Zagg Invisible Shield for Nokia E71/E71x

When I first bought the Nokia E71, I knew I would need some sort of scratch protection for it as all my previous phones have been banged up and scratched pretty much all over. I saw the Invisible Shield by Zagg and I thought WOW...scratch proof, military grade stuff!

So I bought it, and within a week I received the box. Included in the huge box were the invisible shield sticker, a squidgy to press it down, and a little bottle of some sort of liquid spray cleaner/applicator...oh, and the instructions.

Follwing the instructions, I cleaned my phone with the spray, then applied the Invisible Shield. This isn't the easiest thing to do. You have to spray your phone with the liquid then apply the sticker to the phone. The sticker can then be adjusted as a film of liquid remains underneath the sticker. You then use the squidgy to squeeze the liquid out to fix the sticker in place. Any bubbles left will apparently work its way out over the next few days.

I think that in theory, this was a great concept, but in reality, i found it hard to apply properly, and the sticker kept moving out of alignment. In the end, I did manage to get all the parts on, and left the phone to dry off. The next day, I found that the bubble had indeed migrated out ... I think this happens as the liquid dries from the outer edges and the bubbles get pushed out with the liquid movement. However:

1. The material feels rubbery...it actually is kinda soft to the touch, it reminds me of that stuff people used to wrap text books up in. And in a way is sort of 'sticky' but not in a conventional sense. It just has a tackiness to it. This I found to be quite irritating, but I've since gotten used to it.
2. Although the Invisible Shield is clear, the edges of the sticker attracts a lot of dirt and fluff. After a week, my phone did not look as new anymore. And especially since there are many stickers to apply to the different phone parts, you get lines of fluff and dirt buildup. Now this isn't as obvious as I make it out to be, but as I do like to keep the phone looking pristine, it really does bug me a lot. Its not like I can just wipe the dirt away either cos it's stuck to the glue on the underside of the stickers.
3. Apart from the 2 above points, the product does give good protection for the phone, and good coverage.
4. People don't actually notice that there is in fact something over the phone, which I guess is a good thing and it may be that I am nit picking at the details.
5. The product may be on the expensive side, but there is a lifetime replacement guarantee. Keep in mind that proof of purchase and the original product are to be returned. Who's going to keep a lousy empty box for years without losing it or throwing it away? I've thrown mine out without even remembering about the guarantee. Now that I am writing this article, I wish I hadnt thrown it away. Damn.

Overall this really is a decent product. I would buy it again...and not throw the box away this time around. Zagg does run promotions quite frequently, so it is worthwhile to sign up to their newsletter. Have a look at the deals page. Look here for the Zagg Invisible Shield or alternatively check out this screen protector.