'Screen Protector'

[lost eden]

(I thought this fitted best in this forum & not the laptop or Apple forums)

I've been using an old ThinkPad T20 for a couple of years & replaced the screen at least twice with old. second-hand, scuffed up dirty panels, so I never really bothered about taking too much care with them. However I recently receieved my brand new shiny MacBook & I would really like to keep the display nice & shiny

Even cleaning it with a soft glasses-cleaning cloth seems capable of putting scratches in the thing, so I was wondering whether anybody has had any experience with screen protectors for laptops? Something like this;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280096824774

I have installed screen protectors on every single PDA that I have ever owned, as when you're scratching the screen daily with the end of a stylus they really become necessary, but I've never tried applying one to a large display (13.3" as opposed to 3.5").

So has anybody ever used one before? Are they as impossible to install straight & flat as I think they are? Will it make the display look like crud?

 

[joemama]

The "glasses cleaning cloth" (or microfiber) won't damage the screen in any way and is the best way to keep it clean...along with a spritz of lcd cleaner spray for when it really gets dirty. Unless you are going to be using it outdoors or in a dirty, industrial setting...it should be easy to protect a notebook by simply closing it when not in use. My notebook screen needs cleaning far less often than the lcd sitting on my desk. The only kind of "screen protector" I would use is one that is completely, optically clear...and it looks like the stuff in your link is as close as it gets.

 

[lost eden]

The "glasses cleaning cloth" (or microfiber) won't damage the screen in any way

That depends whether it's just dust or something a little coarser, which can scratch the surface if you rub it in as it were. I suppose a quick blast of air should remove a lot...

 

[thephatnessq3]

My 3M Scotchbrite Microfiber Cleaning Cloth actually picked up a grain of sand and put a small scratch near the center of my Sony CRT. It is only visible when displaying bright images but it was enough for me to switch to low adhesive tape for lifting off dust too stubborn for cans of air. Anything too sticky won't be good for the screen coating. Oh, and I've stopped eating in front of my monitor and learned to turn away when sneezing. With my new Dell 2407, I tape the protective foam sheet to the frame, that was on out of the box, when I shutdown.