[HTC EVO 3D] mikeyxda:
Hadn't seen it mentioned here so I thought I'd share. I made a screen protector that fits nicely over the camera glass on the back of the phone. I think that camera glass is pretty tough (in fact, I personally think only the camera glass is Gorilla Glass) but I still feel better with it protected since many cases don't protect that area and it sticks out.

Having gone through several iPhones before making the switch to the Evo 4G last year, I had plenty of extra screen protectors lying around. So I basically just took one (a clear one obviously, not an anti-glare) and cut it to the shape of the camera glass and installed. I've taken multiple pictures to test it and I find no degradation at all in the images. Here are the deets:

(1) Pick a clear protector: one of the kind that has the protector sandwiched between two clear pull-offs labeled "1" and "2". These actually consist of three clear sheets: one protector which is itself protected by two pull-off (disposable) clear sheets.

(2) Normally the white "1" and "2" pull-off stickers are located against one edge (top or bottom) of the protector. Orient the protector so that the "2" pull-off sticker is on the top and "1" is on the bottom. If the edge opposite the stickers has an earpiece hole (ala iPhone), cut straight across inward of the hole so you have one solid piece with no hole. I used a paper cutter to be sure I had cuts that were square but scissors are OK if you are careful.

(3) Turn the phone over so the camera is pointing up. Align the edge of the protector opposite the pull-offs against one of the long edges of the camera glass. Align it such that the protector is on the inside edge of the glass touching the metal ring but flush against the glass. That way you will not have to cut that side. With the "2" sticker still pointing up, write the word "UP" on the protector so that it is about in the middle of the camera glass. You need a reference and you'll peel that top piece off later so it doesn't matter if you write on it.

(4) With a fine point Sharpie or other marker, mark around the three remaining edges. You can see the metal ring under the protector. Just hold the protector as straight as you can and trace around the inside edge of the glass so that the inside edge of your mark aligns very closely with the inside edge of the glass where the glass meets the metal ring. When you're done, it'll look something like this: (___)

(5) Carefully cut on the inside edge of the lines you made to make a shape the same as the glass. Before pulling off any pull-offs, lay the cut piece on the glass to be sure it can lay flat. I had to trim the corners manually a couple times to get just a tiny space between the glass and the metal ring to be sure it would lay flat. When you're done cutting, if you matched inside edge (of the mark) to inside edge (where glass meets metal ring), none of your markings should be visible on the cut piece when you are done. At this point, since you've matched up the size and you won't need to touch the glass any more to align or mess with things, clean the camera glass thoroughly: dust creates bubbles!

(6) On one of the two short edges, attach two strips of narrow scotch/clear tape: one on the top and one on the bottom of the short side. Align them so that the two pieces don't overlap: else they will stick together. So one piece should be against one edge on the top, and the other piece should be against the other edge on the bottom. These are now your new "1" and "2" pull-offs. Why not just use the existing pull-offs? Because it's easier to see, mark, and cut on a "virgin" edge with no pull-offs in the way and also because, when you're done, you still have a good piece of protector film that still has the original pull-offs on it in case you want to make more like this.

(7) With your word "UP" facing up, hold onto the top piece of tape while pulling gently down and inward on the bottom piece to peel off the bottom pull-off sheet. Make sure you are peeling only the bottom layer and not the top two: the bottom layer should be the thinnest when it peels.

(8) Now you should be holding the protector from the top pull-off (your tape) and the bottom part of the protector that contacts the glass is exposed. Be sure not to touch anything at this point but the piece of tape you are holding. While holding onto your top pull off and with the word "UP" facing up, gently lay the protector down onto the camera glass. When it looks aligned, simply drop the side that you are holding (with the tape) down and it should nearly instantly bond with the glass. No need to worry about bubbles or bending at this point due to the size of the protector. If it isn't straight, you should be able to still pull up on the top piece of tape and get the whole thing to pry up (both layers) and realign. If you want to do that, the key to pulling the whole set off together without peeling only one layer is to pull away and out (away from the center of the sheet). When you pull away and in, you'll peel one layer and you'll leave the protector itself on the glass.

(9) With a credit card or small piece of cardboard, work out any bubbles that might be present. Then once the protector has been pressed against the glass firmly, peel slowly up and inward on the top piece of tape. You should be able to peel the top pull-off free, leaving you with only the screen protector protecting the camera glass.

I like the Sprint gel case but it doesn't protect the camera glass. I do like the Otterbox which really protects the whole deal but it's expensive and just makes the phone too big for my taste. Here, at least I have some protection and if keys, a drop, or anything scratches the protector near one of the camera lenses, I can just peel off and repeat the above. The above seems long because I tried to cover all the details but it's really pretty easy.

Mike