Accessories Which Steinheil should I get? *comparison*

[BartleyR7]

Great pics/comparison! I also decided on the Crystal over the AF.

What is that volume (?) widget that you have on the same screen as Pandora and YouTube?

 

[jfunk]

I bought both as well. Put AF on my phone and Crystal on my wife's. I still can't decide. The blur really bothers me, but I don't really notice it much when I'm not comparing it directly to hers. I do love the feel of the AF and the lack of glare and oil.

That being said, I simply could not seem to avoid having two little crescent shaped bubbles on the sides of the trackpad when I installed them. Any tips?

 

[ejkeebler]

just thought I'd share my 2 cents, I struggled to decide which I wanted and ordered both as my wife wanted the AF, because she lets our son use it sometimes and she's really hard on phones and she didnt want to keep wiping it off. I got my crystal on, showed her and she asked if she could have the crystal as well and she enjoys the clarity and LESS wiping than before, and I do too. Still have to wipe it clean, but not nearly as often as I used to.....

 

[renesis22]

Just ordered a crystal clear on Ebay! Thanks for the review and the pics!

 

[jbdan]

Great pics/comparison! I also decided on the Crystal over the AF.

What is that volume (?) widget that you have on the same screen as Pandora and YouTube?

That is Audio manager pro. Nice little app.

I bought both as well. Put AF on my phone and Crystal on my wife's. I still can't decide. The blur really bothers me, but I don't really notice it much when I'm not comparing it directly to hers. I do love the feel of the AF and the lack of glare and oil.

That being said, I simply could not seem to avoid having two little crescent shaped bubbles on the sides of the trackpad when I installed them. Any tips?

Yea that was tough....as good as the cut is on the Steinheils it's not 100% perfection...I'm OCD though . If you start your application on the trackpad side you can get it without those small crescent shaped bubbles...but then it is a hair off up top around the earpiece. That's what I ended up doing....

btw I installed my Steinheils (the same ones) atleast twice. I washed them with water (both sides) to remove any lint/dust before reapplying. Shake them off well before install and turn off Inc. I used scotch tape doubled over to handle them not my fingers/grease.*Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for mis-application

 

[snoggish]

Wow, this thread is awesome. Thanks a bunch jbdan. I had a similar question to jfunk's. You have absolutely NO lint or dust under your screen, and I can't help but having some sort of crap sneak under it. How'd keep dust and stuff from getting under your protector when you were applying it? Any sorta special process, or just lots of patience and tape?

 

[BartleyR7]

Yea that was tough....as good as the cut is on the Steinheils it's not 100% perfection...I'm OCD though . If you start your application on the trackpad side you can get it without those small crescent shaped bubbles...but then it is a hair off up top around the earpiece. That's what I ended up doing....

I did the same thing. The hardest part for me was, when starting the application, the protector kept wanting to "jump" and adhere to the screen. I had to reposition it about a dozen times before I finally got it started straight. I used compressed air and a microfiber cloth to remove dust and clean the screen pre-installation. I did have a single speck of dust left under the top corner when I was finished, but I used the two pieces of scotch tape to remove it.

I had the less-than-desirable VZW screen protector on before the Steinheil Crystal, and I can say that there is definitely less wiping with the Crystal.

@jbdan: Excellent app, thanks! Already downloaded it and love it.

 

[ctxx24]

how do you have the droid lock screen?

 

[reflekt2099]

another off topic question, but where did you get that digital clock/weather widget??? i've been looking everywhere for it and can't seem to find it. Also, what volume control widget is that too?

thanks!

 

[jfunk]

another off topic question, but where did you get that digital clock/weather widget??? i've been looking everywhere for it and can't seem to find it. Also, what volume control widget is that too?

thanks!

I believe this is the audio app he is using:

AudioManager Widget - Android app on AppBrain

 

[reflekt2099]

thanks jfunk! anyone know what clock/weather widget he's using?

 

[rukkus]

i installed my AF last night and i'm totally undecided on what i want to do... it feels sooo nice to swipe and i can't get oil or prints on it no matter how hard i try. it is blurry though... i can't decide.

if anyone wants to trade an extra crystal for an extra af, lemme know.

thanks for doing this comparison jbdan, it's very helpful.

 

[AlexNC]

I use Swype for my keyboard, so I went with the Anti-fingerprint screen protector. It is supposed to allow for an even less grippy feel, allowing for easier 'swyping'. I also hate seeing oil and smudges all over my phone. I have yet to receive my AF protector, but will give some feedback once I do.

 

[crutoi]

the more i read about these comparisons the more i think I'm the only one happy with my AF

It really is a simple choice people... if fingerprint marks irritate you(me ) you get AF, if you want the screen to be even clearer then the bare(w/o protector) get the crystal

 

[TrumpetMan]

i went with the crystal as well, very pleased with it.

+1

 

[TheLurg1687]

I bought the AF from BoxWave..wonder if it is any different..probably not haha

I hope I can return it then!

 

[jbdan]

Wow, this thread is awesome. Thanks a bunch jbdan. I had a similar question to jfunk's. You have absolutely NO lint or dust under your screen, and I can't help but having some sort of crap sneak under it. How'd keep dust and stuff from getting under your protector when you were applying it? Any sorta special process, or just lots of patience and tape?

It did take a few try's....I did the AF first and used can of compressed air had my better half blow it (eek!) as I was installing. Worked well. Then did the Crystal and kept getting like 1 piece of dust...so I took it off and wet it to clean it off and had my fiancee use the compressed air again as I installed it. I find when wetting it once on you can tweak it (slide it around) to get the perfect fit then squeegee it. I did this with the phone OFF and before applying I shook off the excess water.

