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hldan · May 15, 2005, 05:25 PM

A buddy of mine and myself went by Fry's electronics to get a screen protector for his new iMac G5 and my 17" Powerbook and we found this cool screen protector overlay. It's easy to install and it gave his iMac and my Powerbook that WXGA glossy look. The screen is incredible now and the blacks are blacker and the colors are vibrant. This is something Apple should have put in the LCD's by now but now we have a way of doing it. It looks like it was factory installed and flush.
It comes in a pack of 3 screens for only $14.99. RIght now they are only for the Powerbook, iBook and iMacs.
Here's the link to the web sight but Fry's carries them. The develper's web page doesn't begin to describe how beautiful it makes the screen look.

http://www.macally.com/spec/specialt...protector.html

osxisfun · May 15, 2005, 06:03 PM

is there anything that "sticks" to the powerbook screen if you take it off? or is it like some sort of static cling type deal?

thks

hldan · May 15, 2005, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by osxisfun

is there anything that "sticks" to the powerbook screen if you take it off? or is it like some sort of static cling type deal?

thks

There's just a small film of adhesive along the top edge of the screen so it stays in place on the screen. The film is the same thickness of the Apple menu bar up top so you can't see it. It does not leave a residue at all. The screen is easy to remove and put back on. It will not come off unless you personally remove it. The rest of the screen stays put by static cling.

osxisfun · May 15, 2005, 06:36 PM

thnks. might be dropping by frys this week. will check out.

hldan · May 15, 2005, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by osxisfun

thnks. might be dropping by frys this week. will check out.

Great, report back so other's will know your experience, this is just what all the PowerBook, iMac and iBook users wish Apple would build in our screens.

ingeniero · May 15, 2005, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by hldan

Great, report back so other's will know your experience, this is just what all the PowerBook, iMac and iBook users wish Apple would build in our screens.

Can you post an actual pic of your PB with the screen protector on it?

ccsccs7 · May 15, 2005, 07:31 PM

Nothing for the 12" Powerbook? Is the screen of the 12" Powerbook smaller than the 12" iBook, or is it just the case that's smaller? Hmm, I might get "duhhed" here as they are measured by screen size…

hldan · May 15, 2005, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by ccsccs7

Nothing for the 12" Powerbook? Is the screen of the 12" Powerbook smaller than the 12" iBook, or is it just the case that's smaller? Hmm, I might get "duhhed" here as they are measured by screen size…

TO: Ingeniero, I wanted to post a pic but it wouldn't show the beauty of the screen. There's really no way to tell how it looks besides some of the glossy look. The screen quality looks really fluid. It's almost like I got a new screen.

To: ccsccs7 there's a size for the 12" 14" 15" and 17" Apple notebooks. The 12" Powerbook and the iBook are the same design screen. I'm not sure they have all the sizes at Fry's but it can be ordered on the Macally web sight.

gametime10 · May 15, 2005, 08:14 PM

I have been looking for a good way to protect the screen on my PowerBook G4 laptop for quite some time, so I was happy when I found this product. It seemed to provide just the kind of screen protection I was looking for.

Boy, was I wrong.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the package was the lack of installation instructions. No problem, it looked simple enough. The plastic sheets have a small glue strip at the bottom which adhere lightly to the screen and the rest of the sheet stays put from static cling. I peeled one of the clear plastic sheets off of its glossy paper backing and peered through it. There were several wavy lines of refraction where the plastic changed thickness. If you have ever seen antique glass window panes, you may know the kind of distorted view I saw.

Undeterred, I attached the sheet to my freshly cleaned laptop screen. When I did this, I discovered that the screen protector, which advertises its compatibility with the 15" PowerBook AND the 15" iBook, is too small for the PowerBook's screen. Not by much, mind you, but just enough to create a distracting border around three edges when you line up the fourth with the edge of the screen. Fortunately, the distorted view I had when looking through the plastic did not seem to distort the display from the screen.

