“Mommy!  I flushed your iPhone!” These are words that no parent wants to ever hear.  While is no way to protect your gadgets from every harmful act that children can conceive, there are ways to protect them from day-to-day routine abuse.

Recently, I, like a million other Americans, bought an Apple iPad, and I want to protect it from myself and my children.

Gadgets today are getting progressively larger and larger screens.  These screens can easily be damaged creating an annoyance every time you use the device and often making it difficult to read in sunlight.  In the case of the iPad, it is 9.7” of screen used for high-resolution graphics, pictures and movies.   Protecting this screen quickly became a top priority.

Options to Protect Electronics

With that in mind, I explored the options.  There are numerous cases on the market that are designed not only to protect the screen but the entire body of the iPad.  The problem is that all of these cases require the screen cover to be removed in order to use the device, leaving it unprotected during use or if you forget to replace it after use.  These options often prevent the iPad from being used with certain accessories such as the iPad dock.

The next option is probably one of the most popular for protecting the screen and using accessories.  Place a clear film over the screen to protect it.  I chose a film from XO Skins.  They claim that their film is strong enough to stand up to a Dremel and that the same technology protects planes from airborne debris.  I figured if it is used for those purposes, it might stand up against my three boys and my own clumsiness.

XO Skins Installation

When the film arrived, it was easy to install.  It is a wet application meaning that a spray is used to apply the film.  The spray enables the film to slide around once it touches the device before drying and adhering more securely.  This worked quite well on the iPad.  I can see how a dry application would be very difficult with a sheet of film that was almost the size of an 8 ½” x 11” sheet of paper.  Once I placed it correctly, I simply had to squeegee out the solution for it to adhere.

XO Skins was kind enough to send their full body kit which not only included the screen protector but also covered the back and sides.  I was particularly concerned with the capability of the film to match the curvature of the back.  My fears quickly dissipated as it fit perfectly and was even cut out around the Apple logo.

The sides were a little more difficult.  The sides of the iPad are only ½” thick but up to 9½” inches long.  Theses sides are also where all of the ports, speaker holes, and buttons are housed (the 3G version also has the Micro-Sim slot on the side as well).  Initially, I tried the same wet application process as the front and back only to realize later that XO Skins suggests applying small pieces dry.  The problem is that they don’t fully become immovable until the solution dries.  They kept sliding off while I was applying the other sides.  This also made it very difficult to get them perfectly straight.  I would definitely agree that applying the sides dry is the way to go.

Durability

I was told by Jason at XO Skins that their material is like a “gummy bear”.  If you damage it, it fills back in over time.  I’d like to say that I do not know if this actually works but a few days after the application my iPad fell onto the pavement as I unloaded all of the kid’s stuff from the car.  I was devastated as it landed on one of sides.  I thought it was certainly damaged.  Imagine my surprise when I realized that the side skin had kept it from certain damage.  There were a few indentions in the film which have since faded in the “gummy bear” fashion protecting most of the device.  I am very pleased with the product.

Complaints

Probably my only complaint about the product is more with how the iPad accepts the film and would likely be true with any manufacturer.  These same side pieces that did such a great job of protecting it in my mishap create a slight ridge due to the thickness of the film where the film meets the device.  On most devices, I would anticipate that you would not notice but on a device as large and heavy as the iPad, it is fairly rough on the hands.  For this reason alone, I would likely recommend another solution to protect the sides but admit that I was very glad they were on when I dropped my iPad.

Conclusion

I am quite happy with the XO Skin for iPad.  The screen protector is very protective and even adds the benefit of making the screen less susceptible to fingerprint smudges.  The back is nice to prevent scratches as well.  The sides are great if you drop it and it lands on its side but are somewhat rough on the hands on an iPad.

I am certain that this product will do well to protect my iPad from my kids (and from myself) and apparently I am not alone.  Recently, the Mac Specialist my local Best Buy told me that she buys XO Skins for all of her devices including her Mac Book.  This struck me as another strong endorsement of the product given that Best Buy sells a competitor’s product.  I would recommend this product if you are seeking to keep your gadgets safe and protected.

XO Skins Coupon Code

Use the code “busymommy2″ for $2 off any XOskin. XO Skins is currently offering 20% off store wide so this is a great deal.

Enter to Win

One winner will receive their choice of xoskin.  This giveaway is open to the U.S. and will end on June 14, 2010

Comment on this post to be entered to win.

Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions for a complete list of our contest and giveaway rules.

In compliance with the new FTC Guildlines, please note that this is a sponsored post.  I was given a samples of XO SKins, however, I was not paid for the review and the opinions are my own.

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