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R GelaSkins

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In the interests of full disclosure, I should start by saying that my GelaSkins didn't cost me a penny. If you decide to get some for yourself, you'll have to pay for them (around $20, no less) or you'll have to talk someone into buying you a gift certificate. As a result, your experience and eventual level of satisfaction may differ from mine. My experience was this: someone gave me a code and I went to the GelaSkins web site. There were many, many skins available for each of a large number of different devices. For example, there are Xbox 360 skins, MP3 player skins, laptop skins, ereader skins, PS3 skins and so forth. I had a $25 certificate that I wanted to use to also cover shipping, so I was limited to skins for smaller devices. I went with DS Lite skins, because my black DS Lite is now my wife's and I know that she loves customizing things with tacky stickers. Once I settled on a device, I still had a lot of choosing left to do. GelaSkins is supported by a variety of artists, but I settled on the works of Camilla d'Errico. Her stuff has a nice fantasy-meets-anime vibe to it, good color depth and so forth. It was exactly the sort of thing that my wife totally digs, and it was difficult to settle on just one design. Finally I did, though, and the order process was a piece of cake. I input my gift code and my address and clicked to complete it. The web site informed me that I should expect to have my delivery in about two weeks, but that was well under two weeks ago and the package--a hard envelope that resists bending--arrived at my apartment by US Mail a few days ago. I let my wife open the package and when she saw what it was, she was interested but insisted that I put the stickers on the system for her. She's not as good at that sort of thing as I am, so I agreed. Stickers come in sheet format. It's easy to peel them away from the sheet, which includes simple directions so that you know exactly how to position the sticks on the hardware that is being skinned. Even with those directions, though, I had trouble lining things up perfectly because that's just how life works. I can't imagine anyone else coming up with a better way to attach stickers, though, so that's not a complaint about the GelaSkins product in particular. It must be said that the stickers are carefully measured so that they will fit precisely and cover most of the unit. That's probably one reason they're so difficult to perfectly apply; this is the sort of situation where you want to be as precise as possible. There are tiny holes you can punch out to keep the DS Lite speaker holes visible and functional, plus room so that you can easily remove your stylus from the system's compartment when you're ready to game. The sticker goes over the top of the square ridges on the top of the clamshell case--as you might expect--but otherwise everything that protrudes from the system is available for easy access (including, as you would also expect, volume controls and holes for DS and Game Boy Advance cart insertion). In terms of durability, the stickers seem to be about what you expect. In my sweaty hands and over an extended period of time, they'll likely lose their design, but the good news is that they also seem likely to be easily removed. When I was first applying the stickers, I put them on and pulled them off almost immediately a time or two, and they left no residue. What they'll do over time, once they've had the chance to set, is something I can't address, but GelaSkins said somewhere (I know I remember reading it) that sticker removal is easy. I have no reason to doubt that. To me, the GelaSkins product is nicely designed and works as it is advertised. There are some nice themes on the stickers that should appeal to people with a wide range of tastes. However, the cost does seem slightly excessive for what you get. That's my penny-pinching side talking, aided by the part of me that doesn't tend to customize any hardware that I purchase. I like the defaults just fine. For someone like my wife who likes things personalized, though (we even have a dolphin sticker on our car, for crying out loud!), GelaSkins is a nice product that hits the mark. If you have someone like my wife in your life, or if you are that somebody, check out the GelaSkins web site and see if it has something for you! Rating: B

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