My wife had a dilemma... she uses a DLO TransPod in her car (and loves it). But every time she wanted to use her second-generation iPod nano with it, she had to remove it from its case to make it fit. After trying several different cases with no success, she was at her wits end. She hated the idea of her beautiful new pink nano getting all scratched up, but she also hated having to insert and remove it from its case every time she wanted to use it in the car.

Then we discovered invisibleSHIELD, an absolutely perfect solution to her problem. Fabricated from a unique clear material originally designed by the military to protect the leading edges of helicopter blades, this tough clear film was just the ticket.

Available in pre-cut kits for all iPod models as well as for individual iPod components such as the screen and the wheel, invisibleSHIELD. The $19.95 full body kit for her iPod nano included four custom-cut pieces of the clear plastic material--a big piece for the body and screen, plus smaller precision cut pieces for the wheel, the select button, and the area next to the hold switch. It also included a little spray bottle of SHIELDspray, which you spray lightly on film before applying it to your iPod, and a small plastic squeegee for pushing excess spray and bubbles out from under the invisibleSHIELD. It took me less than 5 minutes to apply all four pieces to her nano. Once you've affixed all of the pieces to your iPod, you let it "rest" for 24 hours to allow the SHIELD to completely set up.

It works great. When applied properly you can hardly see it at all, but it is there, protecting every surface of your precious iPod from nicks and scratches. I was concerned that after a while the film would begin to peel away from the iPod but that hasn't been the case. After several weeks of heavy use, all of the pieces and their edges remain firmly affixed to the iPod, and the whole thing still looks as good as the day I applied it.

The only downside is that you have to be very, very careful not to get dirt, fingerprints, or other schmootz on the sticky side of the film as you are applying it to your iPod. I wasn't careful enough with my second try (on my 30GB iPod Video) and now there are some dust and finger marks visible under the film. They don't really affect the functionality but they don't look very nice, either.

Photo courtesy of ShieldZone.com

Note: I would have shown you a photograph of an iPod with invisibleSHIELD applied but it's since it's completely clear, it would have just looked like an iPod to you.

The manufacturer obviously believes in this product. Not only do you get a 30-day money-back guarantee, you also receive a lifetime replacement guarantee. Really. If your shield ever gets messed up, they'll replace it for free, for life. Don't you wish everything had that kind of guarantee?

By the way, in addition to iPods, they also offer custom-cut invisibleSHIELD kits for other devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, and other MP3 players.

The Bottom Line

How can you not love a reasonably-priced product that is easy to apply, does exactly what it's supposed to do, and comes with an awesome warranty? I like this product so much that I plan to apply it to every new iPod I buy from this day forward.