off with the screen protector!

[othgar]

I have had an Invisible Shield on my droid since I got it. There were a few pieces of dust under it that have been driving me crazy so I decided to take it off. What a difference! It looks better, feels more responsive to touch, and it is a lot smoother when I use pinch to zoom (no friction between my finger and the screen). I am paranoid that I'm going to scratch the screen but the trade off is worth it.

 

[markc2]

I have had an Invisible Shield on my droid since I got it. There were a few pieces of dust under it that have been driving me crazy so I decided to take it off. What a difference! It looks better, feels more responsive to touch, and it is a lot smoother when I use pinch to zoom (no friction between my finger and the screen). I am paranoid that I'm going to scratch the screen but the trade off is worth it.

cool, good luck

 

[smittythepig]

good for you. i went naked a few weeks ago and no problems. it's much better. just got to watch out for sand.

 

[Psychokitty]

I've had my Droid for over six months with no screen protector. I treat it like I treat an expensive camera or laptop, or whatever. I keep it clean, never in my pocket smacking against anything, and I wash my hands when necessary before using it.
I don't have a scratch on it. Simple common sense when handling the Droid should keep the screen scratch free.

...Then there the kind of people who can't figure out why the lens on their new point & shoot camera sounds crunchy when it goes in & out ever since that weekend at the beach.

 

[othgar]

I've had my Droid for over six months with no screen protector. I treat it like I treat an expensive camera or laptop, or whatever. I keep it clean, never in my pocket smacking against anything, and I wash my hands when necessary before using it.
I don't have a scratch on it. Simple common sense when handling the Droid should keep the screen scratch free.

...Then there the kind of people who can't figure out why the lens on their new point & shoot camera sounds crunchy when it goes in & out ever since that weekend at the beach.

That's exactly how I was WITH the protector. I figured if I'm going to it handle that way then why have it on! I use the Seidio case with holster so it is NEVER in my pocket.

 

[Krisis]

I've had my Droid since 2 weeks after launch and have never had a screen protector on it. In fact, I show off how tough the Gorilla Glass is often to my friends by taking keys and trying to scratch it. I haven't been successful yet, though once the keys slipped and I made a small mark against the raised edge along the side. I seriously doubt sand or keys or anything short of a Dremel tool will scratch the screen, hence no need for a screen protector.

 

[smittythepig]

sand will definitely scratch it. it's harder than glass. even gorilla glass. simple physics. silica - very hard.

just read the following thread and i am reconsidering. seems most have some tiny marks. which stands to reason. i have my first refurb coming wednesday (terrible signal, dropped calls and poor sound quality on mine) and if tradition holds, it will probably have a scratch on it out of the box. i had 3 Eris' replaced and at least two of the refurbs had scratches out of the box. but if it's perfect, i may have to go the screen protector route. not sure.

http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid/45812-has-anyone-scratched-their-gorilla-glass.html

 

[meekrab]

Make no mistake, sand can scratch the hell out of the screen. I live at the beach and noticed several scratches within a few weeks of ownership (when I treated the droid like a newborn). They were no bigger than a centimeter, at most, but they could definitely accumulate over time given the right conditions.

I used an invisible shield on my moto q and it was great, but the material's guminess is not well suited for touchscreens. If you do change your mind, I would highly recommend phantomskinz. They are quite smooth with minimal losses to screen responsiveness

 

[doomedromance]

I had a invisible shield on for a few days didn't like it. Switched to phantomskinz no orange peel not as shiny clear as the naked screen. I liked that it wasn't as slick to the touch but a lot less resistance than invisible shield. I really like how less smudge prone it was I hate the smudges and the naked screen gets it so easily. I took mine off one day, but I'm going to put the second one on it when ever I get the time. Not for the protection but for the smudge resistance.

 

[GorillaTheHutt]

i got mine in november and have never used a screen protector. i keep in in my pocket with no case or holster. i have also done numerous "scratch demos" to show off to my friends where i rub the screen vigorously on some nearby object. that might not sound that smart, but i still have no scratches on my screen whatsoever. even if i get it in the glare of a bright light and hold it at an angle to look for minute scratches, nothing. this screen is a beast and unless you're around sand, there is no need for a screen protector.

 

[SinfulDragon]

runnin naked since the day she came in the box and I pealed all the stickers off.
Well except behind the keyboard, DON'T EVER TAKE THAT STICKER OFF

LOL, sorry guys, I couldn't resist

 

[takeshi]

I've had my Droid for over six months with no screen protector. I treat it like I treat an expensive camera or laptop, or whatever. I keep it clean, never in my pocket smacking against anything, and I wash my hands when necessary before using it.
I don't have a scratch on it. Simple common sense when handling the Droid should keep the screen scratch free.

