If you buy an iPad (if?), the first accessory you should buy is a screen protector. The InvisibleSHIELD iPad screen protector by ZAGG is the go to iPad screen protector, but be careful – things can get sticky if you follow the instructions too closely.
The InvisibleSHIELD is the flagship protective product by ZAGG Inc. and versions of the invisibleShield have been made to protect the iPod Touch, iPhone, iPod Nano, and now, the Apple iPad. InvisibleSHIELD screen protectors stand apart due to their invisible plastic-like covers that are hardly noticed as screen protectors at first glimpse and their soft feel that doesn’t interfere with the product’s touchscreen.
When I first saw an iPad in person (the one that made me jealous enough to buy one), I was blown away by its HD display and I loved the soft feel of its touch screen. I saw lots of iPad ads and YouTube videos and I always thought of the iPad as some sort of glass device, but after touching one, my mind had been changed. After praising the feel of my friend’s iPad, he gave me a strange look and said “dude, that’s a screen protector.” – I was shocked.
My friend had applied a ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD iPad protector and had he never told me, I would have never known. After seeing the professional look and invisible appearance of the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD, I was sold; there was no way I’d buy an iPad without having one of these things to protect my screen.
After purchasing an Apple iPad, I rushed over to Best Buy and bought a ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD (to protect my iPad from my fingers) and after unboxing the iPad, I decided to apply the InvisibleSHIELD before doing anything else. The contents of the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD package were pretty straight forward and simple; it included a squeegee, a bottle of SHIELDSpray, instructions, and the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD itself.
As I do with most things, I followed the instructions that came with the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD to the letter, but I’ve found that doing so was a huge mistake. The instructions of the InvisibleSHIELD clearly stated to “lightly spray the front and back sides of the InvisibleSHIELD with SHIELDSpray,” but I strongly urge you not to do so.
I lightly sprayed my iPad with the included SHIELDSpray and it lead to a total nightmare. The light spray left the InvisibleSHIELD very sticky and applying it to the iPad was impossible and took extreme precision. After close to two hours (literally), I managed to get the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD to fit the iPad to my liking, but the nightmare wasn’t over – the screen protector fit well, but there were air bubbles galore under the invisibleSHIELD. After another hour of going back and forth, trying my best to scrub the air bubbles from under the InvisibleSHIELD with the included squeegee, I was done – I’d done my best and I’d done enough damage.
When I got to work the next day, I was ashamed to show the butchered screen protector to my friend (or in public at all). I mean, it really looked bad. I got the InvisibleSHIELD stuck to my shirt a few times, I accidently folded it in half a couple of times (and had to rip the adhesive apart), and getting my sister to help by holding one end of the thing lead to stretching the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD to where the edges hung over the sides of the iPad.
I was wondering how my friend had got his screen protector to look so pristine, while my iPad screen protection was left with shirt fibers under it and stretched out of shape. After showing the pathetic thing to my friend and explaining my situation, he laughed and said “dude, you gotta spray the crap out of that thing with that spray, otherwise it’ll be too sticky.”
I ended up buying another InvisibleSHIELD iPad screen protector, and you know what; he was right. I doused the screen protector with the included SHIELDSpray and I was able to reapply the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD to my iPad with no problems at all.
The InvisibleSHIELD iPad screen protector by ZAGG is an excellent “finger blocker” for the iPad, but be careful; if you follow the instructions to closely, you’ll be in for a real headache.
For more read 5 Reasons You’ll Hate Being One of the First People with an iPad, Why the iPad Makes Me Want to Throw My Kindle in the Garbage, and 5 Kick-Ass iPad Theft-Proof Accessories We Need that Don’t Exist.
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