Step 1: Do NOT turn on the phone

Why do water and smartphones not mix? Because the water shorts out your smartphone’s electrical circuits. So whatever you do, don’t turn it on to check to see if it still works.


Step 2: Pull out the battery and SIM card

You want to remove anything removeable: Pull out the battery, the SIM card and the memory card, if your phone has one. As long as that battery’s in there it’s providing power to your phone, and that’s what you need to stop immediately.

Some phones, like the iPhone, don’t have a removable battery. Unfortunately, you’ll just have to skip this step and hope for the best if you dunk one of them.

Step 3: Freshwater rinse

Did you drop your phone in salt water? The salt can corrode your device. So after you pull out the battery and SIM card, immerse your phone in fresh water to rinse out the salt.

Step 4: Dry your phone using compressed air

If you have a compressed air can handy — the kind that’s used to clean computers or keyboards — run it full-blast all over your phone, with the back cover taken off if you can. A vacuum cleaner also works, even though it’s pulling the air in the other direction. As long as it’s blowing cool air over those circuits to dry them out, it’s all good.

Don’t stick your phone in the oven, even on low. The heat can warp your phone’s circuits, and melt its internal components. You shouldn’t use a blow dryer either, unless it has a heatless setting. A fan might help, but a microwave is out of the question.

Step 5: Cover your phone with uncooked rice

The premise of our experiment was to test if putting a wet phone into a sealed container of rice would actually dry it out, and bring it back form the dead. See, the idea behind the rice is that the dry grains will absorb moisture. So get a sealable plastic container, and fill it with enough rice to cover your smartphone. (A plastic zipper bag will work too, in a pinch.) Then bury your phone in the rice, along with its battery and other parts. You’ll want to wait at least 24 hours for the rice to do its job — Becky waited for 48 hours, in her test.

What would work better than rice? Silica gel, the stuff in those packets that keep new clothes or shoes dry. But most of us don’t have a shoebox full of the stuff laying around, so rice will probably have to do. It may get pieces of rice into the crevices and cavities in your smartphone, but this is an emergency, and time is of the essence.

Should you use white or brown rice? It doesn’t matter, so long as it’s hard and dry and uncooked. You can even use rice from boxed meals like Rice-a-Roni. Just don’t add in the seasoning packet, unless you want your phone to smell like mixed vegetables.

Read full article here: Yahoo News

State Farm Insurance has developed a new app geared to battle distracted driving, following a new trend in aiding motorists on the road.

Available on iPhones and iPods, the “Driver Feedback” app provides driver scores by assessing driver acceleration, cornering and braking by using the iOS device’s accelerometer.

The modern answer to the driver’s coach, the free app also records potentially dangerous driving moves along with a map pinpointing the area. Users can also compare their scores with other profiles.

Driver Feedback joins a new breed of safe-driving apps keeping a watchful eye on roads and highways.

“Protector” allows cautious parents to block their children’s calls and texts when driving, while “Speedbump” allows calls and texts but sends “distracted driving alarms” when their young drivers exceed the speed limit.

Mostly considered a driving distraction, with apps like these, mobile phones can finally redeem themselves with a better reputation as a potential tool in improving driver awareness, especially as “distracted driving” becomes more of an issue.

You can read the full article at Mobiledia

It’s more than clear that we’re looking at a HTC smartphone, just check the logo and the overall shape of the device, and those three buttons there indicate that we’re in the presence of Windows Phone 7. The phone could be launched at some point later this year when we expect various manufacturers to come out with new WP7 handsets.

What we do know so far about this device is that it will offer a dual-core processor, at least that’s what Microsoft will force everyone to adopt in their next WP7 smartphones, a 16-megapixel shooter, dual LED flash and Windows Phone 7 under the hood.

