[AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note I717] panyan:
4.0 GLAS.t Premium Tempered Glass Screen Protector

N7000: http://www.spigen.com/cell-phone/sa...tor-glas-t-premium-tempered-glass-series.html

I717: http://www.spigen.com/cell-phone/sa...tor-glas-t-premium-tempered-glass-series.html

Make sure that you order the correct one because there is a physical difference between the two (home buttons are different)

Also, there is a $5 difference between them which I imagine is because the N7000 needs more machining for the home button cut-out

4.1 Overview

The tempered glass screen protector is something of a novel idea and I really wanted to try it. The plastic screen protectors that you can get are only really useful against scratches – if you drop the device, the screen will still shatter.

Now, I am not ruthless enough to fit the protector and then go and drop my device, screen-down, to see if the screen protector stops my device’s screen from cracking – youll have to jump onto youtube for that :p

In the package, you get the protector itself, an alcohol swap for cleaning (NOT Dutch Courage :p), a squeegee, a microfiber cloth and an authentication card

One comment that I read on XDA was someone who questioned whether having the Glas.t meant they had to also use a normal screen protector ontop of it. My answer is: NO – this should provide incredible protection by itself – and I feel it does.

4.2 Installation

Installation of the Glas.t was very nerve wracking – you are holding a $40 piece of tempered glass and just one single piece of dust can ruin the whole event – and you don’t have a spare.

My advice is to run a hot shower/bath, let the room fill with steam, stop the water running, let the steam settle down, hold the screen protector like you hold your device when watching a movie and slowly lower it down

You can slightly adjust the protector if it is a millimetre out – and then push it down and watch as the protector works out all the air and bonds to your devices screen – AH SWEET RELIEF! :fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed:

Notice that the protector has such good clarity that dont even need to cut out a hole for the front facing camera

4.3 In Use

This screen protector is unlike any I have ever used. I have used the El Cheapo $1 ones, I have used more expensive SGP ones, but this beats the lot hands down!

The protector is SSSSOOOOO SMOOTH – it is exactly like your touching the devices screen!

Not only that but there are no fingerprints at all – I have been using SGP’s STEINHEIL ULTRA CRYSTAL for the past 4 months and it smudges… badly – but the Glas.t has a oleophobic coating which stops all that.

One thing that you do need to get used to is the home button is a lot deeper than it once was – the protector may only be 0.4mm but the home button feels much more recessed.

It isn’t a problem, but it would have been nice for SGP to include that bit of glass they cut out (N7000 only) so that we could choose whether to stick it onto our home buttons, after all, the N7000 version is $5 more.

(bare in mind the Iphone version gets lots of cool colored home buttons to choose from as well)

In terms of actual hardness, the Glas.t has the same hardness as Gorilla Glass (a 9 on the Mohrs hardness scale) but i know id much rather give $40 for Glas.t than $150+ for a device screen replacement!

When using the device, the responsiveness, colours and general usage is exactly as if you had no protector on at all – it is really fantastic!

The edges of the glass are not sharp, but I would recommend that you use the device with a case as you don’t want to chip it

4.4 Conclusion

The Glas.t is a very impressive product, it has really changed my opinions on screen protectors

Pros:

-	Anti fingerprint coating

-	Rivals Gorilla Glass’s hardness

-	Colours/clarity are excellent

-	Very smooth

-	Protects front camera too

Cons:

-	One shot installation

-	Cant be reused

-	Home button feels a bit deep

-	Expensive considering there is no spare in case of a bad installation

The Glas.t is a product that I really love, it provides more protection than a normal screen protector, but doesn’t succumb to any of the limitations.

What I would like to see, however, is SGP include the bit of glass they cut out for the home button because for the extra $5, N7000 users aren’t getting anything more.