Unfortunately, the plastic creates a terrible glare while installed on the screen! This was the final straw. For a product with so much possibility, I was sorely disappointed. One saving grace was that the glue strip left no visible marks on the screen. Who knows what would happen with prolonged use, however. My search goes on for a *high quality* screen protector with a good fit and *no* glare. ...

This is the review given on Amazon.com. Any thoughts? My concern is the thing about it being too small for the Powerbook's screen...

gametime10 · May 15, 2005, 08:19 PM

Oh, and how does it compare to this Crystal Film product described in this thread?

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?t=250667

ccsccs7 · May 15, 2005, 09:03 PM

Umm, 15" iBook? Was this for the 14" iBook and Powerbook?

hldan · May 15, 2005, 09:05 PM

Originally Posted by gametime10

This is the review given on Amazon.com. Any thoughts? My concern is the thing about it being too small for the Powerbook's screen...

I don't know about the other screens since this is the first one I ever saw but I can tell you that it fits perfectly on all corners of my Powerbook and my friend's iMac G5. There's no visible signs of the matte screen underneath. Also it's easy to clean on both sides. It does have the glossy look and I didn't like it much on the PC notebooks but I have come to see that it gives the blacks a really deep look and the colors are more vibrant. I don't notice any wavy ripple effect from the screen protector.
The price didn't hurt either at $14.99 U.S for a pack of 3.

ericssonboi · May 15, 2005, 10:45 PM

I was just gonna say.. I think i'd be similar to the Crystal Film i have..

Ryan1524 · May 16, 2005, 01:03 AM

and do you experience similar X-Brite creating effects when it's on?

hldan · May 16, 2005, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by Ryan1524

and do you experience similar X-Brite creating effects when it's on?

I'm not sure what you mean by X-Brite creating effects?

olePigeon · May 16, 2005, 11:19 AM

I've used those. They fit the Titanium screen perfectly, but there's about 1/4" gap at the bottom for Aluminum PB screen (or 1/8" on top and bottom depending on how you want to position it.) They have a sticky film that runs along the top of the protector. It comes off easy and isn't by any means permanent.

porieux · 07:46 AM

...

crazeazn · May 17, 2005, 11:15 AM

is it any good? post pix please comparing on and off? i went to frys last night (houston) but they didnt have it

hldan · May 17, 2005, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by crazeazn

is it any good? post pix please comparing on and off? i went to frys last night (houston) but they didnt have it

I tried taking pics but the glossy screen has too much reflection and the beauty of the screen doesn't stand out. Did you check the Apple section of Fry's? That's where they are kept.
At first I didn't care much for the shiny screens on the PC notebooks and I still don't care much for seeing a mirror everytime I look at my Powerbook but the clarity of the color is so much better since I applied that screen protector.
I kind of like the fact that Apple doesn't build this shield into their notebooks that way we have a choice to have it or not.

cc_foo · May 17, 2005, 11:10 PM

What about the 24" and 30" screens that everyone has?

crazeazn · May 18, 2005, 06:48 PM

i bought it and it looks AWESOME!

jdiddy · May 18, 2005, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by crazeazn

i bought it and it looks AWESOME!

Hey man do they have a specific one for the 12" PB? Or did you get the screen for the 12" iBook? Would you mind snapping a few pictures? I'm I have a 12" too and would love to see it in action.

crazeazn · May 18, 2005, 07:56 PM

ill take pictures when i get home, i bought the package specific for the ibook and used that. its slightly smaller than the screen but if you notice you have black edges, if you match it with those it looks great..

one slight issue is that the powerbook backlight for the lcd is kind of weak, i played with the gamma a bit to jack up the brightness to match but it would look a lot better if the backlight was brighter.

jdiddy · May 18, 2005, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by crazeazn

ill take pictures when i get home, i bought the package specific for the ibook and used that. its slightly smaller than the screen but if you notice you have black edges, if you match it with those it looks great..

one slight issue is that the powerbook backlight for the lcd is kind of weak, i played with the gamma a bit to jack up the brightness to match but it would look a lot better if the backlight was brighter.

