Monday, June 28, 2010

iPad skins for Summer


Summertime is here! This means lots of fun activities at the beach, the park, or lake. Time to go surfing, sailing, or just loll around on the beach and admire the scenery. Have a cookout, or just socialize with your friends and family - in the summer, leisure activities are all around you.

You need to protect yourself while having fun, though. Wear sunscreen, sunglasses, westsuits, mosquito repellant, and other things you need to keep yourself safe and comfortable. Your iPad needs protection, too. A vinyl skin adds a protective layer to the outside of your iPad, helping ward off UV rays and minor spills, scratches, bumps and dings.

Just like you have special clothes for summertime activities - shorts, casual clothes and shoes, and bathing suits, your iPad should have a summertime image on its skin, too! Look through our summer-themed images and choose a design to put on your iPad.

Then, when the season changes, you can change your iPad skin, too. Keep your skins current, it's easy. The modern materials used to manufacture vinyl skins now include some very high-tech features. They are made from thinner materials, with modern adhesives that make it easy to position on your device, and reposition if needed to get a perfect fit. The adhesive layer even has tiny air channels so you can remove any air bubbles easily and safely, without damaging the skin with holes or pinpricks. The laminate layer adds UV protection to keep the design fresh and new looking longer. And these new adhesives are easy to remove when you wish to change designs, with hardly any unwanted residue left behind!

Summer themed iPad skins available now have fabulous beach scenes, surfing and boat images, too. Pick your favorite to install now, and check our website for new images for autumn.

Keep unwanted scratches and scuffs from ruining the look of your iPad, add a skin today. For fresh new designs, unparalleled customer service, and low prices, there is only one website you need:

iPad skins for Summer

Saturday, June 19, 2010

iPad: Kindle killer?




Will the iPad kill off the Kindle as a device? Will Kindle only continue to exist as an app on the iPad? Or will the iPad prove to be just what avid readers have been looking for? Are the devices so radically different from each other, they are not even in competition?

There are some significant differences between the two devices, the main one being price. Currently, a Kindle 2 is selling for $259 in the US, and an entry-level iPad (Wi-fi only, 16 GB) for $499. If you are in the market for an e-reader and money is no object, would you still choose to have an iPad over the Kindle?

With both, there will be further charges - including book purchases or periodical subscriptions. With the iPad, you will also pay for many apps, and depending on your model, 3G data plans too.

There are some major differences between how the devices function, also. iPads have a backlit LED screen. This can be considered a plus in a low-light situation, however backlighting is also linked to eyestrain after prolonged periods. Also, LED screens such as this use a lot more power, so battery life between charges will be an issue. A Kindle with it's e-Ink screen is much more eye-friendly, and functions just fine even in bright, direct sunlight. A drawback to the e-Ink screen is that you must have light from another source to read, but this shouldn't be a big problem - after all, we have been reading books this way for over 500 years!

Battery life is phenomenal on a Kindle 2, unless you leave the 3G wireless on all the time. With the wireless switched off, a Kindle is normally usable for at least a week between charges, depending on use. Obviously the iPad can't come close - the norm seems to be about 10 hours between charges, depending on use.

Weight and size might be an issue for some purchasers, the Kindle 2 is much lighter and smaller than the iPad, which means it's easier to use for prolonged periods and carry around. The Kindle 2 weighs a reported 10.2 ounces, the iPad 1.5 POUNDS for the WFi onlly model, and 1.6 pounds for WiFi and 3G models. This is a significant difference, and could be problematic for some people.

The iPad does many things a Kindle can't do, such as multimedia. We are all familiar with reading magazines and having many colorful photos or other illustrations in the article, and with an iPad you still get this experience. Kindle books and articles do have many beautiful grayscale illustrations, but it isn't the same. It is a dramatic difference, and there is more: with the iPad, you also have clickable links that lead to further information, websites, videos, songs and more! It is truly revolutionary, and much different than the reading experience you get with a Kindle. It is hard to explain the difference - a Kindle is primarily designed to read text, an iPad is designed to be a media device. It's kind of like the difference between a black and white movie, and a color, 3D, surround sound movie. You still enjoy the plot, but how you perceive it is very different.

