By Screen protecting is great if done right. It can increase the resell value of your phone, keep away annoying hair scratches (even on Gorilla Glass) and prevent damage to your screen in the event of a fall or accidental drop (we’ve all been there). But there are a lot of people out there who are convinced that they can’t install a screen protector correctly on their own. They think there’s no other option than to fork up all kinds of money for over-priced screen protectors at Best Buy (cough – ZAGG – cough), only to then pay through the nose and have an employee install it for them. Not true.
I’ve oft been asked by friends and family how I manage to keep my phones looking mint condition, with a screen protector invisible to the naked eye. “Oh, you must have spent a fortune on expensive screen protectors?” Not at all. “Did you pay a professional to apply it?” Nope. “Was any kind of black-magic involved?” No, sir. Only some good, old fashioned Mexican ingenuity!
I’m here to show you guys that you can install a cheap, great quality screen protector, without any bubbles or blemishes getting in your way. You wont even need tape, microfiber cloths, water bottles or tools of any kind to get the job done. All you need is your screen protector and a little bit of know how. Nothing should come between you and a flawless looking, protected Android device. So hurry up and watch my video!
Screen Protecting 101 tips to remember:
- Cheap screen protectors from eBay or Amazon work perfect (never buy from a carrier retail store).
- For best results, use a credit card (and wear a v-neck) when applying. Although not necessary, there will be less bubbles to remove later.
- The clearer a screen protector is, often times the easier it will scratch. Buy in bulk.
- Bubbles are okay, it’s dust that is the true enemy. Once dust is under your screen protector, there is nothing you can do to remove that bubble.
- Remove bubbles that form along the side of your phone from an angle, moving up and down the side of your device (not from the inside working your way out).
Does anyone else think Chris looks like he just snorted coke before his videos? I’m just saying.
Trolololololol. He did sniffle a lot in his previous videos, I just assumed he was sick.
Anyways, that technique is flawless. My screen protector is pretty embarrassing right now :'(
I agree the method is awesome. I’m really glad I watched the video. Nothing against Chris, it just makes me think that every time I watch his video.
@HalfwayCrook @MikeTaylor I hate you guys. Lol! I tried to edit out all my sniffles and it was damn near impossible. Hahaha…
I was still recovering from the black plague I got at E3. =(
It’s cool dude, I think part of it is how energetic you are. Combine that with the black plague and… well you know. If it was me it would go all deer in the headlights and have a monotone voice the whole time so I think you are way ahead of that.
I have no idea what you are talking about Mike Taylor. I’ve been coke free since ’93. *sniffle* o_O
Chris – where do you buy these $1 screen protectors from? They look great!
http://cgi.ebay.com/6x-HTC-EVO-3D-Clear-Screen-Protector-Guard-Shield-/140579463057?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item20bb305f91#ht_3027wt_1110
Where can I get a cup now?
You’re going to need 2 Evo 3D’s first =p
If you get that stuff shooting out of your Evo 3D just throw it away. Trust me on this one.
Yeah, what he ^ said.
Chavez – i used to think you were really annoying but you have grown on me. i can’t help but like you. keep up the positive attitude and the good work!
Thanks, John! And it’s okay, I find myself pretty annoying sometimes. Lol
You’ve definitely grown on me too. Plus my buddy Tito said you were cool and crashed at his pad one time. So I had to. But I will still call you a potential crack head out of Android love.
Moisture+Phone=Epic!!
Hey, wait a second….
(I understand what you were saying, just wanted to make a funny).
Never used a screen protector and the only scratch I’ve gotten was on my old Droid and that was after it went skidding face down along the highway after a car accident.
It’s a known fact that screen protectors prevent freak accidents from occurring. Cuz the second you take one off, BOOM. Something bad happens =p
Or if you buy one and then say “I’ll put it on tomorrow”, you are sure to scratch the living sh1t out of your Xoom. Or whatever you bought it for
Lmao. Cotton V neck…for the best results!
I think Chris only made this video to demonstrate that he has 2 Evo 3d’s and you have none.
He also has one cup.
I also have a Thunderbolt, Xperia Play, Evo 4G and Blackberry (backup phone). I have a problem =/
did you buy them all or were they given for review or what?
That almost matches my tablet collection: Archos 70, Archos 101, Galaxy Tab 7″, Wifi Xoom, Transformer, Galaxy Tab 10.1 I/O and sadly an iPad 1. Most of them are loaned out to family just so I don’t feel like I have as much of a problem.
Edit: I forgot I bought two Gtabs off of Woot for my kids.
great video. your hilarious LOL. Rockin V Necks LIKE A BOSS. And what.
Where was this vid 3 weeks ago? You know, when I put my $20 fingerprint smugged, airbubble infested protector on?
If you bought invisishield you are f’d no matter what you do. Just buy it, go home, and throw it in the trash. It will save you an hour long headache that ends with an embarrassing phone or you tearing it off and throwing it in the trash yelling, “how do you like that b!tch”. Better yet just throw $20 in the trash and call it a day.
…or you could just be patient with a steady hand and install it properly. My droid looks brand new thanks to my invisishield, which I found was rather easy to install…and it didn’t have any dust, blemishes or bubbles.
…I will say this, ZAGG shields suck against oily ears. My dad took a call on my droid and the ear-piece section came loose a bit. Though I dabbed a bit of water on, re-set it and let it dry and it’s fine now.
hey chris.. did you find any type of screen cover for the lens’s.. i always feel weird laying my evo 3d on a table or anything..
