Image by Mr Noded via Flickr

My screen already has a scratch on it and I’m considering buying a screen protector. However, so far, I’ve only seen negative reviews for the screen protectors I’ve discovered in my research. Most people indicate that the screen protector reduces the touch screen’s responsiveness.

Anyone else have experience with a screen protector? Any recommendations?

Please leave a comment after this post or offer any recommendations regarding this issue at the Legal iPad Facebook page.

Image via Wikipedia

So last week, after much research, I ordered the Power Support anti-glare iPad screen protector. Alice, my iPad, already had a small scratch on the screen and I figured it was high time I protected it, since I only expected more scratches to appear over time if I didn’t do so.

I chose the Power Support anti-glare film since I figured it would kill three birds with one stone. My hope was that it would: 1) protect the screen 2) reduce the glare and 3) reduce the oh-so-annoying smudgy fingerprints that were constantly all over my screen.

The good news: the film performed swimmingly on all fronts. The bad news: it wasn’t easy applying the film to the screen. Not easy at all.

Of course, it was partly my fault. I’m one of those types who stubbornly refuses to read directions. In this case, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if I’d read more than just the first paragraph of the instructions.

My sage advice to you is: 1) read the instructions first 2) do not—I repeat—DO NOT touch anything to the sticky side of the film, other than scotch tape or the like, which you use to remove lint and/or dust from both the film and your iPad, 3) definitely DO NOT allow a lint free cloth to touch the sticky side of the film—trust me, that would be a really BAD idea,  and 4) read the directions FIRST!

My other piece of advice is to really try to press out the air bubbles before deciding that a particular air bubble was caused by a piece of dust. More likely than not, if you thoroughly cleaned off your iPad’s screen with a lint-free cloth before attempting to apply the film, it’s just a plain old air bubble. So, really try to press out the air bubbles before you decide a particular bubble was caused by a piece of dust that needs to be removed via the sticky side of a piece of tape. The dust removal process can be quite tedious, especially if you have to do it repeatedly.

That being said, your hard work will be well worth it. I’m quite happy with the end result. The film does affect the image quality ever-so-slightly, but I find that it’s hardly noticeable.

You can purchase the Power Support anti-glare film for your iPad here for $24.95.