Has your phone went swimming before?

[DTro]

or maybe your just a gadget freak like me.

Mine has (gone swimming), and if you are a Verizon user, there's a solution.

Finally a "manly" phone geared towards the no nonsense rugged type.

This phone is completely waterproof, dustproof, drop proof (to an extent of course).

So let it bounce around the floor of the boat, let the rain come down and the big waves splash on it.

There are a couple of cons:

No bluetooth (not too big of a deal)

No memory card slot. (potential deal breaker for me)

Quite spendy (probably the biggest deal breaker)

Also it has a 2 mp camera for all those big fish you catch!

I've actually seen video of this thing taking pictures underwater!

I'm thinking seriously about this one as my NE2 is coming up here shortly.

Anyone else have this phone or plan on getting it?

Here's the phone:

Phone

By the way, if your phone does go swimming.......DO NOT TURN IT ON

remove the battery, soak the phone in some Isopropyl Alcohol and let it sit for a few days, or put it in a warm over (no more than 100 degrees for a few hours).

[spotter]

I need one thats water proof and floats when you drop it down the hole.

[Bobb-o]

I have had mine underwater several times (never on purpose, and once for 5 minutes) and it still works fine, it is the old Nokia 6010

[LMITOUT]

I have been told, by more than one person, that there is a strip inside phones that will turn color if it is submerged in liquid. This was added for all the people that brought back soggy phones and said that it quit and wanted an exchange.

I cannot confirm this, but wondered if anyone has heard the same story?

[Bobb-o]

This is true on my phone, there is a small little circle that turned red after the first time it went underwater.

[Tippman]

My old phone had a small sticker too that signified if it was submerged in water or not. I haven't looked at my current phone to see if it has one.

[RobertELee]

I know that if you drop it in water <DO NOT TURN IT ON!>, Dry off as much as possible, get a ziplock bag and fill with plain white rice, place phone in bag for couple of days and most of the time it will work again. I have also heard of putting it into the oven on the "warm" setting and cooking it for a few hours.

[upnorth]

My old Nokia went through the wash Took it apart and let is sit for a couple days to dry out and it fired right up no worse for the wear. I also dropped that thing probably at least 50 times.

[Grant]

a few years ago I had one of the Nextel rough service brick phones, I worked for Mosquito Control that year and I bet my phone went in the swamp while powered on a half dozen times... all I ever did was shake the water out, wipe off the mud, take the battery off and leave it on the dashboard the rest of the day, and it was fine... although I did have to use the defroster vents to dry it on cloudy days.

the handset was a Moto, although I cannot remember the actual model number.

[jig n' jerk]

That is awesome. But does it float? I have lost three cell phone down the ice hole over the past three years and it's tuff to get them back when they are in 20 + feet of water. I wish they came up with a floating phone. Oh well in the mean time maybe if I have a few less beers while fishing I can remedy the problem,or get a phone leash.

[TundraKing]

Now the retractable phone leash idea wouldn't be such a bad idea for you Kurt!

I used to work for Midwest Wireless fixing phones that people would get wet. Definitely do NOT turn it on because the water on the circuit board can short it out and POOF! its done. All I can say is the components in cell phones corrode pretty quickly so its definitely best to take it apart (if you know how) and let it dry as quickly as possible. Corrosion will also short out circuit boards if you give it time to grow. There is spray solvent in a can that will force electronics to dry in minutes, but I can't remember what its called. I should have bought stock in that stuff.

Anyway, its good to know that there is a waterproof phone out there. I'll have to check into it. I don't think I've seen anybody say a brand name yet... Anybody know?

[PierBridge]

They tried that scam on me I laughed at them.

Well sir it appears your phone is water damaged and is not covered by warranty you'll need to purchase a New phone do you see the this little pink spot that indicates water damage.......LOL......

Oh really i says kinda like everbody who's had a phone for more then a couple months oh I forgot to tell you my phone still works and by the way can I see your phone.. oh I see you have some pink discoloration indicating water damage can I interest you "verizon employee" in a New phone and 2 Year extortion contract?????

They didn't think it was to funny.....

[Hossienda]

The link takes you to a Verizon site, but the phone is made by UT Starcom, formerly known as Audiovox.

-Hossienda

[Bobb-o]

This reminds me of the time my dad had his phone get ruined when it fell out of his wader pocket while we were putting the dock in. He brought it in to Verizon and they said the thing aboot not being able to replace it due to water damage, luckily he had the insurance where if you lose your phone you pay like $10 and get a new one, so he walked outside took the battery off, threw the phone away and walked back in and told them he lost his phone and needed a new one, the rep laughed as he filled out the paperwork to give him the new phone.

