Toshiba Thrive Screen Protector for 10-Inch Tablet (PA1496U-1TSP)

I purchased this screen protector for my Toshiba Thrive tablet. I had read other customer reviews before buying this product and weighed the pros and cons appropriately. When I opened the package I noticed that someone at Toshiba cannot count since there was 3 protectors inside and not the 2 advertised. While I saw this as a nice bonus, Toshiba may want to utilize some better Q/A supervisors. I read multiple reviews citing difficulty with placement of the protector on the device. All I can say is that every screen protector is a complete pain to install no matter what the brand or device. Main point to remember when installing is to make sure the screen is completely free of dirt, fingerprints, lint, etc. The enclosed cloths worked nicely for this. I found this protector easier to install by keeping the device horizontal and not vertical. Working from the top down, I had issues with lining up the sides of the protector to the screen that left large bubbles. Working from the side, with the camera positioned to the right, allowed me to line up the sides and the camera cut out perfectly while still getting 97% of the bubbles out. There is still a few small bubbles, but that is not a deal breaker for me. Total install time was about 45 mins. My best advice is if you don't want the hassle of installing the protector yourself, pay a professional or have a knowledgeable friend to help you out.

I ordered this when I bought the Thrive to make sure that their are no issues with the screen from day one. Upon receipt the material is a stiff plastic that appears to be similar materials I have purchsed to protect my cellphones over the years. I am a veteran of screen saver installs, so I'm familiar (unfortunately) with some of the pitfalls If that turns out to be the case, I would expect no more than 2 months of service until I have to replace it due to scratches to the service from normal day to day use. The good news is that the package does include a second screen saver. Nothing beats the material used by Zagg though and I will most likely end up ordering one of those when they become available. In all fairness, I just installed this yesterday so I haven't had a chance to really test it but will update this post after I have used it for a while.UpdateIt's durable. I tried to remove it put on a Zagg but it wasn't budging very easily, so I kept it on and it's still good.

the first protector I placed on my tablet was very difficult and did not fully seal, then two days after getting it I had to send it back to Toshiba for repair, they removed the screen protector, put it back on with air pockets then put another over the top so my screen looked cracked by the time it returned to me. So I went to put my second replacement protector on, it would not stick worth a crap, kept pulling off during the thir step of the process which is the same thing that happened with phone screen protectors I have purchased through this site. It is very disappointing.

I did a lot of research, including a hands on experience at a local retailer, before deciding which tablet was the best. I purchased the Thrive because it checks off all the boxes for a great tablet and I am not disappointed in the least. This tablet was panned by some critics for not having 3g capability but they were speaking from a limited perspective. Most tablet users would probably experience a better tablet useage without 3g because 3g would only appeal to the business traveler. Otherwise the Wi-Fi is quicker, smoother and no hassle with dropped connections. The only downside is the lack of "good" android applications but that is common to all android systems. There are plenty of android apps but mist of them are the pits. I love my Toshiba Thive - it's the best!

* Easy to follow instructions:Not sure what the other 1 star reviewer was talking about, something about cheap instruction stickers that are directly on the protective screen(film), ruining the protective film when she tried to remove it. Just like another reviewer had stated, each film has a clear mask on each side when it is new, and yes, they look like cheap instruction stickers on the mask, but they are on the mask and NOT on the actual protective film. On the masks, one side says "Step 1, clean tablet before applying film", on that same side of the mask, another sticker says "peel off this mask before applying the film". Once you are done applying the film properly onto the screen, the mask on the other side of the film says "peel off this mask AFTER film is positioned correctly". Anyway, the instructions were very easy to follow.* ThicknessIt is 0.13 mm thick, feels thick, should help with accidental scratching.* ProblemI did run into a problem, when trying to put on the first film. I cleaned the screen as instructed, I only applied about 2 inches of the film, using the smoothing card to remove the bubbles, then noticed a single bubble that would not go away, right below the camera, looked like there was a tiny speck of dirt under the film, causing the bubble, I pulled the film off and checked the film and screen, there was nothing visible, so I tried putting the film back on, same issue, got frustrated and crumbled the film and threw it out. Grabbed the second film, same exact problem, got frustrated and threw that out. So I decided to use the tablet without a screen protector. I did whip the screen by breathing on it and using your typical bath towel, without any scratches. So far, the tablet screen seems as durable as the screen on the iPod, which I never used a screen protector, and I whip the hell out of it with my shirt for over a year, without a single scratch. Oh well, wasted money on this, but it is not the product's fault, as far as I can tell. Since I've never had a screen protector on my iPod and I let my 4 yr old son play with it, since he was about 2.5 yrs old, and there is not a single scratch, I bought these for the tablet, mainly out of paranoia, just because of the brand new item mentality, kind of like having a brand new car, where you will baby the hell out of it at first.* Star RatingI'm giving this a 4 star, because I cannot say that I'm 100% sure that the problem was with the brand new screen protectors or not, since I was unable to see that single speck of dirt that may had been on the screen.UPDATE 4/24/2013I've been using it without a screen protector for all this time, just cleaning it with baby wipes and a tower to wipe off the streaks, no scratches at all, still looks like new!