regardless of whether you love or hate Apple, admire or resent them, or in just plain terms; plain don’t care about the company, no-one can deny that they consistently churn out beautiful products. The design ethos isn’t all about the product itself though, if you ever take the time to review the packaging that your new iPhone, Apple TV or iPod Shuffle comes in, you’ll notice that it is just ‘right’. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I have purchased a product from a different maker only for it to be delivered in a mammoth box which is stuffed with protective bubble wrap, then to find that the product inside is swamped by complimentary and unused space.
With that in mind, I think it is fair to say that Apple puts a lot of thought into the entire process which is obvious not only in the beautiful products they make, but also the packaging and the consistent design and layout of each of their Apple Retail stores around the world. As sophisticated and eye-catching products like the iphone and iPad are, there is always a part of us which craves the ability to customize our products and give them a little special touch which represents our personality in some way. Our need to tinker and change is what makes things like protective skins, cases and covers such a popular additional purchase.
The competition is hard in the iDevice accessories market, with a number of large companies competing against a selection of smaller independent merchants for the limited service which exists. one of the newest kids on the block is a range of protective skins known simply as ‘RAZORIA’, which in itself invokes a sense of theatre, but when you dig deeper into this range, you realize that it has previous pedigree and embodies the proverbial phoenix from the flames rise to glory. The RAZORIA range of skins was previously available under the iSKINZA moniker at the back end of 2010, but due to unforeseen scenarios had to withdraw the products. If this was a live news reading, then you would hear the loud drum roll as RAZORIA makes it triumphant return to the community with a renewed sense of vigor and purpose, supplying a range of quality protective skins for the iPad, iphone and iPod touch.
Now that the historical introduction is out of the way, we can step onto the crucial part, which is the product itself. As pointed out above, the RAZORIA range is available for the iPad, iphone and iPod touch devices and comes with a range of choices depending on which color variation you require, and what device it is actually for. The review units which were sent to me were the FOLZI iPad 2 vinyl Skin and the ZUMOKI iphone 4S Skin. The skins themselves are manufactured from 3M Controltac vinyl material which guarantees quality and strength and I am pretty sure this is the standard material for protective skin production across the industry due to its remarkable tension and malleable properties. Each skin is made up of three layers with the first being a backing film, the second the actual vinyl adhesive and the third the protective layer which features an anti-UV and anti-scratch coating.
The quality of a product is irrelevant, if when it arrives at your door, it is battered beyond use. Thankfully, the team behind RAZORIA seem to follow in Apple’s footsteps when it pertains to supplying adequate, fit for purpose packaging. The skins arrived with recorded delivery indicating a signature was required and in a robust A4-sized cardboard envelope for maximum protection during transit. inside of the envelope the actual skins themselves were additionally packaged inside a clear protective case giving an extra element of protection during transit, and were in best condition upon delivery. The first thing you notice when removing them from the packet is the sheer vibrancy of these vinyls. No-one could accuse the designers of being boring or mundane as all of the different skin variants are made up of bright, contrasting colors which bring the iDevice to life and will certainly make sure that you stick out from the crowd.
Along with the vinyl skins, the package contained two printed inserts which were printed upon quality, thick paper and look very professional. one of the cards gives clear and concise installation instructions on how to apply the RAZORIA skin to your device, while the other uses a 10% discount on the next buy from www.razoria.com (this is likely to be a limited offer so don’t be upset if this does not come with your package). The simplicity and value of including these two printed inserts must not be overlooked. The relatively little time it would take the owners to produce and print these cards will save many users time and support emails asking for installation support and help.
Applying the skins to my device was a relatively painless task, with the vinyl being cut perfectly and peeling of the back cover without any issues. With previous skins I have purchased fromnull