Since the advent of the LCD screen, one
of the traditional commandments has always been never to touch the
surface. Contact with the screen can distort images, ruin pixels and
wear out a pristine monitor quickly. This still applies to standard
desktop and laptop monitors, so if you like to take the hands-on
approach in your computing affairs, stop reading and get a screen protector pronto.
As we proceed into the age of
smartphones and touchpads, those of us used to the “no touching”
rule find ourselves in a foreign, backwards world where touching the
screen is not only acceptable, it appears to be necessary to use the
device. All the new toys use capacitive screens, which require
something conductive in order to work... such as a human finger. It's
madness, I tell you.
Capacitive screens are protected from
the aforementioned dangers, of course, but that doesn't mean it's
always pleasant to use fingers to touch them. Screen smudging is an
issue, fingers may not always be clean and jobs may demand a stylus
for better accuracy. Most PDA styli don't work since they aren't
conductive. It's a problem that had gotten so bad that folks in South
Korea started using sausages
once they discovered, through what had to be some fantastic trial &
error experimentation, that they somehow worked. Thankfully, Targus
has a conductive stylus on the market now.
Making a conductive stylus is more
complex, so they aren't cheap and only recommended for those who
either need the accuracy of a stylus or dislike sausage.
If you're only worried about screen
smudging or just can't stand the thought of making direct contact
with an LCD screen, try 3M's Screen Protector Film. It can be cut to
the size of your phone and reduces smudging while keeping
the device fully functional. You can feel better touching this with
your fingers or, if you still prefer, your favorite encased meat.
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