You can't prevent all accidents. There are definitely those who have taken care of their Droid yet scratched their screens. It's not mutually exclusive despite what you may believe.

In fact, I show off how tough the Gorilla Glass is often to my friends by taking keys and trying to scratch it.

Why do people think this is a meaningful test? Keys are not harder than glass. Of course they won't scratch it.

hence no need for a screen protector.

Gorilla Glass is scratch resistant. It is not, however, unscratchable.

That said, the choice to use or not use a screen protector is a judgment call that you have to make.

If you want a screen protector that looks and feels like bare glass then give the Steinheil SGP Crystal a shot.

 

[jjl1911]

I've had my droid since the day it came out. I had a cheap screen protector on it for a while. Dust and other crap would accumulate under it around the corners. Finally took it off a few weeks ago. Phone looks better and is way more responsive to using the touch screen. It rides around in my pocket most of the day. This glass is tough. Nary a scratch on it.

 

[anaphora68]

Gorilla glass is strong, but it's definitely not indestructible. I keep my Droid naked, but I put a protector on my wife's phone. As modest as her engagement ring is, the damn stone on it can still put a pretty decent scratch into a phone screen.

Still, long live Gorilla Glass!

 

[johnnybirdman]

I have had an Invisible Shield on my droid since I got it. There were a few pieces of dust under it that have been driving me crazy so I decided to take it off. What a difference! It looks better, feels more responsive to touch, and it is a lot smoother when I use pinch to zoom (no friction between my finger and the screen). I am paranoid that I'm going to scratch the screen but the trade off is worth it.

you have more patience than me. I had a speck from the day it got put on (a week after release) and I ripped it off after 3 weeks. So much better looking naked.
J.

 

[quark]

my moto droid is 3 months old. i had a screen protector put on at a mall kiosk. took the guy 20 minutes to get it right. so far i have not noticed any change in operation. i am paranoid and figure $15 for protection of a $200 screen is worth it.

 

[badandy0014]

I tried a protector for about a month. Couldn't handle the satin-like finish and the loss in response. I've been without a protector for about 4-5 months and there are no immediately distinguishable scratches. I can, however, see very minor scratches when angled directly in light which kinda make me sad, but they're literally only noticeable when I look at it meticulously (not under normal operation of the phone). Just my 2 cents.

Oh and btw I keep my phone in my jeans pocket everywhere I go with nothing else touching my phone. The border around the glass has been getting dinged and the black is starting to rub off, but that's probably from my less than careful handling of the phone though.

 

[Psychokitty]

I've had my Droid for over six months with no screen protector. I treat it like I treat an expensive camera or laptop, or whatever. I keep it clean, never in my pocket smacking against anything, and I wash my hands when necessary before using it.
I don't have a scratch on it. Simple common sense when handling the Droid should keep the screen scratch free.

You can't prevent all accidents. There are definitely those who have taken care of their Droid yet scratched their screens. It's not mutually exclusive despite what you may believe.

Did you just want to argue, or what?
All I said was, "Simple common sense when handling the Droid should keep the screen scratch free." I wasn't talking about accidents at all.
Human flesh, and probably even the enamel on my teeth isn't going to scratch the Droid's screen. Minute particles of debris trapped in between the grooves of my finger prints will. So you keep your hands clean, that's all. Dropping the phone into your pocket will expose it to whatever debris is trapped inside there from five summers ago when you wore them at the beach. (Do we really need to go into the type of fabric, debris and how tight the pants are?) That's not an accident, that's just stupid (...IE, a lack of COMMON SENSE).

How do you clean a lens on a camera? They're usually coated with metallic oxides that block UV rays and keep glare down. Those oxides are very hard, often harder than the glass. But don't you still use a micro fiber cloth to clean it?
-Or do you just spit on it and rub it real hard with the tee-shirt you've been wearing all day while riding your quad in the desert?

Common sense is all it really takes. If common sense to you means you need screen protection against you or your environment, than that's part of it. If you're an auto mechanic and have filthy, greasy, sandy, dusty hands all day, then you're a moron if you don't hear that little common sense voice in yer head telling you to put a screen protector on your Droid. (-Then again, common sense should have told you a Droid was a bad choice for you.)

BTW, I do a lot of activities that cause me to have dirty hands, including work. Being careful with my phone, and exercising a little common sense, has kept the screen free of scratches.