The Colorware iPad 2 is here.  So pick your poison, or should we say color.  It’ll cost you, though.  They don’t specific the capacity, but we’re assuming it’s 16GB.  The WiFi version starts at $900, while the 3G version sells for $1030.

Read

Apple products are no longer few and far between.  Sit in any coffee shop and a fair bit of them will be Macbook Pros.  So it’s only fitting that your sense of individualism has significantly diminished as Apple’s market share has vastly increased.

Enter Colorware, a company that has long been outfitting a wide array of hardware in a vast color palette at an added cost.  Entering their stable of products not more than a few weeks after launch is Apple’s latest Macbook Pro computers.  You know, the ones replete with the second gen Intel core processors and the Thunderbolt interface. But, as always a Colorware Macbook Pro comes at a premium.  A fully detailed machine, direct from Colorware, will run you $1,950 while a pre-purchased machine sent in will set you back $550.  Both have a 2-3 week turn around time.

Read

Dyson is smart.  And so are the commercials that have been airing on TV for the last few years.   They make vacuums and we think they got a bit smarter when they repurposed their tech into something called the Dyson Air Multiplier; that’s just a fancy way of saying it’s a fan.  While the build leaves a little something to be desired – we got a hands on and we weren’t impressed - Colorware is now offering that ability to outfit the personal fan in their massively wide ranging color palette that would even have a clown on a 3 day bender sick with envy.

You can buy the fan complete with Colorware finish for $450 or send yours in and drop a mere $150.  Holy crap, that’s one expensive fan.

Read

The Macbook Air is one tight piece of kit, no doubt.  At a glance, though, it looks like every other Macbook laptop on the market.  Unless you plunk down $1,850 and score yourself a Colorware version.  And that’s the starting price, which can increase as you add Colorware’s soft touch feature.

How would you paint your Macbook Air?  All purple?  Holiday colors?

Read

3 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Perfectly molded to fit the iPad
• Awesome industrial design
• Leaves all ports unobstructed

Cons:

• Costs $300; too expensive for its function
• No quick release; you need a hex key to remove the 4 screws
• Doesn’t protect the back of the iPad

Colorware is best known for their custom finished iPhones, Blackberries, iPads, computers and other assorted popular devices.  That’s their core focus and they do a damn fine job.  But apparently the just had an itch they couldn’t quite scratch by modding other company’s products and decided to take their first stab at product design and production.  The result?  The Colorware iPad Grip.

Like many other sites we covered the handy device when it was first announced.  The design is relatively simple.  It’s two pieces of metal (handle and case) that are held together by 4 screws.  Remove the screws, split apart the case and you can wrap it around the iPad.  Walla, now your iPad has a briefcase like form factor.

Included is a custom tool for removing the screws.  It’s basically a hex key in a T shape, which makes screwing and unscrewing the 4 screws a bit easier than say an every day hex key.  Lose the tool and you’ll have to dig into your tool box or visit the hardware store if you want to remove the iPad grip.

In terms of construction the iPad Grip is solid.  It’s a bit hard to wax poetic about two pieces of metal, but it fits the iPad like a glove, which might explain its price (more on that later).

To fit the iPad Grip onto Apple’s tablet computer you’ll want to err on the side of caution.  After all, we’re talking metal on metal and you know what that means; scratches (we didn’t experience any during or removing of our fitting).  After it’s secure, and the two pieces have been placed together just insert the four screws and get screwing.  I recommend popping the screws out since they’re rather small in size and have a tendency to “jump out” when the “handle” and the “case” are placed together.

Once installed you’re iPad, as I already said, is converted to a briefcase like format.  It’s kind of neat, but to be honest I didn’t have a problem carrying my iPad in hand before the iPad Grip showed up at my door.  I did discover though, that in portrait mode you can slip your hand through the handle and sort of wedge it in place so you don’t have to be constantly gripping the tablet.

As you’ll notice the iPad Grip has been molded, or should I say grooved, to leave all the ports, including the sync port unobstructed.  It’s worth noting that the iPad Grip does not prevent the back of the iPad from touching a surface when it’s laid on its back – the Grip’s case is narrow enough that the back of the iPad extends slightly beyond the frame of the case.

I would have preferred a quick release for removing the iPad Grip.  In other words, the screws take time to remove and don’t make the case a convenient choice for those that use a of dock to charge, sync, listen or watch their iPad’s contents.  On the other hand the screws complement the industrial design of the iPad so its really coolness over convenience.

