BodyGuardz for iPhone
NLU Products
Price: $24.95
http://www.bodyguardz.com
BodyGuardz for iPhone review Part I
When I unpacked my iPhone on iPhone Day One. the first thing I said to myself was “this is one smooth little slab of technology.” I then handed the new iPhone to my wife, who promptly let it slip right through her hands onto the tile floor, thus making my prophecy come true. Immediately, the iPhone was slid into its leather case cocoon, rarely emerging into the light of day.
But, unlike me, many users prefer to have their iPhone live “au naturel” and not be swaddled in some big ugly case.
However, going commando can leave your precious slab of technology prone to scrapes and scratches. NLU Products, the maker of BodyGuardz feels it has the solution for those who want to let their iPhone live wild and free, yet protect it from the hard knocks of life.
BodyGuardz for iPhone is a very thin transparent protective film that bonds to your iPhone. The plastic film takes the hard knocks, not your iPhone screen or aluminum back case.
David Cohen: The film is incredibly tough – it is the same type of material used to protect the front of cars from stone chips. It will easily protect your iPhone from hard objects like keys rubbing against it while in a pocket. Unlike some of the others on the market, the BodyGuardz variant is characterised by a slightly different appearance – it appears less obvious and more transparent, and has less of the ‘dimpled’ texture that is visible on products like the InvisibleShield.
The Weeks division of MyMac Labs tested BodyGuardz for iPhone. Part I covers the application process, and Part II discusses how well BodyGuardz works.
If you’ve ever applied window tinting film, you’ll feel right at home applying BodyGuardz. The process is virtually identical. It’s easier than window tinting in that you don’t have to struggle handling large sheets of window film, trying to keep each sheet from sticking to itself. But applying BodyGuardz is harder than window film in that the pieces for iPhone have numerous holes and cutouts for the various switches and slots, thus requiring you to line the film up quite precisely. No cutting excess film with an X-Acto knife allowed!
The kit includes two complete sets (very nice touch!) of precut iPhone film, a spray bottle of application solution, a small plastic squeegee.
While the printed instructions were detailed, BodyGuardz provided a link to an instructional video designed to illustrate the process. Unfortunately, the link was to the wrong video. After a call to Customer Support, I was provided with the right link. To the company’s credit, the phone was answered immediately, and I had the right information, as well as a promise to immediately fix the web link, in just a few minutes. Extra credit for responsive tech support offsets a ding for linking the wrong video.
Watching the six minute video answered all the questions I had. Now, I just had to apply the film as well as the demonstrator did.
I was able to apply the back side film with no trouble at all. The front side film, in contrast, has many small flaps and cutout sections. While the main part of the film applied easily, I had difficulty getting the corners to stay attached. This is a known issue, and BodyGuardz even provides a second video showing how to use a hairdryer later on to get the corners to stay down.
The instructions say to let the iPhone rest for 48 hours to let the application solution dry and become transparent.
Part II in 48 hours!
(time passes very slowly)
I left the newly encased iPhone in a warm (but not too hot) location overnight. Like a nine-year old at Christmas, I was too impatient to wait. I mean, who’s actually going to not touch the iPhone for 48 whole hours?
After only a sixteen hour drying time, the film was fully transparent, and had firmly sealed to the iPhone. Three of the four corners had set properly, but the upper-right corner had two little flaps sticking up just the tiniest amount. Given that small imperfection, I congratulated myself for getting the film to align with all the various sliders, jacks, ports, and rocker switches. The corner bonding issue is common enough to warrant its own video on the BodyGuardz web site. The video calls for using a hair dryer to soften the film to help it mold to the corners. I’ll have to try this technique sometime soon.
With BodyGuardz applied, the screen’s tactile feel was just the slightest bit different, with perhaps a hint more friction. But the sensation was barely noticeable, and after a few minutes of tapping and sliding around the screen, I no longer noticed the film at all. The screen brightness was unaffected.
David Cohen: That slight increase in friction does help in another regard – it is much less likely that your iPhone will slip from yur hands once it is encased in BodyGuardz.
The BodyGuardz film now surrounds my entire iPhone. I plan to continune to use my UNIA iPhone belt case, but I’ll feel more protected when the iPhone is running loose in the hostile world. For me, the film is an extra layer of insurance to keep the little slab of technology looking pristine.
If you don’t use a case, you can be quite confident BodyGuardz will keep naked iPhones from scratches, dents, and dings.
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