Best New Tools to Rescue Wet Cell Phones

Each year millions of phones are damaged by water.? The interior gets wet and the circuitry goes

kaput. Replacing a wet smartphone can cost upwards of $400, so are there any

ways to save a phone, especially an iPhone that?s gone for a swim?

Previously I tested

the efficacy of drying a phone in uncooked rice, it worked for Blackberries and

some Android phones, but I couldn?t get it to save an iPhone. So when I saw a

new product that promised a 100% success rate for resuscitating wet phones

(including the iPhone), I had to try it.

First I dunked a powered on iPhone 4 in fresh water for 20

seconds, fully submerging it and cringing as I watched air bubbles popping out

of the phone?s innards, as I knew water was rushing in.

Then I pulled out the Dry-All Smartphone Recovery kit and

followed the directions.? First turn the

phone off, towel dry, put in the Dry-All case for 24 hours. The biggest mistake

people make after accidentally getting a phone wet is to turn it on and see if

it?s working. That can fire up the phone and further fry the circuitry. If the

phone is in sleep mode (screen off but powered on, as it normally is in your

pocket) do nothing but hit the off button and fully power it down once you

remove it from the water.?

The Dry-All can be purchased either as a one-time use bag

for $11 or a five-time use case for $50. It is filled with proprietary

dehumidifying beads that were originally designed to keep sensitive military

equipment dry as it shipped across the ocean during World War II. The company

claims that the Dry-All has a 100% success rate when drying out phones that

have been submerged in water less than 30 seconds (if you follow their directions).

The main differential between their beads and other

desiccants, like rice, is the speed at which they can remove moisture from the

hone and thus prevent corrosion. Because the iPhone does not have a removable

battery, its parts are less accessible and I presume harder to get dry than the

other phones we successfully revived with rice.

So after 24 hours in the Dry-All container, I opened it with

some hesitation and was pleasantly surprised to see the iPhone turn on. I had

no problems with the phone, like non-working buttons or glitchy behavior.? I decided to try it again and sure enough

after another 20 second soak and 24-hour period in the Dry-All container, the

iPhone powered on again.

Now there are other products that promise smartphone resuscitation

like the Kensington Evap pouch ($20) and when I tested it, it was also

successful in reviving the iPhone after a 20 second dip.

One note: while both these products revived the phone to

full working status ? the iPhone?s Liquid

Contact Indicator (located inside the headphone jack) had been tripped by

the initial exposure to water and the pouches could not alter that indicator

status. Once tripped that indicator voids the one-year warranty or any Apple Care

warranties on the phone.

But if you are prone to wet phone incidents, having one of

these rescue packs on hand seems like a good investment and might prevent you

from having to spend a few hundred dollars on a replacement phone in the future.

[Related: Scratch

Test ? Does Your Phone Really Need a Screen

Protector?]

Ethics Statement: All

opinions expressed here are my own. I am not paid by any manufacturers or

retailers.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upgrade-your-life/best-new-tools-to-rescue-wet-cell-phones-162155628.html

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