First Look: United SGP Incredible Shield SQ + Steinheil Screen Film for iPad

Sold in separate packages, United SGP’s new Incredible Shield SQ Full Body Protection Film ($34) and Steinheil Anti-Fingerprint ($23) / Crystal Clear ($22) Screem Films for iPad are serious-looking kits to protect the screen and/or body of the 2010 iPad models. Whereas the Steinheil Anti-Fingerprint Film and Steinheil Crystal Clear Films consist of just one sheet of screen-protective film per package, plus a squeegee for application, a cleaning cloth, and LCD cleaning spray, the full Incredible Shield SQ kit includes a piece of body-protecting film, a bottle of applicator fluid, a Crystal Clear screen film, and the same cleaning cloth, LCD spray, and squeegee pieces.

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.

Also made in Japan despite its Germanic name, the Steinheil Anti-Fingerprint Film is nearly equivalent to Power Support’s film, only with extra pack-ins in the form of an applicator card, cleaning cloth, and screen cleaning spray, and perhaps a small reduction in anti-scratch quality. While this film wasn’t impervious to scratching, it showed far fewer marks after extended use than Speck’s and Incipio’s films, and didn’t show as many smudges, either. SGP accomplishes this by using a coating that is noticeably milkier than Power Support’s, which gives text and other on-screen content a softer, blurrier look. Those seeking maximum anti-glare and anti-fingerprint protection may find it here, but at the cost of screen clarity. We’d call it second to Power Support’s Anti-Glare Film in quality, but superior in value for the dollar.