Update: final photos added to day 3 (see below)
There are many ways you can protect your Treo Pro, and they all have their disadvantages: soft leather cases are expensive and stop protecting when you get your device out, silicone cases look ugly and add a lot of bulk and screen protectors alone don’t protect the whole device.
There is another solution, it’s called “scratch-proof transparent protective skin” and we’ll review one for the Treo Pro, which we kindly received from BodyGuardz. It doesn’t add much bulk, it’s almost completely invisible and protects all sides of your device.
The Palm Treo Pro is a beautiful device with a flush touch screen and glossy black case. Well, that’s how it’s in the box when you buy it. But both the screen and the high gloss finish are very prone to scratches, so the sooner you protect it, the better.
What is BodyGuardz?
BodyGuardz is a custom made transparent film that you apply to the entire body and screen of your device. With the Treo Pro this means the film is divided into several sections because the battery cover is removable and on the front side there is a physical division between the touch screen, the hardware keyboard and the green Send and red End buttons.
Hopes and Expectations
Looking at the marketing talk of this and similar competing products, I would hope for a perfect matching, totally invisible skin with no air bubbles and haze. Being realistic, I expect a few bubbles to be seen, and with the difficult shape of the Treo Pro I expect a not so perfect fit too.
What’s in the box?
In the BodyGuardz box you’ll find a small instruction diagram, 2 front skins (several parts: front, 2 sides, top and bottom), 2 back skins, a bottle of application solution (water with a little baby shampoo) and a squeegee card.
How to be prepared:
- Read the instructions on the inside of the box.
- View a demonstration video on the BodyGuardz website.
- Clean your device thoroughly, with a non-scratching microfiber cloth or with a tiny spray of non-toxic glass cleaner on a soft lint free cloth.
- Study the supplied diagram carefully, compare with the skin and check on your Treo Pro where you must align things.
- Power off your device. Accidental button presses are likely and it also eliminates the need to handle your phone when calls or messages come in.
- Make sure you have enough time so that you don’t get stressed. Starting in the evening gives the BodyGuardz skin a whole night to dry.
The Process
After looking at some demo videos on the site, I washed my hands, cleaned the desk and the device and then sprayed some of the application solution on my hands.
I took the skin part for the screen and sprayed the same solution on the sticky backside. Applying it to the Treo Pro was not so difficult, you can align it with the ear piece hole at the top. While there’s some solution under the skin, you can softly move it around on the device. It takes a bit of practice, but it’s not too difficult. With the squeegee card you then softly move the moisture towards the sides, and with a clean cloth you can then remove the fluid.
Next, I applied the skin parts for the top, bottom, left and right sides. These sides were a different story: due to the awkward design of the Treo Pro, the side pieces need to fold over to the front, and especially around the green Send and red End button this is not easy. No matter how you try, these parts will not stick!
Having done my homework, I was not alarmed by this because in one of the demonstration videos they said to wait for 10 minutes and then try again. That didn’t work yet. It took me another 10 minutes until all sides sticked to the Treo Pro.
The front side was now finished, although it looked a bit messy. Patience is your best friend, because almost all of that will disappear in the coming days. The skin and solution need to dry completely and that takes time.
I thought the backside was going to be the easiest part, but that was not entirely so. It is easy to align, thanks to the camera hole and side speaker grill, however it was more difficult to get most bubbles of air and solution to the side, and I’ve only partially succeeded in that.
The sides of the back part also needed some drying time before they would stick, so I let it dry under the soft glow of a bureau light.
With the back side just finished, this is the result so far: quite a few bubbles of air and moisture are visible. During the rest of the day I’ve softly tried pushing these down and away from the center, which partially succeeded.
About the installation process:
Installing a BodyGuardz skin on a device is not so difficult as I thought. Having said this, the odd device shape of the Treo Pro make it a bit harder than perhaps a Bodyguardz on an iPhone, especially the separate side pieces. It is reassuring that you get a second skin in the box, just in case you totally mess up.
If you find it most important that the screen and the glossy back side is protected, you could perhaps leave these side pieces away. You could also cut them in two before applying, keeping only the less difficult top part.
Results – day 1:
All pieces are placed correctly, no overlapping noticed. The two side pieces both have a tiny bubble at the bottom that doesn’t seem to stick because of the curve there. The screen part looks quite nice already, almost no bubbles. The back side needs to dry a lot more.
Results – day 2:
Visually, the screen looks almost perfect, you can hardly tell there’s a protective skin on it. The back side has improved a lot now, though a few bubbles remain. I hope they’ll disappear or become unnoticeable in the coming days.
Results – day 3:
The screen is perfect, you can’t tell it’s there and you know it’s protected. I’m very happy with the result here.
The backside is looking better all the time, but not perfect. I’m sure that if I would take the second skin and do the back all over again, using the helpful information in this video (look around 4’30” and further for the back side procedure), it would be near-perfect too.
Meanwhile I’ve removed the side pieces, this helps a bit when you want to use the Palm desktop cradle or a car holder like the one from Brodit. It’s not ideal because the the back part still makes it a bit harder than without, but it does work. You just need more force to insert the Treo Pro as it sticks a bit.
Front side, with the Treo Pro in standby: you can see no air bubbles or soap residu on the screen.
Front side, with the screen on: you get perfect image. No haze, no spots.
Backside: 1 air bubble remains visible, and when exagerated by reflecting bright light you can see a few dents on the back, probably by using the squeegee card a bit too enthusiastic.
Conclusion:
It is a reassuring feeling that you can slip your Treo Pro into your pocket without it being scratched by zippers or keys, and without needing bulky cases.
The BodyGuardz skin feels nice to touch, it’s a bit more sticky than without the skin. This is perfect for finger touch operation, a little less for using the stylus.
From a distance, it looks almost completely transparent. After giving it a few days time, the screen looks perfect, and if you apply the backside according to the instruction video it will be great too.
As this is technically one of the best possible products to protect your Treo Pro, I can only recommend the BodyGuardz. Had I not had this review sample, I would definitely buy it myself.
Link: BodyGuardz for Treo Pro