Develop Bugs

scratched my uni after only 3 months of ownership :(

I was wiping the screen this morning and when I looked at the screen I noticed there were several tiny scratches. I think a tiny bit of grit was on the microfibre cloth I used. I decided to get the crystal clear protector bundle from boxware which incudes a two piece silicone cover for the uni as well. does anyone have any experience with this brand of screen protector? would this also stop the existing scratches from showing up? one is a rather nasty one which is about 1cm long and can be seen where the light refracts oddly. thanks in advance.
Bump:
i decided to take matters into my own hands. i use brasso to polish my ipod every few months when the scratches become too annoying. Now if brasso works with soft perspex, it should work with the polycarbonate layer that protects the touch sensitive screen. Before I begin with the details, the usual disclaimers apply; This is for your information only, if you attempt to carry out what is described, you do so at your own risk. I am in no way encouraging nor persuading anyone to do this. Now on to the good stuff.
IUnfortunately I have no pictures as I didn't really think much about it.
First make sure you have the following:
1) Brasso
2) microfiber cloth (buffing)
3) a wad of soft cotton cloth with small weave
4) Quite a bit of free time (90 minutes?)
Switching the unit off is no necessary, you just have to make sure that the touch screen is not active that's all. If possible, fold the wad of cotton once or twice, this helps you keep rubbing for longer periods without drying up. Hold it over the mouth of the bottle and tip the bottle once or twice, depending on how absorbant the cotton is. Do NOT saturate it. Start rubbing over the scratch with MILD pressure, back and forth along one axis; perpendicular to the scratch usually works best; do NOT use a circular motion. The reason for using a cloth with small weave is because I found the hardware that the bigger the weave is, the more prone one might be to create more scratches than he removes. The mild pressure used also helps with this, along with the fact that too much pressure may result in a cracked touch screen. You will inevitably get some brasso around the edges and on the plastic as well. Atleast on my O2 XDA Exec, this was not an issue, although I did take care to wipe up the excess on the plastic fairly quickly, every minute or so. Take care not to let the brasso cake up; this shouldn't happen with you're rubbing constantly and the gunk has no time to settle. If this happens DO NOT start rubbing over it again, even with a freshly soaked rag as the caked up brasso is just too abrasive and WILL cause scratches. In case this happens (and it will, if you go to the loo or to get a cup of tea), simply wipe it off gently using the microfiber cloth and pick up where you left off. I stopped maybe three times and wiped the screen completely clean to see how much progress I've made. A few points to remember are :
1) Use mild pressure
2) NEVER use a circular motion when rubbing
3) Clean off any excess gunk on the plastic as soon as you see it
The final result should be pretty good elimination of the scratches. I dunno how this would rate against other scratch removers, but with my ipod nothing worked better for the price, not even displex or applesauce.

Help fixing a scratch/paint chip

I got a small scratch/paint chip on the black plastic near the usb port does anyone have any ideas on how I can fix this? I was thinking of using black nail polish.
Any other ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Couple questions: is it on the rim of the charging port? I got one from removing my charge cable at an angle and it twisted and gouged the plastic on the way out, which leads me to my next question, is it deep? Like is it superficial or is it more like missing the gloss finish and possibly some plastic?
A usful product to have for glossy finishes is Displex, it works amazing on this phone. I am incredibly anal about high gloss finishes and blemishes showing up on them, even if i can only see them in direct sunlight. If you use this product with a cotton swab and gently but firmly rub in a circular pattern the scratches will go away very quickly, if you do it too much or too forcefully you may cause a bit of a clouding effect you can notice in strong light, so just do it for about 30 seconds and wipe it clean with a micro fiber cloth and do a little more, you should need a pea sided drop altogether, this will last for quite a while, just make sure you squeese the tube up and down to kind of mix it if it's been sitting a while. If the blemish is more of a gouge and not a fine scratch then this wont work as well, what it does is polishes the edges of the scratch down and fills in the bottom of the scratch with what's being polished smooth, so it works wonders for small problems, with larger issues you'll end up with a smooth ripple in the plastic as it will wear the hard edges down but obviously won't rebuild what's missing. I was reluctant to use it on my captivate cause it didn't do squat to my htc pure, but it performed remarkably on my captivate, just be methodical about how you use it and when you're done and your scratch is gone to your satisfaction be sure to put a little(and I mean little) on your micro fiber cloth or incredibly soft rag and buff over the area back and forth in one direction, for me that helped eliminate any cloudy effect and polish it back to a brand new phone shine. Just go into Google shopping and search for Displex, it's very inexpensive.

