Jason Dunn
11-21-2006, 02:15 AM
<img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/invisible-shield.jpg" /><br /><br />I'll get this out of the way up front: I'm not terribly fond of screen protectors on devices, for two main reasons. First, I dislike how most of them alter the display of the screen, thus making me not properly see the screen quality I actually paid for. Second, I tend to find most of them quite difficult to install. Not having hands worthy of a neurosurgeon, I find it frustrating installing a screen protector, only to find it is 2mm off on one side and I have to start all over. I find it ridiculous that many of today's digital devices ship with hardware that is so easily scratched (the <a href="http://www.zunethoughts.com">Zune</a> is a blessed exception), but I'm thankful there's an entire industry designed to compensate for the stunning ineptness of manufacturers such as Apple and Creative. So, with that obvious bias out of the way, let's take a look at an <a href="http://www.shieldzone.com/item_description/CREZENVISM.html">Invisible Shield screen protector</a> for my Creative Zen Vision:M from Protective Solutions. It sells for $14.95 USD.<!><br /><br />The product I requested is the "front shield" which comes in three pieces: screen cover, vertical touchpad, and body surrounding the touchpad. Strangely enough, my sample was missing the piece for the vertical touchpad. The instructions in the package for installation were "go to our Web site", which I found rather odd – what if during installation I didn't have Internet access? I went to the site and <a href="http://www.shieldzone.com/app_instructions/index.html">followed the instructions</a> to install the shield. Their <a href="http://www.shieldzone.com/movie/install.html">installation videos</a> are even better than the instructions, and slightly different - for instance, the videos suggest you spray the solution onto your fingers before the install. I have to admit I was nervous when it came to the "put the soaking wet screen protector on your expensive electronic device" part. You see, unlike other screen protectors I've tried which only uses adhesive on the screen protector itself, the Invisible Shield product comes with a small bottle of application solution that you're instructed to spray on both sides of the screen protector prior to installation. Once applied, I used a credit card to smooth out bubbles as best I could.<br /><br />Immediately after installation, my primary concern was how the screen protector portion seemed to be too big – the plastic was jutting out from the edges of the screen. Much to my surprise, within about five minutes or so, the plastic had curled down around the edge of the screen, now completely flush with the screen edges. Impressive! What wasn't so impressive was the one big air bubble on the screen portion, and the dozens of small air bubbles on the buttons section. I tried to smooth them out, but couldn't. The instructions suggested that I leave it a few days, so I waited until the next morning, but the bubble was still there. I peeled off the screen protector, used more of the fluid, and tried again. This time, the results were better, though not entirely perfect. I ran out of fluid though, so I guess I'm out of tries.<br /><br />Screen protectors aren't for everyone, and while I think the Invisible Shield product is among the best I've used, it does take patience and a certain amount of manual dexterity. If you don't mind doing a bit of work to protect your device, the Invisible Shield product is a good bet.<br /><br />As a closing note, I also tested their <a href="http://www.shieldzone.com/item_description/APSPOLISH.html">Applesauce Polish</a>, and although it was designed for iPod screens, it worked like a charm on my Zen Vision:M screen. I was able to eliminate all of the minor scratches, and now the screen looks perfect - if you look at it from an angle you can see the slightest lines where the scratches used to be, but in normal use they're completely invisible.<br /><br /><i>Jason Dunn owns and operates <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com">Thoughts Media Inc.</a>, a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys mobile devices, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He really wishes manufacturers would make their devices sturdy and capable of withstanding reasonable day to day use.</i>