BradGroux.com - Blogger, Geek, Know It All, Smartass.

This article is a combination of a how-to and review of SGPstore.com’s carbon fiber laptop skin for the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook.

One flaw I immediately found with the amazing fun Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook (and subsequently failed to mention in my review) is the scratch and fingerprint prone glossy clamshell screen backing. After 10 or 15 minutes of hands on use of the Mini 9 the machine is covered in fingerprints and is very prone to scratching. I take pretty good care of my electronics and within a few days of light use there were several noticeable light scratches on my Mini 9. I really wish the Mini 9 came with the same flat finish as my Red M1330.

So, after doing some initial searching I stumbled upon SGPstore.com and their line of laptop and netbook skins. A simple Google search returns good feedback from various forums and users regarding the skins so I thought I’d give them a whirl. What caught my eye was the low price but more importantly the ability to reapply this skins because they are made of thick, heavy duty plastic.

After looking through their collection and knowing that I didn’t want a clear skin or crazy decal I decided to go for their incredibly affordable Carbon skin for just $16.99. I ordered the skin, paid $5.63 for priority shipping and it arrived within three business days. Not bad; although my mail man almost ruined the day when he bent the envelope to force it into my mailbox, even though the package had thick cardboard to prevent it… NOT COOL USPS!

Once I had the skin it was time to apply the little sucker. Since my Mini 9 was covered in greasy fingerprints I thought starting by cleaning the lid was probably a good idea, so I grabbed on wet paper towel and one dry paper towel before I began.

From there I used the wet paper towel to thoroughly wipe away all of the finger prints.

After evenly wiping down the cover for about 15 seconds while applying light pressure I was left with a clean, yet wet Mini 9.

From there I grabbed the dry paper towel and began wiping down the excess moisture from the lid.

After about another 15 seconds or so I was left with a relatively shiny Dell Mini 9, although you can still see some visible streaks.

After cleaning up the fingerprints it was time to open up the packaging. Inside the packaging was an instruction sheet, the three piece skin and a lint free cloth.

From there I took the lint free cloth and continued to clean the top of the Dell Mini 9 until all traces of fingerprints, grease, dirt, grime and dust were gone.

After making completely sure that the surface of the Mini 9 was clean I placed the main portion of the skin on the device using the logo hole in the middle of the skin as my guide. The logo hole is perfectly sized to fit just around the edges of the logo, so it is pretty tough to mess up.

Once I had the skin correctly in line I firmly pressed down on the skin from the middle, outward.

After applying the first piece of the skin I then applied the two small strips that go on either side of the screen. I left about 1mm of space between the main skin and the sides, which actually gives off a nice effect.

After applying the entire skin I noticed an air bubble in the upper left-hand corner. OH NOES!

If I was using any other sticker-type skin I would have been afraid to pull the corner back to remove the bubble, as those thinner skins tend to stretch or tear. However, with the SGP skin I was able to easily pull the corner back and remove the air bubble and the skin went right back into place with no issues.

Overall I am extremely pleased with the skin. The quick delivery, the cheap price and the quality materials are well worth the money and time. The skin is made from a very high quality plastic material that doesn’t really look plastic and seems extremely rugged, it is kind of hard to describe. It feels like carbon fiber. I’ve received several comments on the look of it already and I’ve only had it on for less than a day.

SGPstore.com has a large collection of these types of skins for various devices, including other notebooks. The offer everything from wood grain to leather, from light to dark, clear and even metal. I imagine this skin would look even more impressive on a white or red Mini 9 as the color would accent the side of the carbon fiber. I’m extremely happy with the purchase and will probably buy from them again for other devices.

So, if you want to protect that pretty little netbook of yours without looking cheap but buying on the cheap, visit SGPstore.com and give some of their products a whirl. In the meantime my little Mini 9 which was already a topic of conversation wherever I went has gotten a minor upgrade that gives it major good looks.