Let’s sum up, so you don’t have to read the rest, unless you want to:

Power Support Crystal Film Set for iPhone — way awesome.
Belkin ClearScreen Overlay for iPod Touch — there’s $10 we’re never getting back.

Now for the rest….

Power Support’s Crystal Film Set for iPhone: What it is

This is a piece of plastic that sticks to your iPhone screen so that if you attack it with a scratchy object, the glass touchscreen has less of a chance of scratching. The plastic is the full dimensions of the iPhone, with a hole for the Home button at bottom center and a hole at the top for the voice speaker.

No adhesive is used to stick the overlay to the screen. Good old fashioned static cling takes care of the whole thing.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• The kit comes with two screens, which is good because if you’re as anal as I am you’ll probably ruin the first one putting it on and taking it off a half a dozen times until you’re happy with its position, especially if you don’t clean the screen perfectly before putting it on the first time.
• The crystal cover cleans just as easily is just as clear as the glass below it. Unless you look for the edge rings you won’t even know it’s on.
• It’s easy to remove with a piece of tape (that’s how they tell you to!), and leaves no residue.
• You can take it off and realign it multiple times without ruining it (until like me you let some dog hair get in-between, then you’re hosed) and you don’t have to be too overly concerned about accidentally touching it (unless you’re touching it with a dog). Light rubbing will smooth out any air bubbles that remain.

Cons:

• It won’t protect your iPhone from everything — you still have to remove it occasionally to clean around the edges. But that’s true of anything.
• $14.95 feels expensive for two sheets of plastic…. until you realize how long they last. Then it still feels expensive but you’re willing to deal, probably.

What I didn’t know until I got one

I figured there was no quality way to cover my iPhone and no real need, so I wasn’t going to get this product. Then everyone at work who also has an iPhone started raving about them and essentially calling me a loony for not having my iPhone in a case, so I decided to take the plunge. This has turned out to be one of those products you don’t know you need until you buy it.

Who should own one

If you own an iPhone, and you haven’t covered the screen to protect it from scratches, you need to consider this. It especially works well when paired up with one of the no-screen-cover cases such as the red rubbery incase I’m using. (For now. Rant on that later maybe.)

Belkin ClearScreen Overlay for the iPod Touch: What it is

This is a piece of plastic that sticks to your iPhone screen so that if you attack it with a scratchy object, the glass touchscreen has less of a chance of scratching. The plastic is exactly the size (possibly slightly smaller) than the touchscreen portion of the Touch, so it won’t protect the entire glass surface, just the “important” parts.

This product uses an adhesive to stick to the screen, which you’re cautioned not to touch while installing the cover.

There’s only one cover. (Don’t screw up.) It also comes with cleaning wipes, both dry and wet, and a smoothing card.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• It’s cheaper than the Power Support cover by $4, or a small meal from McDonald’s.

Cons:

• Look, this thing doesn’t cover the whole surface of the Touch, just the touch part, which is admittedly where most of your viewing takes place, but even so, if you do accidentally run something dangerous across the surface of your Touch, do you really want to be able to see the starting and ending parts on each side of the plastic protector? No, because it’s going to look twice as banged up as if the scratch went all the way across. Plus it makes you look like you didn’t care enough to take care of the whole piece of expensive equipment you purchased.
• It was not a picnic to install. Of course, anything that requires a smoothing card to take out the bubbles isn’t going to be.
• We didn’t leave it on long enough to find out if the adhesive helps to collect dirt or if the adhesive leaves a residue after prolonged use. Someone who has used these might be able to say. But since it is an adhesive, I’d be worried about both of those occurring. Heck, the static cling ones warn about that and they’re not even sticky in the grabs-everything sense.

What I didn’t know until I got one

• These aren’t nearly as nice as the Crystal screens.
• They make the Crystal screens for the touch too.
• $10 for a crappy product is a waste of money when for $14 you can get a good one.

Who should own one

iMasochists? People who hate the Touch?

In summary…

If you have a piece of iPod equipment to cover, Power Support’s crystal displays should be the very first product you think of.

If you see someone reaching for the Belkin ClearScreen iPod Touch screen covers in a store you should tackle them to the ground and push them in a safer direction as quickly as physically possible. Preferably to Apple’s website where they can get the Power Support Crystal Film Set.