Jeremy Charette
06-09-2006, 05:00 PM
I've got a great job, but I also have the commute from hell. Every day, I spend at least three hours in the car, going to and from work. Boredom reigns. A few months ago, I finally decided to bite the bullet and get an iPod, and it may be the single best thing I've ever done for my myself. I've been subscribing to podcasts about all kinds of topics, and putting together custom playlists so I never have to listen to the same thing twice. I am now a self-professed iPod lover. (As Jason would say, I've been drinking the Kool Aid.) But all is not perfect in the land of a thousand songs. I'd guess my number one complaint about the iPod is the same as everyone else's: it scratches far too easily. After just a couple of days, I already had scratches on the face that showed up as a rainbow effect when backlit by the screen.
http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/000_0528-1.jpg
<!> The back of the iPod fares better, but it's still succeptible to scratches just like the front. So, like most iPod owners, one of the first things I bought was a case. But that didn't make the scratches go away, it just prevented new ones. I tried using Brasso to take out the scratches and swirl marks that were there, which helped, but it didn't even touch the deeper ones. Of course, I didn't bother to put my iPod on a soft towel or anything, nooo, I just held it down on the laminate kitchen counter. Imagine my dismay as I picked it up and saw the back of my once beautiful iPod. "Oh $%#! What did I do!?" 8O
http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/000_0513.jpg
Last week I purchased Radtech's Ice Creme M (http://www.radtech.us/Products/IceCreme.aspx)scratch removal kit, hoping to take most of the blemishes off both sides of my iPod. I learned my lesson last time, and used one of the two included microfiber cloths to lay the iPod down on. I followed the instructions, and about 30-40 minutes later, had gotten rid of most of the medium size scratches on the front. The deeper ones were less noticeable, and I suspect it would have taken alot more effort to get them out. However, in direct light, I now had a faint spiderweb effect that I couldn't get rid of. Maybe with more time and effort it would go away, but by this point my fingers were tired, so I tackled the back.
http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/000_0534.jpg
To remove scratches from the back, Radtech supplies you with a 1200-1500 grit soft sanding sponge, and metal polishing compound. As the instructions stated, I started with the polishing compound, then moved on to the sanding sponge. After just a few minutes, the difference was huge. Almost all of the deep blemishes were gone, and I was able to remove most of what was left with the polishing compound.
http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/000_0535.jpg
So now that I had a mostly scratch free iPod, I didn't want to touch it! An hours worth of work could be ruined in just a few minutes with some boneheaded fumbling. Luckily I had the foresight to order an Invisible Shield (http://www.shieldzone.com/)for my iPod. Using the included applicator fluid, I was able to easily position the film on the front and back surfaces, and got most of the air bubbles out from under it with a credit card. There were still quite a few micro-bubbles under the surface, which bugged me, but the instructions said to wait 24 hours and those would disappear. Lo and behold, they were right! It now looks exactly like the picture below.
http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/pic003.jpg
The mirror finish of the original front panel is gone, replaced with a sort of orange peel effect you can see in the picture. Once you turn the iPod on however, this doesn't affect the screen clarity, and the Invisible Shield really does appear invisible. This stuff is practically indestructible. I've been using my iPod for a week with just the Invisible Shield, and no other case or protective covering. I've shoved it in my bag with everything else I take to work, dropped it into the center console in the car...suffice to say, I haven't been babying the thing. I'm really impressed. No scratches, no blemishes, and it doesn't lift at the edges at all. Application can be tricky at first, but once you get it right it's on there forever.
The best part is that after I applied the Invisible Shield, the remaining scratches disappeared. Even when backlit by the screen, I can't see them anymore. I was blown away.
I'm really glad I found the Invisible Shield product, because now I can do away with cases entirely. I had picked up a Speck Products SkinTight (http://www.speckproducts.com/vid-skintight.htm)case and it was excellent (particularly since you could dock it in the desktop cradle while still in the case), but I can't use it with my car dock. With the Invisible Shield, I can dock the iPod in my car, or at home, without having to remove it from a case or worry about it getting scratched.
