Colorware review

Quick Take: Colorware coloring service for select game consoles and anything Apple has been around at least since former CNET MP3 editor Eliot Van Buskirk sent in his third-gen iPod for a shiny coat of black paint (remember, this was before Apple started making its own black iPods). Our interest in the company was rekindled when we discovered that Apple's iPod Nano tends to be overly susceptible to scratching. Colorware's color coating not only jazzes up your device--be it an iBook, an Xbox, or an iPod--it also effectively hides any nicks or scratches and purports to protect against future blemishes. This is thanks to the company's scratch-resistant X2 coating, which is a liquid-plastic chemical applied in the final step of the coloring process. The price of this service varies from $64 for an iPod Nano (single color) up to $449 for a 17-inch PowerBook. You can also purchase already colored items direct from Colorware for slightly less than you'd pay buying the product separately, then sending it in. The company offers a one-year warranty on anything purchased from the site.

We sent our slightly dinged-up iPod Nano in for coloring as we were particularly annoyed that the blemishes on the screen interfered with our viewing pleasure. We decided to go with the two-tone color option, which costs $84, and chose two shades of purple: Prowler for the body and Lilac for the wheel (the site features a handy page where you can play around with color combos). About a week and a half later, we received our gorgeously metallic, scratch-free Nano. In retrospect, we wish we'd chosen a brighter color for the body--Prowler looks close to black if the light isn't hitting it--but the finished product is lovely, drawing fellow employees in by the bunch. The colors we chose have a glittery metallic sheen, and the clear coat not only makes the Nano pleasingly shiny, it also manages to conceal all of the previously visible blemishes--on the front, at least; Colorware does not coat the shiny metallic back. The screen in particular looked as good as new, just what we were aiming for. After a couple of weeks of casual use, the coating held up admirably, but one day we removed the Nano from its case (which has no screen protector) and noticed an annoyingly visible 1/2-inch scratch going down the left side of the screen. Our conclusion: Colorware is great if you want to customize your colors, cover up existing nicks, and offer a minimal level of protection, but if you truly want to protect your iPod from future scratches, you should pick up the InvisibleShield.