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BodyGuardz iPod Protector film
1. Introduction
When the guys handed me the small box containing BodyGuardz - "Scratch-proof" transparent film for electronic devices", I was definitely skeptical. Having previously worked for a major retail sales corporation, I have seen a lot of products marketed as protecting iPods from being scratched and damaged. Most of them did not work. Last week, I took a business trip that involved a several thousand mile flight on a small air carrier. I carried my iPod with me, just to see how this product stood up!
2. Application
The inside cover of the product has a summary of the installation instruction, as well as a helpful link to the company website. The website features resources for the variety of protective films that the company manufactures. To summarize the application process:
- Coat your hands with a solution that is provided with the packaging. Ostensibly, this is to make the film easier to apply, and to prevent accidents.
- Spray the sheet that you are positioning with the solution, and position it on the device. The instructions indicate that you should not spray your device with the solution; I tend to agree.
- Utilize the provided squeegee to rub out any bubbles that may appear under the film.
- Wait for the film to dry.
I completed the majority of the install on location, at a local restaurant. Before I decided to spray my hands with the mystery fluid, I inspected the bottle, understandably curious as to its contents. A small, italic subtext informed me that it was made of water and baby shampoo. What a relief! A more complete ingredients list would be nice for the cautious among us. I decided to place the largest front piece first. I wetted my hands with the solution and wetted the sticker as I removed it from the paper. It was placed successfully, except for a bit around the edge where I accidentally left a rather large air pocket. I slowly and smoothly applied pressure and removed the air pocket. The next phase was to install the all-important screen protector. This part went without issue, although I did notice that there was a slight (approximately 2mm) gap between the screen protector edge and the outer layer. Looking at my iPod, I found that it looked almost as good as new. The film concealed the existing scratches well!
I found that for the back portion of the iPod, the switch hole did not line up properly with my iPod. I made a slight modification to the protector by cutting one of the edges off of the sheet. This did not seem to affect the product in any way. I then proceeded to install the back side of the protective film. This worked as expected.
3. Testing
I carried my iPod with me, in hand, through two airports, and on the planes during my travels. I was not trying to be kind to my iPod; I almost never put it in my bag or pocket. When I grew tired of handholding it, I would rest it on the floor of the airplane. One time, I even threw it into the overhead bins. To test the scratch resistance of the film, I placed my iPod on the sidewalk outside of my hotel and drug it a short distance across the concrete. This, alone, would have destroyed the interface of a naked iPod. Having carried the iPod along with me for two thousand miles of travel, through two airports, and after dragging it across a short distance of sidewalk, how did my iPod look?
4. Results
When I returned home, I looked at my iPod. It still looked just about as good as it did before I left on my trip. In the area that had been drug across the sidewalk, the film had a few very slight scratches, but that is to be expected when you drag anything across a sidewalk. On the whole, the protective shield exceeded my expectations, and actually made my iPod look a lot better by covering up some of the surface scratches. I wish that I had known about this product when I purchased my iPod; I can't imagine how much better it would look today if I had been using this from the beginning. There are a very few cons to this product. In the installation notes, it mentioned that installing the button and touch wheel covers and then subsequently removing them may cause the parts to disconnect from the iPod. I was not willing to risk this, and so I did not apply those portions of the protective film. Obviously, because I did not apply the film to these surfaces, they would not be afforded the same sort of protection the rest of my iPod was.
5. Conclusions
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of products out there that offer protection for your iPod. I can't speak to the quality of the rest, but having given BodyGuardz a try, I can say with wholehearted glee, that it not only protected my iPod from surface damage, it actually improved the look and feel. Considering that the package provided enough solution and films for two applications, if you happen to own two iPods, you get two for the price of one. On the whole, BodyGuardz iPod protective films are a superior product, and well worth the money!
As always, please feel free to send any comment you may have to the staff here, they will send the message along to me! I am anxious to hear reader comments.