mikeslc

Just a quick review of Boxwave's Clear Touch Crystal screen protector I received today.

The Positives:

*Fast Shipping - Ordered over the weekend and received today(Wednesday).
*Very Clear - Does not degrade the brightness of the X30H screen at all.

The Negatives:

*Shipping packaging - Not very well protected with super thin paperboard package that could be bent easily. The mailman could have easily damaged it if he stuff it in the mailbox without care. (I was a mailman for a couple years, so I know).
*QC may be a problem - The first one I tried to install had light but long scratch at one corner, but overall acceptable. Removed it because I had a hard time getting it to lay smoothly on the screen without getting some mosaic effect in the middle of the screen. Eventually got some lint or dirt trapped in there and decide to remove. The second protector I installed had much more light scratches across the surfaces, but only appeared noticeable at certain angles. That one went on pretty good as far as laying smoothly across the screen. (letting it settle by itself instead of pushing it down works better). The corners don't seem to stick as well. Pushing the corners down with a credit card and the stylus only works for a short time. They unstick in no time. I did the installation in my hot showered humid bathroom to cut down on tiny airborne lint and dust, but still managed to get some trapped between the protector and the screen. I even used my huge air blower I have for Photography use to blow away any tiny lint I saw. When using the PDA indoors, I don't really notice them. But outdoors, you'll notice every little dirt and lint stuck between there.

Conclusion:

I think if I had to do it over again, I would pass on this product. Is it going to protect my screen? Yes, I think so. But there are enough little annoyances I have with this product that I may not keep them. The price of the product and even the shipping cost seem way too high for such product. I started thinking about my old Casio E125 which I still use as a MP3 player in my car that have some scratches from years of heavy use, but they don't show up much at all when the screen is turned on. When I compare it to my 1 week old X30H with boxwave screen protector and tiny lint and dirt showing up trapped between the screen while using it outdoors isn't too good. PDA prices are so low now, should I really be worrying that much about protecting the screen? (X30H could be had for less than $260 often times).


P.S. English is my 2nd language, so please excuse my bad writing.

D34th

Nice review...very in depth. good to know some of the bad thing about them. people probably go through the same things but feel obligated to only tell the good things...

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darkbaron2000

a review of the minisync that didn't get responded to by Chris

http://boxwave.com/products/minisync...axim-x3_24.htm

I am a student and I use my PDA through out the day to do a lot. I can usually burn down the battery in a few hours. One thing people tell me is to buy a bigger battery. Well I’m cheap so I needed a better option. I don’t like the idea of bringing the charging cable and attachment with me everywhere I go to charge my Axim. I needed a better alternative. I searched the web high and low to find one. I finally found one.

The Boxwave Mini-Sync is an ingenious little accessory. The website lists theses as its features:

Synchronizes and charges just like the cradle
• Innovative retraction and recoil design
• Extends to 35 inches in length
• Durable, compact, and lightweight

I have had mine for a few months now and I thought I would share my thoughts. It is one of the most invaluable accessories for my Axim. I can plug into any USB port and charge up. I have found it’s nearly as fast at the cradle. This is very useful for me as I am in school during the day and in a lot of my classes there are computers with USB slots open for USB keys. I use these to charge my Axim.

When at home I use the Mini-Sync to synchronize with my PC, instead of the Dell provided cradle. While the USB cradle and the Mini-Sync are both dependent on the USB 1.1 Axim, I have found the Mini-Sync to be a little faster.

I find the Mini-Sync to be more convenient than the cradle in the space department. It takes up a lot less room than the cradle. Since there is only the one cable with the Mini-Sync it removes a lot of clutter from my desk.

As a portable replacement for the Dell provided cradle, the Mini-Sync has proven itself as a must have accessory for my Axim.


