Skins

Planning to preorder an iPhone 5? You might want to have a new skin ready to peel and stick when it arrives.

Today only, Skinit.com is offering buy-one-get-one-free skins for all devices, including the iPhone 5.

To get the deal, add any two skins to your shopping cart, then apply coupon code 2012BOGO when you get to the checkout page.

Just to clarify, you don't have to choose two iPhone 5 skins, or even one iPhone 5 skin -- the BOGO offer applies to any two skins the company sells.

And it sells them for just about every … Read more

A fan had a dream. He dreamed he would some day roll around Vice City in a souped-up DeLorean, dressed as Marty Mcfly, packing heat, and terrorizing the town. Then he made it happen.

The creator of the Back to the Future Grand Theft Auto mod (SeedyROM34 on YouTube), spent months working on the elaborate creation with many hours of file editing thrown into the bargain. This is quite a bit more than just a skin. There's time travel, an excellent-looking Marty McFly character, and a detailed DeLorean complete with flux capacitor.… Read more

Powerful explosives from fires or roadside bombs produce two near-simultaneous blasts: first, a high-pressure blast that can cause internal injuries, and then a thermal blast that produces temps above 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and can literally cook skin, according to Robert Lochhead, a professor of polymer science at the University of Southern Mississippi.

He worked with chemists to engineer a high-tech camouflage paint that is waterproof; easy to apply and remove; non-irritating to the eyes, nose, and mouth; and actually reflects -- instead of absorbs, like most face paints -- intense heat.… Read more

First off, congrats to Laura G. of Royse City, Texas, for winning last week's giveaway -- an LG Nitro HD smartphone signed by Bob Schreck, editor in chief of Legendary Comics.

This week's giveaway shows some serious skin -- iSkin that is. The winner gets a $300 gift certificate from the popular company, which makes all kinds of gadget accessories: cases and covers for iPads, iPhones, BlackBerrys, and, most recently, the Samsung Galaxy S3; MacBook keyboard protectors; earphones; camera pouches; travel bags; and more. Load up however you want. … Read more

Got a new mole? A bad sunburn? A family member with a skin cancer diagnosis?

UMSkinCheck, a free new app for iPhone and iPad developed at the University of Michigan, includes a risk calculator that will help you determine your individual risk. If you have any concern at all, it guides you through taking a series of 23 photos that cover your entire body to develop a baseline for future photo comparisons.

"Whole body photography is a well-established resource for following patients at risk for melanoma," Michael Sabel, lead physician in app development and associate professor of surgery … Read more

The Samsung Galaxy S3 accessories keep rolling out, and iSkin's getting in on the GS3 action with its Aura and Vibes lines of cases.

For its Vibes line ($29.99), which comes in multiple colors, iSkin touts its Microban antimicrobial protection, which "helps prevent the growth of bacteria that can cause stains and odors." I'm not sure I've ever had a smartphone case with a B.O. problem, but hey, it makes for good marketing.

While I haven't tried out the Vibes on the S3, I did check out the Aura ($39.99), which … Read more

Not everyone wants to keep their iPhone hidden away in a pocket. Some folks prefer to hang them on hooks or wear them around their necks.

And what about sticking them on a fridge, filing cabinet, or other metal surface? If my wife's phone had a magnetic backing, she could slap it on the door to our garage, thereby increasing her chances of remembering to take it to work. (Don't tell her I said that; she'll kill me in my sleep.)

To paraphrase the ol' saying, there's a Kickstarter project for that. MagSkin adds a magnetic backing to your iPhone 4/4S, thereby giving it an adheres-to-metal personality. (What, you thought I was going to say "magnetic"?)… Read more

Otterbox has built a booming business out of its ultraprotective iPhone cases but today has a lot more competition -- and it's only getting fiercer.

Case in point: iSkin's just-announced Fuze case, which also comes in a special-edition model, the Fuze SE. What's nice about these is that they offer solid protection in a relatively low-profile case.

While they don't offer the same level of protection as the $80 Lifeproof case, which is waterproof and features an integrated screen cover, the overall concept and design are somewhat similar.

iSkin says the new Fuze cases took months … Read more

Sometimes we need to see to believe. I remember understanding on an intellectual level, from a young age, that smoking was bad, but I didn't really get it on a visceral level until I saw a smoker's blackened lungs. The effect was so profound that, to this day, I go so far as to hold my breath when walking past people smoking.

Unfortunately, it's not easy to peer inside our own bodies and check out the health of our lungs. It's also difficult to see the effects sun exposure is having on our skin, especially when … Read more