When it comes to small electronics, I usually live by the opinion that by the time it's worn out physically, I will have moved on to something else anyway. I don't normally protect my phone, mp3 player, computer, or what have you in any special way and they usually show evidence of this fact by the time I'm done with them.

I also hate cases. The first thing people usually get after buying a new phone or iPod is a new case for it. I hate the added bulk - if the engineers of the iPod wanted it to have a case, they would have made one for it. A case just turns a sleek beacon of technology into an ugly leather-wrapped mess. Not into it.

My attitude towards electronics was challenged after I got a HUGE scratch on my phone's screen after only having it a couple of months. It was annoying to say the least. Shortly after that I was given the opportunity to try a new screen protector from a company where a friend works. He sent me one for my phone and for my Sony eReader. I decided that if I was going to put a screen protector on my phone I might as well buy a new screen for it so I had something worth protecting.

I received and installed the new screen in my phone and found that it was defective. The screen displayed fine, but the touch part didn't work. This ended up providing me with a good testing opportunity. While I was waiting for the replacement screen to arrive, I set out with reckless abandon to stress test the new screen - sans protector. I put it in my bag with keys and pens, set things on top of it, pretty much let everything happen to it that any normal person would freak out about.

After a few days, the screen had built up a healthy amount of scratches. Nothing big, but it just wasn't as nice and shiny as when it was new.

The new screen arrived and I installed it along with the screen protector my friend had sent me. That was a few months ago and I have treated my phone with the same carelessness as before. This time, not a single scratch has appeared. It looks the same as the day I got it. I also installed a screen protector to my Sony eReader, which I then tried to cut with a steak knife - it didn't even leave a mark. I'm impressed.

Apparently this stuff is the same material they put on the blades of helicopter blades to protect them. It's thin, doesn't add to the bulk of your device at all, and is super effective. I have recommended them to a few friends already and would recommend them to anyone looking to protect anything from scratches. They have protectors cut to fit almost any device at the invisible shield website.

Also check out their youtube channel, which shows invisible shield employees mistreating electronics and performing various tests on their material (the one where they put like 1,000 pounds of weights on one thin sheet of material and it holds without a problem is pretty amazing).