Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Well when i got my otterbox case it came with a screen protector and when i went to put it on a billion bubbles came springing up on a screen protector that was already on it but i didnt know that,
so now took it off & tried so many times to put it on and its impossible without getting arleast a thousands bubbles.

I got a PSP had for years had acouple scratches on the screen but cant see them when its turned on.


So im just curious on getting some other peoples opinions about this and their experiances on weather you use or dont use a screen protector

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Buy a good screen protector. They are made of harder plastic and therefore much easier to apply.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

buy some off ebay. you need them.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Buy Brando Ultra Clear

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

i've got a zagg invisible shield for my n900 its THE best cover i have ever had. I've got the maximum coverage one it comes with a lifetime warranty. All you do is send the old one back when you get your new one and you have to pay postage (cheap anyway). When i took the old one off my n900 was as good as new and i work on building sites most days. well worth the money

http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/...ns-shields.php

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Screen protectors are a must. I buy the cheap ones from ebay and change approx every 4 weeks.

The trick to avoiding bubbles is making sure your screen is spotless before applying the protector.

If you look closley at the bubbles you will more than likley notice that the culrprit is a small piece of fluff, dirt or dust.

I also buy the cheap ones as i have to get it perfect with no bubbles or it annoys the hell out of me, that way I dont mind throwing one away if i get it wrong !!!

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I had a screen protector for a while, and it built up a few scratches (it wasn't one of the really cheap ones either) so I thought it was doing its job. One day the touchscreen suddenly stopped responding, and I assumed it was broken. I took off the protector to send the phone back, but without the protector the touchscreen worked again, and was much more responsive (despite the fact that when I originally put the protector on I couldn't really tell the difference). Since then I haven't used a protector at all, and I don't have a single scratch, not even a hairline when held up to a bright light, and the touchscreen works a lot better. I've decided that the protector meant I was living with a slightly scratched and inferior screen permanently in return for some insurance against a big scratch, and that that's not really worth it. The screen on the N900 seems pretty tough, I've dropped the phone quite a few times, and I don't have a case for it. The only reason I can see for a protector is if you work on a building site, or live near a beach or there's some other reason you might end up rubbing grit into the screen.

Also, for what it's worth, if you want to put on a screen protector with no bubbles, put on the first edge, then put a tiny amount of water along the join, then put the rest down carefully so the droplet of water moves along as you go. The water makes it impossible for any air to get under the protector and you can just wipe it off at the end. This only works with the static electricity based protectors that don't feel sticky to the touch.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I vehemently disagree with screen protectors being a necessity.

They are a bonus in some use cases, and IF you're doing something like working construction or whatever, where you KNOW things are going to be scratching against your N900 due to sheer statistical likelihood, then a screen protector is a wonderful thing to have.

But I've had my N900 without a screen protector since the day I got it, and no scratches (the only areas that are slightly scratched have nothing to do with screen protectors, and the Zagg Invisible Shield 'full body' protection doesn't cover those parts anyway, and I only got those scratches from dropping my N900 from waist height on concrete. It's taken harder drops without a mark so long as the surface wasn't serrated like concrete is). I use a belt clipping-on holster to carry it (and before that, I always reserved a pocket for it, so it was alone without anything else in there).

I just cleaned my screen, looked it over - in the 7 or so months I've had the N900, there's maybe 3-4 scratches that are visible without REALLY bright light used to make them visible. With bright light, you can see indications of little minute scratches, yes, but I literally have to have the screen off, and turn on a lamp right over the screen to see them, or go out on a clear sunny day.

If the screen is on, you simply can't see them. And none of them are even remotely 'feel'-able to the touch.

So unless your ability to enjoy a device is inherently linked to not being able to see any scratch lines what-so-ever under completely not-realistic use-cases (where "use" means inspecting the screen for scratches, not actually using the device for anything it does), I say a screen protector isn't necessary.

But if you personally want one, I recommend paying for a Zagg Invisible Shield one (not necessarily full-body, just a screen works too). They are indeed the best I know of.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Incorrect about ebay - I bought a pack of 3 and am still on my first one some 4 months later. Awesome quality - can still see the screen brillianty and very reponsive.

Just checked the packaging of the 2 I have unopened and they are:

Screen Guard (The Greatest Guard for LCD Screen)

I may have the ebay link still.............

