Dust is a daily battle in my apartment thanks to the highway two streets away, combined with an aging heating system. An uncovered keyboard is a welcome mat for airborne particles. I was reluctant to try a keyboard cover, because I thought it might trap more heat in my already too hot PowerBook. I finally acquiesced after almost dumping a coke on my keyboard.

Dress Your Keyboard

The Rasfox Keyboard Skin ships in a plastic case that thankfully snaps open. These days, a product's rating automatically goes down if they ship in a blister pack; I'm tired of wrestling with packaging. You just peel it out and gently press it onto your keyboard. It is a thin silicone sheet with perfectly shaped key indents. I smoothed it over the keys and was in business.

I barely notice its presence, and like the way it feels under my fingers better than the keyboard itself. I opted for the clear skin, but Rasfox also offers them in blue, pink, and light green. There's no noticeable heat difference when I sleep my PowerBook and my screen seems cleaner too.

Rolling Edges

The Keyboard Skin is a joy, except for one little problem. After a couple of months of use, the edges, which do not impede the speakers or use of any keys, started to curl up. Just the corners are tilting skyward. It wouldn't bother me, except when my little finger goes for the right arrow key, it catches the cover instead. This also means that dust gathers under the corners, which negates its dustproof marketing.

While I like the skin, the edge roll is annoying. I'm not sure how the roll can be avoided, but the skin does not lift off the keys, which is good. Rasfox also sells Keyboard Skins for the iBook, PowerBook, MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Apple Desktop keyboards at a more reasonable price than other companies.

by Ilene hoffman, Reviews Editor