I have been trying to find a screen protector that I am happy with since getting my 3G. I tried the Power Support anti glare and crystal versions. The anti glare IMO are awful. If your only objective is to eliminate fingerprints then I guess it accomplishes that. But the degradation in image quality that results is entirely unacceptable. The crystal protectors have no problem with image quality, they appear as if there is not protector on the screen at all, like the name implies they are crystal clear. The down side is that while they reduce fingerprints a bit, the screen is still a mess very often.
What would be incredible is if someone made a protector that offered anti glare properties such as fingerprint reduction and glare reduction but also maintained a reasonable level of clarity. Well my prayers have been answered. Tonight I bought a DLO Jam Case for my iPhone 3G (very nice BTW) and it came with 3 complimentary DLO brand Surface Shields. Looking at the shields sold in a separate package of 5 (for $14.95) the description said that they were anti-glare. I figured since I was getting 3 basically free (the case was only $19.99) why not give them a shot. Upon returning home I went to their web site to read a bit about them. The site again says they are anti-glare but then it also states that they are crystal clear! How culd that be? I set up my clean room (steamed up bathroom)to try installing one. First awesome thing about these is that they come with a plastic film over both sides of the protector and each side is numbered with a tab. So there a little tab on the top labeled 1 and another labeled 2. Of course you remove tab 1 first to expose the static cling side of the protector which will go on the screen and then when you are satisfied with your install you remove tab 2 which takes the protective layer off the front of the protector, genius.
These protectors were even easier to install than the Power Support and those are my gold standard for easy screen protector installation. I got it on with no dust underneath and no bubbles, piece of cake. So how does it look? Well before I turned on my iPhone I noticed a strange pattern in it. It looked like rainbows or something like that, sort of what soap can look like when floating in water. Anyway I turned on the phone and was stunned, I think these look as clear as the Power Support crystal. I get it they must fingerprint like crazy, I tried to smear up the surface with my fingertips. I ould see some light smearing but I was intentionally pressing really hard. When used normally I found that it dramatically reduces fingerprinting and smearing. And BTW the texture or rainbow appearance I was talking about is completely invisible when the phone is on, I have discovered that it is only obvious when holding the phone at certain angles under direct lighting.
One other great thing about these protectors is that they fit the iPhone screen perfectly. The Power Support anti glare was a decent fit but still left some exposed screen edges, the crystal was really cut too small leaving about 1-2 mm exposed. The DLO go right up to the edge of the screen, they are cut just right.
Considering the image quality and the effective smudge reduction, this is a an all star protector. I don't know about long term durability but at $14.95 for 5 shields who really cares. 5 stars out of 5, highly recommended.
What would be incredible is if someone made a protector that offered anti glare properties such as fingerprint reduction and glare reduction but also maintained a reasonable level of clarity. Well my prayers have been answered. Tonight I bought a DLO Jam Case for my iPhone 3G (very nice BTW) and it came with 3 complimentary DLO brand Surface Shields. Looking at the shields sold in a separate package of 5 (for $14.95) the description said that they were anti-glare. I figured since I was getting 3 basically free (the case was only $19.99) why not give them a shot. Upon returning home I went to their web site to read a bit about them. The site again says they are anti-glare but then it also states that they are crystal clear! How culd that be? I set up my clean room (steamed up bathroom)to try installing one. First awesome thing about these is that they come with a plastic film over both sides of the protector and each side is numbered with a tab. So there a little tab on the top labeled 1 and another labeled 2. Of course you remove tab 1 first to expose the static cling side of the protector which will go on the screen and then when you are satisfied with your install you remove tab 2 which takes the protective layer off the front of the protector, genius.
These protectors were even easier to install than the Power Support and those are my gold standard for easy screen protector installation. I got it on with no dust underneath and no bubbles, piece of cake. So how does it look? Well before I turned on my iPhone I noticed a strange pattern in it. It looked like rainbows or something like that, sort of what soap can look like when floating in water. Anyway I turned on the phone and was stunned, I think these look as clear as the Power Support crystal. I get it they must fingerprint like crazy, I tried to smear up the surface with my fingertips. I ould see some light smearing but I was intentionally pressing really hard. When used normally I found that it dramatically reduces fingerprinting and smearing. And BTW the texture or rainbow appearance I was talking about is completely invisible when the phone is on, I have discovered that it is only obvious when holding the phone at certain angles under direct lighting.
One other great thing about these protectors is that they fit the iPhone screen perfectly. The Power Support anti glare was a decent fit but still left some exposed screen edges, the crystal was really cut too small leaving about 1-2 mm exposed. The DLO go right up to the edge of the screen, they are cut just right.
Considering the image quality and the effective smudge reduction, this is a an all star protector. I don't know about long term durability but at $14.95 for 5 shields who really cares. 5 stars out of 5, highly recommended.
