Skinomi Screen Protector for the Galaxy S3 Review

Since I switched to a smartphone a few years ago, it has become a literal appendage to my body.  I've developed a sort of symbiotic relationship with it.  If it is not in my pocket, I can tell....without consciously checking.  It's like my left thigh silently communicates with the phone to alert my brain that an appendage is missing from my pocket. 
I've even developed "phantom" vibrations.  Sometimes, I SWEAR that my phone has buzzed, alerting me to a text message or page at work.  I instantly drop whatever I am doing and rip the phone from my pocket in desperate anticipation, only to find that nothing is there.  It's terribly disappointing.

In return, the phone provides me a way to stay connected to every e-mail, sports story, weather change, and daily ending eBay auctions.  These seemingly mundane items are now like little surprises awaiting my acknowledgement.  It's actually quite sad that I get so excited to see e-mails from Groupon regarding Yoga classes, or a privacy change in my Vanguard accounts.  I can't even imagine how pathetically dependent on my phone I would be if I actually put a profile picture on my Facebook account and started interacting on there. (I'm painfully inept at sharing "witty" quotes or posting images that tout my financial or athletic prowess.  Maybe that's why I'm not a Facebook fanatic)

As I've grown a new appendage...a 207th bone if you will (insert "I've got your 207th bone right here" joke now), I needed to protect it from the rigors of everyday use.  This is where the screen protector from Skinomi fits in perfectly.

This screen protector from Skinomi is not a regular sheet of plastic that collects dust and is replaced every 2 weeks.  This is another in the line of "wet" application protectors that is supposed to seal the protector to the glass, and protect it from any scratching.  Many of these companies (including skinomi) tout the fact that the material of the protector is used to protect military aircraft or stop bullets or something.  I can attest that it can take a hearty scratching of your keys without any ill effects.  Skinomi calls their material "techskin".


Hiro-approved box

 I have installed a similar product from a different company on my prevous phone.  All they shipped was the protector and instructions on how to apply.  Skinomi has taken this to a "whole 'nother level."  They include everything you need including step-by-step instructions for application.  The product even looks cool.  The box is metallic brown/orange.  The spray bottle with the liquid to help adhesion looks like something you'd take a shot of vodka from in a sissy bar.  They include an orange squeegee-esque tool to remove bubbles and a flimsy black cloth to remove lint!  I was thoroughly impressed.
I won't get into detail on the installation, but please follow every step as described.  If you don't, you may have air bubbles, armpit hair, or bellybutton lint get under the protector.  How will you watch LOLcat videos if lint is obscuring your view?
There are a few pros/cons to this product.  Let me elaborate.

Pros:
-- The finished product is hands down better than any cheap sticky screen protector you'll buy.
-- It's affordable.  9 bucks shipped for the entire kit. (cheaper for models of phones that have been released for a while)
-- The visual degradation of the screen is very minimal.  You'll probably not even notice that anything is there.
-- You can offer to show your skinomi to a perfect stranger without being arrested for lewd behavior.
-- You must wash your hands prior to installation, so that should help clean the hands of the roughly 35% of men that don't wash their hands after touching their junk in the bathroom.

Cons:
-- There are small cutouts for the microphone/camera.  These lined up pretty well...but not perfectly.  I imagine there are tolerances in their manufacturing process that allow for some imperfections.
-- Dust/lint can collect in these cutouts over time.

-- Doing a shot with their liquid spray bottle did not make me tipsy.

-- Offering to show your skinomi in a workplace enviroment actually will get you in trouble regardless of what you pull out of your pocket.

Do not drink...unless you have a chaser

I completed the protection of my S3 by attaching a hard case to the back.  It feels indestructible.  I now think that I could skip it on water, drive over it, use it to flip pancakes, and chop celery on it with no ill effects to the phone.  I'll let you know how that goes.

I give the Skinomi screen protector 4 strong stars.  I've not been able to use the protector long-term, so I can't speak on it's reliability.  I do know that Skinomi has a lifetime warranty if something goes wrong, although they do charge you shipping to get a replacement.  I wonder how they would deal with pancake batter.....