That part is tricky, you can cut out some circles from a spare screen protector but just make sure it ISN’T a single piece that covers both the lenses and LED flash. The light refraction from the LED through the screen protector will make taking pics with the flash useless.
I’ve actually opted for a thin/cheap case for my Evo 3D that protects the lens’ when laying the phone down: http://goo.gl/K48Pz
i’ve never been huge on cases.. cutting the spare is genius.. thanks i’ll try that when they come in.
Yeah, I only put it in the case when I’m heading out. If I’m in the office or at home I like to take the case off and really FEEL my phone =p
everything’s better naked, eh? should have applied that philosophy to this video ;)
How dare you! *slap* I’m a lady…
I always use a lint roller to remove all the dirt before installing. This seems to work just great.
Good call. Blue painters tape is a good one too.
Screen Protectors are not necessary with Gorilla Glass!
http://phandroid.com/2010/06/11/evo-4g-scratch-test-says-this-thing-can-take-some-wear-maybe-even-tear/
BS. Lots of people have scratched phones with gorilla glass. Besides the Evo 3D does not even have it. I don’t like dry installs, the wet installs like Phantom Skinz, Ghost Armor, Zagg (Invisible Shield), etc all do a very good job of protecting the screen.
PS – the main benefit of the wet install protectors is that they “self-heal” from scratches. They are a superior screen protector technology. I’ve used the cheap dry screen protectors, and the scratches over time get to be very irritating. Buy Phantom Skinz for instance, $7 for 2 (use their coupon code) and the screen protectors last far far longer than any of the cheap dry installs.
Haven’t tried Phantom Skinz, but if they’re anything like ZAGG (gooey, soft, non glossy), they fall off over time. I know from experience working at Best Buy Mobile and would have angry customers coming in all the time for replacements.
I’ve always preferred the hard plastic of the cheap eBay protectors cuz they feel just like the glass on the phone and they’re disposable. 3 for a buck. =)
I’ve had a full-body Skinomi skin on my G2 since the day it was released by T-Mobile and it has given me less trouble than those other plastic ones that just go on the screen. Not that they’re bad but from my experience, THOSE came off more often than the soft Skinomi one. :) But I think for the everyday general user, those cheap ones are the better option.
Phantom Skinz when applied properly do not fall off over time. Not unless you’re rubbing on it super hard and trying to take it off.
Man love your vids, you make me laugh almost out my seat!!!
Sharing this one on facebook and xda if that’s okay with you?
Thanks and knock yourself out =)
Haha. “I have found that a lot of things work better when you’re naked.” So great.
Actually you can get dust out from under. Get two one inch pieces of scotch tape. Firmly press one piece on top of the screen protector close to the dust. Slowly pull on the tape so that the screen protector slowly comes up. Take the other piece and put it under the screen protector where the dust is and take it back off. The dust should have stuck on to the tape and came off of the screen protector. Now keep repeating this.until you get all of the dust off from under. Good luck :)
A skill for the future … :-)
Well, you’ve given me the confidence to install my cheap SP on my Galaxy Tab 10.1 tonight, and I’ve already got the V-neck, so I’m halfway there. Of course, I’m a girl, so, yeah, that’s not as weird as you think.
On tablets be very sure to start with one side right up against the edge. If the cover is almost exactly the size of the screen being off by just a little bit can make it so that after you lay the entire thing down you realize it was off by a 1/6th of an inch and hanging over the edge of the bezel. It’s good to place it on top before you start to see how much room you have to work with.
Thanks for the tip. I suppose the longer the screen is, the more overlap you’re going to have if you screw it up. I bought 3, hopefully I don’t have to burn them all to get it right.
I always buy 3 and if I’m lucky I get it to work by the third one. One to catch all the dust, one to accidently get a bent corner and the 3rd hopefully work. I hope you have better luck than I do.
I got it in one! But it did take about 40 minutes. Thanks!
wow, do these really cause this much agony? I guess 10 years of practice on my old PDA stood my in good stead…
The problem I always have is lining the protector up. As I peel back the cover, it is always at a slight angle so by the end, the protector is off the screen.
I have an SGS2 with gorilla glass – and a small scratch. GG is not perfect!
Yeah, I don’t care what kinda videos they show online. I’ve come to notice that when you TRY to scratch Gorilla Glass, you’ll fail.
But it’s when you’re not paying attention that something completely random will scratch it. *sigh*
I use those protectors. Order them from Amazon, and they are excellent. Easy application. I originally used some EVO 4G leftovers I had. They come with shams in each pack of three. #TeamVneck
i will try later, every screen protector ive put on has come out looking like flippin bubble wrap XD … hopefully this works
Most people buy a phone with 2 years contract.
What do You think,how much Your phone will be worth(with this “dramatic” pace of phone technology),after that period of time???
20 $ ?
But if You buy protective screen ,that cost between 10 and 20$,phone will end up with zero or 10$ “profit” if ,of course, it is in perfect condition.
These screen are another gimmick to pull Your money from Your shallow pocket.
My advice – after 2 years,give Your phone to some charitable organizations.
They will be happy to take it even with hundred twenty seven scratches on glass…..
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Greetings to all and only…………….smart people
PS.iPhone 3GS refurbished at AT&T cost just 9$ (just for comparison and reality check)
I’ve used ClearFreak screen protectors on my Droid, Thunderbolt and Transformer. They are thick, durable and most importantly cheap. They have a website where you can get them but they sell them for less on eBay. I highly recommend them and no, I do not work for them.
the first screen protector i put on was on my palm tx