Random Stuff About Software

I have an HTC 8525 that I got from AT&T. The problem with a non-flip phone like this is that if you put in in your pocket you risk scratching it with keys, coins, or whatever else is in your pocket. I figured I’d pick up a screen protector so I wouldn’t have to worry about scratches.

I did some searching online and found some people saying good things about the InvisibleShield protector. Their protectors seemed as good as any and with the positive reviews I read I went ahead and ordered one. I got the protector for the screen only. They also have a full phone protector, but since I’m really only worried about scratching the screen I just went for the screen only protection.

A week or so later the protector arrived. This has to be the fanciest screen protector packaging I have ever seen. The protector comes in a fold out box along with an installation solution and a squeegee. The instructions were pretty simple so I went ahead with the installation. First I cleaned the phone with an LCD screen cleaning product I already had. Then I sprayed the protector with the enclosed solution and installed it on the phone. I tried getting the bubbles out from under the protector with the squeegee but they just would not come out. The directions said that bubbles and imperfections would work their way out after 72 hours so I didn’t worry too much about the bubbles.

72 hours went by and the bubbles will still there, the screen looked terrible! Apparently the bubbles don’t really go away like the instruction say. The screen was pretty much unusable in the current condition so I decided to take it off. The Invisible Shield web site says that the protector is removable. Technically this is true but it sure isn’t easy. There is adhesive on the protector that sticks to the screen so it takes a lot of force to get the protector off. The 8525 has a touch screen so the screen isn’t very strong, I though it might rip right off during removal of the protector. Eventually I got the protector off with no damage to the screen. But the protector was ruined. The pulling that was needed to get the protector off stretched out the protector causing visible imperfections. Unfortunately InvisiblShield only gives you a single protector, so if that one gets damaged or installed incorrectly you are out of luck.

I didn’t want to risk installing another InvisibleShield on the phone so I started researching other products. I found out about a product called ScreenPatronus. I’m not really sure what that name is supposed to mean, but I heard people online say good things about it including that it is easy to remove. I ordered one and got it a week later.

Screen Patronus doesn’t come with a fancy box or instructions like InvisibleShield. But it does come with 3 protectors which is really handy so if you mess up the installation you can always try with a fresh protector. After cleaning the phone, my hands, and the work surface I tried installing the ScreenPatronus. The first time I got a little piece of dust under the protector which caused a bubble. In the process of trying to get the dust out I got the protector dirty with more dust and fingerprints. The cool thing about the ScreenPatronus is that it is fully washable. I just washed it off in the sink with some dish soap and it was good as new. I don’t think the InvisibleShield is washable due to the adhesive.

This time I tried installing the ScreenPatronus while it was still wet from washing. This seemed to help and makes it easy to get on the screen straight. I finally got the protector on perfectly with absolutely no dust under it. After a couple of weeks it still looks perfect. I literally forget that the protector is on it is that clear. When the screen is on it is impossible to tell that the protector is there. With the screen off you can see the protector is you look around the edges, but under normal use you would never be looking at the phone while it is off. Also, the touch screen still works perfectly, I don’t notice any reduction in touch screen performance.

I haven’t tried to remove the ScreenPatronus yet but I’m confident that it will be relatively easy to remove. It doesn’t use an adhesive like the InvisibleShield so it should be easy to peel it off with your fingernail.

If you’ve read this far you can probably tell that I highly recommend the ScreenPatronus over the InvisibleShield. InvisibleShield claims that their protector is very strong and I can vouch for the fact that it is difficult to remove. So I guess if you are very rough on your electronics then InvisibleShield might have an edge there because it is less likely to come off. But for the other 95% of the people in the world I think the ScreenPatronus is the better product.