Sorry to repost so quickly but I forgot to mention about the nail polish, you can test it out but if it doesn't work I would be reluctant to use nail polish remover anywhere near the plastic on my captivate as it usually contains acetone which destroys plastic finishes usually, just put a drop on the surface of a cd, if it doesn't bother it you're probably ok, but I would still be reluctant. I'm a painter and have a lot of experience with solvents. The other possible issues with nail polish is it might not grip the phone well and depending on how thick it's applied might actually just pop off when it dries to be really hard. I tried it on my Fuze and it wouldn't cling to it at all; it also left a nasty seam and was just as bad of an eyesore as without it there, acrylic paints are easier to work with and dry very shiny but aren't always that hard, you'd need a type that mixes with a hardener as apposed to generic model paint, model paint takes considerable time to cure and wears down faster than the acrylic plastic of the phone.

Thanks for the advice my friend took a look at it and said its missing the gloss as the black finish came off and now there's a small white circle near the usb port.
I don't know how that happened as I always pocket the phone by itself and nothing else.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

You may want to still try that polish I mentioned, sometimes with hard plastics like this the nick gives it a powdery look that looks worse than it is, if it's still relatively smooth but is an ugly blemish then it will most likely polish out to a high shine again and the white spot may go away. I don't know the process Samsung used for manufacturing but I was under the impression that they were solid colored plastic possibly with a protective coating over that, if I'm right then that white you mentioned should polish out. Best of luck whatever you decide to do.

Naked case (vinyl and/or rubber battery cover) ??

OK - I've been using the ATT store Body Glove case since I bought the Captivate, which is ok but I don't really like the stripes on the back, and it is a bit too slippery for me.
I just ordered the Seidio case because it has more of a matte finish and I liked the felt interior. So I don't know if I like it or not.
A few minutes ago I took the phone out of it's case to dust it and clean out the case when I got a call. I was surprised at how slim the phone felt without it's Body Glove case on. I liked it. But I also found it a bit slippery. ( A speaker phone call was put on the arm of the chair I was in - with the case it would hold - without it slid away)
Now I am wondering if I should just use some skateboard tape or something similar on key areas to allow me to set it down and hold it comfortably (where it won't slip) instead of using a case. I don't use a screen protector and I don't think this phone needs it.
Any comments or suggestions?

Now that I've thought about it for a few minutes - I think what I want is a rubberized battery cover. That would be the bomb.

I don't use a case on mine and I've yet to get a single scratch on the front or back - the glass is very tough. I cringe at having to use a case, losing accuracy, clarity, and brightness on the screen and having to touch through that...having it hard to slip in and out of my pocket...not looking as nice. It's like if your wife made you use a condom every time.

just "paint" it with some Elmer's Rubber Cement. Im really kidding but I'm with you I like the feel of the phone and I hate the rubber case I got it makes it a pain to get in and out of the pocket. Personally I plan on selling this phone in a couple of months so I want it in good condition.

vsboxerboy1 said:
I don't use a case on mine and I've yet to get a single scratch on the front or back - the glass is very tough. I cringe at having to use a case, losing accuracy, clarity, and brightness on the screen and having to touch through that...having it hard to slip in and out of my pocket...not looking as nice. It's like if your wife made you use a condom every time.
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Agreed that the screen is fine on its own. But I still think the back needs some help.
Also, I do not like condoms. Neither do my wife and kids.

