June 15, 2005
Waterproofing: the Last Frontier in Handset Development
With summer vacation on the way, Digital Chosunilbo has an interesting article on why cell phones aren't waterproof and what to do first if your cell phone does fall in the water.
"In order to make cell phones water resistant, we'd need to make the phones heavier and thicker, so we aren't thinking of that,” says LG Electronics. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics says it is impossible to close up the earphone pack, speaker and microphone holes and external input devices.
"Water causes the cell phone's circuit board to discharge or short-circuit or the board itself to corrode,” a staff member at a Samsung service center in Seoul's Gangnam district said. “Especially with sea water and drinks, even after the liquid evaporates, salt and sugar can cause fatal problems".
When your phone gets wet, it's best to immediately separate the battery from the phone to stop the current from reaching the main handset and leave the phone with a service center. In many instances users have carelessly pressed the power button of their phone, believing the phone to be dry, only for the remaining liquid to spark a short circuit and the phone to be beyond repair.
Picture above left remains an option, from Barts Water Sports or, for the more ruggedly inclined, see picture below, from The water proof case company.
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