First Look: Speck ShieldView Anti-Glare Screen Films for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

Sold in a two-pack for the iPad ($25) and three-packs for the iPhone 3G/3GS ($10) and iPod touch 2G/3G ($10), Speck’s new ShieldView Anti-Glare Screen Films are matte-finished, light-diffusing screen scratch and scuff guards for Apple’s devices. ShieldView for the iPad includes a cleaning cloth; the iPhone and iPod versions don’t, and none include applicator cards for installation — instructions on the packaging suggest use of a credit card to work out the air bubbles inherent in the static-cling film. Updated August 9, 2010: Speck has introduced ShieldView for iPhone 4 ($10), which includes three face protectors and one back glass protector for the same price as the prior set. Pictures are at the bottom of this article.

On May 13, 2010, iLounge published The Complete Guide to iPad Cases and Protection, a multi-page comparison of over 70 different iPad cases and film protectors, sorted by genre. The following details were added to this piece by that comparison article; please click on the link above for additional comparative discussion of similar protective options.

Just like Incipio, Speck bundles two anti-glare screen protectors in one package for the same price as Power Support offers only one, and includes a screen-cleaning cloth for installation, but again, there are quality differences that explain the lower per-sheet pricing. On a positive note, ShieldView is as protective and well-cut as Incipio’s film, with a little less blurring of the screen, and it does cut down substantially on glare. But the coating was unusually weak at resisting scratches, showing lots of them over a week of testing. We’d call the Incipio and Speck options roughly equivalent to one another—not the best we’ve seen on quality, but enough to do in a pinch.