Soaked gadgets? You can save them
Business Technology | April 18, 2014
How many times have you lost your phone in the toilet? How about allowing that tablet drop into the swimming pool? Did you know what steps to use to rescue your electronics from these watery graves? If not, you might be in for disappointment you don’t need. It’s true–you can save gadgets that you’ve soaked.
Saving drowned technology
After you fish your device out of the water, do this first: Make sure its power is off. If a battery is fueling your gadget, quickly yank that battery out. If your device does not feature a removable battery, ensure it is switched off. You might think it is the water that causes gadgets to go haywire. It’s not. The electrical shorts water causes is what scrambles your devices. Whatever you do, resist the temptation to switch the power back on to see what damage has occured. By doing this, you’ll only make things worse.
Other steps
Your next step is to open up as many air holes as feasible in the device. What this means is removing SIM cards, back covers, SD cards and ear hole port coverings. The greater number of openings you create, the more air will rush through the device. Secondly, vacuum out as much moisture as you possibly can from your cell phone, tablet or iPod. Your ideal tool for this job is a vacuum which has a small nozzle. The more thorough you are , the better. Finally, drop your cellphone in a bowl of something that will get it dry. Many people recommend dry white rice. And that works well, but Gizmodo comes up with a little something it says is even better—a bowl of dry Rice Krispies cereal. After A couple of days of drying time, turn your device back on. If you’re lucky, it will pop straight back into life.
Keeping it dry
Better than rescuing a gadget from a water grave, though, is keeping it dry to begin with. The best way to make this happen? Leave the smartphones, tablets and readers in a dry place when you’re at the pool or about to relax and take a bath. Yes, you might want to read that latest spy thriller with your tablet while you’re using the spa. But we wouldn’t recommend it. You could also invest in one of the numerous waterproof cases available for electronic toys. The New York Times recently took a glance at some options, including Liquipel, LifeProof and Joy Factory Rain Ballet. They all work. But again, it might make more sense to keep your gadgets far from water.
How many times have you lost your phone in the toilet? How about allowing that tablet drop into the swimming pool? Did you know what steps to use to rescue your electronics from these watery graves? If not, you might be in for disappointment you don’t need. It’s true–you can save gadgets that you’ve soaked.
Saving drowned technology
After you fish your device out of the water, do this first: Make sure its power is off. If a battery is fueling your gadget, quickly yank that battery out. If your device does not feature a removable battery, ensure it is switched off. You might think it is the water that causes gadgets to go haywire. It’s not. The electrical shorts water causes is what scrambles your devices. Whatever you do, resist the temptation to switch the power back on to see what damage has occured. By doing this, you’ll only make things worse.
Other steps
Your next step is to open up as many air holes as feasible in the device. What this means is removing SIM cards, back covers, SD cards and ear hole port coverings. The greater number of openings you create, the more air will rush through the device. Secondly, vacuum out as much moisture as you possibly can from your cell phone, tablet or iPod. Your ideal tool for this job is a vacuum which has a small nozzle. The more thorough you are , the better. Finally, drop your cellphone in a bowl of something that will get it dry. Many people recommend dry white rice. And that works well, but Gizmodo comes up with a little something it says is even better—a bowl of dry Rice Krispies cereal. After A couple of days of drying time, turn your device back on. If you’re lucky, it will pop straight back into life.
Keeping it dry
Better than rescuing a gadget from a water grave, though, is keeping it dry to begin with. The best way to make this happen? Leave the smartphones, tablets and readers in a dry place when you’re at the pool or about to relax and take a bath. Yes, you might want to read that latest spy thriller with your tablet while you’re using the spa. But we wouldn’t recommend it. You could also invest in one of the numerous waterproof cases available for electronic toys. The New York Times recently took a glance at some options, including Liquipel, LifeProof and Joy Factory Rain Ballet. They all work. But again, it might make more sense to keep your gadgets far from water.