Zagg InvisibleShield Screen Protectors

Do you have a phone or tablet computer? Do your kids sometimes play with it? Do you sometimes put it into your pocket, or use it without washing your hands first? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you probably should have a screen protector. A good device screen protector will be unobtrusive, securely attached, and will shield the screen of your device from any and all scratches and marks caused by rough handling, abrasions, or accidents. I have a friend who left his iPad upside down on his coffee table...picked it up, and I guess there was some dirt or dust on the table, now his iPad screen has a scratch from top to bottom. Yikes!

I have used cheap screen protectors, and don't recommend them. They tend to come unstuck at the edges, allowing dust underneath, and are stiff and hard to install without bubbles. Zagg InvisibleShields however are super flexible, stick tight and don't come undone, and although they are not super easy to install, once you do it, you'll never have to think about it again. The hardest part of the installation is the emotional leap of faith you need to make, as the process involves spraying the back of the screen protector with what I suspect to be distiller water (it comes in a little spray applicator with the shield) and then putting this WET thing onto your phone. They do advise you to remove the device battery before putting on the protector and to leave it turned off for 24 hrs afterwards - just in case - but in the case of my iPhone and iPad, the batteries aren't exactly easy to take out, so I just left them turned off for the procedure. Basically all you do is clean the screen, wet the back of the protector, place it, then use the included squeegee to push the water out and make a good tight seal between the protector and the device. Use a paper towel to catch the water as it is squished out the edges, and you should be just fine to use the device when you are done. (Note, I am not responsible for any wrecked devices resulting from following my advice!)

Zagg makes screen protectors for just about any device with a screen (I even got one for the new iPod Nano that I gave my mom as a gift last year!) so you have no excuse to not get one. They also make a ton of other products, including full body decorative and protective skins, which I may cover in a future review. Check out the selection on their website at http://www.zagg.com and be sure to follow them on Twitter and Like them on Facebook because they often have discount codes. They are not the cheapest, but considering what you'd pay to replace your device, they are so worth it.

Review: WhatsApp Messenger for iPhone

I don't send enough text messages to justify the cost of having an unlimited text plan with my cell phone provider.  I mostly send quick messages to the same people who are in my "Fab 5".  However, every now and then, especially when my friends and I are trying to organize a get-together, I text a bunch of people a bunch of times.  And it's times like these that make the $0.15 per message fee add up really quickly.

Enter an iPhone app called WhatsApp Messenger.  At present this app is #4 on the iTunes app store charts.  This app is available for iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Nokia phones.  My review focuses on the iPhone version as that's the phone I use it on.  WhatsApp Messenger can be used to send free normal text messages to any other user that has the app, but also has some terrific other features such as:

• send Photo/Video - choose from an existing photo/video from your camera album, or use your phone's camera to take a new photo.  Perfect for your husband to use in the grocery store when he needs a little help figuring out exactly which granola bars you wanted him to buy...he can instantly send you a picture and you can reply and set him straight.  You can even respond with a photo of the empty box you have at home, to make things really simple.
• send Audio Note - I love this feature to use when I've got a longer message to transmit, I can just record what I want to say instead of having to type it all out.  This is really handy when I'm in a hurry and just can't type fast enough.
• Group Chat - you can set up quick chats with up to 5 participants, really handy when you need to get several friends on the same page about what's going on when the plan changes.

The biggest downside to WhatsApp Messenger is that not everyone has it.  In order to send a WhatsApp message, both the sender and the recipient need to have WhatsApp Messenger on their device.  However, at a cost of $0.99, it's cheaper for you to buy the app for a friend than it is to keep paying $0.15 per message sent and received!  (Yes, I've done this.)

The good thing is that when your friends eventually buy it (because you will tell them how great it is...) they will automatically show up in your contacts list on WhatsApp Messenger - no complicated adding process needed, as long as they are in your iPhone contact list.

Read more about WhatsApp Messenger on their website (http://www.whatsapp.com/), which also has links to purchase the application for supported devices here http://www.whatsapp.com/download/.