Ah, well I saw something a while back where someone basically took four little rubber/plastic stickers and put one on each corner of the back of the phone to lift the back up off whatever surface you set it on just a hair. I would imagine that you'd get good traction with that too - I can't seem to find the exact application of it though......

This thread is mostly me think out loud.
I believe that what I want is a rubberized battery cover.
The cover is slightly recessed - it is lower then the bottom locking section and the top section with the camera. It also wraps around the sides almost 1/2 of the way.
I think that if the battery cover were coated with a rubberized, non-slip material, it would be better. If the rubberization made the cover stick out slightly, rather than be recessed, it would allow the phone to be set on it's back and not slide away and keep the camera off the deck. Also, the wrap around side parts of the cover would help when holding the phone.
Now, can someone tell me of a place/process that might do this? (Not rubber cement but close) My pickup has a Rhino Lining coating that I love. There is a place nearby that does that work but the coating is like 1/8-1/4 inches and that is a bit to thick for the phone.
Any Ideas?

http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1150/Product/GUN_KOTE_trade__OVEN_CURE__GUN_FINISH
http://www.goboatingamerica.com/products/DM_article.asp?id=3645
Found these

Bought this stuff at Home Depot.

Then tested in on this beer can. I didn't clean or prep the can, just picked it up off of the floor.
This is 5 coats. It is still thin. Dries fast and feels just about how I'd like it to. Not tacky - sort of a hard rubber feel. It is flexible, the can bends and the stuff stays with it.
It can be scratched, you may be able to see a scratch I made with my nail. It didn't go all the way through to the can though - and I had to scratch hard. It looks like it would be easy to spray another coat over any scuffs.
I plan to do the back of the battery cover - thick enough to make it a bit taller than the top and bottom sections of the phone. The way it is going it seem like that may take 15+ coats. I'll keep testing.

Two things about that though, the battery cover is used not only as the speaker output but the battery cover itself also dissipates a good amount of the heat that the phone generates. You probably want to be a more careful than usual in designing something that is going to smother this part of the phone.

not sure how much you're looking to spend but I put the Zagg total protection on mine. You get full protection on your phone but you can't see it, so you still get the sleek look and it's still very thin as well. The clear plastic is also great for gripping, I can set it on the dash of my car and drive normally and it won't budge.

I've had good luck with bestskinsever.com
Used it on my Nexus One and the fit was good, buddy got one for his vibrant and the fit is good as well.

journeyman82 said:
not sure how much you're looking to spend but I put the Zagg total protection on mine. You get full protection on your phone but you can't see it, so you still get the sleek look and it's still very thin as well. The clear plastic is also great for gripping, I can set it on the dash of my car and drive normally and it won't budge.
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Click to collapse
Looks interesting. I wish they had the leather skin for the captivate. I would be all over that. In fact I may need to take a trip to the fabric store to see what they have.
Thanks.

Ok to finish up my saga...
I liked the faux leather on the cover mentioned in the post above so I went to the fabric store and ended up with some black, I believe they call it marbled vinyl. It looked and felt similar to the back of a blackberry I once held.
I tested it on my trusty Busch Light can with some 3M spray adhesive and it seemed to hold fairly well.
So I went for it. I taped off the inside and the prongs of the battery cover. Sprayed glue on the cover and the back of a piece of vinyl cut too big. Stuck it on and smoothed it out. I sat the cover on a bag of rice and and put a bag of brown sugar on top (to push around the curves) and topped it off with a gallon jug of tile grout.
Waited an hour, probably longer than needed, and used a pointy x-acto knife to trim off the excess. I had also put a piece of tape over the speaker holes so I cut that back open to. The underside of the vinyl has a white background so once it was trimmed to fit I went around the edges with a fine tipped sharpie, which blended well.
Overall I like it. It is just a bit thinker that the top and bottom bands, so if you lay her on her back those parts don't touch a flat table. It has a leathery, grippy feel without being tacky, which is what I was going for. I do already miss the front edge lip that the Body Golve provided but it is also almost it;s original thickness.
Pics below. (Sorry about the crappy last pic. I had the phone with new back all set up on a white surface, ready for it's glamor shot, when I realized that the phone is my camera)

