While vacationing in Manila last July, I had my ipod wrapped at the Gmask booth located in the Mall of Asia. The material, I learned from their website, was developed by a Japanese scientist. Basically, a trained personnel from Gmask skillfully wraps your gadget with an airtight protective film that, they say, can protect it from dust and moisture for the next 5-7 years.
So I went ahead and had my ipod assessed for the cost and process, I then picked out an appropriate film design (which took around half an hour). Very much like an overprotective mother anxious for her child, I reluctantly handed over my babypod and just thought to myself that it was for its own good. They said it would take more or less 1 hour, but I then repeatedly asked them not rush and to take their time with it. Worried that I might get in the way or cause the personnel to be nervous with me looking over her shoulder, I kept my distance and my best friend and I just milled around in the vicinity of the booth and caught a glimpse of how they do the actual wrapping. They start out by wiping the gadget clean of dirt and finger prints. They then carefully smooth out the film onto the gadget, a bit of stretching and pulling here and there with the help of a hair dryer so that the heated film can be molded against the gadget. At first I was worried about the heat being directed at my babypod, but I thought, they MUST know what they're doing. Besides, it was a teeny weeny tiny hair dryer, harmless I hoped. I wanted swarovski crystals on it so I briefly went back and reminded them not to scrimp on the crystals to ensure a flawless design. After that I couldn't take it anymore and decided it's time to leave my babypod for its transformation.
My best friend and I moved on to shopping, there's nothing else that has a calming effect on me more than shopping, so the hours flew by and before long it had been 4 hours since I left my babypod. By the time we got back, they were finished and my babypod was transformed and had grown a personality. My babypod was no longer an "it", it is now a "she"... I was pleased with the results and happily settled the bill. I even had my photo taken for their website. Considering the materials and skills used, I believe it was reasonably priced. It is a luxury but if you're like me and hate getting scratches on your gadget then it's definitely worth it. Upon closer inspection though, I noticed a few imperfections like a bit of roughness on awkward spots and smudging on some areas. The film isn't absolutely clear and has a slight texture to it such that it interferes and sort of refracts the color pixels on the screen. The tiny colored dots are hardly noticeable while playing videos or viewing photos but they are visible against a white background like when viewing text on the menu screen. At present it already has a couple of tiny nicks at sharp edges and some superficial scratches on the film which are negligible. I mean with the carefree way i've been dumping my babypod in my bag together with keys, hairbrush and pens, I expected it to receive more damage. In the end I am glad to have had my babypod wrapped at Gmask, and I feel that the peace of mind that comes with knowing that I don't have to worry about getting her scratched and disfigured, outweighs a few imperfections.
