Street Use: Snack Baggie Mobile Protection

Gizmos, Personal Mods

Snack Baggie Mobile Protection

Some mobile devices are not as waterproof as others. Alexander Rose has lost several Treos to mild moisture penetration -- even from sweat in a pocket, or rain. His solution is a zip lock bag. It keeps water out and let's sound and light in, so he can speak and hear normally through the plastic and punch in the keys. Here is what Rose says: "I am on my 3rd Treo in a little over a year (good thing I got replacement insurance!). It turns out they are ridiculously sensitive to water. Even hi humidity or sweat has made mine blank out. So now whenever there is risk of it getting wet (like rain) I put it in a snack sized ziplock. You can use all the features, talk and hear through it just fine. There are also some high end cases by Otterbox but I like the ziplock solution as its light, collapsable, and just water tight enough."

P1010743

It does look pretty dorky. Anyone else have the same problem, or different solution?

Posted on November 9, 2006 at 4:51 PM | +del.icio.us +digg +reddit

Comments

my kitchen TV's remote control has lived inside a ziplock bag for years

:-)

Posted by Tom Taborda on November 14, 2006 at 4:46 PM

This may be OK in a light rain, but don't count on it if it is totally submersed. Trust me on this one!

Posted by Jim on November 10, 2006 at 10:19 PM

You could always spend some money and get yourself an Aquapac... http://www.aquapac.net/usstore/erol.html

The 'Mini' size fits the treo just right. Never had a problem killing my Treo from my sweat, but I always stick it in an Aquapac when I take to the water!

Posted by T39andcounting on November 10, 2006 at 6:10 PM

Kevin...I saw your post through Gizmodo and sent it over to Scubaology.com* and the author posted some other good solutions that divers use. Check it out.

http://www.scubaology.com/archives/2006/11/10/keep-it-dry/

*Full Disclosure I helped Scubaology.com setup their blog.

Posted by Dave Kaufman - Techlife on November 10, 2006 at 5:47 PM

haha... my cheap roommates does the same thing with his ipod video... lol

Posted by Bao on November 10, 2006 at 5:44 PM

I can't say I really have this problem, but I do have a different solution:
http://www.skins-mobile.com/main.html

Posted by getgreg on November 10, 2006 at 2:34 PM

I've used the zip lock bag trick for a few years. Usually only when I am out for extended periods of time and think I may get drenched with rain, or possibly take an unexpected dunk in a body of water. For the last couple of years I've been using an Aloksak by Watchful Eye Designs (which is a kind of creepy Orwellian company name).

The Aloksak is what most people think a zip lock bag is, waterproof. They are more expensive than regular zip locks by far but have much better seals and are pretty durable. I doubted the companies claims when I first got mine, so I filled on full of water and carried it around in my pocket and bag for several hours.

The different sizes are great for all kinds of uses. I haven't tried any of their other products though.

http://www.watchfuleyedesigns.com/

If these haven't been on Cool Tools yet, they should be IMO.

Posted by Paul D. on November 10, 2006 at 12:53 PM

I use the exact same solution for my Sony Clie; at night I can read books while walking outside even when it's raining. I also use it for my iRiver H120, with a variation; I route the headphones wire in a spiral as I wrap the ziplock around the iRiver, with the wire exiting at the bottom, then zip it down from the top almost closed. I always carry a ziplock in a pocket for this purpose, never worry about an unexpected rain.

Posted by Bennett Todd on November 9, 2006 at 6:36 PM

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