Staplebox: great job!
Wow that is a nice, careful job.....

staplebox said:
Ok to finish up my saga...
I liked the faux leather on the cover mentioned in the post above so I went to the fabric store and ended up with some black, I believe they call it marbled vinyl. It looked and felt similar to the back of a blackberry I once held.
I tested it on my trusty Busch Light can with some 3M spray adhesive and it seemed to hold fairly well.
So I went for it. I taped off the inside and the prongs of the battery cover. Sprayed glue on the cover and the back of a piece of vinyl cut too big. Stuck it on and smoothed it out. I sat the cover on a bag of rice and and put a bag of brown sugar on top (to push around the curves) and topped it off with a gallon jug of tile grout.
Waited an hour, probably longer than needed, and used a pointy x-acto knife to trim off the excess. I had also put a piece of tape over the speaker holes so I cut that back open to. The underside of the vinyl has a white background so once it was trimmed to fit I went around the edges with a fine tipped sharpie, which blended well.
Overall I like it. It is just a bit thinker that the top and bottom bands, so if you lay her on her back those parts don't touch a flat table. It has a leathery, grippy feel without being tacky, which is what I was going for. I do already miss the front edge lip that the Body Golve provided but it is also almost it;s original thickness.
Pics below. (Sorry about the crappy last pic. I had the phone with new back all set up on a white surface, ready for it's glamor shot, when I realized that the phone is my camera)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
love it, im stealing that!

Go for it. Usually I prefer to buy a second of whatever I am defacing before I deface it but I didn't find any battery covers online. I also didn't look to hard.
It is still on and I still like it. The only thing I don't like too much are the sides. I completely covered the back, right up to the side edges. It is a perfect thickness on the back but feels too thick on the sides. I wish I could have found a thinner material that I could have built up on the back and tapered to one layer on the sides. I really wanted grippyness on the sides so, oh well, it's good enough.
I'm still on the look out for a better spray on rubber. I'll update if I find anything good.
Hopefully someone will start making aftermarket battery covers with some options.
Thanks and good luck,.

Second the stealing. Awesome idea and writeup. Thanks for sharing.
From a phone on an app

I scrapped the vinyl. The edges were just bugging me to much. I still think a thinner material would work well though.
I cleaned up the cover - looked fine again with all the glue off of it.
I went back to the rubber spray. I've got about 8 coats on in the attached pic. Need to wait about 30 min in between coats. I'll keep going until I go to sleep, let it dry overnight - and test it out tomorrow.
ETA - put it on the phone the today. Love it. Doesn't add any bulk and provides a grippyness to the back and sides. I'll find out how durable it is.

Cleaning solutions

Any recommendations for weekly cleaning of the EVO? I picked up some Windex for Electronics wipes and some baby powder to prevent "oil slicks" when using my Ballistic case. The Windex is supposed to help with anti-static and help keep dust and dirt off of the screen. I've tried alcohol wipes and eyeglasses solution from Costco, water. They help a little.
Not sure about some of the pricier options like ZAGG foam.
What kind of cleaning cloths do you recommend?

linhpham2 said:
Any recommendations for weekly cleaning of the EVO? I picked up some Windex for Electronics wipes and some baby powder to prevent "oil slicks" when using my Ballistic case. The Windex is supposed to help with anti-static and help keep dust and dirt off of the screen. I've tried alcohol wipes and eyeglasses solution from Costco, water. They help a little.
Not sure about some of the pricier options like ZAGG foam.
What kind of cleaning cloths do you recommend?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Windex will work a lil bit tho don't want it to get in the ports. If your using a ballastic case no need for baby powder if you have a screen protector already on your phone it fills the air pocket between the screens so no oil slick effect I had the same case.

Cleaning products seem excessive. Just need a dry cloth or lightly soaked with water to wipe it down. Your phone doesn't get that dirty, does it?

