How to Prevent Your Cell Phone From Water Damage

Many cell phone users accidentally drop their phones in water and find themselves having to buy a new one, but as Matt Posgai reports, there may be a way to save your phone.

When it comes to saving your phone, experts say the first step is to simply turn the phone off if the water damage hasn't done it already. But don't stop there...

"They want to remove the battery from the phone. Look inside the phone and see if there's like any kind of indicator that looks like it's changed color, look on the battery." says US Cellular Area Sales Manager Thomas Arens.

Arens also says the most important thing is to make sure the phone is off and in a safe place to dry off. But the best way to avoid a costly mistake is prevention. For example, you could put a waterproof bag or casing around your phone. But even when precautions are taken, your phone may still end up damaged...

It's called moisture damage and it can happen even when your phone is nowhere near water.
"It means that something has happened inside the phone and the phone's been exposed to some type of moisture that has caused that condensation to get in there, which then usually is a proponent or drives the corrosion that happens within the phone and usually the deterioration of the phone starts downhill after that."

If you let your phone dry out and it still doesn't turn on, there's still a chance to save your information. Arens recomends taking your phone to a service technician anytime after taking water damage to ensure the best chance of restoring your phone

Resource:

KAUZ News

Cell phones can lead to 911 problems

Shelby County 911 now gets 60 to 70 percent of its distress calls from cell phones, said director John Ellison. Sometimes, that can lead to problems.

“We were in a system where we knew where every phone was and its location,” Ellison said. “Now, every service provider is just different. You can be standing in the same yard and make two calls that will go two different places.”

Cell phones give off signals that show up on mapping devices at the 911-dispatch center, but even those can be inexact.

“You’re a dot on a map. We get your approximate position,” Ellison said. “Sixty-seven percent of the time, what you see on the map is within 50 meters of where the person actually is. Fifty meters is a pretty big area.”

Also, cell phone signals are not tied to any one address, but rather bounce off whatever tower is nearby. That can present headaches for 911 callers and dispatchers when calls are relayed to a dispatch center in the wrong county, Ellison said.

Because of that, cell phone users should be prepared with knowledge of what county they’re in as well as their approximate location.

“All the caller has to do is say, ‘I’m in Helena, I need Shelby County 911’ or ‘I’m in Calera, I need Shelby County 911,’” Ellison said.

Helena Fire Chief John Wilder said he’s seen some of these problems before.

“I’ve heard of instances where people will call with a cell phone and get Tuscaloosa County 911,” Wilder said. “It’s not a perfect system with regards to cellular phones because it depends on the cell tower. If you call from a cell phone, you need to know exactly where you are.”

Both Ellison and Wilder said those that own landlines need to do test calls to 911, especially if they’ve recently moved.

“If you change your phone company or your records, there could be human error,” Ellison said. “There’s always room for human error.”

If you’ve moved, wait five business days and then dial 911. Tell the dispatcher you’re making a test call and check to make sure you’ve gotten the dispatch center in the correct county.
For example, some Helena citizens live in Jefferson County but need their calls to go to the Shelby County 911 office, because Shelby County will dispatch the Helena Fire Department.

For more information, visit shelby911.org.

Resource:

Amy Jones (Contact)

Shelby County Reporter

Sony Ericsson Revamps Its Multimedia Phone Lineup

Sony Ericsson has been facing some rough business months lately, and it unveiled three handsets with strong multimedia capabilities to help it mount a comeback.

The company showed off the Idou during February's Mobile World Congress, and it packed a whopping 12-megapixel camera and a 3.5-inch screen that can have a widescreen ratio. Sony Ericsson renamed the device the Satio, and said it would available in select markets in the fourth quarter of 2009.

The Satio will run Symbian S60 5th edition, which means it will be capable of using thousands of applications. The camera has a digital zoom, xenon flash, face-detection and image-stabilization software, and the ability to geotag photos.

The Satio will have built-in Wi-Fi, 3G, and EDGE to keep users connected on the go. Other radios include Bluetooth capable of A2DP, and a GPS chip that can be used for location-based searches. Users will also be able to play 3-D and high-definition games on the Satio, and watch various types of media files.

The Yari is another midlevel handset that's trying to capitalize on the boom in mobile gaming. The candy bar-shaped phone has accelerometers that can be used for motion controls with games, which is similar to how Nintendo's Wii controllers work.

The handset is not just for fun and games though, as it also packs a 5-megapixel camera, assisted-GPS, instant messaging, and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support. The Yari is slated to be released in the fourth quarter.

Sony Ericsson also announced the Aino handset, and it's aimed at users who want to access their videos on the go. The handset has a slide-down numeric keyboard with a 3.2-inch touch screen, and users can stream video, music, and other content from a PlayStation 3 on to the handset via Wi-Fi or a cellular data connection. The Aino can also be used as a remote control for the PlayStation 3, and it can view several European TV stations.

The handset has an 8.1-megapixel camera with image stabilization software, Wi-Fi, 3G connectivity, Bluetooth, YouTube access, assisted-GPS, and an FM radio. The Aino is expected to be released in the same time frame as the Yari and the Satio.

Resource :

By Marin Perez

InformationWeek