juhansingh: Mobile Technology Upgrades ? (Mostly) Waterproof iPhone ...

weather_proof

Technology ? is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other.
C. P. Snow, New York Times, 15 March 1971

One thing that beats me when I think about smartphones like Apple and Android, is the typical user?s reluctance to purchase Apps and equipment for it. Sure, after paying a few hundred bucks for the device (immediately or in contract rates), it is normal to be reluctant to pay even more for it. But on the other hand ? if you have already paid so much for it, why limit its uses when you have it?

Besides Apps, one of the best things you can purchase is ? in my opinion ? a waterproof casing. Some time ago I bought the necessary equipment to make my iPhone waterproof ? at least in principle. There are different cases that should make it waterproof, after looking around I tried Lifeproof^(R).

As the rest of the site, this is without warranty. But due to the possible negative consequences, I repeat it explicitly: It worked for me (so far), but there are other reports on Amazon (seems bimodal, many love it, many hate it). I am guessing this is due to difference between actual and perfect-use failure rates when it comes to using the case. Here a mistake might cost you your device. Do this at your own risk!

I hope I never find out whether it survives when it is completely immersed in water. But so far, it survived more than one jogging trip through rain and snow ? while being strapped to my upper arm, exposed to the elements.

My jogging equipment: An iPhone 4 with a Lifeproof case and armband. The H20 earplugs are waterproof and are wound around the Buff headwear (worn around the neck while jogging). This keeps the motion of the earplug cable to a minimum.

But it?s not only good for jogging. The case allows me to use my iPhone to capture ideas in the rain. If I am walking to work, I can take it out and jot down ideas no matter whether it?s raining or not, and no matter whether I use an umbrella or not. It has more or less replaced my paper notebook, and in many ways, I prefer to capture most ideas digitally.

So, if you are using a digital device to capture your ideas, think about how you can make it more resistant and get more out of it.