Well it had to happen, that first little scratch on the screen. I'm still not even sure how it happened. I've been really careful, and it's glass. Maybe I shouldn't be rubbing diamonds against it... har har har. I've been a freak about screen scratches on my portable devices in the past. I bet I've tried every know case, protector, or screen film known to geeks all around, and the only one so far I've even remotely like is the Agent18 case for the iPod.

When I purchased my iPhone, I started off with a Belkin iPhone case. It did not protect the screen, but sort of cradled the whole iPhone. I liked it at first. The removable belt clip is nice, because I hate belt clips. After reading about some people's experiences of the Belkin case actually causing more scratching damage to their iPhone than protection, I decided I'd better check it out.

Yep. I was starting to see very small scratches around the silver bezel. I'm a realist, I know this thing is going to get scratched, but if I can prevent it, I'm going to try. I ditched the Belkin case and started my search for the best screen protector I could find.

I think I've found it. 'invisible SHIELD' available at www.shieldzone.com. They claim their protective film is used in military applications, such as covering helicopter blades! (Sounds like a gimick, huh?) I went to the site, and watched all the videos. My primary complaint about film style screen protectors is they're good for a week, two, maybe three, and then they come off, or start peeling at the edges.

Watching the 'how to' installation video for invisible SHIELD was interesting. It's not a peel and stick film. You actually spray both sides of the film with a mild adhesive and then squeegee the excess liquid and bubbles out. Wow, that seems cool. It also seems like it could be a tough install. I almost forgot the best part, if your screen protector is scuffed, scratched, or damaged in any way, they'll send you a replacement free for life. See my post about shopping where I do, and you'll understand why something like this is attractive to me.

I plopped down my $15, ok I ordered it online with my credit card, but you know what I mean. After about a week or so it showed up. I opened the package and removed the small spray bottle, squeegee, and film. I read the directions, cleaned my iPhone with an LCD screen wipe, made sure (I thought) there was no dust on the screen and sprayed both sides of the film with the spray.

Setting the film on the iPhone was tricky, but not impossible. I patiently kept making slight adjustments to make sure the film aligned properly with the screen, home button, and ear piece. I then squeegee'd the fluid out from underneath, and on top of the film. Some small dabs with the LCD screen wipe, and presto! The shieldzone site says to set it aside for 24 hours, I checked it in the morning and it seems fine.

I was reviewing my email, and noticed, of course, that a small piece of something had managed it way under my protector. I'll pull it off again tonight, clean, scrutinize, and re-apply. They say you can do that no problem.

Impressions, this stuff is awesome. You can not tell at all that it's on there. It also feels way tougher than any other screen protector I've used. The touch screen display does not seem to care that it's there either. Nothing has changed in the way I use my phone. And as for the original scratch, I can't even see it now with the invisible SHIELD installed. Hooray!

I'll report back in a few weeks about longevity, and how the remove/replace procedure goes.