Thanks man I can't wait to see the pictures. If I'm liking what I see I think I'll swing by Frys after rushour calms down.

ender2002 · May 18, 2005, 09:10 PM

pictures!!!!

SEkker · May 18, 2005, 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by jdiddy

Hey man do they have a specific one for the 12" PB? Or did you get the screen for the 12" iBook? Would you mind snapping a few pictures? I'm I have a 12" too and would love to see it in action.

I just purchased both 17" and the separate 12" screensavers. I'll post my comments (and maybe a photo if I can get it to look ok) on each.

crazeazn · 01:26 PM

okay! here are the pictures but like the original poster said its very difficult to show via the webcam

i took 3 pix 1 with screen on with background, without screen where im lifting the cover, and 1 black

sorry for the large images guys but its for the sake of macnn and research 1600x1200

the images were taken with a canon S50 on 'p' mode in the same spot for all 3 images (basically automatic) since the camera cant autofocus since the surface is so wavy u cant notice the goodness. the human eyes cant distinguish the slight waviness so its great~!

[All inline images must not exceed 480 pixels width, no exceptions. Use links for larger images. --tooki]

crazeazn · May 19, 2005, 12:08 AM

slight issue where adhesive is visible on top part of mac menu bar (hence the discoloration)

jdiddy · May 19, 2005, 12:24 AM

Looks good I think I'm making a trip to Fry's tommorow.

irus · May 19, 2005, 08:25 AM

Is the viewable screen angle affected? Also, any experience using it in direct sunlight yet?

crazeazn · May 19, 2005, 10:09 AM

angle view is affected just like the xbrite i think if u pass 40 degrees offset it becomes too difficult to see

chadseld · May 20, 2005, 11:53 PM

Maybe I'm missing something. What's with all these new LCD's coming with shiny/glossy plastic covers? When I buy a CRT/LCD, one of the thinks I look for is a good "Anti-glare coating". I understand that LCD's look really 'cool' with glossy plastic covers, but doesn't the glare from overhead lights give you a head ache?

MORT A POTTY · May 21, 2005, 12:30 AM

wow, you gotta just make those into links instead of linking the images inline... god that's killing my 1024x768

but I'd rather have a much better viewing angle than have a bit sharper image... the trade-offs don't appear to be worth it at all.

SEkker · May 21, 2005, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by MORT A POTTY

wow, you gotta just make those into links instead of linking the images inline... god that's killing my 1024x768

but I'd rather have a much better viewing angle than have a bit sharper image... the trade-offs don't appear to be worth it at all.

I think these screen protectors are a nice compromise - for those who like the glossy screens, they can use them, for those that don't, well, don't.

I suspect I will prefer the quality of the screen viewing without the protector -- I recently compared the printouts from an Epson 4 by 6 photo printer with the printouts from an HP photo printer. The Epson's had MUCH better color depth and a less glossy finish, which I personally preferred as I could see the individual leaves in the trees. But many people seem to prefer the glossy and slightly color-saturated HP printouts. Just a legitimate personal preference difference.

But I'm going to put the cover on to PROTECT the screen. For some reason that escapes me, my PB17's screen seems to collect 'accidents' that have led to several dings in the plastic surface. If I'd had a screen protector on, the worst thing that would have happened would have been a nicked plastic surface that I can replace.

Just so long as the change in screen quality is not TOO bad, I'm ok. And maybe I'll even prefer it.

milhous · May 21, 2005, 04:56 PM

another option are the privacy filters made by 3m:

http://cms.3m.com/cms/US/en/2-22/FiiulFT/view.jhtml

i've seen this around for a while, though they're quite pricey. one possible downside is that since it does provide privacy in addition to screen protection, you would only be able to see the display at a certain angle.

ender2002 · May 21, 2005, 08:03 PM

any links? the pics were removed!!!!

MrForgetable · May 21, 2005, 09:40 PM

the pictures didn't really show the quality of the screen anyway... i think it is a in-person thing.

legacyb4 · May 21, 2005, 09:46 PM

Agreed. When you see those ultra glossy LCD screens in the store, there is so much reflection that it's positively annoying...