Damn - too old it has gone.

Anyway the writing is down the side and it has a circle stamp with Japan Pet on it

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I can't agree here at all! Without my screen protectors the screen of my N900 would be full of deep scratches and acid holes (Yes, acid dropped on it already).

So I can suggest everyone to get a decent screen protector its worth every cent if you want to protect your N900 screen against deep scratches and stuff like acid.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I think you are covered by his second paragraph if you work with such strong acids.....

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

My N800 looks and works better without a screen protector. In three years I have not scratched it. I never lay in on it's face or put in in a pocket that has coins or car keys. Most people are not as careful. They need a screen protector.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I've had a Zagg invisible shield on my N900 since I bought it. If you install it correctly, there are no bubbles and the protection it offers is astounding. It's been on my phone for a year now with no peeling or signs of fatigue.

I've demonstrated it to friends before by taking my keys and slashing at the screen a few times, or a beer cap...

In fact, the LCD broke one drunken night and there was no damage to the external display at all, so I was able to just replace the LCD.

I would recommend BestSkinsEver.com because they're cheaper, but they don't have a N900 cutout available -- however they use the same material that Zagg does to make their protectors.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I used a JAVOscreen protector on my last 2 PDAs, my N900's had it since day one, no problems.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

The N900 doesn't have the toughest screen, here is a link to a scratch stress test on the N900 which might help you decide on whether you need one or not. Personally I'm not as careful with my things as perhaps I should be, and I know if I didn't use a screen protector I'd regret it. There was one occasion where I pulled it out of my pocket and discovered the screen protector was scratched to the point of almost being unusable, I can only think that I must have put my keys in the same pocket briefly, but I don't remember doing it and even if the actual screen is tougher than the protector I can't imagine it would have remained unscathed without the protector.

I've bought some cheap ones off ebay, and they've been good. But for applying them I always seem to have trouble getting them on without at least one piece of dust getting in the way, but the ones I've bought are washable, so if that happens I can give it a quick wash and try again and having a little bit of water left on it from the wash doesn't hurt and quite possibly makes it easier.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Since month 1, I had a screen protector on my N900, so I cannot say what it would look like without one. But the screen protectors (cheap one from ebay, 5 for $1.50 including shipping!) accumulate scratches of their own regularly. In my mind I tell myself "that scratch could have been on the screen! Glad I have the protector!" but in reality, who knows...

I mainly use fingernail or stylus to touch the screen. Fingernail can especially be sharp and I've "sliced" through the screen protector with a freshly-trimmed fingernail more than once. I try to be careful on the days when I trim. :) Yeah, I could file them but that's too girly...

I only use the sticky screen protectors, not the kind you apply with liquid. My technique to prepare the phone:

Turn on the hot shower. Not so hot that mirror is foggy, but hot enough to get lots of moisture in the air. This will keep dust particles away and help avoid static electricity. Take phone into the bathroom, put some clean surface on top of the sink to work on it.

I use a microfiber cloth (terrycloth type, not the smooth silky kind) to clean the screen surface. The microfiber plus the slight moisture in the air will help to wipe i easier, no need to wash it with any liquid. You must ensure there is not a single spec of dust or hair on the screen or else your screen protector will not go on smoothly.

Second hardest part is to apply the sticky screen protector and get it aligned. You really only get 1 chance to apply it, once you peel it, dust will be all over it and it's ruined. (Ignore the ones that claim to be washable and reusable. Good luck trying to do that...)

If you peel the backing all at once, it's difficult to hold without ruining it with a fingerprint or getting dust on it. My method to apply it straight is to only peel about 2cm of the protector backing, not the whole thing. Start with only that edge, get it lined up straight, stick and hold it with my finger, then slowly peel the backing as you apply the rest of the protector.

If you get air bubbles, those are not a big deal, you can smooth them with your finger or with the stylus, gently push on the non-bubble part and work the bubble toward the edge of the screen, eventually you'll get it out. Even if you don't "force" them out, they usually go away on their own in a short time.

Dust "bubbles" are the real problem, they won't go away. If you have a piece of dust or hair, forget it, that protector is ruined. Peel it off and try to clean the screen again and apply a new one.

