Waterproofing Your Smartphone
Waterproofness. It’s the first measure I always use for new gadgets. …that and durability. So when I traded in my Casio G’zOne phone for the Motorola Droid recently, my first thought went to loosing my go-anywhere, waterproof workhorse. Since the Droid is an all-in-one do-everything workhorse, I was willing to make the move.
So how do you waterproof a smartphone that requires touch-control? Waterproof hardcases will keep them safe and dry, but unusable. A plastic window is required so that the touch of a finger is sensed through the barrier.
My first purchase was a small electronic case by SealLine. The construction and durability is superior, however the size and lack of audio plug have forced me to keep shopping. There is a smaller size then what I purchased, but the Droid would not fit, forcing me to get the next size up which is twice as large as the phone.
H2O Audio makes waterproof cases for smartphones and mp3 players, specializing in Apple product for the most part. I have several issues with their product for large handsets though. For one, it’s quite pricey at $80 (not including headphones). The other issue is how bulky the total package is. Made into a contoured armband, the total size becomes unmanageable if you simply want to put it in a pocket or try to strap it to a bag or belt. With the workouts and activities that I do, wearing a large armband isn’t going to work.
Next, and perhaps my next purchase, is a product from Dry CASE. At $40, the price makes it worth checking out. Aside from a hard plastic cuff on the opening, the product is essentially a clear plastic bag, enabling touch screen control as well as allowing for use of the camera on the flip side of the phone. Like the H2O Audio case, a built in audio jack makes plugging in headphones possible while the case is water-tight.
I also like that there is a limited amount of material used in its construction, making it fairly small and compressible. Since the Droid has buttons on different sides of the phone, the plastic bag construction would allow access to all sides and edges of the unit.
The final feature of the Dry CASE, their professed differentiator, is a vacuum seal. It actually appeals to me and I appreciate its value. If the plastic bag is visibly sucked in around the phone, you can be confident that it’s water tight.
