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So, I just got the BoxWave Cleartouch Crystal screen protector that I ordered out for Glitch, my iPaq (big thanks to Jenneth for pointing these protectors out on her blog!). They’re a bit on the expensive side, going for ~$15, including shipping, for just one protector. I remember paying ~$20 for 10 protectors for my old Visor. I actually tried putting one of those old protectors on the iPaq, but because it had a weird sort of texture on it, it made the colors and text look distorted and unreadable on the screen. I also tried one of the free protectors that CompUSA hands out when you buy a PDA warranty plan from them (I had a friend who had some of those and he gave me one), but they were terrible: you had to hand-cut them down to the correct size, they were impossible to get on the screen properly, and once on, they made it look as if the screen was underwater, all wavy. Yuk.

So it was with some trepidation that I ordered the Cleartouch protector out. Even with the glowing reccomendations I’ve seen for them from other PDA owners, it was still iffy. The low quality of other protectors, and the seemingly high price for the Cleartouch ones, kept me hovering around the ‘Order’ button for a couple of weeks. But, I’ve been using Glitch a lot lately, with games, taking copious notes on PhatNotes, using Fitaly a lot, reading lots of eBooks, even occasionally working a bit with PocketArtist, and I’d noticed a few tiny, minor scratches on the screen. Barely noticeable, you have to sort of tilt the screen into the light to even see them, but they’re there. And after I spent money on a nice stylus pen and an aircraft-grade aluminum case to protect the glass screen, I wasn’t havin’ no scratches on my screen.

So I ordered the Cleartouch out, and today, it arrived: just one protector in a little plastic baggie. But right away I could tell it was something special: it was nice and stiff. Every other protector I’ve ever used has been floppy, like particularly thick scotch tape. This thing, however, is nice and stiff, a little thick, definetly feels like it can protect the screen from more than just your average scratches. I was a little worried, though, about how it might affect the sensitivity of the screen. I needen’t have worried, though. I cleaned off the screen as best I could, and then proceeded to apply the protector. It was braindead simple! Usually you spend minutes trying to align the floppy protectors, and thentryign to lay them down so no air bubbles get caught, and ironing any stray bubbles out, and pulling it off and reapplying until you finally get it aligned right… not with this one! Just align it at the top of the screen, and plop it down. Squeeze out the air bubbles with a credit crad or cleaning cloth, and you’re set! The whole thing took 10 seconds. Impressive!

And the visual clarity? Well, it’s every bit as good as the ads claim. If I didn’t know I’d put it there myself, I would have no clue it even has a screen protector. It’s completely crystal clear, no distortion or color warping at all. And the screen sensitivity? As good, or even better than before. The screen protector also makes the screen a little less slippery, so it actually improves my handwriting recognition and general screen use.

Overall, this is one kickass PDA product, and it’s worth every single cent of the purchase price. Very, very good work, Boxwave folks.