I kill phones; I eat them for breakfast. There is no phone that is safe in my hand as I drop them, scratch them up, and generally destroy them. I have gone through five different phones in two years, and only one of them was a choice upgrade (to my current iPhone). Some of them die from the dropping, some die from water, some die from teeth marks (from my dog, not from me); no matter what I did, they either got scratched up from keys or destroyed. Tiny electronic devices, laptops, and even gaming accessories left this mortal realm due to my contact.

That is no more! I can now safely scratch my devices, allow my dog to gnaw on them, and let them drop from a low height onto a carpet (disclaimer: please do not try this at home). The technology saving secret is a little vinyl covering, featuring either art or a band’s image, that covers the back of my devices. Created and sold by MusicSkins, this decal not only makes everything look nicer, but it also protects them from most wear and tear. Yep, my iPhone, my laptop, and my Wii accessories are now safe from my deadly hands. Plus, they look cooler, too.

What I Liked

(Please note, all three pictures included in this review are of skins that I was given for review purposes and that I applied to the items they were designed for.)

Protecting my iPhone is high on my list of important things to consider. Besides being my phone, it is my main communication device (e-mail), a fun gaming platform, and needed for a soon-to-come monthly feature here on Blogcritics. MusicSkins was not only able to protect from normal wear-and-tear (keys in my pocket), but it was also able to protect it from me scratching it with those same keys. Not a single mark went through the cover. The cover, however, did start to show some marks on the image (poor Manson’s face) after I went to work on it, but it was only visible when viewed from up close.

Disclaimer: If you are using your iPhone for work, as I do, I recommend not using a backing like Marilyn Manson, odds are your boss will not think it cool, no matter how many scratches it prevents.

Another thing that I like about MusicSkins is how badass it makes me look. Sure, I can put Marilyn Manson (or hundreds of other images) on my iPhone, but how many friends of yours have a Sex Pistols Guitar Hero guitar? That’s right, you too can be original and have some totally sweet electronic devices and accessories. I love the Sex Pistols, and now, when rocking out, I can show the world (or my limited selection of friends) how much I love them. Plus, if you follow the trends, you can take off the current image and replace it with a newer, more badass, image; MusicSkins leave no residue.