Most of us carry around a lot of electronic gear all day. Cellphones, MP3 players, laptop computers and even hand-held video games fill our pockets, briefcases, backpacks, and belt loops. And they're easy to steal. But a new trend is sweeping the country that not only makes personal electronics less attractive to thieves, but also more fun for their owners. It's called “tech-tattooing” and Toledo is one of a handful of US cities at the forefront of the trend.
Tech-tattooing debuted in November of 2005 when Phillip Torrone, Senior Editor of Make magazine posted a story on his blog about using a $20,000 laser to etch his 17 inch Powerbook with a picture of a lemur-like creature called a tarsier. Since then, shops offering tech-tattoos have opened in New York City; Los Angeles; Phoenix; Boston; London, England; Boulder, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; and Toledo. Torrone etched his Powerbook because “it seemed like it had to be done,” and then, beyond just being pleased with the results, found that no one at work could ever mistake his laptop for any one else's. Beauty met and merged with security, and a new kind of “tattoo” was born: one without needles, ink, or pain.
Tech-Tattoos opened for business in August of 2007: just a few short months after cofounder Bill Horvath read a blog about using a laser to embellish the lid of a Powerbook. Bill saw the enormous market potential for laser etching immediately, and eventually convinced Jen to co-found Tech-Tattoos as an offshoot of Bill’s existing company, DoX Systems, LLC. Since August, Jen has used the $26,000 laser to “tattoo” laptops, cellphones (including three iPhones), Nintendo DS Lites, iPods (small, medium, and large), name badges, aluminum 3-ring binders, business card cases, outdoor signs, and leather.