by
briwayjones 3/29/04
You're sitting in a coffee shop drinking your favorite latté reading the paper. You read that your favorite band is coming to town in a couple of months. Digging in your pocket you pull out a shiny new high dollar PDA, you think this thing will come in handy after all. You enter the date the band will be in town since you're so forgetful. You're plugging in the information when to your horror as you move the stylus across the screen a scratch follows behind it. A piece of grit had gotten on the screen from your pocket and got stuck to the end of the stylus. You think, “this can't be happening. You paid hundreds of dollars for the latest PDA, have had it less than a week and already have scratched up the screen”.
Enter NuShield screen
protectors. Unlike adhesive back
protectors that could damage your screen while trying to remove them, or leave
a sticky residue, NuShields are plastic sheets that slip under the edge of the
frame of the PDA. On a side note I
would like to possibly see a line of electro-static stick non-adhesive screen
protectors in from NuShield in the future.
My first impression of the NuShield when I began to install it was that
it was too big. I have made some of my
own plastic sheet screen protectors in the past that were larger than the
screen so I could slip them under the edge but the NuShield was much
taller. I cleaned my screen, slipped
it under the edge of the frame and began to work it under. The NuShields are made of a stiffer plastic
than any I had made myself, and was easier to work under the frame. To my surprise it fit all the way under,
nice and snug, without sliding around while you use it. The install wasn’t difficult at all. You can’t even tell that it’s there. It lies perfectly flat on the screen without
warping or bubbles under it. Nice
install directions and diagrams are included in the packaging.
They feel nice using a stylus on them. They have a micro-divoted surface that gives it a nice feel. It’s not perfectly smooth sliding the stylus around but gives good tactile feedback. In other words it’s not too slippery. One thing I like is it cushions the surface slightly more than just using the bare screen. I feel more comfortable typing on the screen quickly than a bare screen; you don’t get the tac-tac-tac sound when hitting the screen that sounds like you’re going to break it. The digitizer is a little less sensitive to taps than just the screen, which personally I like. The micro-divots do seem to attract very fine dust like lint from your pocket, but just means you might have to clean the screen slightly more often, but is well worth it. However they can be removed, cleaned and reapplied unlike adhesive backed protectors.
Viewing the screen is a pleasure also.
The glare is not significantly different the bare screen and viewing
outside is about the same also. Not
like other screen protectors that have horrible glare. There also isn’t a glazed view of the screen
, it’s nice and clear.
I like to carry my PDA in my
pocket without being in a case. One
problem I had with protectors I made was fine dust and lint would still get
under the protector even though it was slipped under the edge of the screen. I was worried about having the same problem
with the NuShields since they work the same way, well I didn’t. After using it for a month and carrying it
around in my pocket I haven’t gotten any dust under the protector.
I know what you’re thinking, “Okay about all of the other stuff, but
what about durability”. I’m not the best
judge of this as I’m not very hard on protectors or screens. I have used mine for about a month so far
without hardly any noticeable scratching.
They are quoted as lasting over four months per protector. I’m guessing for me one protector may last a
year. If you’re rough on protectors
than they may last only four months, but I’m guessing longer. They are a durable plastic compared to
others and any I have made myself.
NuShields come in packs of three at $11.99 per pack. A bargain considering many protectors cost
$20.00 or $25.00 for a pack of three.
And I would say NuShields last longer than a lot of those. They are available for most PDAs out there. I think NuShields are in the top tier of
screen protectors. I would highly
recommend giving them a try; they get my stamp of approval.
Pros:
Good Usability, look, feel
Durable
Re-usable
Easy install
Good price
Cons:
None
