screen scratch - myth

neurowired · 03-11-03, 11:53 PM

Can you really scratch the screen with a stylus? ;)

I've had my Ax for almost 3 months now carrying it in the pocket of my jeans everyday. So far, no scratches on the mighty machine even though I often use fingers, pens etc instead of the stylus. What is even more interesting is that I've never seen a post about scratched Ax's screen.

If somebody did get a scratch, please post here to help with a statistical analysis. :D

DennisFranz · 03-12-03, 12:15 AM

I don't know about statistics and all but....

Once the main display gains a scratch, you will always see if how ever minor. YOU will know it is there. As far as with a stylus, I am sure it can happen. As a matter of fact, my Dell stylus scratches the hell out of my protectors. I mean, playing solitare while sitting and waiting for what have ya, you can see where the piles are :D

As far as keeping it in your pocket w/o protection, it's your PPC. It is just a matter of time for keys, change etc either scratch or break the screen. Just sitting can stress the case alot as well. I just want to keep mine for as long as I can, or untill selling it to upgrade is a feasible option for me.

.02

ninjaturtle · 03-12-03, 12:37 AM

Has anyone actually gotten a scratch from using a stylus?

I went and ordered some G2 screen protectors after reading some reviews, nearly $20 shipped for a set of two. They just came today, been using some store bought $5 screen protectors in the meantime. Im afraid of using the good ones because the plastic is hard and not soft like what screen protectors are suppose to be. Im afraid of hard plastic rubbing against the glass is going to do more harm then good. $20 wasted.

I think everyone here has been buying into the propaganda for the use of screen protectors. Those guys are making a killing selling little peices of plastic for nearly $10 bucks a pop. They are surely on forums pushing there products, cant blame them tho, trying to make that buck.

I havent used the stylus on an unprotected screen so I wouldnt know. There has to be someone out who doesnt use a screen protector and can comment on scratches with normal use with stylus.

I want to not use one because you get a better image quality.

razardica · 03-12-03, 12:38 AM

Yeah, you can definetly scratch the screen if even a little piece of something blows onto the tip and you don't notice. I was using my VDx (My Axim comes TOMORROW! What a step up, eh?) and I was making a Flip[book] animation and when I finished, I had a carbon copy of one of the frames scratched onto my screen! :( So yes, if something gets on the stylus you can scratch the screen, it's no myth.

silentknight · 03-12-03, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DennisFranz
As a matter of fact, my Dell stylus scratches the hell out of my protectors. I mean, playing solitare while sitting and waiting for what have ya, you can see where the piles are :D

What kind of screen protectors are you using??

I have never scratched my screen protectors... even just
playing solitare... and one of my screen has a protector on
it over a year old! .. (in fact I just took it off my old pda
and put it on my Dell Axim, screens were the same size,
and it still looks new....)

I use brando's screen protectors, but there are other's
out there almost identical to it... which just makes me
wonder which brand you are using....

Hopester · 03-12-03, 12:54 AM

Sad but true it can get a scratch. I let mine go without a cover and it happened however have the screen covered now. I like my Dell and don't want to see it scratched again. Cheaper and safer just to invest in the screen protectors.

ninjaturtle · 03-12-03, 02:14 AM

I have a Motorola Marco pda that has been sitting in my drawer, not a single scratch on the screen. Its nearly 10 years old. Doesnt work anymore but it wasnt used with a screen protector when it was working.

Just gotta use care I guess. I also have a gameboy advance. Had it since the first day it was released. Doesnt have a single scratch on the screen either. I always carry it in my jean back pocket with out a cover.

I think it'll be safe to go with the plastics.

FEichinger · 03-12-03, 08:09 AM

My Axim is my 4th PDA and the first on I ordered a screen protector for. Of my previous 3 2 got really badly scratched and I use a case all the time. I'm lovin' my axim so much that I'm not taking chances. I'd rather spend $5-$20 for protectors then $150 for a new screen.

jpanaxim · 03-12-03, 10:56 AM

Oh yeah, scratched up 2 handsprings with the included stylus. I've since bought a stylus pen which has not scratched the handspring or Ax. I've bought a Brandon just to be sure though.

Raynne413 · 03-12-03, 10:59 AM

I have actually quit using the Dell stylus. I am using the WriteShield protectors and when using the Dell stylus, I could see the lines in the screen when I was dragging and dropping. Luckily, once I cleaned the screen they went away, but it was enough to worry me. I am now using a pen/stylus combo that has kind of a soft-tipped but pointy stylus. I never used a protector on my first PDA, but have ever since. It is better to be safe than sorry, yada yada. The WriteShields are hard plastic, and they stay put without any problems or sliding around, and when I take one off, my screen looks good as new. But I have never used the G2, so I am not sure what they are like.

ninjaturtle · 03-12-03, 10:59 AM

The only reason I dont like the screen protectors are they blur the screen a bit, not as clear and sharp as if there were none used.

JakeRich · 03-12-03, 12:15 PM

The better screen protectors don't blur the screen anymore. And with the anti-glare, the screen actually gets more readable. I have scratched two previous machines, one in just one day's use. It depends on how hard you press down when writing and how hard the stylus is. Dust is the wildcard and can cause any stylus at any pressure to create a scratch.

WriteShields are on, all the time, for me.

wmm · 03-12-03, 01:22 PM

I can't speak for the Axim, but I have definitely seen scratching. I had a Sharp Mobilon 4600 HPC (I wish the clamshell PDAs had caught on!), and after a few months of Solitaire the spot where I picked up cards on the screen wasn't shiny any more like the rest of the screen. There were no big scratches, just thousands of almost microscopic lines piled on top of each other. Each one was invisible by itself, but together they added up to a blemish that could not be ignored. I've always used screen protectors since then, in spite of the inconvenience and slight reduction in clarity. Maybe the plastic the Axim uses today is harder than what Sharp put on its Mobilon five years ago, but I'm not going to take a chance.

kark_1999 · 03-12-03, 02:01 PM

When I bought my Palm IIIxe a few years ago, I brought it home and had a huge scratch on the screen within 10 minutes - JUST BY USING THE PROVIDED STYLUS.

I wouldn't take the chance of this happening again. As far as I'm concerned, one scratch on my Axim's screen would be enough for me to want to sell it.

DennisFranz · 03-12-03, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by silentknight
What kind of screen protectors are you using??

I have never scratched my screen protectors... even just
playing solitare... and one of my screen has a protector on
it over a year old! .. (in fact I just took it off my old pda
and put it on my Dell Axim, screens were the same size,
and it still looks new....)

I use brando's screen protectors, but there are other's
out there almost identical to it... which just makes me
wonder which brand you are using....

My stylus had what looked like a piece of wire sticking out of the side I use. I tried rotating it but it was uncomfortable for me. I called Dell and they sent me a new one.

Yeah I know its whining but it destroyed 2 screen protectors untill I found out WTH, it is the stylus!

I use the Dell screen protectors and my evil stylus just made me that much closer to getting a new set. I hate those square bubbles! Yes it was a Dell Stylus. The new ones and my wifes dont do this.