News - Samsung GALAXY S III scheduled for May but may be released in April

[crossy]

[snipped] I never bought into all the hype and always use screen protectors on mine, sure it can look a bit scratched but whenever i want to i can take it off and replace for a brand new looking display, and the gorrila glass does it job of being stronger from inpacts

I'm with you 100% on that. My youngest kid managed to drop my X10 about 4ft face down onto a driveway made of red chippings. Needless to say there was a nice inch long gouge on the screen.

Luckily I was clever enough to use a mirror screen protector (they're a bit thicker than the normal variety) and a silicone case. So once I changed the protector for a new one there was no sign of any damage (the screen underneath wasn't cracked or scratched). So if I do get an S3 then I'll definitely be looking for a decent case+screen protector combo - even if Corning's claims for Gorilla Glass are true then I'm guaranteeing that I can replace a scratched screen protector a lot cheaper than a damaged screen!

[TooNice]

Hmm, how's the texture of that screen protector? I have an invisibleSHIELD on my 2G iPhone and while I can live with the fact that it's not really "invisible", I absolutely hate the texture (it's nowhere as smooth as the screen without it). Since I do not really mind my devices not looking mint forever (it's not for show and by the time I am done with a device, it's usually so obsolete that I can't be bothered selling it off), I was considering just leaving the screen "naked" (or maybe just a d3o bumper - truth is I don't think that I've dropped my iPhone in the first 2 years of ownership and only subconsciously started dropping it lately to give me an excuse to upgrade).

Edit: I love how that visibleSHIELD mentioned earlier get ad-linked to their webpage when I pretty much disapprove of the product

[crossy]

Hmm, how's the texture of that screen protector? I have an invisibleSHIELD on my 2G iPhone and while I can live with the fact that it's not really "invisible", I absolutely hate the texture (it's nowhere as smooth as the screen without it).

The one I've got is a g5online one I got from eBay (great price for a pack of 5 when I bought them). Texture wise I don't think I've got much to complain about - it's not glass-smooth, but certainly as "good" as the screen on a cheap feature phone (e.g. Nokia 2330 Classic) - not that I go around stroking the screens of phone's...

Protection is first rate, and it's certainly shiny enough to be used as a mirror. Doesn't seem to cut the viewing angles that much, although the reflections and a moire-type pattern that appears can make "extreme" viewing angles a bit uncomfortable.

Disadvantages are pretty obvious - if the sun catches it while it's in a car holder then you can't read the screen because of the reflections. Also, I wouldn't recommend this protector if you're in the habit of wearing sunglasses - the screen image is really, really dim. Like I said, pretty obvious drawbacks.

Biggest problem though is that g5online seem to have dropped this product line - now only doing a limited selection of non-mirrored protectors. With that in mind, there's a pair of FoliX mirror protectors on order for the Arc S we've got in the house - so it'll be interesting to see how they stack up against the G5's.