Here’s a tip for new iPhone users that will save your screen and also save you some cash. I was able to use my original iPhone for over a year and a half without a scratch. And the screen on my iPhone 3GS is pristine but I never use a case or a screen protector.

Always put your iPhone in your left pocket (with the screen facing in) and your keys in your right pocket. I’m not sure what makes the iPhone’s screen prone to scratching by keys when dropping it face-down onto asphalt doesn’t have an effect, but they do. I got one scratch on my original iPhone’s screen after owning it for over a year and a half this way. So, always keep your iPhone separated from your keys.

This is especially good advice for someone that just bought an iPhone 3GS since it has an oleophobic screen. This makes the screen resist oil from fingers or faces. In fact, on the rare occasion when I do notice fingerprints on mine, all I have to do it put it in my pocket and the next time I pull it out there isn’t a trace of them remaining. Placing a sheet of plastic over a screen this nice is a shame.

The reason why I always keep my iPhone in my left pocket is so that it doesn’t ever bang against the steering wheel as I enter and exit my car. People living in England, India, or other places where they drive on the wrong side of the road should switch pockets… or countries.