Touch skin

I’ve been anxious about the chrome back of the iPod Touch I’m reviewing, as I’ve always been for all my iPods since 2001. Afraid of scratches and frustrated by the options available in my country as of now (none), I found a solution that might even be better and less expensive than anything that might turn up in the near future.

It’s called G-Mask.

It’s a local shop that attaches microns-thin protective/decorative film for all kinds of gadgets, with or without designs, using a Japanese technology that binds the film to the gadget. The material is sourced from the original GMask in Singapore that protects cellphones, iPods, PDAs and laptops from scratches, liquid spills, sweat and weather. They have trained people who attach the film by hand, sometimes taking hours to put it on, slick, bubble-free and durable (good for 5-7 years). It’s kinda expensive, but worth it.

I’ve had them put a matte black skin on my old 15-inch Albook before, and aside from protecting my Mac it made it look like a black MacBook Pro that turned heads in coffee shops. A year and some months later it’s still there and going strong.

I went to the Greenbelt 1 branch of G-Mask Professional in Makati and asked if they had clear covers, and they did. I had them do it only on the chrome back of the Touch (took less than half an hour; complicated items can take half a day) and it’s so well attached, I can’t believe there’s a protective skin on my iPod.

It costs PHP595 (US$12.50) for the back. A full front and back for an iPod should cost around PHP895 (US$19), but I like the multi-touch surface au naturel.

Less than PHP600 for a professionally attached, proven durable protective skin that’s hard to detect on the chrome is way cheaper than an expensive, imported one that you have to attach yourself and worry about alignment, bubbles, dust, fingerprints, doghair and all.

Good deal. MacADoodle Rating: 9/10 Apples.

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