Late last week I had the good fortune to receive an EXiM Screen Protector - Ultra Clear (SPUC) to evaluate from our good friend Mr. Gadget - thanks Arnold.  The timing couldn't have been better - as you may know, I’ve had a JAVOScreen on for the last month and was just about to replace it with my six month old Martin Fields Overlay Protector (MFOP) - very unimpressed with the JAVOScreen.

So, to business...  The SPUC is supplied in a mainly cardboard packet with a small plastic blister containing just the product plus a small instruction card.  As usual it can be a little fiddley to fit the protector without any bits of dust underneath but I did eventually achieve a satisfactory result, with only a few flaws at the very edges.  This is perhaps the only area where the JAVOScreen excelled  - it was very easy to fit, or perhaps I was just lucky!

The first thing I noticed was the return to excellent brilliance and clarity I was used to with the MFOP but which was sorely lacking with the JAVOScreen.  The SPUC uses a smooth, reflective finish which is one reason for the excellent clarity, this also means that the stylus moves smoothly and silently across the surface.  I have to admit that it took a few minutes to get used to the smooth finish again after the more tactile surface of the JAVOScreen - but not too long.  Once in place, the SPUC is delightfully inconspicuous - the screen responds perfectly to each and every touch and feels very responsive, with just a slight hint of tactile drag making it a delight to use.

Naturally, being a smooth surface, the screen is also highly reflective and therefore shows fingerprints and other marks quite readily, however this also means that they are much easier to remove.  According to the instruction card it is also possible to wash the protector, though this something I have yet to need to do with any of my previous protectors.  Some people may dislike the reflective finish but l prefer it;  so long as there is some orientation of the device available to avoid any bright reflections I consider it far superior.  I find the reflective screen protectors far more readable, in most circumstances, than the non-reflective screens and I believe they are also much brighter. 

According to the web site, the screen protector removes 99% of U.V. emitted by my screen and thus reduces eye strain.  Personally, I doubt my Xda II is pouring that much U.V. out so I think this is a little excessive marketing or perhaps more applicable to large screens.  The SPUC is also said to leave no gluey residue on the screen when removed - having only used two previous protectors with no problems l can't really comment on this but I would hope that all quality products would leave no residue - again perhaps a little hot marketing air being blown around, I can't say for sure.

I consider the SPUC to be easily as good as the MFOP - praise indeed, given how happy I was with that product.  The SPUC is just as easy (hard?) to fit as most of the others I’ve tried and so far performs just as I would expect.  Only time will tell if it is as durable as I expect, but for now I am very happy. 

At only AUD$21 from Mr. Gadget, I would strongly recommend it as a very good way to protect that delicate screen.

[Edit: 31-Dec-2004 Well, it's now almost three months since I fitted my SPUC and I have to say that I am still very impressed.  Sure, it does now have some slight marks on it - but only if held up to the light just so - but nothing that interferes with the clarity of the image, nor has it managed to get any real scratches yet despite abuse from both my son and I. 

I am very impressed with the quality of this product and think it might even surpass the MFOP, though to be fair I'd have to refit one to compare and I'm not ready to remove this one yet!  I think I'm going to have to bump that 9.9 up a bit!]

I give the EXiM S.P.U.C. a very bright and durable 9.95/10