So here is the deal.  The iPad Grip retails for…drum roll…an astounding $300.  That’s more than half – 60% to be exact – the cost of the 16GB iPad WiFi.  Sure, you can color the “handle” and the “case” whatever color you choose, but that’s just entirely too much money such limited functionality.  On the upside, most people won’t want to spring for something like this, and with a wide array of colors to choose from you’ll surely get people checking out your kit.

I suggest checking out Colorware‘s color options, even if you’re not gonna buy one.

We’ve been covering Colorware’s offerings for a while now, and I’ve gotten behind the majority of their offerings — game consoles and cameras are well suited to custom colors. But the Apple Magic Trackpad isn’t. I can see people not really liking Apple’s metallic design aesthetic the past few years, but just look at that image above. Still, if you’re interested, the job can be done for $75, or $145 with the trackpad included.

Read

Colorware is on a mission to paint every popular gadget in whatever color its users desire, and they’ve now added the Flip Ultra HD & BlackBerry Pearl 3G to their roster. For $165, you’ll get a paint job for the Pearl 3G or $640 to get a new phone with the service. Then there’s the Flip Ultra HD, which you can alter for only $50 (or buy new for $260). Check out their site to try on different color schemes before you take the plunge.

Read

Colorware strikes again. After offering the option to colorize pretty much anything electronic, the guys have added the new Mac Mini to their selection. For $250, you can send your Mini in, or have them buy and colorize the whole thing for $1000. So, what color would you pick?

Read

It wasn’t a question of ‘if’, but ‘when’ the iPhone 4 would receive the Colorware treatment.  Well folks, that day has arrived.  You can now pick up an iPhone 4 customized with your very own color palette.  So what can you ‘color’?  The frame, the button, the back, the ear buds and even the SIM card tray.

For now you’ll have to send in your iPhone 4 and wait about 3 weeks for them to complete the job, that is after you drop $250.  Ouch.  Expect Colorware to eventually have the actual phone in stock, but until then you’ll have to use your 3Gs or whatever phone you didn’t sell.

Read

Just last week, Colorware announced that they’d added Segways to their list of products, but their adding of the new Slim Xbox 360 to the list might be a little more popular with the general public. Using their customizer, gamers can create thousands of different customizations for their console — I’m particular to the Famicom-esque paint job seen above. Sending in your console will cost you $175, with a brand new console shipped to you all painted for $500. The service is available now.

Read

The New Xbox 360

WINONA, MN July 2, 2010 — The Xbox 360 S brings a sleek new design
to your home console, and now you can give it the custom color it
deserves. ColorWare offers you the chance to customize your console
with a palette of 46 eye-catching colors.

Have a favorite World Cup team? A favorite color? Now you can match it
to your living room, or choose from thousands of combinations to fit
your style.

The ColorWare design studio makes it easy to customize every aspect of
the Xbox. You can also play videos, see images, and use our
interactive 360 section to see every corner of the console.

Colorware is in the business of colorizing just about anything electronic out there — iPads, HDTVs, laptops, you name it. So the fact that they’re now colorizing Segway’s Segway I2 is not very surprising, but still cool. They’ll put whatever color you want on different parts of the Segway, including the handle bar, upper leansteer, rear bumper, front battery, rear battery, fenders, inner hubs, lower leansteer, leansteer hub, center console, front bumper, hubcaps and wheels. Of course, this service doesn’t come cheap — $1500 for you to ship yours in, or $7500 to get a brand new Segway already colored. So, what color scheme would you pick?

If you don’t like the color combination’s the PS3 Slim is offering, you’ve got one of two choices–you can wait for the PS4, or you can talk to the folks at Colorware and get a custom paintjob.

For just a hundred and forty nine bucks, Colorware will offer you a complete repaint from any of a whole panoply of available color options.   They’ll even throw in one Dual Shock’s worth of painting absolutely free.  A second controller, however, can be done for thirty bucks.

Now, I’m not sure why anyone would want a color-coordinated PS3–the whole point of the thing is to play it, not to stare at it–but if you’ve really got a thing about room decoration, then this may be exactly the service you’re looking for.

Read

Sure, you could give someone an iPod Nano for the holidays, but then you’d just be ‘a friend’. If you really wanna win over that long time, perhaps since high school crush, you gotta go Colorware. You can personalize the coloring down to the ear buds, but you’ll pay for it.

If you color everything – body, button, wheel and ear buds – you’ll drop $125 if you send in your own, or it’s $275 if you buy from Colorware.

Happy coloring here