[walleyewild]

I work in the industry, and have had people tellme that their phone has NEVER been near water while it is still wet inside. The handsets don't lie. I could go on and on with excuses.

Most all of the manufacturer's put the litmus indicators in their phones for their own protection. The handsets do really cost more for the providers then most people realize ( about 350.00 average per handset) thats what the contracts are for to help ease the cost of the phone over that 2 years.

The thing that I do is use a heavy duty ziplock for my phone and leave a little air in it so it'll float. If you damage a phone a year buy the insurance, the deductable is cheaper then buying a handset at regular retail...

Check the small print on the phone warranty it probably isn't water proof, it is probably water resistant.

P.S. If you open the unit the warranty is void on the spot and most service center techs know when someone has been in a phone.

My company has spent a lot of money and invested a good deal of time in training me over the last several years so I can save the company some money.

We are not there to make you buy a new phone I would much rather fix your phone and give it right back to you in about 10-15 minutes then tell you I can't repair it because of liquid intrusion.

It's best if you let us know up front if it has been submerged, we might be able to clean the corrosion out but as with any piece of electronics it will fail eventually, and then you will need to buy a new phone.

[DTro]

I agree that there are some pretty good excuses....however one of two things are happening.

The indicators don't work

The CSR's aren't trained to properly to read the indicators.

I've had the same issues with the dots. I'm pretty sure it was because of humidity, as it was never exposed to any external moisture.

Anyways, the phone I'm talking about is completely waterproof, I don't think it floats though.

Like mentioned previously, it is made by utstar, but I think Casio has some involvement (think G-Shock Watches).

[muc33]

Lost my new Nokia 3 days after I bought it last year. Saw it on my camera a day later. That hurt, no insurance either. Insured now, and a month ago our firetruck ran it over at a call. bad phone luck here.

[Lowlight]

My phone has suffered that misfortune twice. The first time it fell out of my pocket into about 5 feet of water while at the dock (it was on at the time). Took 2-3 days to dry out but it worked just fine. About 2 months ago I forgot it in my pants pocket when I put it in the dirty clothes hamper. Next morning I thought I'd be 'helpful' around the house and wash those clothes. Phone went through the entire wash cycle and I found it in the bottom of the washer when I was moving it to the dryer (Phone was on this time too). Figured I killed it for sure so I call the wife and told her that I needed a new phone. Got another phone that day but turns out I should have waited.

My first phone again started working after about 1 day with water spots in the screen. After another 2-3 days it works as good as new. Guess I have an extra Sprint phone now

[walleyewild]

Quote:

---

I know that if you drop it in water <DO NOT TURN IT ON!>,

---

Couldn't have said it better myself, when you put power to the phone the chemical reaction between the water and the copper traces on the circuit board with the addition of electricity is what causes the corrosion to happen.

The dots are made to only change color with direct contact with liquid, I have tested them, humidity alone will not cause them to change color.

Different manufacturer's phones do react differently with liquid damage, Nokia's seem to be the most resiliant, Motorola's are probably the least water resistant, at least on the high end phones.

It really is a dump shoot if your phone will work after being submerged, if the unit has a sim card you can usually recover your phonebook, no sim if it will power on there is a chance to get the phonebook.

It is best to get a backup copy or most carriers offer an over the air phonebook manager, for a few bucks a month extra you can store and edit the phonebook online, no one write's down their phone numbers anymore, I am fortunate enough to have mine backed up in a couple of different places.

There are recractable leashes available for phones just like the key holders, look at the kiosk's at malls that is where most of the gaget accessories are.

Prevention is the best method to keep your phone safe.

I have been saying for a few years that the cellular providers have created a monster, I even read an article about a guy that bought a phone for his pure bred dog so he could track it by gps when the pet was outside. That is going a little too far, I thought he should have gotten the dog a bluetooth headset also, so he could tell the dog when it was time to come in the house.

[cylinder]

Walleyewild, I agree with your perception of the moisture issue. Lots of people say they haven't been near water when it's obvious there is moisture or corrosion present. I don't agree with the cost of handsets though; the ones that are free with an activation cost them around $100 or so. I buy the phones, I know. There is a cost (to the company, not retail) of around $100-110 factored in on a contract. With my company, if a phone costs you $250 with a 2 yr activation or renewal, it's a $350 phone.

We see a bunch of phones with moisture damage. The corrosion (and red dots on the indicator) comes from being in water or from very high humidity environments (in the bathroom when you shower, near the hot tub, etc. You can't argue with the company when they say there is water damage because they photograph the evidence.