Read: 16-Megapixel HTC Windows Phone 7 Camera Phone in the Works? [Uncovered Promo Video Suggests HTC Is Working on 16-Megapixel WP7 Smartphone] | TFTS Technology, Gadgets & Curiosities

Read more on Nexus 404

Defy a South African company best known for manufacturing fridges, washing machines and tumble dryers. I suppose this is why Red Bull Mobile are calling the new Motorola by its unsexy name, the MB 525. Because it sounds prettier I will be referring to it as the Defy.

Build Quality

It doesn’t really matter what the Defy is called really, it matters what it does. What the Defy does is impressive. It is a rugged phone without looking or feeling like one, that is impressive. Anyone who can remember the rugged Nokia’s of old will share this view with me. They were huge, rubbery, ugly and very very heavy. Also, they weren’t even that rugged, especially when compared to what the Defy can withstand.

The screen is made from Guerilla Glass, that can take some serious knocks before it shatters, it also feels smoother to the touch than plastic or hardened glass. A smooth-to-the-touch non-slip plastic surrounds the Defy and the bezel is a shiny plastic and shiny is good. Here is the kicker though; the Defy can be submerged up to 1 meter under water, which will inevitably lead to one thing – shower sexting.

Motorola are very proud of the Defy, calling it the “dance floor proof phone” saying that it can handle being dropped on the dance floor and having various colourfull drinks spilt on it. I tested these claims of ruggedness (which one can only do when the phone is not yours) and Motorola aren’t pulling the wool. The Defy can withstand some serious falls without denting or even scratching and after recording some video underwater in the pool; I was convinced that it could handle a double Red Bull and Vodka being spilt on it.

Read more about the Defy on TechHuman

Since Nokia announced its partnership with Microsoft recently, we’ve been thinking about ways in which Nokia can improve Windows Phone. It’s undoubtedly an impressive OS, but Nokia has lots of innovative technology – such as its stunning camera phones, for instance – which could be an ideal way of differentiating Nokia from other Windows Phone manufacturers. Join us after the break to find out more…

Nokia sits at the top of the smartphone pile when it comes to camera phone tech, with the Nokia N8 leading the way. You’re guaranteed amazing picture quality, and the idea of a Windows Phone smartphone made by Nokia is a mouth watering prospect. Read on to find out why.

Carl Zeiss optics
Nokia is by far the best mobile phone manufacturer when it comes to camera phones, and one reason is the use of Carl Zeiss optics. Carl Zeiss is renowned in the world of lenses, leading to stunningly crisp and sharp image quality.

Packaging
The camera housing on the Nokia N8 may be bigger than that of other Nokia handsets – such as the Nokia C7 – but it’s well worth it when it comes to the technology hidden away inside. Nokia has fitted a large lens, along with a decent shutter mechanism, helping to produced unrivalled quality when it comes to photographs.

Sensors
The Nokia N8 features the biggest camera sensor currently found on a smartphone, and as a result it can cram more details into photographs without affecting quality. If Nokia can match this technology with Windows Phone software, it could be an unbeatable package.

Megapixels
OK, we’re fully aware that more megapixels doesn’t automatically result in better photographs, but it does give more of chance when it comes to details. When fitted alongside the biggest sensor, to help process all those details with the minimum fuss, you can look forward to stunning photographs. The Nokia N8 was the first Nokia smartphone to get a 12-Megapixel sensor – and we fully expect Nokia to keep innovating when it comes to Windows Phone handsets.

USB on the go
If you’ve taken hundreds of photographs or videos, the last thing you’ll want to do is wait for them all to transfer via Bluetooth. USB on the go makes it easy to back up your files wherever you are, letting you move them all across to a USB stick for easy access on your PC. If Nokia can fit USB on the go technology to its Windows Phone handsets, it’ll be a useful step ahead of rivals.

All this combines to create the best camera phones on the market – with the Nokia N8 as the most impressive example to date. If Nokia continues with this technology alongside Windows Phone, the future is looking bright for fans of camera phones.