So, there we were walking the floor at a pre-briefing for the press (right before the Consumer Electronics Show was due to start) when the folks from Zagg grabbed us and said we had to take a look at what it was they have to offer. As you can see in the video below, it looks like an ordinary piece of plastic film.But, as it turns out, this particular plastic film -- called an Invisible Shield -- is the same stuff that the military uses to protect the leading edge of the blades on its helicopters. At least that's the claim that Zagg's president Robert Pedersen made regarding the material. It's hard not to believe him based on the way he tried to jam a pen through the film -- an exercise that almost caused the pen to break.

According to Pedersen, the company's Web site has more than 1,500 different models of the Invisible Shield; each one a template that's designed specifically to cover some device (like an iPod) from head to toe without obstructing any of the openings or buttons that have to remain uncovered.

I was impressed enough by the material that I asked my colleague Fritz Nelson here at TechWeb TV if he would volunteer his BlackBerry Pearl to be covered by the material (a template didn't exist for the smartphone I had at the time). You can see them applying the material to Fritz's BlackBerry in the video and today (a day later), Fritz was not happy with the outcome.

One problem Fritz had with the Invisible Shield is that his BlackBerry lost its slippery finish. In other words it had more grip to its surface than it did before the shield was applied. Fritz used the word "sticky." Another problem that Fritz ranted about was some newfound glare that he had never experienced before when looking at the BlackBerry's display.

Fortunately, the material is pretty easy to remove and, even if you want to give it a try, it won't set you back that much if it turns out to be a loss. Pedersen says the price ranges from $10 to $25 depending on the device being protected. Here's the video: