Like any other portable mobile device, the iPad is often exposed to various external influences. This is especially true when you use it outside of your home or office. Accidental impacts, rain splashes, touching the screen with hard sharp objects, finally falling... All this can easily damage your expensive tablet, or even completely disable it.

However, as in the case with mobile phones, laptops and netbooks, the manufacturers instantly got their bearings, and a huge number of a wide variety of covers and bags for iPAD appeared on the market, first the first, and then the second.

The range of covers for these tablets today is striking in its scale. At the same time, users can choose not only by price and appearance cover, but also by the type, method and level of protection of the device from external influences.

In this article, I would like to tell you about such protection options, and of a very different type.

Let's start with the most basic...

Protective films

But many appreciate the ability Smart Cover Turn iPad 2 on and off when you open and close it.

Personally, I made a cover myself, according to the samples of folders with a cover, like a Smart Cover overlay. I end up folding the lid into a triangle and placing the iPad in an elevated position for typing or surfing the web while sitting at my desk. Lying on the sofa, I simply straighten the "lid", consisting of three segments, along the back wall of the cover, fixing it with a regular "Velcro".

Almost the same, only leather and on magnets, you can buy a cover. Its price is from 25 to 70 USD. There are more expensive ones, made of genuine leather, but this is already more than 100 USD.

One thing is clear: it is worth protecting an expensive gadget from damage, but how exactly and within what budget, keeping within, this is only your decision.

The screen of any tablet needs protection. Even if you treat it very carefully, small particles from the air can leave microscopic damage on the surface of the screen glass. The protective film should prevent damage to the screen surface as well as to the outside of the webcam. Many people cannot stick the film on their own. Air bubbles remain under it, folds form. Remember the simple rules, and they will help you protect your tablet from unwanted scratches on your own.

How to stick a film on a tablet? Stages of work

Take it step by step, without succumbing to excitement:

• clear the screen;
• place the tablet on a flat surface;
• use a ruler or plastic card to press down on the film;
• carefully attach the film to the very edge. Lead it, applying it to the screen, gradually, taking steps of 1-1.5 cm.

It is necessary to evaluate the result. If it suits you, you can safely remove the top layer of the protective film.

Important Points

There are a few points that must be taken into account before sticking a film on a tablet. There are many films for tablets on sale. There are original products from the manufacturer and their cheaper counterparts. It is desirable to give preference to high-quality films, then the gluing process will take place without any problems. Surface preparation is the most important step. The screen must be thoroughly degreased with a special spray and a fiber cloth. Dust particles can be removed with adhesive tape. In addition to the screen, it is very important to degrease your fingertips by washing your hands thoroughly. Pick the film exactly to size, cutting it exactly at home is much more difficult. Do not separate the entire film, remove only the unnecessary part of the protection. Dust from the air can accidentally get under the film, leaving unsightly marks.

How not to spoil the tablet?

In case of failure, the film can be removed, washed with water, dried and tried again to stick to the screen. There are also film models that allow you to remove bubbles without piercing them. If dust has penetrated, peel off the film and remove the particles with adhesive tape. Many advise, before sticking the film on the tablet, clean the screen surface from dust with water. This is not worth doing. The process of a certain dexterity, otherwise the tablet can be ruined. A special liquid or spray for cleaning monitors and screens degreases much better than water. Choose a composition that does not leave streaks. You can use a can of compressed air to remove dust particles from the screen. Sometimes, before sticking the film on the tablet, it needs to be cut. You can do this carefully with sharp scissors, after cutting out the exact screen template from thick paper. Try not to delaminate the edges ahead of time, otherwise a significant part of the film will be damaged.

How to choose a film?

Many facts speak in favor of the original film. The precisely sized film will protect not only the screen, but also the webcam, leaving the speakers and microphone exposed. This will significantly increase the life of the tablet and will not affect the usability. Inexpensive analogues are quite numerous, it is problematic to evaluate their quality. When thinking about whether a film is needed on a tablet, it is necessary to determine its type. The degree of protection also depends on the type of film:

• Glossy - ideally transmit light and do not darken the screen of the tablet, they will protect against tiny scratches and defects.
• Matte films are convenient to use in sunny weather and in summer.
• There are also shockproof films that are slightly thicker than usual.
• Mirror films will give the screen a special glamor without degrading the image quality.

Now you know how to stick a film on a tablet. Protect everything mobile devices easy, it just takes a little patience. Prepare for the process as an important operation, and you are guaranteed success.

Getting rid of scratches is a figurative expression. Small and medium scratches are no longer visible due to the fact that during polishing the sharp edges of the scratches are ground and grinded. The middle of the scratch is filled with the material that has been ground off and fixed there.

As a result, the scratch becomes practically invisible to the human eye, because we will not see the “funnel” itself, i.e. scratch, and reflective edges. And this is what a scratch looks like before and after polishing, when viewed through special equipment.

Important!

1. If the screen/tablet is new, do not bother removing scratches. Light scratches and scuffs are perfectly hidden by the anti-reflective protective film. The film should be exactly matte, not glossy, and with a low transparency threshold (the more transparent the film, the more noticeable the scratches).
2. If there is an oleophobic coating on the screen of your tablet, when polishing any by the method proposed in the article, this coating will be erased! What does it mean? The screen will become slightly “cloudy”, ie. matte, there will be no glossy finish on which a finger slides easily. There will also be fingerprints, as on ordinary screens.
3. The author of the article and the site administration disclaim any responsibility for the incorrect actions of readers, which can cause wasted time, loss of the oleophobic coating or the appearance of new scuffs and streaks on the screen. Those. If you mess up, it's your own fault ;)

1. Remove scratches from unprotected screens

All the methods described below are suitable for polishing scuffs, small and medium scratches.

You can polish an unprotected screen without much difficulty, just like scratching it. There are several effective polishing agents, which one you choose is up to you.

1.1 Pasta GOI

The ideal tool in terms of availability / efficiency is the GOI paste known to many jewelers.

This green goo can be sold in such round boxes or immediately in cubes. We apply a little paste on a microfiber cloth or cotton napkin, and three on the screen. It is not necessary to press the screen very hard, you need to rub without fanaticism, otherwise you will wipe the hole. There is no need to rush anywhere, you can take breaks. Depending on the nature and depth of the scratches, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Periodically look at the area you are polishing to see the result. When you get rid of scratches, wipe the screen with another microfiber cloth, only dry and clean, to get rid of the paste on the screen. You also need to wash your hands - after all, this is chemistry.

1.2 Polishing pastes (for rims, cars, etc.)

For very small scratches and light scuffs, various polishes (Displex, Dursol and the like) will do well. With the help of them, you can not only polish the scratches, but also “refresh” the display, giving it a factory shine. Before you start polishing the tablet display, practice on an old discarded smartphone or phone, or on an unwanted scratched CD / DVD.

The principle of using polish is simple:

• We seal the connectors and speakers with tape so that the paste does not get there;
• We apply polish on a cotton napkin or cotton pad, and gently rub it over the screen. Usually it is not necessary to polish for a long time, a few minutes;
• Wipe off the paste, look at the result, if scratches remain, repeat the procedure again, applying a little more effort during friction.

1.3 Toothpaste

On extreme case, if you can’t get any polishes or GOI pastes, you can use toothpaste, and even better tooth powder (wet naturally). Do not use gel or whitening paste, take the most common one. We put it on a soft cloth, rub it, check the result, and rub it again. Do not forget to close the connectors from the paste. You should also understand that toothpaste is powerless against serious scratches. Also, it will not be superfluous to practice on the disk.

2. For tablets with a protected screen (Gorilla Glass)

Suitable for tempered glass screens and for polishing very deep scratches.

Tempered glass is also prone to scratches. For example, you managed not to leave marks on the screen from a nail. But quite real scratches may appear after exposure to hard and small particles, such as sand, on the glass. Means applicable to unprotected screens are not suitable for tempered glass - after all, if there is resistance to damage, then Gorilla Glass will definitely cope with rubbing the screen with toothpaste, and the maximum effect that you get is a tablet that smells of toothpaste, and all the scratches will remain in place. Therefore, it is necessary to use more “hard” methods.

If you have one small scratch on the Gorilla Glass screen, leave it alone. Apply a protective film, or forget about a scratch. If you start polishing, you can say goodbye to the oleophobic coating, i.e. you will only ruin expensive glass. Another thing is that the screen will be very scratched, and you will have a choice - to replace the screen (it will cost a penny), or to polish it. If you ruin such a screen, then at least it will not be a pity, because they were going to replace it anyway.

2.1 Grinder + GOI paste

The advantage of a grinder over human hands is that it has faster revolutions. If you don't have a grinder, you can use a drill.