Both devices let you add and listen to your MP3 music files, but the Kindle doesn't let you organize your songs into playlists (or even see a list of files). The iPad, with it's iTunes link, obviously does. Avid readers, though, usually tune out outside distractions such as music, and probably don't really care about this function while reading.

There are more differences we can explore in future articles, but one thing is true of both the iPad and the Kindle 2, they will need protection from the indignities of daily life. Add a great-looking vinyl skin to your Kindle 2 or iPad, you will be adding style and personalization, and protection from scratches at the same time. Get yours today Kindle, Nook, iPad skins and enjoy your e-reader without worrying about scratching the case.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

iPad, Kindle 2 and Nook - the death of paper books?


Will e-readers mean the end of paper books? Only time will tell. Amazon and Barnes & Noble seem to have positioned themselves to benefit either way- when a company is selling paper books, e-readers and content for e-readers; there is a sale opportunity for everyone, no matter which format they prefer. Apple, on the other hand, is reliant on device and device content sales with the iPad.
The push seems to be on for e-readers with all these marketing giants involved. It is easy to forget all the other e-reader manufacturers out there with the hype surrounding the iPad, Kindle 2 and Nook. Sony has had some success with their PRS series e-readers: with a reported 300,000+ units sold, they can't be discounted. And there are many other manufacturers, too - some familiar like Samsung, some unfamiliar (at least to me) like Iriver.
There are a few factors that may hinder the growth of e-readers: technophobia and competing formats being the major issues.
Technophobia is especially widespread among certain demographics - older, less educated females especially are noted for their resistance to computer use, although this may be changing due to societal and peer pressure. Technohobes are found in every country, age group, race, and gender. Whether e-readers, due to their ease of use and resemblance to traditional reading materials are able to overcome this bias, will be interesting to see. The iPad in particular would scare many technophobes due to the touchscreen navigation and resemblance to a computer or cell phone.
The competing format issue can't be discounted, either. Traditional reading materials come as books, magazine or newspapers, but you don't have to change your brain and eyes to process the information they contain! With e-readers, at the moment, you do. Similar to the situation prevalent in the early age of VCR technology, there are multiple incompatible formats available. Unlike VCRs, which had only 3 main formats, e-reader formats currently number approximately 16. Sixteen different formats to access the same information? Who thinks this is a good idea?
Until there is a major shakeout or agreement between content providers, this is going to continue to be a problem. Most e-readers are able to access the information in more than one format - the Kindle 2 for example can read .azw, .html, .mobi, .tr3, .txt (plain text) and .mp3 files. Barnes & Noble's Nook can read .epub, .pdb, .pdf and .mp3 files. This Tower of Babel creates unnecessary chaos and confusion among publishers of content, and a burden to the consumer. Who wants to memorize an alphabet soup of supported file formats, and know which ones they can use, and which are unavailable? Even public libraries are adding to the problem, using OverDrive to distribute their content to patrons, as WMA files limits which devices can access this information -for example, OverDrive is not compatible with the Kindle 2, but is with the iPad. OverDrive has to provide a whole page for users to see if their device is usable. To further add to the confusion, many people use their smartphones as e-readers, adding more file formats to the list.
Many avid readers have taken to the Kindle 2 and Nook, as the e-Ink most closely resembles the traditional paper reading process. Neither device is back-lit, which means less eye strain, too. The iPad has caused a stir, and with Apple's marketing prowess and the huge iTunes store already available as a sales engine for e-books, looks to be a formidable contender to Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Whether traditionalists take to an electronic device instead of a book or magazine, remains to be seen. I can't imagine lugging my Kindle 2 to the beach and exposing it to sand, salt spray and sun. The next few years will be interesting.
Don't forget - just like a dustcover on a paper book, your e-reader needs protection, too: add a skin today!
iPad, Kindle 2, Nook skins

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Kindle 2 versus Nook



The best thing about e-readers is the fact that you are reading. We all know the "absorption" factor when reading something interesting. Whether you are reading an article in a magazine or newspaper, a short story, fiction or non-fiction; when you are absorbed in the subject matter, the material world falls away. You don't register your surroundings - you don't hear people call your name, noises, temperature or anything else outside of the book or magazine. You forget you are holding a magazine, you forget you are turning the page. It's like the words are beaming straight into your brain. Well, the good thing about the new generation e-readers like the Nook and the Kindle2 is that the same thing happens to you! Whether you have downloaded a novel, self-help book, magazine or newspaper, when you are reading on your Kindle 2 or Nook, the outside world falls away. You cease to register the outside world, you forget you are holding a device or touching a button to turn the page. Just like when reading a paper book!

