Invisibleshield, comments, experiences?

[teh-cut]

I don't understand the fuss over the water, just looking at my nano seems like i could run tap off the front of it without damage if i wanted too.

[musicroom]

The key test at the finish .... OUCH !

Musicroom

[syncmaster570v]

few things about the shield...

1) their video demo was impressive

2) you can try for 30 days and they'll refund if you arent' happy

3) they'll replace for free if there is damage to your shield or it starts to peel. (so if you aren't happy or find a better shield out there after 30 days, you can take it off, get a new one and re-sell or use a diff shield and then swap back to the shield)

plus every case i've found for any ipod or ipod mini always adds bulk...i want something that won't add bulk but will add protection.

[WanderingSoul]

Yes, but every other case protects your ipod from impacts and drops. This little sheet of plastic isn't going to protect your ipod if you accidently drop it or something hits it.

[random person]

Originally posted by syncmaster570v
few things about the shield...

1) their video demo was impressive

2) you can try for 30 days and they'll refund if you arent' happy

3) they'll replace for free if there is damage to your shield or it starts to peel. (so if you aren't happy or find a better shield out there after 30 days, you can take it off, get a new one and re-sell or use a diff shield and then swap back to the shield)

plus every case i've found for any ipod or ipod mini always adds bulk...i want something that won't add bulk but will add protection.

You're right on every point -- except they don't guarantee that your Ipod won't be damaged by the application of the shield, and they won't replace it if it is. That's the major problem. Obviously, if you don't use too much water and you're lucky the Ipod will be fine afterwards -- mine was. As for the video -- I saw the pen and scratch demo live and in person and it really is an amazing product -- almost indestructable, I'd say. But, you do have to put a fair amount of water all over your Ipod. And more critically, it does reduce the sharpness of the screen via pixillation/rainbow effects -- that's the dealbreaker for me, even though I already have it on my B&W pod. Lastly, it will not protect from bumps, drops and so on.

[gouged]

i e-mailed the rainyday review people about how the invisible shield is holding up and they say its been pretty good so far. they've tossed it in a backpack, in a pocket with change, in the car, etc. and have used it just like normal with no damage ("the skin has put a stop to all that")

and they said, and also in their review, that the way they applied the skin was by dipping the shield in the water, rather than applying any water directly to the ipod. random person, does this sound safer to you?

[random person]

Actually what the CEO of invisible shield did was spray the shield itself with water and then placed that on the Ipod -- he never sprayed the Pod itself. That said, a fair amount of water was used. But, my Ipod held up just the same with no problems, except for a pixellated screen -- that's the main issue, I think. The substance itself is quite remarkably strong and lends a pleasant texture to the Ipod as well. The screen thing is what got me -- and with the Nano's screen being so small, I'd hate to reduce its sharpness.

[gouged]

by pixelation, do you mean the skin, when applied to the ipod, causes a distorted visual effect? you dont mean that the water somehow damaged your ipod so that, skin or no skin, there is a pixelation problem to the ipod screen itself, do you?

[exarkun12]

I also emailed the guys at rainydaymag, and he said that a slight rainbow effect can only be seen at certain angles when the backlight is OFF, kinda like the reflection on the film by external light sources.

However, when the backlight is on, he mentioned that the clarity of the screen was in no way compromised or degraded by the presence of the invisibleshield....

Anyone with photos?? Hope this is really true...

[random person]

I found that the pixellation is an artifact caused by the shield itself, not that it damaged the Ipod in any way. I found the rainbow effect present with and without the backlight on, at most angles, including head-on. It could be I am more sensitive to it anyway, as I was very concerned about the clarity of the screen.

One thing I should also point out is that why the shield is very thin, it did render the Ipod unusable with the various belt clips that I had for the Ipod, as the increase in thickness is just enough to change the fit. For example, it no longer works with my Apple belt clip -- you can jam it is there, but it actually dented the sides of the Ipod it was so tight! So be very careful about that. In addition, I was also able to jam it into my Showcase case, but then had to really struggle to remove it. Since I wasn't keen on denting it yet again, I chose not to put it in any cases or clips after that. As a result, I suspect it's getting less overall protection now than it did before the shield was applied.

[talksalot81]

I have mine installed about 2 hours ago..... would i buy another one? NOOOO!