We make a polishing wheel (roller) using a sponge and a microfiber cloth. We apply GOI paste, and work at low speeds. We are not in a hurry, we do everything gradually, we look at the result. We do not stay long in one area so as not to overheat the glass.

2.2 Fine sandpaper

This method is suitable only for the most accurate, as well as those who have “straight hands”. Training on other surfaces is also required.

• You need to find the finest abrasive paper, with a grit of 4000.
• Further, by analogy with the previous paragraph, it is necessary to build a polishing roller, only we will polish not with GOI paste, but with fine-grained sandpaper.
• You need to work at low speeds, and check the result very often.

After processing the screen with sandpaper, it will become very dull, dull. To add shine and freshness to it, use GOI paste or polish. In the end, you need to wipe the screen with a clean and dry microfiber.

Many are familiar with the problem of a broken tablet display. According to statistics, 50% of users have smashed the screen of their gadget at least once. Moreover, a whole glass on an actively used device that is more than two years old is a rather rare occurrence. Tablets fall, break, are crushed, small cracks grow larger over time and turn into chips, and even Newest technologies the manufacture of screens, which are so actively advertised by manufacturers, do not always save. But displays not only break, they also scratch. Of course, this kind of damage helps protective film but it is not always effective. In addition, users often do not stick the film, as it is not pleasant to the touch, dust gets under it, it moves away at the edges.

To protect the tablet display, there is a more effective tool - protective glass. It sticks in a film-like way and helps protect the screen not only from scratches, but also from cracks and chips. It is made of tempered glass, processed with special substances, which makes it stronger. In terms of thickness, protective glass is on average 2.5 - 3 times thicker than the film.

Protective glass consists of five special layers, each of which performs its function. The silicone layer helps to securely stick the protective glass to the screen. The retaining layer is responsible for ensuring that the glass does not crumble upon impact, and the crack does not go further. The anti-reflective layer helps keep the brightness on a sunny day. The protective layer protects the display from chips and scratches. The oleophobic layer prevents moisture from penetrating inside, and also protects the surface from grease. However, not all protective glass models have all five layers.

What is the difference between protective glasses for tablets

Tablet model

The most important thing to start with when choosing a protective glass is the selection of models that are suitable specifically for your tablet. After all, all gadgets differ in screen size, location of speakers, microphone, front camera, additional buttons. If you stick the wrong glass, at best you will stick the speaker, camera or button. And at worst, the glass will be larger or smaller than the screen. In this case, it should be borne in mind that it is impossible to cut the protective glass in any case - in this way you will violate its structure and, consequently, its strength.

Types of glasses

Protective glasses come in three types: glossy, matte and private coating.

Glossy glass transmits the image most accurately, does not reduce brightness, it is almost not noticeable on the tablet.

The matte coating slightly distorts the image, but it copes well with glare on the screen - the picture does not fade in bright sunlight. Therefore, such glass is recommended for those who spend a lot of time outdoors.

Private coverage is suitable for those who do not like other people to see what is displayed on the screen of the tablet. Its peculiarity is that it darkens the screen at an oblique angle - you can only see the display image at a right angle. If you travel every day in transport or often view secret information, then this option will suit you.

Glass thickness

Modern glasses are from 0.15 to 1 mm thick. The thicker the glass, the stronger it is. But it is also heavier and larger, which becomes noticeable on the tablet. Therefore, it is better to stick to the golden mean - the most popular glasses have a thickness of 0.28 to 0.5 mm.

Glass strength

Protective glasses have different strengths. But keep in mind that the stronger they are, the less flexible. Models with high strength protect against direct impacts, while low strength allows the glass to respond better to end impacts. Therefore, in this parameter it is better to adhere to the average indicator - 9N.

Coating type

There are anti-reflective and oleophobic coatings.

The anti-reflective coating resists glare and maintains image brightness, contrast and clarity.

Oleophobic - a coating of nanometer thickness that repels fats from the glass surface. It also makes it easier to slide your finger across the screen.

2.5D processing

Glass with 2.5D processing has beveled ends with additional hardening. This makes it almost invisible both in appearance and to the touch.

Criterias of choice

As mentioned above, the main thing you need to pay attention to when choosing a protective glass is the tablet model. The remaining parameters are determined by how and where you will use the tablet with a protective glass.

For those who spend most of their time outdoors, suitable