As a follow-up to November’s meeting, I plan to make a couple posts regarding the Android phone platform and the G1 phone. In this post I will review the “Best Skins Ever” product, a protective skin for the G1 (as well as for the iPhone and other devices).
This product appears to be a less expensive alternative to some of the other skins on the market. The Best Skins product arrived in a plain envelope and there were no instructions included. The instructions however could be found online.
Installation:
The key to the installation is not to rush. There were several places where I needed to re-adjust the position of the skin and this took a lot of patience. In two places I actually cut away about about a millimeter of the skin to keep it away from the buttons…in retrospect, there were a couple other edges I should have trimmed also (see usage section).
In general I found that using the back of a fingernail worked great to smooth the skin along the edges and as the instructions say, keeping plenty of soapy water on one’s hands during the application is important. The only problem I had with regard to air bubbles was on the front. I failed to notice that there is a slight bevel around the screen. This only became obvious after it had dried so I had the challenge of working a tiny amount of air out which caused a slight wrinkling of the skin below the screen. The only solution at this point was to install a new section to the front of the device.
Usage:
PROS-
I’ve had the skin on the phone for several weeks now and I have a number of observations. Personally I like the slightly tacky feel of the phone now more than without the skin. Because the G1 is a touch screen it tends to attract a ton of fingerprints. With the bestskinever, this is not a problem as it withstands serious rubbing to remove even the worst smudges. In the past, with screen protectors, I found that wiping the device on a pant leg would sometimes scratch the film. This is not the case with the bestskinever.
Overall the touch sensitivity is diminished very little. Even games are quite responsive and the skin causes very little adjustment in swiping behavior. This was my main concern and it turned out not to be a problem. With minor exceptions, the skin is imperceptible. It has a very polished look and a slight shine that is an improvement over the original dull finish of the G1.
CONS-
I had a few edges where it was impossible to get the skin lined up perfectly (I may have stretched the skin during installation) and in these places, the underside of the skin’s edge is exposed and has turned a whitish color. Ideally I could trim this edge with an exacto knife, but am concerned that I would scratch the phone instead :-/
I accidentally dropped the phone off a railing onto a metal bar (for testing purposes…NOT). What I discovered is that in one place where the railing made contact with the skin, there was a nick in the skin’s surface. This means the skin worked because otherwise the nick would have been on the phone. Unfortunately the phone also made contact with the railing on an edge where two separate skin sections meet and there is a gap. It is a small gap, but enough that the phone was scratched. It may be that the G1 has edges that are too square, but it would be better if a single skin section was able to wrap around the edge to give it better protection.
While the skin covers the phone quite well and should protect it while in a pocket, I don’t think it gives serious protection against drops or other hard knocks. For that reason I think I will eventually buy a case like the Krusell Orbit for when I throw the phone into a bag.
Summary:
For the 8 bucks this is a great investment; however I would suggest buying two skins. For one, there are quite a number of sections that need to be applied on the G1. If anything gets skewed, you will be glad you have a spare section to apply from scratch instead of trying to salvage a stretched, curled skin. Also, if any edges are exposed and get dust underneath, after a couple months I think you may decide to replace that section, so having the spare will come in handy.
WHAT TO DO NOW?