Customer Reviews

3M Notebook Privacy Filter (PF12.1)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As advertised, the 3M Notebook Privacy Filter does its job by masking what you are typing on the screen from other people. Someone seated right next to you cannot tell what is being typed on the screen...guaranteed. For people travelling on business with sensitive documentation, this filter is a must. For masking personal letters or emails, its a must.

If you read other reviews from other websites stating it is possible for others to see the screen behind you, it's true. But it'll take someone with super, telescopic vision to be able to read the typing from that far away. If they are looking right over your shoulder, then you should have the right to give ther person a dirty look and tell them to back off. This filter's purpose is to mask unsuspecting eyes from spying from the side view in a crowded environment and that is what it does. It's not 100%, though...from a sixty degree angle, your screen will appear really dark, but it is more than enough to mask what you are typing.

This 12.1" filter fits perfectly into an IBM Thinkpad X40. It clamps right on it making it seem like a part of your notebook. There's no sticky adhesives necessary to keep it on.

So why am I giving it only three stars? Well, in my opinion, there is absolutely no logical justification to make it so expensive! At most, I could understand if they charged this product for something like $24.95 or so, but asking for $80, retail, is just plain ridiculous. Even half that amount is too much. It's simply a piece of plastic. I was lucky and got mine at an auction for $0.99, but it is too pricy for private use, seriously.

Here are my pros and cons. Hope this helps.

Pros:
- Nice thing was that it is quite easy to attach or detach. You don't really need other sticky stuff to leave it on all the time, either.
- It does the job. Others sitting next to you will not see what you have on the screen.

Cons:
- The filter darkens your LCD quite a bit as if brightness level was brought down by a full step. (My laptop has 7 levels.) It is not a surprise, but at the same time, I expect a bit more from a $80(retail value) plastic piece. I actually called 3M to check this before I placed my order, and they were saying that the filter "enhances" the contrast. Don't trust them on this.
- It has a 3M logo and part number (pf 12.1) printed at the bottom in small fonts, which I found to be annoying sometimes. It also has a notch (1/2" long) at the top, which you do not really see in any of their advertisement/pictures.

All in all, if you really need to have a good privacy filter, you will end up buying this 'cause there is not a good altenative on the market for now. If you are more interested in protecting your screen, check out other products.

3M makes a great product. I bought this so that people sitting next to me on airplanes couldn't see what was I working on - lest I reveal super top secret corporate information to someone who would neither understand nor care about the content. It works wonderfully in that capacity.
I also found out that it was helpful for use during business meetings so that my neighbor wouldn't see that I was actually playing solitaire or checking job boards. It also works wonderfully in this capacity.
I further found it useful at the airport, on the rental car bus,and at crowded restaurants. I wear it over my face to avoid inadvertent side glances or accidentally catching the eye of the wrong person across the room. I will only see those directly in front of me and only those directly in front of me will see me. It cuts down on small talk, believe me!
Good luck!

This privacy filter is great for an airplane like 3M advertises, but when I'm at home and my laptop is on my desk the person standing behind me can see the screen just as well as I can. I think it is a bit pricy too. If this piece of plastic was around 15 dollars, I'd suggest buying it.

Easy to install;
although instructions not clear as to which side is the 'right' side to face the user.
Expected smaller angle of privacy; meaning that even my next seat neighour is unable to see my screen...in this case; unless the person is more than 45 degrees away from the perpendicular line of vision, he is still able to read the screen.

This product definitley lives up to the name. An individual must be directly behind you and at eye level in order to see your screen (pretty much on your back). Very easy to attach/detach for every situation.

The product does it job of privacy from the side. But the little adhesive comes out if you take off the filter too often. Its somewhat of a privacy filter because someone behind you can see your screen. But man, taking it off and putting it back on again is a real pain. Especially, when you have to clean the screen sometimes. I have a tablet PC, interestingly it works even for tablets.

I bought this privacy filter so that no one would be able to view my laptop screen from any angle. To my disappointment, this product is more of an anti-glare screen because that is about all that is does. People can see your screen from basically any angle. I tested this product amongst my co-workers and they were each able to see my laptop screen as if it had nothing covering the screen.

I have used this filter for extensive travel abroad for the last 3-years. I am very comfortable that confidential information is relatively secure from "prying" eyes.

I thought the attachment tabs (plastic that paste onto the notebook bezel) would fail; but, they have remained secure for the last 3 years. The screen has remained in great condition - no scratches.

The filter does add some darkness to the screen, so the use of power management tools (e.g., lower backlighting) is impractical...a clear decision to protect data versus longer battery time is required. With full battery power and backlighting, the screen is easy to see through the filter.

unfortunately sometimes you receive a product and it is incomplète
that was the case with the PF12.1 filter, i received the filter but not the tabs to attach to monitor. I conctacted Vema customer service and they were great at trying to find a solution and my problem was taking care without 2 days.