I have a love/hate relationship with reflective screen protectors. To me, it’s just an intrinsically wacky product category. The problem starts with its fundamental reason for being — to turn the iPhone screen into a mirror. That’s great for applying makeup, scoping out the scene behind the user, or sporting something slick and vaguely futuristic. But forget viewing photos, vids, texts, phone calls, or anything else the smartphone is actually intended to feature. All you can see is yourself reflected in the display.

Poor quality films are even worse. They bubble up, move around or flap out the corners — resulting in air pockets, lint or even creases that further obscure the display. In a problematic product category, however, my favorites have been from Speck and iSkin. I find that they offer decent quality and easy application. But now, I may have a new favorite to add to the top of the list.

I got a press release from href="http://www.greenonionssupply.com/bspip406.html" target="_blank">Green Onions Supply (the U.S. branch of ROTA America Inc.) about its new product, the Mirror Back Protector for the iPhone 4. This gives me plenty of “happy” for one simple reason: Just as the name suggests, the reflective side goes on the back. And why not? The new iPhone has no curves or other physical impediments that get in the way. It’s just flat, making it the perfect surface for a mirror (which, I may add, is pretty handy for taking self-portraits with the higher-res rear camera).