By the time i cleaned the ipod prior to putting the shield on, it actually had more scratches than it started with (ipods fault of course, not the shield).

First concern is that it really is darned hard to get in place.... the flat bits are fine, but the sides are devilishly tricky and the click wheel is all but impossible! The problem i found is that by the time you try and 'squidgy' the water from the clickwheel area, the click wheel 'clicks' so there is now a volume in which the water cannot be removed.... the same with small amounts of air. So it seems to me that it is very hard to remove all air and water from around there.

Of course this is only a couple of hours ago, maybe with time, the glue will set better and i'll be able to smooth down the click wheel and the sides.

As for the screen..... well i dont see any particular problem. From my perspective, the screen is too small for pictures and anything really beyond song info.... so fidelity isnt the big concern. So for the purpose i want the screen, i dont think it has been degraded by the shield.

Adam

[syncmaster570v]

iPod nano Invisible Shield
READ MORE: Cases, iPod, iPod Nano

nano_front_covered_med.gif Yeah yeah, enough of the iPod nano news, right? Well, too bad, here’s another one for ya. Since the main reason everyone seems to be harping on about the nano is its oh-so-purdy aesthetic, this invisibleSHIELD full-body wrap offers protection for the nano while showing it off. There’s this demo video you can watch with them going at the case with a pen and a key, to show how scratch-resistant it is. Which is good, since word is the black nano seems to be more prone to smudges and scratches than previous iPods. Each invisibleSHIELD for the nano is $19.95.

Update: This is likely based on a product from 3M called ScotchCal, which can be purchased online in large sheets and cut to one’s liking for use on cell phones, or whatever. It even comes in colors.. It’s often used to protect automobiles from paint and rock dings as an invisible “bra”… see Webbikeworld for more details…been protecting iPods and various tech goodies this way for years! A google search for ScotchCal will get you several hits. [Thanks Dan!]

Product Page [invisibleSHIELD via Playlist]

xpel dot com sells it...



The product invisible shield uses is most likely made by 3M called ScotchCal

[gouged]

thanks everyone, lots of great info since my last post

exarkun12,
the rainyday people updated their review:

http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2...dFirstLook.htm

they have a couple photos of the nano showing the dreaded rainbow effect


random person, thats definitely good to know but i dont think i am going to be using any kind of clip or case with the nano anyway so it wouldn't be a problem personally. as for the display, the updated rainyday review indicates that its pretty difficult to get the rainbow effect to show unless you're looking for it and under specific lighting so maybe that isn't such a big issue after all? (and apparently, you cant see it with backlight on)

talksalot, great to hear a first-hand experience from someone on this board about applying, it was one of my major concerns. please update us on your progress with the shield, as its only been a couple hours. it does sound quite tricky and i hope you get it looking right. the trapped air and water in the clickwheel sounds pretty bad though. in fact, i think im just going to forgo this skin and go with the clear decal from decalgirl. its cheap and seems like it should be effective enough for my use. and no water when applying and doesn't sound as tricky. we'll see...

[random person]

Hi Gouged --

I read the review you posted -- I'd say it was pretty accurate about the issues. The only thing I want to clarify is this -- the rainbow effect is one issue, but what I called "pixellation" is another. As the review mentioned, the actual surface of this material is not smooth, but rather textured.
It is this texture (that they photographed really well, I think) that lends it such a pleasing tactical feel, but it is also this texture that causes what I called the "pixellation" effect. This effect causes slight ripples on the surface of the screen, so apart from the rainbow effect (which I agree is not a dealbreaker) it is the ripples that reduce the clarity of the screen, imho. That said, I was looking at it for my 60 gig color pod which I use a lot for photo viewing. Since the Nano is so small, maybe that pixellation isn't such a big deal. But it might be for others besides myself. In any case, it was the CEO himself who pointed out the pixellation effect -- I hadn't noticed it at first. I think it was his way of heading off a potential problem at the pass, as I'm sure some people find it annoying. In any case he was very deft at putting the thing on -- but after seeing him do it I just know I'd find it wrapped around my fingers rather than the Ipod! I'm just not that precise with my hands!

[linuxidiot]

I bought the InvisibleShield, but for the same reason that random posted bout smudges being preserved I am waiting to apply this until I get some stuff to clean smudges off either way I like having a second layer of protection for when I have any reason to remove the nano from its case which I am planning on getting the iskin as of right now