Get Military-Grade Protection for Your Gadgets with ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD

ZAGG’s invisibleSHIELD clear-protective coating has its origins in the military, where it’s used to protect helicopter blades from dirt and debris, according to the company. Precision pre-cut to specification, the invisibleSHIELD provides tough, durable protection in the form of a clear material that’s applied directly onto the surface of your gadgets. And ZAGG will replace the invisibleSHIELD if it tears or scratches during the lifetime of your device.

The invisibleSHIELD is available for a huge range of devices, including tablets, e-book readers, GPS units, digital cameras, smartphones and laptops and more. For this review, ZAGG sent me two sets of the invisibleSHIELD, one for the new iPad ($39.99) and one for my Sony VAIO VPCZ1 laptop ($39.99).

In addition to the pre-cut invisibleSHIELD coating each package comes with a microfiber cloth, an installation squeegee, application solution spray, and instructions. I started with the back panel of my new iPad, even though the instructions suggested otherwise. I did the screen area next, and a few days later I installed the invisibleSHIELD on my laptop.

Though I have personally applied many screen protectors to my various smartphones, I was not familiar with the “wet” method required by the invisibleSHIELD. As such, installing the invisibleSHIELD proved to be a tricky affair. Despite reading the installation sheet cover-to-cover, I made a couple of mistakes during my first attempt to apply it to my iPad. For one, I applied an insufficient amount of application solution, which made it impossible to “slide” the invisibleSHIELD into place. And I apparently failed to take adequate care when peeling off the large sheet of invisibleSHIELD for the iPad and accidentally let two sticky corners touch each other. Detaching them wasn’t fun at all.

In hindsight, I should have searched out a couple of instructional videos and watched them before attempting my first installation. With the less-than-ideal iPad-installation experience fresh in my mind, I peeled the large invisibleSHIELD piece from its backing one section at a time when working on my laptop, taking care to douse it liberally with the application spray. My strategy worked: Despite the invisibleSHIELD’s larger size, the corners didn’t touch, and I was able to successfully install it.

The invisibleSHIELD material is great at resisting fingerprints, despite being clear. If you’ve ever tried other “clear” (as opposed to “matte”) screen protectors, you probably know how fingerprints frequently show up on them. However,  small-sized fonts on my Kindle Reader App appeared a tad fuzzy through the invisibleSHIELD, though not distractingly so.

A “perfect” installation of the invisibleSHIELD will definitely be difficult for first-timer. But despite my installation difficulties, the ZAGG invisibleSHIELD offers high-quality protection for a variety of gadgets–though it won’t come cheap. For laptops and other expensive gadgets it is likely to be a worthwhile investment.

The invisibleSHIELD for laptop container

The invisibleSHIELD before installation. Notice the various pre-cut sections

A photo of my Sony VAIO before installation of invisibleSHIELD 

Post-installation: The invisibleSHIELD made the gadgets look very glossy