Well, my trusty Brando Workshop screen protector was so scratched it was time to give it up. I had just bought a pack of Belkin Clear Screen Protectors from the local office box store. Boy, what a mistake! They rivalled the very first Concept Kitchen (now Fellowes) Write Rights in their odd texture and sludgy Graffiti area feel on my Zire's screen.

Fortunately, the next day was Monday, and there in my mailbox awaited a most welcome surprise: an envelope containing two Exim screen protectors: one for Zire 71 and another for Sony Clie PEG-N710. With much anticipation and great desire, I eagerly ripped the Belkin Clear Screen off of the Zire, and applied the Exim Screen Protector Ultra Protect (Exim SPUP).

What a difference a day made! The Exim SPUP is light and bright, not dingy and dull like the Belkin. The feel is nice and slick, which makes it necessary to have a decent stylus with a rubbery tip, unlike the retro-style plastic stick the palmOne powers-that-be provided with the Zire 71. I'm using a Tornado two-in-one pen/stylus, which works rather nicely, although I may spring for a Pilot Pen Chameleon that will fit in the Zire's stylus silo.

The Exim SPUP is self-adhering, with no chances for annoying bubbles or other artefacts, unlike the Belkin product. Just make sure you start with a clean screen, with no dirt or dust underneath, before you apply your Exim SPUP. Thus far, the Exim SPUP has held up well, with no scratching and great Graffiti recognition. The Exim SPUP ranks right up in my screen protector top ten list, along with Brando Workshop's product. Let's just see how long it can take the abuse I dish out on it, though.

I do remember one poster to the Pilot mailing list that really liked the original Write Rights. Hey, Arno--if you're reading this, post to the Pilot list, and I'll send you those Belkin Clear Screens!

I'd prefer to rate this a 4.5 out of five. The provisional .5 is because it's going to take a while to see how well it will hold up to long-term use. But since Computing Unplugged's rating system is only whole numbers from 0 to 5, I'll give this product a 4 out of 5.

OUR RATING: 4 of 5

Claire Pieterek is a long-time Palm handheld user. On a mission to ditch her Franklin Planner, she bought her first--a Pilot 5000--in May, 1996. She currently owns a Japanese-language Sony Clie 650C, a Sony Clie 710C, and a Palm Zire 71, among others. She is most at home in Chicago and Kyoto, and is a student of life, the universe, and Japanese.