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QJ Review - InvisibleSHIELD PSP Screen Protector

Posted Jul 19, 2006 at 04:02PM by Christopher C. Listed in: Reviews Tags: Sony, Shieldzone
Ó

invisible shield


I love my PSP, but I've never purchased any sort of protection for the unit, I've always just used the soft carrying case it came with. Those armor type cases didn't make much sense to me because I wear cargo pants so I just slip the thing in my massive pocket, and I try to not make it a habit of dropping the device anyway. I've always kept an eye on screen protectors though, mainly because no one wants to scratch up their PSP's pretty surface, but I never got one because I didn't like the idea of seeing a sheeny, shiny screen of plastic laid over my regular screen, obstructing my vision and dimming the PSP's screen brightness. If you've felt the same way, you might want to keep reading, because there's a product on the market that should make you a pretty happy camper.

What is this thing?

The InvisibleSHIELD is a thin, practically invisible sheet made from a film originally created by the military to protect the leading edges of helicopter blades from wear and tear while traveling hundreds of miles per hour. It's available to fit over 400 different gadgets and devices such as the iPod, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, and various PDA's and the like, yadda, yadda, yadda, does it work? Yes, unbelievably well.

How does it work?

Black magic, as far as I can tell. The sheet doesn't look particularly tough (it's quite thin actually, and as I mentioned it's downright invisible once applied. No doubt there's some sort of arcane spellduggery at work here.

Installation and testing

For the PSP, the InvisibleShield comes in two flavors, a screen sized cut that protects the PSP screen only (retails for $12.95) and a full face shield that protects the entire front of the PSP ($14.95) with holes cut for the speakers, D-pad and face buttons. Which one you get is entirely up to you and dependent on your budget (should 2 bucks make a difference though) and what you think you need to protect. For this review, I was sent the full front face shield.

Included in the package are a set of illustrated instructions, a small, flat piece of plastic to use as a squeegee for application, and a little cannister of  what's labeled as SHIELDspray (no doubt an instrumental ingredient to the dark magicks).

This next bit ought to be common sense, but it took me reading it in the instructions to think to do it, you'll want to thoroughly wash your hands to get rid of any dirt and oil that might cause fingerprints and leave marks on the PSP's shiny surface, you don't want those trapped beneath the InvisibleSHIELD and the screen.

Next, get a slightly damp piece of cloth and carefully clean the face of the PSP, once done, wipe with a microfibre cloth, stay away from napkins and cheap paper towels as those tend to flake bits of tissue off.

Carefully peel back the InvisibleSHIELD from its paper backing and lightly spray both sides of it with the magic spray. Apply the InvisibleSHIELD to the PSP face, you need to be extra careful here as you'll have to straddle the D-Pad, face buttons, and those itty, bitty speakers with the holes cut in the protective material.

The magic spray should have moistened the surface of the InvisibleSHIELD, allowing you to move it about a bit for proper placement. It's a little tricky, but if can do it with my short pudgy fingers (as seen below) and total lack of hand eye co-ordination (as evidenced by my weak sauce 330,000 high score in Geometry Wars, then anyone can.

Once it's in place, you'll want to break out the squeegee, and slide out from the center to the edges, working out as many air bubbles and creases as you can. Don't be alarmed if you can't get every tiny bubble out, smaller imperfections will work themselves out over time. After that, get a lint-free cloth and clean up any exess moisture, then leave the application to settle for a day or so. Chances are the next time you look at your PSP's face, you won't even realise it's on there, seriously, you need to get up real close to notice the material. The best part is that it doesn't dim the screen brightness at all like I'd feared, it also prevents or at least reduces the number of fingerprints you're going to get on your PSP. Should you decide you don't want protection any longer, the InvisibleSHield is removable simply by peeling back carefully from a corner, much in the same manner you'd remove a sticker.

invisible shield


If you feel the sadistic urge to test the thing, go right ahead, do what I did, get your brothers PSP, a set of car keys and scribble back and forth on the surface, all the while laughing maniacally in his face. Stop doing this before he gets really mad and dropkicks you though. Once the exercise is complete, vigorously rub the PSP screen with a rag or cloth, and any temporary scratches will disappear... black magic!

All in all, the InvisibleSHIELD is a darn good product that does just what it advertises, it protects your PSP without dimming the screen or getting in the way, at the end of the day that's all that matters. You can order them online from the ShieldZone Coporation official homepage.

Download - [ShliedZone InvisibleSHIELD Demo Video] - 22MB - .mov format

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68 Comments


Sort by:
   by Hopper (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » *****!
bunch of *****!

   by KaNo (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » hmm too expensive Look for Hori Screen
i got an Hori sreen protector its really nice and avoid sun and light most have for psp owner retail 6-8 $ on ebay (fast shipping)

   by LemonyVengeance (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » This is amazing!
I currently have the invisible shield on my Sidekick 3 and must say I absolutly love it! I can throw it in the same pocket as my keys and not worry about it being scratched up. Plus, they're based in my home town of Salt Lake city, UT so I was able to have it installed by a professional!

   by Cao - 2006-07-19
 » ..
They're all the same..

   by The_Souloist - 2006-07-19
 » Go for the Hori
The Hori PSP screen protectors are very good, so good you even forget its on. it doesnt dim or shine or obstruct visual quality. They are well worth the 5$ price at your local EB or electronics store.

   by ... (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » i put one of these things on my psp soon after rec'g it for xmas last year...
it is made from material used to protect helicopter blades, and it very low-profile (i cant do those big hard cases)...

this and the neoprene puch are just fine when handled with typical care...

but the invisibleshield takes care of the oh-so-delicate-but-gorgeous screen.

   by infraBLUEkid - 2006-07-19
 » Much better than the other crap
i might actually buy this, the psp isnt all that great in daylight, thats why the other ones sucked so hard, if this is as good as being said, im sold

   by okawa (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » full psp protectors!
Are you guys dumb?! This thing protects the full psp not just the screen...

