Here, again, is yet another video demonstration of a special nanocoating that can magically make a smartphone waterproof. This time it’s a company named Liquipel drawing the oohs and ahhs at the Consumer Electronics Show as testers attempt to dunk, douse and drown out all the functioning life out of an iPhone 4 — but to no avail.
Consumers have seen this brand of teasing and tantalizing before, most recently back in November by other companies that have developed similar protective coatings, which generated immediate buzz but have yet to debut commercially. The difference this time, though, is that Liquipel has taken that all-important next step by offering the waterproofing technology to the public.
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That’s because while the coating can be integrated into the manufacturing process it can also be applied retroactively to fully assembled devices. That means for a service fee of 59 dollars, they’ll actually waterproof your smartphone.
Here’s how it works: The device is placed in a temperature-controlled vacuum chamber into which the proprietary formulation of waterproofing particles is introduced in a vapor form. Ionized particles are then added, binding the formulation to the device at the molecular level. Thirty minutes later, waterproofing is complete.
Liquipel is 1,000 times thinner than a human hair (virtually untraceable), permanent and will not affect nor compromise the look, feel and performance of the device, according to the company. The technology provides waterproof protection at certification level of IP-X7 (3 feet under water for 30 minutes).
“People are taking their iPhones, Droids and other phones with them wherever they go,” said Danny McThail, Liquipel’s co-president. “Their greatest fear has been getting splashed, not to mention accidentally dropping their device into the water or getting caught in the rain. Now, thanks to our process, those fears can safely evaporate.”
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(via Liquipel)
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