There are a few differences between the Nook and the Kindle 2 - and there are similarities as well. The e-ink is exactly the same technology. The display screens are the same size. They both allow you to download wirelessly. They are a similar size. They cost the same. Now for some of the differences: the Nook is heavier, and thicker. The Kindle 2 only has one font (Nook has three), but you can change the font size. The Kindle 2 doesn't have WiFi capability, but with 3G and WiFi, the Nook lets you browse the ebook store with whichever system is available. You can expand the memory on the Nook with a microSD card slot. Kindle 2 doesn't offer this capability, but since you can offload into your account archives, it shouldn't be a problem. The Nook allows you to lend books you have purchased, the Kindle 2 doesn't. The battery lasts a lot longer between recharges on the Kindle 2.

The Kindle 2 has no touchscreen, the Nook does.

There are several highly technical differences between the formats supported on both devices, although they each allow you to download free books from sources other than their own stores. You can find out more by playing with the Nook at Best Buy, and the Kindle 2 at Target, or read more on their respective websites.

Whichever e-reader you choose to buy, or already have, you already know about the absorption factor. One of the best things is that you can now add skins to both the Kindle 2 and the Nook!

A skin adds individualization and style, as well as protection to you Kindle 2 or Nook. When you buy from us, we offer unparalleled customer service including real, live people that answer your phone questions, or livehelp! online chats to help you with any questions you have. Don't let your new e-reader be blah and plain Jane - decorate it today with an e-reader skin

Friday, June 4, 2010

Kindle 2 Skin, Decal, or Sticker?



Kindle 2 Decal, Sticker or Skin? Are there any differences between a decal or skin for the Kindle 2? Why you need one - protection is only part of it, the decorative aspects are also important.

First, there are no differences between a decal, sticker or skin. They are just different names for the same product. It is possible that the term "skin" suggests a thinner product than "decal", or "sticker". Everybody knows how thick a bumper sticker is, so if you use the word skin, it sounds like it isn't as thick. A covering for an electronic device could be called any of these terms. Modern skins for electronic devices like the Kindle 2 are made from the latest vinyls available, so they actually are much thinner than previous types that were using automotive lettering vinyl. These new types of vinyl also have new adhesives, that are much easier to apply to delicate electronics. First-generation electronic skins were difficult to apply, especially since it wasn't possible to do a "wet" application (as on a car), and hard to get lined up just right on the device. These old types were almost impossible to remove, once installed. You risked scratching or damaging your device trying to remove the skin.

These new vinyls don't have any installation problems - the adhesive isn't as difficult to work with as the old kind. Once you have your skin situated on your device, it is now possible to rearrange it by peeling the skin carefully and reapplying. This is what is meant by "repositionable" adhesives. Then, once you have the skin lined up exactly where you want it to be, simply smooth it down into place with a soft cloth. The latest adhesives also provide a "bubble-fee" application, meaning any air bubbles get channelled safely away, so you are left with a perfectly flat, even, bubble-free skin.

The second reason to add a Kindle 2 skin is the decorative aspect. Straight out of the box, a plain white device isn't visually interesting, and is also liable to get scratched during daily use. There are so many designs available now, yours won't look like every other Kindle 2. You will find abstract, colorful designs; images of famous artworks; photos showcasing the natural world; characters from literature - there are literally thousands of possible designs. Many Kindle 2 skins feature a main design on the back case, and a variation or continuation on the front. Custom-designed skins are also careful not to present a visual distraction around the keyboard.

Humans always like to embellish their belongings with personalization of one kind or another, and adding a skin to phones, e-readers, video game systems, computers and other electronic devices accomplishes this.

We try to have a wide selection of interesting images, check back frequently to see newly added designs!

Kindle 2 skin