A few months ago we reviewed the InvisibleSHIELD for the iPhone which is a clear film that protects your baby without hiding its good looks. Well BodyGuardz is another company taking a stab at making clear film protectors for your many Apple gadgets. BodyGuardz was nice enough to provide us with a transparent skin for the Nano and iPhone.
We like to be different and not be too repetitive here at Chip Chick so we decided to test it on the newest generation of the Nano that I personally have named “Skittles”! Similar to the InvisibleSHIELD, in the BodyGuardz box I found a clear film for the front and for the back of the Nano, and the iPhone as well. BodyGuardz includes two protectors for your gadget. Which is great in case you mess up applying it the 1st time around or the second one can work as a replacement after your 1st one gets gunky. One difference between the BodyGuardz and the InvisibleSHIELD that I noticed right away, is that the BodyGuardz protectors looked like it would completely covered my Nano this time around – just as it promises on the box.
Application of the BodyGuardz was similar to the InvisibleSHIELD. Solution in a spray bottle is included to wet the adhesive side of the film. There is also a squeegee included to smooth out air or water bumps once the film is applied to your Nano. I soaked the adhesive side of the film and then smacked it on to the backside of the Nano first. I carefully smoothed out all the edges and made sure every part of it would stick. Then I let that dry and put the front on.
The whole process took about ten minutes to do since I was a pro at it already. Once completed, the BodyGuardz did cover almost the entire Nano from back to front. Still, the BodyGuardz did cover more surface area than the InvisibleSHIELD that we previously applied to the iPhone. Another thing I found quite annoying was that the back film was un-sticking around the edges. This was the same problem I ran into with the InvisibleSHIELD. So I did what any ingenious person would do – I wrapped it in tin foil to make the film edges adhere better to the Nano. After about an hour I unwrapped it and it was sticking better, but I saw it would require more time in the tin – so I re-wrapped it.
By the end of the day it was ready to un-wrap and I revealed a Nano protected fully by BodyGuardz. I even took a key to my precious and scratched up the backside of Skittles and when I removed the film there was no marks made to my Nano ~sigh of relief~ To its credit, the touch sensitivity on the Nano was not affected by the BodyGuardz.
Overall the process of applying the BodyGuardz wasn’t too bad and the few complaints I have includes the fact that the film that covers the back of the Nano took A LONG TIME to properly adhere to the round edges of the Nano. And it also it took forever to dry, much longer than with the InvisibleSHIELD. It says in the BodyGuardz instructions specifically that you need to keep your hands and the adhesive side wet at all times to glide and position the film on the Nano. But after a whole day passed, it was still wet. It said in the instructions that the film and your gadget would most likely be wet from 12 to 24hrs. Which I personally find ridiculous…especially if I want to use it without causing more bubbles in the film.
Personally, I prefer the BodyGuardz solution over a regular ipod case because it doesn’t add any weight and it allows you to show off the ipod’s design. However, I can’t help but compare it to my grandmother’s plastic covered couch. Sure, the plastic protects your expensive investment and allows you to see its beauty, but there is an element of tackiness involved when you have plastic covering your gadget. Of course it’s a small price to pay though to keep your prized gadget safe. You will not however, ever catch me covering my furniture in plastic. Not for at least another 30 years. Retailing for $24.95 BodyGuardz will protect your iPhones, PDA, Nano, and smartphones.
Conclusion:
The Good: Protects almost the entire gadget with see-through film, two films are included per package
The Bad: Adhesive should apply smoother around the edges and takes a whole day to dry