I guess they are targeted towards the gamer who sits in the dark without any background lights on?

Originally Posted by chadseld

Maybe I'm missing something. What's with all these new LCD's coming with shiny/glossy plastic covers? When I buy a CRT/LCD, one of the thinks I look for is a good "Anti-glare coating". I understand that LCD's look really 'cool' with glossy plastic covers, but doesn't the glare from overhead lights give you a head ache?

porieux · 07:46 AM

...

SEkker · May 24, 2005, 10:49 PM

Just installed mine on my PB17, I like it. I'll keep mine on for awhile to see what the negatives are.

gametime10 · May 25, 2005, 12:28 AM

just put it on my 15" PB and I like it a lot as well. You normally don't "look" at the glare, so it's not significantly noticeable.

mhuie · May 25, 2005, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by chadseld

Maybe I'm missing something. What's with all these new LCD's coming with shiny/glossy plastic covers? When I buy a CRT/LCD, one of the thinks I look for is a good "Anti-glare coating". I understand that LCD's look really 'cool' with glossy plastic covers, but doesn't the glare from overhead lights give you a head ache?

I personally like the glossy screens. my gf has a new Sony notebook and the *ONLY* time there is glare is when there is flourescent lights directly overhead. Even with places that are lit with flourescent, its not hard to find a position that doesn't create any glare.

Daylight doesnt create any glare nor does lamp light. I don't see why people like to overreact when they haven't actually used one before.

Wiskedjak · May 25, 2005, 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by mhuie

I don't see why people like to overreact when they haven't actually used one before.

Because Apple doesn't have a glossy screen yet. When Apple does, they will all rave about them and point fingers at all the other glossy screen claiming they copied Apple.

crazeazn · May 25, 2005, 01:48 AM

http://www.crazeazn.com/images/monitor1.jpg
http://www.crazeazn.com/images/monitor2.jpg
http://www.crazeazn.com/images/monitor3.jpg

FeralCat · May 25, 2005, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by crazeazn

http://www.crazeazn.com/images/monitor1.jpg
http://www.crazeazn.com/images/monitor2.jpg
http://www.crazeazn.com/images/monitor3.jpg

Ugh. I don't know how you handle the waviness of that screen. I think it would drive me insane. Glad you like it, though.

legacyb4 · May 25, 2005, 09:33 AM

Okay, so people who use these screens like the fact that the bookshelf behind the chair can be clearly seen on the Powerbook but not on the monitor he has sitting right next to it?

Originally Posted by crazeazn

http://www.crazeazn.com/images/monitor1.jpg

SEkker · May 25, 2005, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by legacyb4

Okay, so people who use these screens like the fact that the bookshelf behind the chair can be clearly seen on the Powerbook but not on the monitor he has sitting right next to it?

I enjoy exaggeration as much as the next person. The effect is not THAT noticable.

urrl78 · May 25, 2005, 09:57 AM

There will never be an agreement here; some like glossy and the glare is an acceptable trade for a "better, brighter" looking display. Others hate glossy because they are annoyed if there is anything but what is supposed to be on the screen is there. In fact even wavy images reflected onto the screen annoy some (even though the display contents are not distorted at all). Solution: Let's all debate the issue a few more pages because we have nothing better to do. Just one thing though; just forget I posted this and leave me out of it. Sheesh...

crazeazn · May 25, 2005, 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by FeralCat

Ugh. I don't know how you handle the waviness of that screen. I think it would drive me insane. Glad you like it, though.

you cant see the waviness when ur using it since ur not right up in front of the screen

crazeazn · May 25, 2005, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by legacyb4

Okay, so people who use these screens like the fact that the bookshelf behind the chair can be clearly seen on the Powerbook but not on the monitor he has sitting right next to it?

keep in mind the angle i took the camera shot from is not the same angle i use the machine. its considerably farther away. there is glare/reflection but i rarely see it.