Even The Simple Things - Cell Phone Tempered Glass Screen Protectors

Comfy, Huh?

     I have a "smart" cell phone. It has a large-ish screen that gets dirty all the time AND is prone to scratches in day-to-day use. For a long time, on previous phones, I was using the plastic stick-on screen protectors. They were ALWAYS difficult to put on without lots of bubbles underneath and I wasn't all that thrilled with what they did to the screen clarity and brightness. Of course, back then, there were very few choices for a substitute. Lately, Tempered Glass Screen Protectors have become commonplace. They are VERY thin slices of glass with glue around a very tiny portion of the edge and a bit wider at the bottom where you don't have your screen "real estate." I was convinced they were fragile and wouldn't last a day. I was wrong, very wrong.

My Essential PH-1

When a few brands went on sale for my new Essential PH-1 phone (about $8.00 for 3) I jumped at the chance to test them out. With low expectations, mind you. When they arrived, the first thing I noticed was the completeness of the installation kit. You got the glass itself, covered by two plastic protectors of its own: one on the outside and one on the side that would eventually attach to the phone. It had a screen cleaner wipe for each protector and a microfiber cloth for cleaning. The directions...well, you know...they were not really written by someone who speaks English as their native language. But, I got the gist. The pictures helped a great deal. The microscopic print did not!

The Complete Kit

Installation wasn't all that tough -- MUCH easier than a traditional screen protector. First you clean the screen with the included wipe. Then remove the back plastic protector from the glass (the side that actually sticks to the phone). Then carefully place it over your screen, being careful to line up the edges all the way around. In my case, the soft cover I had has a lip the goes all the way around the phone to keep the screen off any surface when it's face down. This oriented the glass sheet perfectly for me. Once in place, take the soft cloth and push down the protector from the bottom to the top in long gentle passes to make sure no air is trapped that could hold the cover away from your phone. Then simply remove the top plastic cover and you are done.

Another Phone Picture

It's a good thing I have had this in place as I already see some scratches on its surface. I can always replace the protector for little money...the phone's screen, not so much! Is it all hearts and flowers? No. In my case, after about 10 months of use, the adhesive is beginning to weaken, sometimes the protector drops off or slips. Pressing it back in place is a quick temporary fix, but it's getting worse. I understand that the glue has to be strong enough to hold in place, but easy enough to remove that it will not damage the phone....but it's still a pain. I figure once a year I will replace the protector with a new one. For those of you keeping track, that's $2.66 a year.
Not so bad!

Be Seeing You...Down The Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com