Review: MusicSkins

review by Caroline Andreolle

Like plastic surgery for your iPod or iPhone.

When the iPod first came out, its most distinctive feature wasn’t so much the shape, or what it did (although that wowed the crowd) – it was the white earbuds. Anyone with white earbuds was “in”. Nowadays, earbuds come in all shape and colors, and so do the iPods. So what sets you apart? And what sets your favorite music player/ game console/ phone/ life in a box apart? Its shape, and what’s at the back of it.

Think about it – the inside of your iPod or iPhone is truly unique: it’s got your contact, your emails (work and personal most likely), your favorite music, your latest games. It’s you, and everything you like. So why should the outside be manufactured coolness? Customize the look and feel of your latest gadget – get a skin. The Music Skins seem to have a pretty cool idea: making the outside showcase what’s in the inside. Pick from a variety of music stars, from Bob Marley to Alice Cooper, with choice of skins in pop, country, reggae and more (Madonna from the 80s included).

Don’t get fooled by the name however: Music Skins offer Obama, Charity, and Model skins as well. Not into realistic skins? Go for the cartoony, edgy look with Roger Rabbit meets Matrix’s woman in the red dress type of cartoons. Don’t worry, if you’re not into sexy, they’ve got the more masculine robot illustrations which got the ooohs and ahhhs of all the guys at the office.

Best of all, the ultimate customization tool is now just one simple uploader away: Music Skins offers you the ability to put your very own work of art on whatever Mac device you use. Get your very own pics on your laptop, your iPod, and more. The uploader is simple to use, allows you to add several images to one skin design, and you’ve got editing tools to crop it to your liking, add text, set color, and even layer photos and illustrations. We didn’t see what 100% custom made images looked like in print, but the illustration skins we got were darn right cool and very close to the online image, which bodes well for custom skins.
Conclusion: If you’re in for a skin to get your iPhone or iPod cool enough to survive the winter, or if you’re looking for a skin you can customize fully with your own work of art, this is a website you’ll want to check out.

Learn more about MusicSkins at music-skins.com.