Use Protection: Quick Review of the Full Body Ghost Armor for Palm Pre
If you're following us on Twitter, then chances are you read about how Ghost Armor hooked us up with a box of Full Body Ghost Armors for us and our readers (we'll get into get a little later)! You probably have heard of InvisibleSHIELD, well Ghost Armor is another brand that makes these thin plastic firm that wraps around your gadgets to protect it from our abuse and scratches.
Unboxed:
It came with the plastic firm rolled up in a tube, a Squeegee to squeeze out the bubbles,solution spray and installation instructions. At first I thought it would come packaged in a nicely designed box, but this is it.
That's the firm, it covers most parts of the Pre -- including the USB door. Protection wise, Ghost Armor did a good job here.
Tips for installation:
You can find installation instructions here.
Tips:
- Wash your hands with soap before you start doing anything.
- Spray just enough solution on the firm so you can adjust and align it on the Pre. Too much is when it's dripping.
- Don't drop the firm flat down, work your way from one side to the other while looking out for bubbles.
- Remove the bubbles with the Squeegee ASAP, the longer you take, the harder it is.
- Have a towel of some sort ready.
- Don't worry about the really tiny bubbles or cloudiness, as they will fade away in 1-3 days.
Results:
A day after the installation... As you can easily tell, I did a HORRIBLE job with it. Though most of the little bubbles and cloudiness I saw after installation are mostly gone.
I did a great job on the back side -- at least I like to think so. What did I do differently with the back you ask? I squeezed out all the bubbles really quick before it dried up. The front side on the other hand, I was afraid of damaging the screen so I did it really slow, applying little to no pressure. So do it quick on yours!
How's the sensitivity of the Screen and Gesture Area?
It was like it weren't there. Same level of sensitivity with the Screen and Gesture Area.
Does it work with the Touchstone Charging Dock?
YES.
Uninstallation:
As you can see, it leaves "nothing behind". In the same condition before the firm was applied. According to the FAQ from GA, the shield's adhesive will even heal small surface scratches! Mind blowing.
Verdict:
The Ghost Armor gives you the absolute protection you need for your Palm Pre and also gives you a better grip on the device. All it really comes down to is the price point, there're very little differences between these shields in terms of the protection they offers. The Ghost Armor will run you $15 (Just the Screen) and $25 ( Full body).
I'm giving this an 8/10.
PreThinking
Palm Pre, accessories, case, ghost armor, installl, invisibleSHIELD, protections | in Accessories , Review, accessories review | Permalink 
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Reader Comments (21)
really, it works on the touchstone? it won't deform form the heat?
Great review. Will probably order these based on this review, Thanks Philip!
Here's pics of a ghost armor shield installed with zero bubbles or other imperfections:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3408/3628788903_48935966ae_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3615/3629601844_2fc8a10e9b_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3299/3629601616_897413bf9b_b.jpg
I just realized now that the pro installer definitely forgot to install the film on the USB door. hmm
@Kansei
I feel embarrassed...
Nice job on the installation kansei!
Is the "orange peel" effect noticeable on the screen? How invisible is it?
I got a Zagg skin that uses the exact same material. Much to my surprise it a small scratch on my screen invisible, so it would seem that Ghost Armor's "heal" claim is probably true.
Hmm... it seems pretty silly to pay $10 and spend a bunch of time "protecting" the battery cover. I'm sure once the pre ages a bit you'll be able to buy replacement battery covers on ebay for cheaper than that, or maybe covers from people who bought a touchstone and don't need their plain ones.
Probably not a bad idea to protect the screen though. Still, it seems a wee bit pricey for what it is...
Phillip
any chance you can pass along that eboy wallpaper?
I tried the Zagg one on my iPhone. It's far from inivisible and looked worse than a scratched phone.
Palm/Apple/Rim don't spend millions on design and usability for you to put those phones in cases or saran-like covers.
gards - Do you actually think Palm/Apple/Rim cares if the casing is durable? As long as it's pretty when you buy it, they're satisfied. If it gets crappy looking quickly, it's more likely you'll want a new one in a year.
Philip --don't be embarassed, I paid for a pro install of the ghost armor at the local ghost armor kiosk :) When I first attempted a zagg invisible shield install on my iPhone it was such an awful experience that I vowed never to install a shield by hand again!
Wow that job you did on the front made me feel a whole lot better about the job I did. lol
Just let the mall kiosk guy do it.. Phones too nice and expensive to half__s it yourself instead of the extra $5 to $10 for their install... Plus you're doing more to stimulate the economy during the 30 minute install than the government. Ha!
Anyone had the Best Buy peeps do it? I just received $5 reward zone bucks and I think one of the PreThinking dudes said it was 7 bucks for them to do the install. Just have to find the other 27 bucks if I don't win one from the contest. :)
Does anyone know if somewhere in Connecticut offers installation of either this product or something similar? If its as permanent as it looks, it might be worth paying to have someone do the legwork to have it come out sans bubbles.
I just put on two of these, fronts only. It may work with a touchstone, but I love the texture of the touchstone as it is (and dont care for spending $10/ea to make it slicker).
Went on fine, no bubbles, some cloudiness. I have before, @ time of cover, T+1 hour and I will do T+24/48 when those times pass. I will put them all up on the web somewhere and follow up with a link.
So far, seems ok. If all the cloudiness goes away it will be the best $35 (two covers, shipped) I ever spent.
Ghost Armor is absolute garbage I had it installed at on of their kiosks for $35 and have had to have it reinstalled 4 additional times at $15 each time = $60 + $35 = $95.00!!! This product is garbage has massive orange peel that sets in, starts to peel off after weeks of use and the customer service stinks, send an email and see if you get a response - I would not suggest this product to my worst enemy - you will have better luck wrapping your phone in saran wrap then shelling out money for this money pit product
Takes some time to install but overall a great product. I would recommend to anyone looking to keep there stuff new. I use it on my macbook pro and iphone. Thinking about getting the pre. Anyone recommend the pre over the iphone?
Tried the Zagg on my pre, couldn't get it to sit right on the phone (couldn't slide because the film overlapped the seam) and too many bubbles. Brought it back and got a cheaper one. Tried the Zagg again, and the salesperson at Best Buy installed it perfectly (and with great patience). Love it!
had my palm pre screen done @ my local mall and have no regrets, it turned out great. its worth the $5.00 bucks for the professional install, they do these all day. final cost of skin screen and install $20.00 not bad considering how much these palm pres retail for.
just had it installed on my pre and it looks awesome! there is minimal orange peel - better than the 4 dollar ones on ebay. the guy who installed it put it on perfectly. hope it holds up over time...i'll continue to baby my pre and put it in the pre pouch. worth the money.