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Colorware Adds Visual Spice to iPods, Better Scratch Protection For iPod Touch
Posted by Jason Chen at 8:40 AM on October 23, 2008
We've covered Colorware's professional gadget painting in the past—and were more than satisfied after seeing their work close up, but their latest iPod colouring seems to be more than just cosmetic. The iPod Nano 2G colour-coats the shiny silver metallic back with a colour layer, which most likely handles fingerprints and scratches better than the original surface. They also paint iPod Nano 4G and iPod Classic as well as iPhone 3G, so you've got options on those devices as well. The process is not all that cheap ($US125 to send yours in), but it's definitely worth it considering that they do a great job and you'll be using these gadgets for years. [Colorware]
And you thought Etch-a-Sketch was tough. Ian Cook made this portrait of a Chevy Camaro by soaking the wheels of remote controlled cars in paint and then painstakingly driving them around on his canvas. He also uses full-size tires to fill in large blocks of colour, but still, the results are pretty amazing--if you've ever tried to ambush your unsuspecting cat with an RC you know how tricky precision manoeuvring can be. He's currently camped out at the London Motor Show doing portraits of cars (meta!). The work is especially admirable when you see it coming together in this video, stroke by radio-controlled stroke.
Those Photoshoppers over at Worth 1000 decided to mash up Star Wars with some of the world's most famous pieces of art (and we're like 99% certain that it was meant as a joke). This remix of M.C. Escher's famous Hand with Reflecting Sphere has to be the most brilliant, with traces of the Death Star looming in the background next to a Escher's psychiatrist officesque workspace. For more reimagined pretentious college freshman art, hit the link. [
Instead of turning it into a 
Hammerite's new Metalmaster system speeds up the whole process of painting metal stuff by spraying all sides of an object at the same time. You just clip the gun to the object with a wire, and electrostatic charging means that the thing you're painting actually attracts the paint particles. This means no brush marks, as well as an even, all-over coat. It only works for metal things, and you need to use specially formulated paint, but it sounds so cool that I want to try it out, and I don't even have anything to paint! Available soon in the UK, for around US$80 for the gun and US$30 for a 750ml paint tin. 
Dulux's new PaintPod system is a labour-saver for decorators, pumping paint directly to its roller at the right rate to avoid splodges. In one swoop it eliminates those drips-on-floor and fussing with cans that painting usually involves (at least, in our house). Best of all: fill it with water when you're done, and it cleans itself for you in just 10 minutes. Its one drawback is that it takes drop-in five liter paint packs, for the specially formulated paint—US$40 for white and US$60 for colour. Available April in the UK, for around US$135. [
Getting tired of that old, gray and grungy phone of yours? Put away that iPhone envy and go to the Instructables site, which will show you how to kiss that frog with pearly colors and turn it into a handsome prince. But spraying a gleaming coat of paint on a delicate instrument such as a phone is not quite as easy as you might think.