I did the same thing. The hardest part for me was, when starting the application, the protector kept wanting to "jump" and adhere to the screen. I had to reposition it about a dozen times before I finally got it started straight. I used compressed air and a microfiber cloth to remove dust and clean the screen pre-installation. I did have a single speck of dust left under the top corner when I was finished, but I used the two pieces of scotch tape to remove it.

I had the less-than-desirable VZW screen protector on before the Steinheil Crystal, and I can say that there is definitely less wiping with the Crystal.

@jbdan: Excellent app, thanks! Already downloaded it and love it.

Yea that static makes it have a mind of its own! The Crystal is somewhat AF over the naked Inc glass. I am really liking the feel. Audio manager pro rocks!

how do you have the droid lock screen?

That is LockBot Pro....a tad buggy but not a deal breaker. There is a free version as well so try it out.

another off topic question, but where did you get that digital clock/weather widget??? i've been looking everywhere for it and can't seem to find it. Also, what volume control widget is that too?

thanks!

That is Beautiful Smaller Home....this widget comes with the Beautiful Widgets paid app. Volume is Audio Manager Pro. There is a free version as well.

thanks jfunk! anyone know what clock/weather widget he's using?

Beautiful widgets

I believe this is the audio app he is using:

AudioManager Widget - Android app on AppBrain

+1

i installed my AF last night and i'm totally undecided on what i want to do... it feels sooo nice to swipe and i can't get oil or prints on it no matter how hard i try. it is blurry though... i can't decide.

if anyone wants to trade an extra crystal for an extra af, lemme know.

thanks for doing this comparison jbdan, it's very helpful.

YW and I agree the AF feels brilliant and is completely smudge proof. It's so slick! What made me change to the crystal is web browsing....small text just got too blurry with the AF.

I use Swype for my keyboard, so I went with the Anti-fingerprint screen protector. It is supposed to allow for an even less grippy feel, allowing for easier 'swyping'. I also hate seeing oil and smudges all over my phone. I have yet to receive my AF protector, but will give some feedback once I do.

Yup I use Swype and the AF is awesome for it! There is a trade off though.

the more i read about these comparisons the more i think I'm the only one happy with my AF

It really is a simple choice people... if fingerprint marks irritate you(me ) you get AF, if you want the screen to be even clearer then the bare(w/o protector) get the crystal

+1

I bought the AF from BoxWave..wonder if it is any different..probably not haha

I hope I can return it then!

I ordered the boxwave AF as well will get next week and see if it is any clearer than the Steinheil AF. There is another great screen protector thread in here and the boxwave AF looks to be much clearer. We'll see!

 

[xkingofgodzx]

This is a very helpful post in a lot of ways. Great job, and thanks for all of the info, very helpful!

 

[AlexNC]

I use Swype for my keyboard, so I went with the Anti-fingerprint screen protector. It is supposed to allow for an even less grippy feel, allowing for easier 'swyping'. I also hate seeing oil and smudges all over my phone. I have yet to receive my AF protector, but will give some feedback once I do.

Finally got the AF screen installed. I like it a lot. It has an ultra smooth surface for Swyping. Though the clarity is definitely compromised for this extra smoothness. Too bad they couldn't get more of a middle ground. All in all I am very happy with the AF. There is definitely a trade of for the crisp clear screen of the crystal, but having no finger prints and ultra south swyping is worth it for me. I wouldn't be surprised to see another company come out with a clearer AF screen though. I am curious to see how Boxwave stands up in its reviews. Please keep us informed Boxwave users!

 

[jbdan]

Finally got the AF screen installed. I like it a lot. It has an ultra smooth surface for Swyping. Though the clarity is definitely compromised for this extra smoothness. Too bad they couldn't get more of a middle ground. All in all I am very happy with the AF. There is definitely a trade of for the crisp clear screen of the crystal, but having no finger prints and ultra south swyping is worth it for me. I wouldn't be surprised to see another company come out with a clearer AF screen though. I am curious to see how Boxwave stands up in its reviews. Please keep us informed Boxwave users!

We love pics here so feel free

I concur the AF is like ice skating on a phone screen it is very slick....some might even think too slick, but I'm a Swyper too so I like it. The Crystal is better than the Inc naked as for smudges and it is a little slicker as well. I also ordered a boxwave AF so I'll add pics here when I get.

 

[illusionz]

Does anybody know if they can be reapplied after you take them off? Or is it adhesive?

 

[ejkeebler]

Does anybody know if they can be reapplied after you take them off? Or is it adhesive?

you can definitely remove and reapply the steinheils, I had lots of trouble with dust on the first one I used and even ended up washing it a couple times and reapplying it and it still is flawless.

 

[AlexNC]

you can definitely remove and reapply the steinheils, I had lots of trouble with dust on the first one I used and even ended up washing it a couple times and reapplying it and it still is flawless.

What did you use to clean it? How long did you let it dry before re-applying?

 

[ejkeebler]

This you might want to ask someone else, lol, my method was definately not the best. I used water and dish soap, which worked fine, I left it alone until all the water was off of it, but then when I went to reapply, I noticed some water spots. So, I washed it again and let it dry, same thing, so I used my wife's blow dryer on the cool setting, didn't work very well. I ended up using the fiber cloth to dab it dry and then used painters tape to cover the "adhesive side" and pull off all the dust, that part seemed to work pretty well.

 

[mmisterio]

Can people with the AF comment on the anti-glare effectiveness. Out in the sun, the phone is basically unusable.