That's where buying cheap ones is handy, no sadness when you have to scrap it because of dust or because you applied it crooked. ;)

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I've only tried a couple of screen protectors so far (I've only had my n900 for about a month); I had a miserable time trying to apply them without embedding bits of dust beneath them or misaligning them to the screen, but I've had one on for a few weeks now without any perceptible reduction in brightness or sensitivity. This one is a "Lexerd TrueVue"; one thing this brand provides is a couple of fingers from a plastic glove, allowing you to touch the sticky side of the protector without getting it dirty. This made it much easier to realign the protector!

I dont know whether a screen protector is absolutely necessary, but I do enjoy using the stylus; and the combination of "long pointy instrument" pressed against "flexible plastic surface" just makes me nervous. Maybe it is completely unnecessary, but it makes me feel a little better...

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Im surprised the Boxwave screen protectors are not mentioned here. I have had the cleartouch anti glare on my n900 for about a year now. It definitely helps a lot in the sun and of course no scratches.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Had the N900 "naked' for the first 5 mos, no scratches. I decided to go with Zagg's Shield just to be safe. Installation was *****, thanks to my impatience, and coupled with a 'sticky" feel, the Zagg was off after a couple of months.

Opted then for ClearVue, yet again managed to do a sub-par installation, though I liked the hard plastic feel and the resulting improved touchscreen responsiveness over Zagg's.

Added OtterBox, but found it too bulky, too heavy, and the keyboard case had a minor flex on one of the corners which started bothering me after the first 15 mins of use. But, I'll keep it around just in case I decide to pick up rock climbing or free skiing. I mean, the thing is f**king tank.

Went nekkid again for a month or two, but finally caved in again for Zagg. This time had it "professionally" installed (i.e. a 16-yr old in a mall charging me $5...) and so far so good. I think I can live with the sticky feel.

All in all, when it comes protecting your handset, I think it's 50-50 between actual protection and placebo effect.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Have you actually tried washing one? I initially thought the same, so I chucked my first screen protector without trying, but then I thought, what have I got to lose, when the next one got some dust on it, I tried giving it a soapy wash, a rinse to remove the soap, shook off the excess water and it applied just fine. And they were the cheap ones as well.

Also I tried running a hot shower and doing it in the bathroom like you suggest, it didn't help the problem with stray dust particles for me.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

if you want to sell your device in the future you will need to protect the screen
Zagg Invisible Shield 'full body' went on my n900 when i first got the device and its in mint condition because of it
but i also have a galaxy tab and an ipad, and dont have anything on their screens, because they dont go in and out of my pocket everyday

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Some of the air bubbles are not really air bubbles. Most of the time, there is dust or lint stuck beneath the screen protector. Get a scotch tape and gently take out the dust or lint on the screen before applying the screen protector.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I've had better luck applying the screen protector in my garage (which has no air conditioning and normally goes days without anyone entering it). Probably any place with limited air movement, so that dust can settle out of the air, would be useful for this sort of task...

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I've had screen protectors on for a year but then had some issues with the screen not responding to touches, when I removed the protector the issues vanished. I've now decided to go permanently 'naked' as I've had my N900 for over a year now and I expect to keep it another year at least as my main phone - If I get a few scratches and decide to keep it a third year, I'll buy a new front screen! and...I've cut my nails :-)

Dan

p.s I've found a big improvement in the screens clarity and responsiveness without the protector.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Tried to put on a cheap screen protector. Turned out that the patience I have while learning new guitar tricks or fiddling with computers was not apparent while trying to apply the protector. So I wasted one of them and the other one is still in the Nokia box.

I am really careful not to scratch it, though, and I suppose I would be less careful if I wouldn't have to pay so much attention to it.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

i have a invisibleshield from zagg. it's the best and a screenprotector ist a must. the screen glass is not very scratch proof.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I use the CP-321, my N900 looks the same as the day I bought it.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I have been using a screen protector since day one, I got it free with a protective case from eBay and I've had no problems with it. I would not want to use my n900 without one, it's too valuable and vulnerable and heavily used for me to take chance.

I'm also interested in getting one of the privacy screen protectors, the ones using the 3M microblade technology. I did actually get a cheap one from eBay but it's orientated incorrectly, someone sitting beside me on the train would be able to see my screen just fine but someone sitting above me wouldn't. I assume the manufacturer didn't realise that the n900 is used almost exclusivly with landscape orientation. If anyone here has found a correctly orientated privacy protector then I'd appreciate them posting the details here.

