GleaSkins for the iPhone 4

If you're like me, putting a bulky case on your iPhone 4 is the last thing that you want to do, but you probably still are looking for a little protection for the back of it (perhaps something to give it a little less slickness) and maybe even something to cover the antenna area to deal with those antenna issues.

Although I've got some other similar products on order, GelaSkins were the first 3M-based skins that I received -- the 3M material uses a web matrix to prevent bubbles and is repositionable; if you've ever tried to put on a screen protector only to have it not line up or get filled with air bubbles, this is the opposite of that experience.

Right off the bat when I opened the GelaSkins envelope, I was impressed with the clean and minimal packaging -- the GelaSkins kit for the iPhone 4 includes a cover for the full back with a cut-out for the camera, a cover for the left side with cut-outs for the mute button and volume buttons that extends to just shy of the mic, a cover for the right side with no cut-out for the SIM slot that extends to just shy of the speaker, a cover for the top black portion on the front with cut-outs for the camera and speaker, and a cover for the bottom black portion on the front with a cut-out for the navigation button. Applying the material was surprisingly easy and it is extremely forgiving: if you get off on the alignment, simply peel up the edge and don't worry about bubbles or loss of adhesion.

Initially I installed all of the cover pieces and even downloaded the matching wallpaper for the front -- GelaSkins sells artist-designed covers and has matching wallpapers that can be downloaded to give a consistent graphic appearance when the screen is turned on (I actually downloaded the GelaSkins iOS app). Upon using the phone with the front covers, I found that I didn't really like them, so I took them off and switched back to my original wallpaper.

I will admit that I haven't stress-tested the covers on the back and sides yet, but the small bit of cover over the antenna does seem to make some amount of difference on antenna performance. I'm not sure if it helps, but once I had the covers where I wanted, I left my phone alone in its overnight cradle to let the adhesive cure a little bit (note that the covers are designed to be removed at any time with no residue, so "cure" may not be the most correct term).

Note that although there are others out there offering similar products made from similar materials, GelaSkins does some to offer by far the coolest designs for skins.

More to follow after I've used it and let it bang around in my pocket for a couple of weeks.