Sometimes a gadget comes along that sweeps you off your geeky feet. Also, it's not very often that a curiously upholstered SUV comes along and crashes into the podcast like a wrecking ball. Today we bring you all of the above in one episode.
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EPISODE 161
Dating habits of iPhone users: A profile
Molly’s new true love: HP Envy 15
Japan's NEC takes aim at interpreters with head mounted projection device
... Read moreMy wife has been trying to convince me to get a protector for my iPhone ever since she bought hers, a silicone sleeve made by Belkin, at the Apple Store a few months ago. But I didn't like any of the designs they had at the Apple Store. I was looking for something more original, edgier.
Pretty is as pretty does.
I can't remember exactly what terms I entered into Google, but the Gelaskins Web site came up prominently in the search results. The designs were cool. The price seemed right at less than $15. The copy on the site emphasized both protection and customizability. So, I picked my design, paid my $18 ($15 plus $3 for standard shipping), and waited.
What I didn't do was read CNET's 2006 review. If I had seen the very apt phrase "artistic stickers that do double-duty as scratch protectors," I wouldn't have been so surprised that this thing is basically a decal. It's got a rubberized texture and special glue that makes it easy to peel off and on--it took me a couple tries to ensure that I didn't have any bubbles--but otherwise it's not much different from the free stickers you get at shows. I'm sure my three-year-old daughter would have been happy to decorate my phone with some of those.
I also made a mistake by ordering the iPhone version instead of the iPhone 3G version. As a result, I've got a quarter-inch of exposed space--the 3G versions wrap around the side on part of the phone, although they still leave the top bare. Even so, 18 bucks for a decal seems awfully steep. Lesson learned--even for impulse buys, read the review.
Tell Matt he's dumb on Twitter.
(Credit:
GelaSkins)
Gadget skins normally aren't worth noting because they've become so common, but Crave has had a soft spot for GelaSkins almost since we first opened for business. Their designs have been consistently stylish and innovative as they've expanded to practically every surface imaginable, including laptops, iPhones, and even Wiimotes.
And now they've done it again, by going back to the root of their gadgets, quite literally. The "Motherboard" collection takes a bare-bones approach (or raw circuitry, in this case) with a design that will surely draw more than a passing glance at the local Wi-Fi cafe. And its trademark ultra-thin vinyl material will help keep your laptop or iPhone dry in case an admirer dribbles a triple espresso on it.
Gelaskin on iPod nano.
(Credit: Candace Lombardi/CNET News.com)
Gelaskins offer matching desktop wallpaper to go with skins.
(Credit: Candace Lombardi/CNET News.com)
Gelaskins are now available for the iPhone.
(Credit: Candace Lombardi/CNET News.com)NEW YORK--Another new iPod, another new chance for accessory makers to try something new.
As you know, CNET has been a fan of the Gelaskins. The company continues to deliver on its that's-so-simple -and-probably-cheap-to-make -why-didn't-I-think-of-it, yet practical and inexpensive vinyl protectors.
Yes, Gelaskins seems to be a one-trick pony. But you know what? It works.
The vinyl iPod, laptop and now iPhone protecting art that the company was showing at DigitalLife 2007 now comes with free desktop wallpaper to match.
The corresponding desktop art is downloadable from the Gelaskins Web site.
The "Steampunk" Gelaskin by Colin Thompson closely resembles the mysterious Antikythera Mechanism.
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