On a related note, it took me a while to find a decent protective case that was usable. I tried a soft rubber case and a hard plastic case and found major issues with them both. I now have a 'gel' case which I'm very happy with. It's worth noting that the gel case has an integral screen protector, it's transparent and the portion covering the screen is much thinner than the rest of the case. It's thin enough for touch to work although I found the accuracy suffered, that may be because my conventional adhsive screen protector was still installed under it. I cut the screen section out of the case with a scalpel but it may be an option for some people and as a case it's wonderful.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Screen protectors are all well and good, but they won't prevent you getting a nice dent in the screen like on my device!

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

When you do scratch your screen you will wish you had used a screen protector.

I've been using a Vikuiti™ screen protector DQC160 on my n900 for over a year now and the screenprotector has some minor scratches and one small deeper scratch.

I will be trying the Martin Fields one next...

BTW, there have been numerous interesting threads before about screen protectors so if you want to read about them, just search ;)

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I'm paranoid about damaging any expensive phone screen, because you can't easily/cheaply replace it. So I had already ordered some N900 screen protectors BEFORE I'd even ordered my N900 from amazon! Needless to say, I've had the beast for 5 months, and the screen protector shows many small, light scratches and a couple of heavier ones. All that makes me think is, (apart from time to change the protector) those very same scratches might well be on the actual screen itself if it wasn't for the protector. I take care of my phone, don't work in construction, but those scratches still managed to appear.

Also, for those of you having problems putting them on, I followed instructions for an iPhone screen protector on YouTube, using a credit card - works like a charm. No water (yikes!) necessary!

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I've had previous touchscreen experience with first a Psion Revo, then HP iPAQ H5450 & hw6915. The Revo had a curious surface finish and during years of use, never got scratches or anything. Both iPAQs on the other hand had very vulnerable displays, hell, the one and only time I've let someone unexperienced handle my unprotected device it received a very visible p-letter shaped scratch on the dislpay. That made me really paranoid with my N900, until I got a protector for it.

I used a Zagg Invisibleshield for about half a year, until a bad installation (too close to lower edge of the display it seems) caused some dirt to start getting under the edges. I took it off and replaced it with a Celly protector.

The touch screen felt certainly more responsive with the Zagg protector, for two things:
1) it was much thinner, more like a film, than the sheet-like Celly. Of course, the Celly was much easier to install.
2) it has a "sticky" surface, hard to describe, but it felt easier to use the disaply with it. While the added friction made it easier to press with fingernails accurately, the was making sliding movements more difficult.

I now have two Celly protectors (4 of these cost the same as one Zagg), not sure what I should go for next. My girlfriend's father has a really great screen protector on his N900, I'll try to find a chance to ask what brand it's from.

Bottom line; Zagg feels great but is expensive and started accumulating dirt under the edges (also under the edges of the cut holes for camera, speaker, etc). Celly makes the touch screen less responsive but feels very durable, also doesn't look as cheap due to being "clearer" :D
I've heard much good about the Vikuiti protector, but have no personal experience.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Recently, the coating on the screen of my n900 has started to peel off, starting where there was a fine scratch. Thing is, I found this new touchscreen:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

which is £9, I'm thinking maybejust replace that every now and again...

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I have been using N900 for about a year without any screen protector. There's not a single scratch on the screen.
Only protector i use is a soft pouch (even when i put n900 in a pocket). Just be careful and don't put the phone in a pocket with other small or sharp items and you'll be fine.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

That's the one I had. The bare screen has proved much more scratch resistant for me so far.

Those spare glass fronts from ebay look like a good option to me, given that they're about as much as a fancy screen protector.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

Same here. I don't use a screen protector on my N900, but I do try to take reasonable precautions. I use the N900 sleeve made by Waterfield/SFBags when it is in my pocket and I wipe my N900 clean with a little Plexus once a day or so.

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

...and I kiss mine goodnight before going to bed ;)

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

I did, twice, and it was a completel disaster both times. Maybe it was due to the specific protector or maybe it was due to my inability :) I'm glad to know some of them are truly washable at least!

Re: Screen Protector or No Screen Protector?
 

brando ultra clear. not visible. :)