 24th, 2006 at 2:48 pm
Khushi -
none of the people I know have had a problem with the water while applying the Shield. I wouldn’t worry – you’re dabbing it on with your finger really, so it’s not exactly drenching it. I wouldn’t worry, just don’t submerge it in anything.
Steve on February 28th, 2006 at 4:15 pm
Im just wondering about all the products on the market. There is Protech shield, Invisible shield, Decal girl and Best skins ever. Best Skins ever under FAQ when asked if it prevents scratches says it does get scratched but not as easily as it would without the covering. Im just wondering if anyone has any of these products and how they work compared to the invisible shield.
Simon on March 2nd, 2006 at 4:21 pm
I initially ordered the invisible shield from their website. However, after a three week wait and a call from UPS giving me the heads up that my IS will not be shipped for some unknown shipping reasons, i decided to order the protech shield for my ipod video 30 gb. I’ve read good feedback about it, but i am not totally sure if it is the same material as the IS. Can anyone confirm if the protech is truly made from the same material as the IS?
Adam on March 6th, 2006 at 12:18 am
I got the Overlay Plus by Martin Fields. I have not applied it yet due to light swirl marks on my Ipod Video. Going to order a polish and hopefully will remove the marks w/o fuss. How is the decal girl skin sensitivity on the click wheel? It looks like it covers the wheel entirely. Is it harder to navigate to your music?
ADAM
John on March 18th, 2006 at 9:47 am
I can confirm that the Protech IS the same material as the inviisibleSHIELD. I have one of each, and they’re nearly identical. The Protech doesn’t cover the sides, but I thought the invisible shield looked kind of weird the way it wrapped around and had all the flaps and stuff. They’re both great. The Protech is like $10 cheaper.
Denise on April 10th, 2006 at 6:46 pm
Thanks for your comments about the Invisible shield. I put one on my white Ipod video on Saturday. I still have some streaks and things that are similar to what you showed in your pictures, but mine are on the screen. How long did it take for these to disappear completely? It has been 48 hours already.
Nick Santilli on April 10th, 2006 at 7:07 pm
Denise -
mine took probably a solid week to really start looking like there was no shield there. And after a month, it was completely invisible.
Not that it took those lengths of time, but I recall at those intervals, NOTICING the difference.
Denise on April 11th, 2006 at 9:03 am
Thanks! I hope that is the case. I hated all the scratches on the screen, but I am not crazy about all these streaks either.
Adam on April 11th, 2006 at 9:41 am
Denise, I had a lot of streaks on my ipod Video and it drove me crazy looking at them. I then found out about a ipod polish that worked very well for me. It took out all the streaks on the screen and the ipod itself. It’s called icleaner and here is the url http://www.ipodcleaner.com/
Chris on April 13th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
For the invisible shield do you need the Application Solution that they sell or can you just use water?
Nick Santilli on April 13th, 2006 at 11:03 pm
Chris
no. water with a DROP of soap works fine.
Rama on May 15th, 2006 at 1:25 am
So, what about the Trendy Shield??
Tariq on June 24th, 2006 at 3:31 am
Hi everyone, does anyone know what is the safest way of cleaning my black ipod video. Tried using the cloth i got with my psp but its somehow managed to leave hairline scartches on the front of my ipod. Any advice would be most appreciated.
Catherine on July 8th, 2006 at 11:17 am
I got the shield with click wheel cutout and I LOVE IT. The first one they sent me was defective, though. The front cover had crease marks on it that were visible before removing it from the white backing. I tried installing it anyway, and they did not disappear. But the company shipped me a new one free of charge (they waived shipping fees too). And it’s perfect. Removing the old front shield was a nasty experience, and some bits of adhesive were hard to get off. I had some Apple Polish around to remove the fine scratches that popped up before I bought the shield. The finer solution eventually took off the old adhesive bits. But it’s a long process to use the polish.
As for cleaning the black ipods, I think iKlear works well, using the chamois that comes with it.
It’s a lot easier to polish up the shield than it was the ipod plastic underneath.
Has anyone else noticed that lint and dust gets stuck at the edges of the side flaps? I guess they stay a little sticky?
bryan gabriel on August 3rd, 2006 at 1:54 pm
As for cleaning the iPod, try Applesauce Polish from the makers of invisibleSHIELD. I haven’t used it myself but it seems like the correct product to use. Here is the link ==> http://www.shieldzone.com/item_description/APSPOLISH.html
Guy on October 18th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
Hey guys, I just bought the same thing as the Invisible Sheild but it was from http://www.bestskinsever.com
It’s the same thing but WAY cheaper… Try it out… Cost me less than $10
Matthew Lynn on October 26th, 2006 at 9:23 am
Well I have been checking out all the different skins because my old silicon case won’t allow the 60GB Ipod to fit in my new mm50 Logitech speakers which I love.
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2661,CONTENTID=10785
I have been searching all the clear skins and found multiple versions and prices. I have no real limitation on price but of course prefer not to pay as little as possible. I wanted to know which would be the best and your opinion on each?
The 3 I was considering are:
The Invisible Sheild
$24.95 (Front/Back/Left/Right)
http://www.shieldzone.com/
Martin Fields
$12.99 (Front/Back)
http://www.martinfields.com/
Best Skins Ever
$6.99 (Front/Back/Left/Right/Top/Bottom)
http://www.bestskinsever.com/
Mary on July 13th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Is ProTech applied the same way that InvisibleShield is applied? (with a watery solution..)
Thena on December 16th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Okay, I just bought the LG voyager and I would like it to be protected and as I was looking for a case to cover it I came across the Protect screen protector. It says that it is full body protection and it is the material that the army uses on their helicopters. However, what I would like to know is: does touch screens still work well with the coverage, and do you think it is a good idea to put protect on a phone
stretch marks removal on March 28th, 2009 at 5:36 am
It sounds like you’re creating problems yourself by trying to solve this issue instead of looking at why their is a problem in the first place.