My iPad mini has a new best friend: a lovely new Gelaskin for the back of it – as you can see above. I’ve posted many times here about how much I enjoy using just an Apple Smart Cover and a Gelaskin as the ideal combination for my bigger iPads.

When I saw that Gelaskins had a range for the iPad mini, and a fresh new crop of designs, I was more than a little tempted and recently ordered ‘Life is Art’ for my iPad mini. It was delivered a couple days ago and was installed within minutes of arrival. During those few minutes I got a clear reminder of 3 things I love about Gelaskins for the iPad:

— Their designs are always creative, striking, and just a real pleasure to look at on the iPad.

— When Gelaskins are touted as being ultra-thin it’s no exaggeration. These are genuinely feather light and add just about zero weight or bulk to my iPad mini. With the iPad mini this is even more of a killer feature than on the bigger iPads – since lightness is the outstanding benefit of the iPad mini. As evidence of the near-zero addition of bulk, I tested out the iPad mini in the superb INVELLOP Leatherette Case Cover for iPad mini – my new favorite iPad case. This case fits the iPad mini like a glove and still fits just as well with the new Gelaskin on – and has done no harm at all to the Gelaskin after being in and out of the case several times.

— Gelaskins are easy to install on the iPad. Really, really easy. I can say this because I am a complete clod when it comes to installing skins and screen protectors and the like – and even I have an easy time of it when installing a Gelaskin. This time I got the positioning close enough to perfect for my satisfaction in under 5 minutes.

If you’re looking to add a little protection to the back of your iPad mini or full-size iPad while adding nearly no weight at all, then you should definitely give Gelaskins a look.

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