If your phone gets wet, you can dry it out and it may very well work afterward, but if you have quite a bit of time left on your contract you may want to consider buying the insurance. There is a high probability of failure within weeks or months. Check with your provider to see what the cost would be to buy out your contract and weigh it with the cost of renewal/new phone/any other options.

We did have one customer who said her phone was never near moisture and always in her purse when she wasn't using it. The service provider said there was water damage; we sent it to Nokia and they said it was not water damage and they replaced it. The big problem there was that we had to go to bat for her with the service provider because once they determine there was water damage the warranty is void. To err is human, even for cellphone techs.

Portable communication is still in its infancy. There are huge improvements in cellphones to be made, as there have been (and will continue to be) in computers. Look at cellphones and computers 10 years ago, what they are now, and the changes that have been made in the last two years...

Regarding insurance, I can't speak for all companies, but with our company if the phone doesn't work and you have insurance, it's covered and you pay a $25 deductible. If you 'lose' it, it's also covered but there's a $35 deductible. It would do no good to take it outside and throw it away. You'd pay an extra $10. Sometimes it's better to renew the contract and get a new phone. If you don't have plans to switch to another company there's very little problem with renewing the contract. The monthly cost is the same, you're just under an obligation. Want another service provider?-- now's the time.

[Blaze]

Went pheasant hunting with my wife back in October.

We stopped at a gas station and left the dog in the back of the crew cab, my phone was on the arm rest.

Came back out 3 minutes later - dog was still in back seat, but my phone was somehow marinating in my open coffee mug, fully submerged.

Dried her out and she works *fairly well* now - display still has problems and my buttons go freaky sometimes.

Worst part: smells like I have coffee breath every time I pick up my phone.

[Guest]

I have a phone sitting in a few different places... helps me call the fish at different lakes!

The phone I have now has been through too much.. dropped int he water more than once, thrown at my house from 75'(was a bad day), dropped, stepped on, you name it.. but it still works great!

I guess whe this one decides to take a swim, or can survive a toss out the window at freeway speeds, or thrown at the cell phone company over an outrageos bill(my last phone survived both)... The waterproof phone with the camera would be ideal!

[BIG DS]

Have had 3 Motorolas, 2 tried the swimming thing, 2 dead. No matter what I did, they were toast. . Spendy little suckers.

[SomethingFishy*]

Quote:

---

I have been told, by more than one person, that there is a strip inside phones that will turn color if it is submerged in liquid. This was added for all the people that brought back soggy phones and said that it quit and wanted an exchange.

I cannot confirm this, but wondered if anyone has heard the same story?

---

I work for a national communications company, it is true, most phones have a way to tell if they have been wet or have come in to contact with excessive moisture.

as for the VZW phone mentioned in the link it is mad by UTStarcom, we carry a few phones from this company and none of them would I call "quality".

The problem with most wireless phones is the users, everybody wants something for nothing. For example you go out to buy your fishing gear you plan to spend money, you go to buy a wireless phone and your cheap side shows, you come in looking for the "free" phone, then you come back 3 months later whining because you phone "sucks". Let's do the math hear, fishing you spend the money to get what you believe is "quality" merchandise you probably got whay you paid for, shopping for your wireless phone you select the cheapest thing out there and wonder why it works like dump.

From being in the business for 10 years I can tell you if you come to me with an attitude problem about your phone your also going to leave with an attitude problem as I won't go the extra step for you. You come to me friendly and respectful (you can still be upset) I will go out of my way to try and help with your situation.

[Scott M]

Slipped while wading and unbeknownst to me my cell was in my pocket. The water went over my waders. I had the presence of mind to leave my wallet and contents locked up in my vehicle, but the phone was in my pocket yesterday for some reason. All the sudden I feel this intermittent buzzing. Crud, cell phone is on the fritz. I put it in a bag with rice right away. 12 hours later I tried reassembling and turning it on....nothing.

What do I do? My contract was already up and I'm not bound to anything, but I really need those telephone numbers off of it and like anyone, I don't want to be paying for services I'm not receiving? The worst part was the night before I resolved to get a rolodex over teh weekend because I had so many important numbers in there.....

What is my next step? I think I will have to go talk to Sprint, but I don't want to be extorted into a new contract when I was thinking of jumping ship anyways.

The phone is an LG flip phone.

[GotOne]

My son's Chocolate went threw the entire wash cycle. We took it apart, hit it with a blow dryer, let it sit out in the sun for a day and the next day it powered up. Screen was a little foggy, but about 1 week later, it cleared up. Still working after 2 months.