Screen Protector Choices

Over the past ten years or so I have had the chance to use pretty much every screen protector on the market. In the end, each protector only has two main differences, material used and the cut of the protector. The key to finding your perfect protector is finding out what type of material you like best and who offers the best cut for your personal device.

Materials

There are really only three main screen protector materials used in today’s market. I am going to list them in the order they were released to market.

• The first type of protector are the oldest ones available. They are offered by companies like Fellowes and come in packs of 10 or 20. They are very thin sticky films that have to be custom cut for your device. These protectors are still around today and they offer protection for your screen but they have to be changed every few weeks due how easy they scratch. They are also harder to remove due to the sticky adhesive used.
• The next type of protector to come out has two versions. These protectors are often advertised in a “Crystal Clear” and “Anti-Glare” models.  I am going to call them PET protectors due to the PET coating used on them. These protectors are slightly thicker than the previous models, offer much better scratch protection, and leave no adhesive behind. They are also more rigid then the previous type. Popular sellers of these protectors include Boxwave, Martin Fields, and JavoEdge. These protectors are the clearest protectors you can buy if you purchase the “Crystal Clear” version. The “Anti-Glare” version features a somewhat hazy coating that prevents glare but decreases visibility. These protectors are often sold on Ebay under the headings of PET Screen Protector, Japanese Screen Protector, and 99% Clear Screen Protectors. These protectors are applied dried with a card to smooth the protector during installation.
• The most recent type of material on the market are the slightly thicker urethane based films made popular by Zagg, BodyGuardz, and BestSkinsEver. These skins are more durable than the PET based protectors but visibility is not quite as good and they are known for their “Orange Peel” finish.  These protectors are much more flexible than the PET protector and are often advertised as Full Body skins.  These protectors are often applied with water or a special “solution” which is often water mixed with a small amount of detergent.

Cut

Once a manufacture have a material the only difference between them and another company is their cut. When choosing a screen protector it is often best to look at reviews to see who offers the best cut for your device. Each cut is going to be slightly different. However if you are shopping on Ebay you will notice most PET screen protectors all have the same cut. Most of these protectors are coming from one or two factories in Asia.

Conclusion

Personally I use the PET based protectors. They offer the best clarity and ease of installation. I have tried multiple urethane based products in the past but the look and finish of the “Orange Peel” is somewhat unsightly. My devices usually have a PET protector and either a hard rubberized plastic case or a silicone rubber case. I have found this combination works best for me.

SQL Reporting Services Fails with “The Extension is not available to users.”

If you are unable to access your SQL Reporting web site and you receive the error below in the Windows Application Event Log simply restart IIS to resolve.

The Windows extension failed to read its confiuration settings from the RSReportServer.config file. The extension is not available to users.

How to Resolve “The Remote name could not be resolved:” When Connecting to Local SQL Reporting Services

If you have modified your machine name you may receive the error “Cannot connect to XXXXX”. “The remote name could not be resolved: ‘oldcomputername’ (Microsoft SqlServer.Management UI RSClient)”.

To resolve you need to edit reportserver.config. By default this file is at  C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.3\Reporting Services\ReportServer\. Do a search for the old computer name and replace with with the current computer name or “localhost”.

Tech Tip: Integrating a Sharepoint Document Library into Outlook 2007

If you reference a Sharepoint document library often I have found it very handy to integrate the library into Outlook. By doing this you will have easier and quicker access to the documents inside the library. This will also let you access the library when offline.

• The first step is to have Outlook 2007 open and browse to your document library.
• In the library go to Actions, Connect to Outlook.

• Click on Advanced to update the name of the connection. If you use Outlook on multiple computers you have the choice of only displaying the list on the current computer.

• Click OK and the library will now appear in the Sharepoint Lists folder in Outlook.

Palm Pre: First Impressions

My very first mobile device was a Palm IIIxe. I then moved on to a variaty of Palms including a V, VII, Treo 300, Treo 600, Treo 650, Treo 680, and a number of Centros. Palm OS was my first love in the smartphone world. Palm will always have a special place in my heart. It was simple, kept me organized, and it was easy to use. Over the past few years Palm OS has become outdated in looks and functionallity. I was lured away by promises of high-res screens, WiFi,  and 3G on other devices like Windows Mobile, Android OS, and the iPhone. Palm has finally come out with a successor to PalmOS, and it is great.

• Look and Feel – When I first walked into the Sprint store and saw the Pre I was stunned by it’s size and shape. The device is extremely small and looks amazing. I don’t think the pictures on the web do it justice. If you haven’t seen it in person yet you owe it to yourself to check one out in a store.
• Screen – The screen is stunning. Much better than any Windows Mobile device that I have used and better then the G1 screen. I say it is on par with the iPhone display.
• Build Quality – Reading the forums on TreoCentral.com had me a little worried about the quality of the build. True, the slider has some play but it is nothing like the G1.
• Battery – I have had no issues with the Pre battery. It is much better than the G1 battery and gets me through a day.
• Web OS – So far I love it. Easy to use, snappy, and beautiful.
• Classic – I will be using Classic extensively. I haven’t had much time to test it yet but I will post an update later on.

In the end Palm is back with the Pre. It feels great to have anothe modern Palm product in my hand again.