[Sosai X]

Hi everyone,

This past weekend my wife and I went to the physical locations of the Invisible Shield and Ghost Armor kiosks in Arizona. I was able to compare first-hand the effect of their products on BlackBerry Storms and iPhones.

And let me tell you - I'm a picky SOB. Or as my wife says, I'm "totally suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder."

But I digress.

The Invisible Shield kiosk was very professional, but frankly - their product left a lot to be desired. Very grippy/tacky feel to it, and very noticeable orange-peel effect.

The Ghost Armor kiosk was not as professional, but they were very service-oriented and took their product seriously. Still grippy/tacky, but not as bad as the IS product was. VERY minimal orange-peel effect, but if you're as obsessive about detail as I am, you'd notice it if you looked for it.

Today, after making an appointment by phone I went and visited the PhantomSkinz. Not a kiosk - this was a nice office suite in an office/industrial park area. I was greeted by the company owner, who was very knowledgeable about not only his product, but how it differs from the competition.

I was also presented with two "demo" Storms - belonging to the owner and his son - which were essentially flawless. While the Storms had a little more grip to them, they didn't have that 'sticky' feel the GA or IS product had.

I'll be happy to answer any questions related to my experience today, but after being able to compare all three vendors first-hand, I immediately chose PhantomSkinz to protect my phone.

Installation is free - and unlike the other vendors who said they could do a full install in 15-20 minutes, the PhantomSkinz rep took his time, ensuring every last air bubble and crease were out of the skin as it was carefully applied. 30 minutes and $25.00 later, my Storm was finished.

I was advised (as has been pointed out in other threads) that while you can begin using your phone within 15-20 minutes after install, it won't achieve its optimum appearance for around 24 hours - the time it takes for the limited mist solution that was used to dry out completely.

Obviously I'll know more in 20 or so hours - but as of right now, I couldn't be happier with my decision - even now, there's NO orange-peel look whatsoever, the look and feel are great, and the service was outstanding.

Thanks PhantomSkinz! I'll definitely be bringing my wife's Storm in as well!

[Raidboss]

Your review just made me place my order. Never have use this type of product on any phone I have owned. Looking forward to getting it soon. Thank you for the review

[janenebu]

I bought a sheet of Best Skins Ever and cut it to fit my screen and also the back of my storm. Install was super simple and had a perfect result. It does not effect the touch screen at all...and is very protective. I love BSE.

[sarfrazfamily]

I'm SO jealous of you right now! lol!! I ordered my PS last week it will arrive this week unless there is a customs issue. I really wish I had someone to install it for me. I can't do that too well. not that I have my storm yet! lol! but I am excited to recieve my Phantom so i will be prepared when my storm arrives. Thanks for the great review on the skinz it was great reading!

And Janenebu!! what was the point in your post?

[Tumaz04]

Nice little review sosai. Can't wait to get mine.

[AnDylishus]

I was wondering how the back of the phone looked where the battery cover is? Does the batter cover and BB logo look ok? For some reason I keep thinking these protective skins are going to take away from how the backside of the phone looks/feels.

If it isn't too much trouble could you take a picture of the back side of the phone after the first 24 hrs have passed? Thanks for the review by the way. Hopefully I can decide between this and GA before my phone arrives.

[juKe187]

Sounds good, but personally I like that grippy feel that GA has, makes it feel more sturdy and slip resistant.

[Kamilli0n]

I wonder if my phone will fit in a Seidio holster with PhantomSkinz on it

[SlimJimTight]

:\ I'll get whichever if I can get more than a 20% discount. But, looks like I trust invisibleShield more because I protected 5 devices with it and it works great

[secretsexyninja]

already got ghost armor so im gonna use GA. if i end up needing a new one, ill consider pS.. thanks man

[Sosai X]

I was wondering how the back of the phone looked where the battery cover is? Does the batter cover and BB logo look ok?

It looks great - because there's actually a cut-out for the BB logo. This way there's no poofy "hey, there's an air bubble..and another..and another.." look in the spaces in-between the raised areas of the logo.

[fonebrkr]

I was wondering how the back of the phone looked where the battery cover is? Does the batter cover and BB logo look ok? For some reason I keep thinking these protective skins are going to take away from how the backside of the phone looks/feels.

If it isn't too much trouble could you take a picture of the back side of the phone after the first 24 hrs have passed? Thanks for the review by the way. Hopefully I can decide between this and GA before my phone arrives.

Back of my phone with phantomskinZ put on 5 days ago..





I liked em so much, I am gonna get them to put it on a couple touchscreen machines at work....

[Tumaz04]

Yea guys, stick with what you know. If it works for ya, why change it, right?

But Sosai, could you post some pics like Andy requested? That would be great. Also It would nice to have some close up (macro) shots of the coverage around the side buttons etc.