Pros: Light Weight, Inexpensive (24.99), High Functionality

Cons: Cable is strong, but very thin compared to Dell Sync Cable, reversed connector (up sign is on the bottom)

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Rainh2o

I have had the same problems with the clear touch crystal screen prtector. I will not buy another one. The edges of mine also come up and the top edge is comming up about 1/4 of the way across the screen. They are hard to apply even if you follow thier instructions of someone elses. Every little piece of lint shows. I will admit they do a good job at screen clarity but they are not worth the effort in my book.

kemushi

You know one thing that I thought of is, on my cleartouch the edges also started coming up, on the corners especially. After only two attempted applications.

What you want to do in this situation is go into the bathroom, and perform the installation there.

Wash the screen gently between the palms of your hands with hand soap, I used irish spring.

Then wash it and your hands off thoroughly--and after that point be very careful not to touch the adhesive side with your fingers! Because even if you wash your hands with soap and water your pores are still secreting small amounts of oil, which could potentially be interferring with the light adhesion of the cleartouch.

I noticed that even though I touched the middle of the screen, after I washed it off there was no problem with adhesion, only with the edges because I was touching the edges with my fingers to apply it.

It's really hard to get it in there perfectly without touching the edges, so that's why you should be patient and also practice. I also use tape to help me hold the screen, rather than try to hold it with my fingers. This also makes it easier to apply it gradually, without bending it up so far that the screen catches more dust!

I also use a can of air to blow off the water droplets rather than air dry to avoid dust particles.

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Bulldog2085

I agree, the premium screen protectors are too expensive. But I guess there are several things in life that you get anyway even if you can't justify it financially. I just don't like seeing permanent scratches on my PDA screen, and cheap screen protectors are a pain because you have to replace them so often.
I didn't have any quailty problems with my Boxwave Crystals, but I was still a bit disappointed because scratches appeared a bit sooner than I expected for such an expensive product.
Last week I bought a pack of the WriteShield C2 and AG. The C2 came with a sticker on it. I waited until I put the C2 on my screen. Then when I tried to remove the sticker, parts of it wouldn't come off because the glue was too strong! Then when I tried to scrape it off, I ruined my C2.
Fortunately, I did not have that problem with the AG. I like the feel of the WriteShield better than the Boxwave because it's more like writing on paper. The Boxwave feels sturdier, but so far it looks like the scratch resistance of the WriteShield is either the same or better. I'll know in a few weeks if it's better.

DanTheAximMan

I had the same problem, I ripped my screen protector with the sticker that was attached to the C2.

FallN

I'm not shocked or surprised to see other people with the same scratch issues straight out of the packaging. I have a 3 page thread on the Quailty Control of some Boxwave Cleartouches. Mine came LATE with a LONG, DEEP, veritcal scratch left of center almost down the entire length of the screen.

And good luck dealing with Boxwave. They have the WORST Customer Service EVER. Boxwave was not helpful. They make you take pictures and still ask you to send them more money and pay for return shipping! WTF?

Buy Brando or Writeshield.

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Boxwave ClearTouch Crystal (DEFECTIVE)

dc's x3

FallN, what screen protector do you use?

Originally Posted by FallN

I'm not shocked or surprised to see other people with the same scratch issues straight out of the packaging. I have a 3 page thread on the Quailty Control of some Boxwave Cleartouches. Mine came LATE with a LONG, DEEP, veritcal scratch left of center almost down the entire length of the screen. And good luck dealing with Boxwave. They have the WORST Customer Service EVER. Boxwave was not helpful. They make you take pictures and still ask you to send them more money and pay for return shipping! WTF? Buy Brando or Writeshield.

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nateardle

Originally Posted by Rainh2o

I have had the same problems with the clear touch crystal screen prtector. I will not buy another one. The edges of mine also come up and the top edge is comming up about 1/4 of the way across the screen. They are hard to apply even if you follow thier instructions of someone elses. Every little piece of lint shows. I will admit they do a good job at screen clarity but they are not worth the effort in my book.

I used the Noisycrow method of installation and it worked well and quickly enough to prevent dust from getting on the adhesive. See this link for how to do it: http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showp...5&postcount=35