LITTLE ROCK — I spent the last month or so trying out a new cellular phone. If I have a new phone, I want to make sure it stays safe. So I began looking for a product to protect the phone.
One such product is a “skin” or “shield,” usually some type of thin plastic that sticks to the device and protects it from scratches. Several companies offer such products for a variety of devices, including cell phones, laptops and digital music players.
The first products I tested were from ZAGG (Zealous About Great Gadgets) Inc. They were ZAGGskins,which protect the exterior of products like cell phones, and the InvisibleShield, which protects the phone’s screen.
The ZAGGskins are made of a thick, hard-to-tear plastic film that sticks to the back, front or sides of the phone. They are fairly easy to apply, and hold very well. The skins are offered in a variety of printed designs, and the print really impressed me.
Most of the premade designs weren’t much to my liking, though I’m sure much younger phone users would have liked them more. But it wasn’t a problem, because ZAGGskins can be customized using your own photos, and it’s incredibly easy to do. You simply visit the company website, upload the photo, move it around to get it set just right on the skin, preview it and place the order.
I was incredibly impressed with the print quality on the skin. The image was smooth and crisp, and there wasn’t a dot in sight, even close up. The only thing I didn’t like was the too-large “ZAGG” tag written on the side. Sure, they placed it in a somewhat unobtrusive area color-wise, but it was still pretty visible.
Other than that, the ZAGG film is a good quality product. It’s easy to add and remove and, if kept clean, even add again later. I can do without the advertisement, but it does do its job of protecting the phone from scratches.
I’m more impressed with ZAGG’s InvisibleShield, which covers the phone’s screen and is designed to protect it without obscuring the screen itself.
The InvisibleShield isn’t terribly easy to apply, at least for me. First, I very strongly encourage washing your hands before applying the skin, or you could gunk up the sticky part with oil and lint. The phone must be turned off and left off until the liquid used to help apply the shield dries. An included piece of rubber squeezes the excess liquid and bubbles out, and, barring any lint under the skin, any remaining bubbles work themselves out over the next day or so.
Once applied, the skin works really well. It sticks nicely, and it doesn’t have the dull film look of some of the more rigid screen shields. There is a slight wavy look to it in the right light, but once the screen is lit, you really don’t notice it. The shield does do a good job protecting against scratches. What’s really nice is you can buy the shield just for the screen or one that protects the entire product, front, back and sides.
The best part about the InvisibleShield is the warranty. If the skin gets scratched or damaged, it can be returned to ZAGG for a new one.
The ZAGGskin was impressive. Then I tried out the GelaSkins with an image of my favorite Van Gogh painting, Cafe Terrace. I wanted to see if it had the same quality and durability of its competitor.
Oh, GelaSkins. You had me at Van Gogh.
The image was beautiful, and in this case, it completely encased the phone. Where the ZAGGskin just covered the back of the iPhone 4, the GelaSkins had pieces molded to fit the sides and the panels along the top and bottom of the screen. GelaSkins even offered a free app of wallpapers (screen images) that matched its designs, so you could change the screen to look just like the skin around it. I had a phone completely encased in Van Gogh.
GelaSkins had a variety of designs, including some that really caught my eye. Several classic paintings were included, including two more Van Gogh images. Of course, if you don’t like any of those, you can create your own.
What I like more about the GelaSkins is simply how they’re built. You can see what looks like mesh sandwiched between the plastic layers. That mesh makes it incredibly hard to scratch. The GelaSkins film was very easy to apply, and it doesn’t move unless you want to takeit off. I put the phone in cases and took it out again, and the skin never moved.
What I like best about the GelaSkins versus the ZAGGskins? No brand tags. There was no “GelaSkins” brand plastered across the edge of the image. That was nice.
Bottom line, products from both these companies will do a good job of protecting your phone or other device, and they’re available for a long list of phones. The ZAGGskins film is very nice, but the GelaSkins product offers just a bit more. However, I definitely like the InvisibleShield. It’s far superior to most of the screen protectors I’ve tried.
Now that the phone is safe from scratches, it’s time to keep it safe from drops. Next week, I’ll tackle some cases made to do just that.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via e-mail at
Where it’s @
ZAGGskins start at $14.99 and vary in price depending on the device for which they are intended. The InvisibleShield also starts at $14.99 for screen only or $24.99 to cover the entire device. More information is available at zagg.com. GelaSkins for the entire phone retail for $14.95. More information is at gelas kins.com.
Business, Pages 21 on 07/26/2010