[jbragg]

Thanks for the report, Sosai. I just put my PS on earlier today and your write-up really helped ease my mind about some of the questions I had.

Again, many thanks!

[Sosai X]

But Sosai, could you post some pics like Andy requested?

Whoops, sorry - forgot about that.

Yes, absolutely. I'll take and post some tomorrow, and will do my best to get some digital macro close-ups of the detail areas.

[Tumaz04]

Awesome, thanks.

[fonebrkr]

Yea guys, stick with what you know. If it works for ya, why change it, right?

But Sosai, could you post some pics like Andy requested? That would be great. Also It would nice to have some close up (macro) shots of the coverage around the side buttons etc.

Ummm, what did I just post???

[Tumaz04]

Uhhh, sorry fonebrkr. Not a good enough job. I don't wanna sound mean or like a big bully, but those are kinda fuzzy and aren't close enough. I would like to see macro shots of the coverage around the buttons and bezel/chrome.

[FUSIBLE]

My IS has no orange peel. This sounds like a commercial, I'm not saying he's lying but definitely sounds like an infomercial. Again IMO.

:\ I'll get whichever if I can get more than a 20% discount. But, looks like I trust invisibleShield more because I protected 5 devices with it and it works great

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[drebrooklyn]

i just might need to place an order whenever my storm arrives

[garath]

My IS has no orange peel. This sounds like a commercial, I'm not saying he's lying but definitely sounds like an infomercial. Again IMO.


Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I'd look closer. Even the IS guy himself has posted about has the orange peel effect. He says it's part of what makes the product "heal" itself.

http://forums.crackberry.com/f86/pre...tml#post982600

[firemanjoe]

There was another thread on here the other night, and the guy from phanton skinz was on here, and from his conversation it convinced me to buy his product.....I got them today, just need a phone to put them on!! LOL

Maybe soon.........

[bigphill911]

is phantom skins installed same way as bse? I am hardcore bse fan but doint know how much longer i can wait for them to release product I have had my phone since launch and i dont want my phone scratched to **** while i wait for protection. In my experience using something without protection is not a great idea

[kbz]

I live in Chandler Arizona and frequent malls containing both IS and GA. When I got my new Storm and wanted to protect it I really looked at the two companies though I had some experience with IS online. I went to Ghost Armor first where I was "called out" by some kids just pulling people in. I was a little turned off but continued asking questions and looking at one of the iphones the young man had. It was clear and clean looking and I was told that IS looks like "crap" compared to it. I was thinking about it when the young man grabbed my phone and told me he was just gonna do it. I felt a little discomforted by his rush but whatever. I also wanted to look at IS.

Upon arriving at the location in Chandler Fashion Center I was pleasantly surprised to find a large kiosk that looked professional and dealing with the employees was refreshing after being somewhat "haggled". I asked the man working about the differences between the two and he told me that whether it is GA or IS you will love how it protects your device. He also gave me some good knowledge about the different companies doing this.

He said "when someone comes up with a good concept there are bound to be imitators" and also "with competition comes improved customer service" which I thought was cool to say. He also told me that the group doing Ghost Armor was from Salt Lake the same place as IS corporate (big surprise there) and that Phantom Skinz and GA are almost exactly the same and were rumored to be a partnership at one time but the PS owner screwed the guys at GA by stealing their design templates. Anyways for whatever that's worth I found it interesting.

Back to the product. At Chandler the guy already had a storm that was shielded. When he handed it to me I expected it would look unlike GA after all they said. I was quite surprised when he handed me his storm and I could barely tell there was anything on it. I could notice a slight texture but the gentleman likened it to corregated tubing in the fact that these microscopic indents don't allow something to cleanly scrape or scratch the flat surface, therefore making it much stronger then the perfectly clear brands. It made sense to me and I am much more about good protection and a long term result so I went with it and had it installed on my storm. The guy was very precise not to let moisture in places it doesn't belong (he spoke of not letting moisture down into the screen) and almost used no solution at all. I felt very comfortable with him working on my new beauty. When it was done it looked better than before, no bubbles, good alignment and it got more clear in the following days. I have had it SHIELDED now for almost 2 weeks and it is great. I noticed no difference in my touch sensitivity. It is in my pocket all day, been dropped twice and surived my 2 year old nephew and it still looks like the day I got it (I'll comment again in a month or two). Can't wait to take it by GA and show them how the orange peel they spoke so clearly of is non existent in the new film. Love my InvisibleSHIELD.

PS. I highly recommend the professional install.
PPS. I have a friend that had GA on a 1st Gen iPhone that residued his screen VERY bad when he removed it. Just good to know. Maybe use the solution when removing?

[AirSupply]

I hope I can have some professional installer in my city (Rochester MN) >__<