This thing is bad ass!

   by Advertising -
   by Bryan (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » They're all the same..
WRONG. I have tried them all and The Invisible shield blows them all away. You can't tear this stuff even if you try! I have this product on my 2 psp's, gbm, cell phone, and my laptop screen and it's so effective I don't know how I ever lived without it. They also provide a lifetime guarantee (they send you a new one anytime you need it). Name one other screen protector that offers that. They don't, because they are inferior.
Highly recommended from a lifetime customer.

   by Ajs (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » Lifetime guarantee!!
Protect your portable game system from scratches and dings forever with the invisibleSHIELD, the ultimate in scratch protection. The invisibleSHIELD comes with a lifetime guarantee, which means that if your invisibleSHIELD ever gets scratched up, we'll replace it. For FREE. For LIFE. Now that's protection! Pay once, protect forever.

sounds fine 2 me tough ;)

   by patrick (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » if its so great
why dont they make the psp out of it then ?

   by Ragarnok - 2006-07-19
 » .
I use a screen protector that reduces the screen brightness so much I always have to set it to the maximum, still when I see the scratches on it I'm really happy to have it ;)

   by Some dude (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » .
Does this cover up scratches? cuz i got a lot of them :/

   by ATALAVERA (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » thats stuff works!
crazy, YOU can't get a scratch on that stuff!

   by Cao - 2006-07-19
 » .
lol hopefully.

   by demologik (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » thx
i just ordered mine. thanks qj for the heads-up. now i gotta buy a new face for my psp.

   by lol internet (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » 1st post
FIRST POST WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

   by Advertising -
   by prime (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » DUST?
I've gone to great lengths to protect my PSP from scratches and smudges, but the worst culprit is dust particles getting into the screen. Do any IShield owners know whether the full face protector aids internal dust particle prevention?

   by Cao - 2006-07-19
 » eh..
I just watched the video.. I'm going to order 2 of these.. and also get a new new faceplate for one of my psps

   by Monster Killer (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » I regret buying this thing
My psp is getting usless when are games gonna freiken come out for it.

   by clefranc (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » Wait a minute
Tried to clean this stuff with a piece of cotton cloth dipped in isopropyl alcohol, what a mess... The protector is now scratched and not so transparent. So clean it with respect.

   by Comando156 (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » Thanks
Im just baught it for my psp and my sidekick 3, i will buy this for everything now. I wish i knew about this when i had my Side kick 2, poor screeen.

   by AHAHHAHA (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » lol
Did you guys ever wonder... why everyone who says this crap is good is UNREGISTERED?

probably qjnet trying to make up for posting crap items again on their site

   by Zenoz - 2006-07-19
 » Alternative
These seem quite rare but I bought one of these 1 week after I bought my psp and it is in mint condition still:

http://www.johnlewis.com/Computing/Gaming/PSP/Accessories/230221326/Product.aspx?SearchTerm=psp%20skin

Analog stick has problems due to skin. But the screen protecter is excellent and easy to clean when needed. I can chuck the psp across the room to land on a chair without a care in the world due to the silcon and screen protector.
Cheaper than most cases too.

   by Mattroid - 2006-07-19
 » meh
I saw these things almost a year ago. They've expanded a lot since at the time all they had was the PSP protector and maybe a couple others.

I have tried several screen protectors on my DS and PSP alike and right now I have Hori ones on both of them. I got Hori since, at the time, Hori made them for both the PSP and DS (there wasn't a DS invisable shield then) and were cheaper and gave great results.

If and when my hori ones wear out (which they won't), I'll try these since I've wanted to for a year now. However, the fact that you can't tear the thing (watch the video on their site) is USELESS. How the hell are you going to tear it anyway? If you drop it, i might protect the surface of the screen to not get scratched, but the LCD can still crack.

Maybe if my PSP breaks in half, the only thing that survives will be this protector. But what good does that do you?

   by ............ (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » ............
WOW IT DOESNT RIP!!!

BUT MY F*ckin LCD SCREEN BROKE!

THANKS QJ FOR ANOTHER USELESS PIECE OF CRAP!

   by ►►►◄◄◄ (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 »  ....
This is a load of crap. Just get a normal screen protecter. Why do you need toprevent the sides from being scratched?

   by Advertising -
   by Vol (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » Not needed
The Hori screen protector ($5 at EB) is already perfect. There is no need for this.

   by killa (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » *****s
***** you guys who talk *****..QJ gives you something and some of you dumbasses complain about it not working because your *****ing LCD broke. Well *****ers it's supposed to protect the *****ing faceplate not the *****ing LCD.

   by qwerty123abc (Unregistered) - 2006-07-19
 » tried a few different ones
most make the screen look fuzzy and you loose quality but i have found the Hori protector does not do this



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