I have to put a disclaimer in here: I paid for these products at retail with my own hard-earned money. I wasn't supplied with discounted products or review samples from these companies, and I selected them based on other reviews I'd read. Hopefully you can learn from my mis-adventures and prevent your own iPod from ending up in the shape that mine did. If you have an iPod, or are thinking of getting one, get a case or a skin for it, before it gets scratched. If you use an Invisible Shield right out of the box, you'll be able to peel it off months or years from now, and your iPod will still look as new as the day you bought it. The old saying is true: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/000_0528-1.jpg
<!> The back of the iPod fares better, but it's still succeptible to scratches just like the front. So, like most iPod owners, one of the first things I bought was a case. But that didn't make the scratches go away, it just prevented new ones. I tried using Brasso to take out the scratches and swirl marks that were there, which helped, but it didn't even touch the deeper ones. Of course, I didn't bother to put my iPod on a soft towel or anything, nooo, I just held it down on the laminate kitchen counter. Imagine my dismay as I picked it up and saw the back of my once beautiful iPod. "Oh $%#! What did I do!?" 8O
http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/000_0513.jpg
Last week I purchased Radtech's Ice Creme M (http://www.radtech.us/Products/IceCreme.aspx)scratch removal kit, hoping to take most of the blemishes off both sides of my iPod. I learned my lesson last time, and used one of the two included microfiber cloths to lay the iPod down on. I followed the instructions, and about 30-40 minutes later, had gotten rid of most of the medium size scratches on the front. The deeper ones were less noticeable, and I suspect it would have taken alot more effort to get them out. However, in direct light, I now had a faint spiderweb effect that I couldn't get rid of. Maybe with more time and effort it would go away, but by this point my fingers were tired, so I tackled the back.
http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/000_0534.jpg
To remove scratches from the back, Radtech supplies you with a 1200-1500 grit soft sanding sponge, and metal polishing compound. As the instructions stated, I started with the polishing compound, then moved on to the sanding sponge. After just a few minutes, the difference was huge. Almost all of the deep blemishes were gone, and I was able to remove most of what was left with the polishing compound.
http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/000_0535.jpg
So now that I had a mostly scratch free iPod, I didn't want to touch it! An hours worth of work could be ruined in just a few minutes with some boneheaded fumbling. Luckily I had the foresight to order an Invisible Shield (http://www.shieldzone.com/)for my iPod. Using the included applicator fluid, I was able to easily position the film on the front and back surfaces, and got most of the air bubbles out from under it with a credit card. There were still quite a few micro-bubbles under the surface, which bugged me, but the instructions said to wait 24 hours and those would disappear. Lo and behold, they were right! It now looks exactly like the picture below.
http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/pic003.jpg
The mirror finish of the original front panel is gone, replaced with a sort of orange peel effect you can see in the picture. Once you turn the iPod on however, this doesn't affect the screen clarity, and the Invisible Shield really does appear invisible. This stuff is practically indestructible. I've been using my iPod for a week with just the Invisible Shield, and no other case or protective covering. I've shoved it in my bag with everything else I take to work, dropped it into the center console in the car...suffice to say, I haven't been babying the thing. I'm really impressed. No scratches, no blemishes, and it doesn't lift at the edges at all. Application can be tricky at first, but once you get it right it's on there forever.
The best part is that after I applied the Invisible Shield, the remaining scratches disappeared. Even when backlit by the screen, I can't see them anymore. I was blown away.
I'm really glad I found the Invisible Shield product, because now I can do away with cases entirely. I had picked up a Speck Products SkinTight (http://www.speckproducts.com/vid-skintight.htm)case and it was excellent (particularly since you could dock it in the desktop cradle while still in the case), but I can't use it with my car dock. With the Invisible Shield, I can dock the iPod in my car, or at home, without having to remove it from a case or worry about it getting scratched.
I have to put a disclaimer in here: I paid for these products at retail with my own hard-earned money. I wasn't supplied with discounted products or review samples from these companies, and I selected them based on other reviews I'd read. Hopefully you can learn from my mis-adventures and prevent your own iPod from ending up in the shape that mine did. If you have an iPod, or are thinking of getting one, get a case or a skin for it, before it gets scratched. If you use an Invisible Shield right out of the box, you'll be able to peel it off months or years from now, and your iPod will still look as new as the day you bought it. The old saying is true: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.