A couple weeks ago I saw @waynesutton tweet about ordering an Invisible Shield™ cover for his new N95. That reminded me that I had seen the rather impressive video demonstrating this polymer film’s toughness on YouTube. Developed originally to protect the leading edge of military helicopter blades, they say, the stuff has ridiculous tensile strength and is lifetime guaranteed against scratching.

It’s just a thin film like those other, cheaper PDA screen protectors, so it’s not exactly drop-on-the-sidewalk protection — although apparently it provides an increase in friction coefficient that makes it less likely you’re going to drop it, even if you just stick it to the bathroom mirror. But for something like the iPhone or the N95, where watching content on a shiny, scratch-free screen is paramount, I figured it might be worth the $30 or so.

My Invisible Shield got here last Friday and I rushed to the coffee table to tear into the package and protect my N95 lickity-split, because I’ve already noticed some very fine, short little scratches despite the lengths I go to to keep it away from anything harder than my fingers.

Not so fast. Invisible Shield comes with a spray that is supposed to facilitate adherence (which I presume is temporary) to your device and prevent fingerprints from getting trapped in the interface. You’re supposed to spray the film, not the gadget, and it’s not exactly going to saturate your electronics or cause damage. Nonetheless, the instructions call for turning the device off, removing the battery, and upon application of the sprayed protective film, leaving it alone, unused, for 12 to 24 hours.

Uh huh, yeah. Needless to say, I have not applied my shield, nor do I have a clue when I might.

So, if you plan on being in a short coma or spending the night in prison sometime soon and you want to keep your iPhone or other beloved toy scratch-free, order your Invisible Shield now!

And then try to quit breathing.



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