Boy there’s a lot of ZAGGing on JAMM lately. It’s a good thing we’re not into zigging.

If you’re a regular reader of the site you know that InvisibleShield is a super duper polyurethane film developed to protect helicopter blades from wear and tear. Helicopter blades face lots and lots of bad weather and bird-related obstacles, so they need to be well protected. Adding this same level of protection to my humble PSP means that it will also be able to withstand minor hailstorms, collisions with pigeon beaks, but also scuffles with keys, pens, and other assorted pocket gangsters. This was my third time applying such a protective film, although I had only used skins from BestSkinsEver before this. Hit the jump to see if the third time was the charm or a big, crinkled plastic mess.

Ok, so here’s where I get bad reviewer marks from the readers. I took a couple of shots of the PSP pre-InvisibleShield but I left them on my dad’s camera and the card was wiped. But I trust that those of you who are interested in a PSP InvisibleShield (IS) already know what the device itself looks like, so let’s move on!

Installation

If you’ve ever installed a shield before then you know that it’s a pretty tough process to get used to. I think I’ll get much better in another 3-4 installs, but it’s still a tough and time-consuming process (~2 hours). ZAGG helps a lot with the included rubber squeegee and spray bottle of anti-stick solution. BestSkinsEver (BSE) didn’t include any spray bottle and I had to make my own soap water to function as the anti-stick solution.

The IS comes in a lot of pieces and I was actually kinda stumped as to how to use some of them. The package seemed to include two back panels but I only applied one. I ended up applying two pieces to cover the front (screen + front face) and five pieces for the back. The back panel of the PSP is a heckuvalot more complicated since it has the UMD tray as well as the removable battery door so this is understandable.

The big pieces were all pretty easy to apply although since the installation was so complicated I did muck quite a few things up. I had to re-apply the shield a couple of times and some dust got caught underneath, but my mission was just to get a shield on that would protect and stay in place. My last two applications peeled badly at the corners after two weeks so I was trying hard to get this one right.

Protection

Once all is said and done your PSP should be completely protected on the front and back, with only the sides, d-pad, and area between the face buttons vulnerable to scratches. The analog stick is technically left unprotected as well, but it really doesn’t need any shielding and it would be too slippery if it was.

I’m invisible! Can you see me?!

It really is invisible unless you’re really looking for it, and I haven’t noticed a change in the color quality or brightness on my screen with the IS on it. Dust does tend to cling more tightly to the IS than the PSP’s naked surface, but that’s what micro fiber cloths are for. There were quite a few bubbles during the first hour or two, but they all but disappeared a day after installation.

Three Weeks Later

I feel really secureknowing that the IS is on my PSP. I can use it just like a naked device, but I don’t have to worry about little nicks or scratches from just putting it down on a table.I It also doesn’t slide around on surfaces any more, which is a plus for me. I waited about three weeks with this review to make sure the shield would stay on for a long period of time, but it still looks really secure and the only areas that shows any sign of peeling are the corners. I’m really not sure how to avoid that, though, aside from absolutely perfecting the installation process. Minor corner peeling aside, I’m quite confident that this IS will stay on for a while.

What I liked:

• preserves gorgeous PSP form factor
• keeps back of PSP from scratches (huge plus)
• squeegee and spray bottle included in kit
• lifetime warranty

What could use improvement:

• installing is still a real pain, but I’ve got no suggestions

You can protect your PSP Slim with a full body shield for $19.95 at ZAGG.com. There is also the option of buying just a screen protector or a shield for the extended battery.