When I got my iPod Touch 4, I thought I’d just slap on it one of the 4-pack generic screen protectors I had for my iPod Touch 2 and put it in the Marware CEO Premiere case I used for the old one. As it turns out, the 4th generation iPod is smaller and thinner, so the screen protectors weren’t a good fit and the case was just too big. I had to get new protection gear for my iPod and I instantly turned to MobileFun.Co.Uk for it because I knew they’d have a large selection of iPod Touch 4 accessories. I picked the Martin Fields Screen Protector for iPod Touch 4 and the Antimicrobial Silicone Case for iPod Touch 4 and MobileFun were nice enough to send me one of each for review.
The Martin Fields Screen Protector
Every single time I review any kind of screen protector for any device, someone will pop up in the comments section and say that they only use Martin Fields screen protectors because they’re perfect and I should try them. Suffice it to say, I’ve been intrigued for a while by these.
The unboxing was quite underwhelming. It’s a random Chinese package with just the screen protector inside, no bling effect. But that was all forgotten as soon as I started applying the screen protector. I’ve done this quite a dozen of times before on other devices and it’s usually a big pain. I don’t know if it was finally the habit of applying screen protectors that kicked in or if it’s the Martin Fields effect, but I had the protector on my iPod in less than 5 seconds with almost no bubbles. It was *that* easy. I used a credit card to remove the few small bubbles remaining and it was much easier, as none of them remained stubbornly visible.
The fit size was perfect with the new 4th generation iPod Touch and honestly if I didn’t apply the Martin Fields myself, I’d never have known that a screen protector was on. That’s how well it fits.
The third positive surprise from the Martin Fields was that after application, I unlocked my iPod and was in awe as to how clear the screen looked. One of the killer features of the 4th generation iPod Touch is the Retina Display and I was scared it would lose some of its extraordinary resolution with a screen protector on. Luckily, everything remained perfectly clear, like many Martin Fields evangelists before told me to expect.
The Martin Fields has been on my iPod for over 3 weeks now and I haven’t been super careful with it, lying it face down, putting it in my bag with keys and other accessories, sometimes running my nails across the screen and there’s barely any scratch to be seen. I haven’t tried purposely scratching it but I know that it has resisted my fingers nails, a couple of drops, and my car and home keys.
Do I recommend it? Heck yeah! I’ve tried several screen protectors before and they either don’t fit well or keep bubbles inside no matter what you do, or are too thick to register a light touch, or add some glare protection that makes the screen pixelated, or are easily scratched (talk about defeating the purpose!). The Martin Fields don’t suffer from any of this. As a matter of fact, the only issue I see with them is that they still take smudges and fingerprints like the regular screen but those are a bit harder to wipe than on an ordinary screen. Honestly, I can live with that.
For 11.95£ at MobileFun, this is a ridiculously low price to pay to protect a 300$ gadget. You can also buy the twin pack for 17.95£ and if you still want to have a look around at other options, MobileFun also offer a few different iPod Touch 4 screen protectors to choose from.
Antimicrobial Silicone Case for iPod Touch 4G
Despite the Marware CEO Premiere case that I used to keep my old 2nd gen iPod Touch in, the back has tons of scratches on it, due to the fact that the Premiere was a pouch-style case and in order to use the iPod, I had to get it out. I knew that I didn’t want that happening with the new one so I went for a skin-style case that remains on the iPod and lets me use it while it’s on. I also wanted something simple, slim, and that wouldn’t add a lot of bulk given that the new iPod is very thin.
The Antimicrobial Silicone Case seemed to fit the bill on paper and upon reception, I was glad to see the well-known Proporta logo on it, as it turns out, this case is manufactured by Proporta and it shows. The fit is perfect with the iPod and putting it on was as simple as slipping the iPod inside. There is a cut for the camera on the back of the case and another big cut for the dock connector/3.5mm headset plug/loudspeaker on the lower part.
The volume and home buttons are covered but the texture of the silicone is raised so you know exactly where the button is. I found no responsiveness issue whatsoever clicking any of these 3.
As for the design, the whole case is black except for a nice dark pink rim around the camera cut and the Proporta logo. There’s also a SteriTouch signature sign but it’s inside the case and you wouldn’t see it unless you remove it. Another version of the case has green colors instead of the dark pink ones, but the major color will always be black.
In terms of material, this is really sturdy silicone, it will remember small scratches and smudges, but it won’t be easily cut or anything. It also makes the iPod less slippery in your hand as it adds a nice grip to it. My biggest fear was that it would collect dust which would be hard to remove as with other silicone cases I’ve seen in the past. It does collect some dust (or clothes fibers) if you stick it inside a jeans pocket for example, but leave it be for a bit and somehow you won’t see them anymore. I guess this is the SteriTouch technology kicking in. I absolutely love it.
My main gripe with the Antimicrobial Silicone Case is that the edges on the front are too small, meaning that the iPod is too easy to slip in and too easy to slip out. You don’t even have to force it. Sometimes I’m playing a game, and as I slide my hand’s grip over the edges of the iPod, the case will slip off a bit and I have to readjust it. I don’t know how nice the case would look if the front edges were given an additional 2mm from each side to cover more of the iPod, but I believe it should have been done to guarantee a sturdier fit.
All in all, the Antomicrobial Silicone Case is well built, sturdy, adds little bulk, protects from drops and scratches, and doesn’t easily gather dust, dirt, fibers… If it wasn’t for the easy to remove fault, it’d be perfect, but it’s pretty darn good as it is. You can get it from MobileFun for 19.95£, or you can see if any of the other iPod Touch 4th generation cases fit your style better.