ZAGG 75% OFF sale

I've been fairly quiet recently, but I had to post about this:



ZAGG (makers of the Invisible Shield screen protectors) is having a pretty good sale. Among their other products, it seems they have the Invisible Shield for 75% off for certain devices, like the DSi & PSPgo. There are others on the list, check this link for the deets.



later
don

ZAGG Memorial Day sale

Wow, this is a pretty good one for those who need an Invisible Shield screen protector for their handheld gadget. 50% off on all Invisible Shields!

Enter code memday09 at checkout. Sale ends May 27, 2009. UPDATE: Sale extended til Friday May, 29 2009!

www.ZAGG.com


later
don

ZAGG tax relief sale

Got this email about a sale at ZAGG, the maker of Invisible Shield, is having a 30% off sitewide sale.

Use discount code: TAXRELIEF upon checkout.

The sale ends Tuesday, April 21, 2009.












Might be good for those thinking about picking up an Invisible Shield screen protector for their PSP or other gadget.

www.zagg.com



later
don

Invisible Shield: Not as good as it used to be?

Gahh... I just cleaned off one of my white PSP Slims, I use a damp micro-fibre cloth. And it's caused some micro-scratches to show up on the Invisible Shield screen protector.


My 2 PSP Slims have newer Invisible Shield (post-ZAGG takeover) screen-only protectors and my PSP-1001 has an older Invisible Shield protector that covers the front faceplate (pre-ZAGG takeover) since the old PSP-1000's have an unbroken surface between screen and faceplate, that's why I went with the full Shield.

A few things I've noticed about the newer Invisible Shields-- they don't seem as good as my first one bought in 2006. That one did have a problem with the analogue nub butting against the cutout; I had to actually peel away some of it so it looks kinda rough around that area.

But other than that, the PSP-1001 Invisible Shield is just a smoother, flatter protector than these new ones.

My other PSP Slim also has the annoying micro-scratches on the Invisible Shield. I didn't clean this one for a long time... maybe not even ever.... and there were no scratch problems. I wasn't sure it was because of the wiping that caused the scratches, but now I know. Which is damn odd, because I'm using a MICRO-FIBRE cloth, specifically made *not* to cause scratches on ultra smooth surfaces (these are for glasses) I've used the same kind of cloths to clean my PSP-1001 Invisible Shield screen protector, and no scratches on that. At least not noticible ones.

The micro-scratches on my Slims screen protectors are really noticible when the PSP screen is showing light things like an outdoor afternoon scene or brightly coloured games like LocoRoco 2. The scratches sort of reflect the light, which is bad.

So I have to conclude that Invisible Shield, a brand of screen protector that I really championed, has lowered its quality somehow. I suspect it's a manufacturing thing; they changed the Invisible Shield "formula" to something cheaper for them to make. That's annoying, they charge a premium for their protectors. Part of the cost goes towards their lifetime replacement guarantee (I wonder how much longer that's going to last...) It's great that I could get a replacement, but it's such a bother to install the things that I don't want to do it unless I HAVE to, y'know?

It's still not a bad screen protector; once it dries and sets for 3 days, there should be no bubbles-- they look like they were applied when the PSP was manufactured. Most of the time, they really are invisible. But they're just not as good as they used to be.

When it comes to the PSP, almost any screen protection is better than NO screen protection....

I'm wondering if I should just try out Best Skins Ever next time or what.



later
don

Invisible Shield

A couple days ago, I got "my" PSP Slim back from being repaired. I'll post more about that later, but now I just finished off applying an Invisible Shield brand screen protector to it.

Ugh... aside from the included solution spray bottle being empty, I think it went well... but installing Invisible Shield screen protectors is always a nerve-wracking experience. This is my 3rd time.

The key to a good install is to use lots of water-- I know that doesn't SOUND like a good combination with your electronic device. But you have to be willing to let the device sit, turned off, for at least 24 hours in case any water might have gotten inside.

Here's a post from my first time Invisible Shield install, on my first PSP back in 2006:

Invisible Shield PSP
I just installed the Invisible Shield on my Sony PSP.

It's a pretty thick looking piece of clear rubber. I wondered how this could go on "invisible", but I've seen numerous pictures of them on devices, and they do look good. And once it slides on the PSP it really does become nearly invisible. But there's a rubbery texture to it that you can feel. Gives it a bit of grip, but definately different than the ultra-smooth feel of the naked PSP.


At first I followed all the instructions to the letter; using the spray to wet my fingers, got all the equipment ready, prepped my enviroment like a surgeon-- did everything I could to make sure it was as dust & lint free as possible.

But as I put the Invisible Shield down on the PSP, there were a lot of bubbles left underneath, that I couldn't squeegee out. And then I ran out of spray! They don't give you very much.

Luckily I had a backup plan; after doing a LOT of reading about the IS & peoples installations (mostly of iPods) I thought I should have a container of soapy water on hand in case the spray didn't do it.

What I did was I took the IS off the PSP, and dunked it in a tupperware container full of water with just a drop of dish soap in it. I used a tupperware lid that gave me a depth of about 2 cm.

Then I lightly scraped off the Invisible Shield (both sides) on the edge of the tupperware container, so there still quite a bit of water on it, but it wasn't dripping.

Reapplying it to the PSP was much easier, it was easier to move it around on top of the PSP (almost too easy, it slipped once or twice, gotta be careful if you have things lined up correctly) and it was much easier to squeegee out the bubbles underneath.

It looked good, but now that I've given it about 15 minutes, I think there's a spot, I don't know if it's a bubble or lint or what, that's still on my screen. Crap. I've tried squeegeeing it out, even though I think it reduced it, it's still there, don't think it's a bubble. Does look smaller though.


You're supposed to wait 24 hours before turning on your device, but I had to see what it looked like on the screen, and how the Invisible Shield looked in general. It does seem that the Invisible Shield changes the look of the screen somewhat. Maybe it's just me, and it hasn't fully dried yet so maybe it will become less noticible once it does.

Now to just wait it out for at least 3 days, hopefully things will look great by then.



later
don