(image from proporta.com)

It's impossible to over-stress how important a screen protector is for your smartphone or PDA. You'll be spending a lot of time looking at your gadget's screen, and if it gets so scratched that you can barely make things out, your mobile or handheld is practically useless. It's not a matter of if, but when your display will suffer gashes. Especially if your device features touch-sensitive controls.

No, screen protectors aren't scratch-proof. In fact, they're designed to take the punishment, because it's a lot cheaper to replace a screen protector than having to replace the transparent plastic that usually sits on top of the display component itself. This usually means changing the entire casing. And things can get a bit complicated if you're gadget isn't designed for easy housing replacement.

In short, screen protectors are an important mobile tool because they can save you a lot of expense (and heartache). Scratching a thin film is definitely a lot more bearable than damaging your smartphone or PDA's actual screen. So before opening the packaging of your new toy, make sure you have a screen protector at hand to immediately apply.

Get a screen protector for free: If there's see-through plastic already attached to your new gadget's display when you take it out of the box, you can leave it on. Just make sure to cut off any of those protruding tabs meant to facilitate peeling off.