Is this for real???? It is a piece of glass, surrounded by plastic. You don't need anything special to clean it. Windex or any other normal clean and paper towel will clean it. Stop trying to make this more special and complicated than it is.

reaper24 said:
Windex will work a lil bit tho don't want it to get in the ports. If your using a ballastic case no need for baby powder if you have a screen protector already on your phone it fills the air pocket between the screens so no oil slick effect I had the same case.
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Click to collapse
I took off the anti-glare screen protector that was included in the case (not the outer clear screen). So now it's just the screen pressing against the outer clear screen. The baby powder trick works well. Apply baby powder. Then wipe up with a wet cloth. No oil slicks so far.

MCL1981 said:
Is this for real???? It is a piece of glass, surrounded by plastic. You don't need anything special to clean it. Windex or any other normal clean and paper towel will clean it. Stop trying to make this more special and complicated than it is.
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Click to collapse
I'm a bit of a neat freak. I like my evo and case as clean as possible. I'm trying an anti-static wipe to cut down on the dust inside and outside of my case. Hopefully, that'll help.

yeah I have been using isopropyl alcohol and I have had no issues. I would be careful with windex. Some of the bottles will have ammonia in it and that is know to cloud certain plastics/poly-ish things. Like no windex on tinted windows, as that can cloud the cars window tint.

Just a microfiber cloth and a amonia free cleaner here , I think I use glass plus its amonia free . I clean mine daily , I work in the heat and dirt so my screen protector is contstantly greasy either from oil from machines or from my face when I make a phone call . This cleans it up rather well .

50/50 isopropyl alch and water, i spritz it in to the air and move the phone's screen through the mist so there won't be too much overspray, it should be plenty. Then i hit it with one of those yellow costco microfibers, does the trick every time.
I stay away from windex for electronics as iso is enough to get fingerprints and grease off.

I guess I'll have to settle for the alcohol Costco wipes. They're like 200 small packets for $8.39. Are they safe to use on lcd screens?
Link for Costco wipes: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...56&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1
I guess this windex for electronics wipes is going back. They're $4.99 at Target.
Link for Windex for Electronics: http://www.windex.com/products/electronics/

Baby powder trick only lasts for a few days and is annyoing when your in direct sunlight or indrect light looks milky.

the screen itself is not the lcd panel, but a glass digitizer on top of the screen, so yes, anything that is gentle enough for an lcd directly will work on the glass....since its glass.

I use spit and my shirt lol. It gets the job done.
Sent from my......ummm...let me get back at'chya!

I use baby wipes
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

I use these lens wipes, they work great.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sight-Savers-Wipes-Pre-Moistened-Lens-Cleaning-Tissue-50-ct-2pk/12338353
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G with Tapatalk

[Q] Cleaning the leather stitching

Hi all - what's the best way to clean the leather stitching at the back without damaging the leather skin and the stitching? I had placed this on top of a wet table earlier and now it's not looking to good. :cyclops:

mundixx said:
Hi all - what's the best way to clean the leather stitching at the back without damaging the leather skin and the stitching? I had placed this on top of a wet table earlier and now it's not looking to good. :cyclops:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is it you're trying to clean off? I use alcohol swabs a couple times a day on my phone front and back and have for every phone in the past several years. I am a germaphobe though. It works really well. Never damaged anything before. I am sure it's not great for the leather, but I'll worry about that if I see any damage then.

I would not use alcohol, especially rubbing alcohol. (there are numerous different types of alcohol). Rubbing alcohol will dry out and crack the leather it may not happen right away but it will happen if used frequently. By the time you start to see any damage it will be too late. If you have a serious stain and are dead set in using alcohol buy some isopropyl alcohol and do a 50/50 mix of that and water.
I would use leather cleaner and moisturizer. My wife has been using Coach products on her leather Coach purses for years and her purses that are 20 years old still look like new:
http://www.coach.com/shop/women-accessories-product-care
I would also stay away from leather car seat cleaner as car seats are a bit more rugged than the leather used on the phones. (the only car seat product I would consider using is Leatherique, but it is insanely expensive).
Just my $.02 worth