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App claims to test your phone's water resistance without a plunge
It uses a phone's barometric sensor to test internal IP seals
Android developers are the best. Watch them for long enough, and they'll come up with tools that you didn't even know were possible. For example, this little app claims it can tell you whether the water-resistant seals in your phone are still intact. Water Resistance Tester is a free download in the Play Store.
For years, OnePlus has refused to IP rate its phones, even as its prices creep up. The company has attributed this to a cost-saving measure, telling us that a real IP rating would add $30 to the cost of each handset, even though they are already ostensibly water resistant. In a preemptive move, the company is letting us know that its next device also won't have an IP rating. Instead, OnePlus made a video spiking a phone into a bucket of water — because, of course, marketing is better than a real IP rating.
For the past 4 years, I've been wearing a Fitbit device of some sort. I started with the One, which stuck with me for the better part of 3 years, then I tried the Blaze, the Alta, and the Charge 2. My main complaint with each of these trackers was the lack of water-resistance, which meant that I couldn't wear them in the pool or track my swims with them. I've tried several swim trackers including the Misfit Shine 2 Swim Edition and Amiigo, looking for something that could replace Fitbit, but the best that I found was the Garmin vivoactive, which has excellent swim tracking and can send the main stats to Fitbit through MyFitnessPal. It's not an elegant solution, but it worked for me for the past year or so.So you can imagine my joy — better yet, you can read it — when Fitbit announced the Flex 2 with water-resistance and swim tracking. At last, I wouldn't have to go through workarounds to get all of my swims to show up in the Fitbit app, and I could keep it on in the shower and the pool without worrying about it.I've been wearing the Fitbit Flex 2 for the past month or so, and using it exclusively for over two weeks. The result is a little mitigated. Several compromises had to be made with the Flex 2, and that's understandable but only to a certain point. The Flex line is one of the most basic Fitbit models, so you expect it not to come anywhere near the capability of the Alta, Charge, or Blaze line, but in some respects, the Flex 2 even feels like a step back from my 4 year-old Fitbit One, which is slightly disheartening.
The Active variants of Samsung's Galaxy phones on AT&T are sold as a more rugged option than the standard version. However, Consumer Reports found that the Galaxy S7 Active didn't even stand up to water as well as advertised (or as well as the regular GS7). Samsung was at first unconcerned, but now says it has identified the problem in its manufacturing process and corrected it.
Looking for something to help you justify that whopping $649 Nexus 6 price tag? Yeah, us too. Well, how's this: the Nexus 6 will be water-resistant. Probably not submersible, but at least splash-proof like the new Moto X.
Sony has announced the Xperia M2 Aqua, a variant of the M2 that it's marketing as "the waterproof smartphone for everyone." It's Sony's first water-resistant phone with mid-range specs, and it's apparently ready to swim with the best of them.
The Sony Xperia Z2 is a water-resistant phone, and it may just be more humble than it puts on. One reportedly managed to survive for six weeks on a sea bed more than 10 meters deep. It didn't come out of the deal without a fair bit of damage, but the phone was still able to boot up and make calls.
Sprint And Virgin Mobile Announce The Low-End, Water-Resistant Kyocera Hydro Vibe For Release In May
Do you like the idea of water and ingress protection on the Galaxy S5, but don't feel like ponying up for a flagship phone? Then Kyocera hopes you'll consider its Hydro Vibe smartphone, at least if you're a potential Sprint or Virgin Mobile customer. The "ruggedized" Android phone will be launching on Sprint on May 9th and Virgin on May 27th. Sprint is talking up its "Easy Pay" payment plan, where the phone costs ten bucks a month for two years, but Virgin will sell it outright for $149.99.
With more and more smartphones featuring water resistance as standard, particularly Samsung's Galaxy S5, it seems like weatherproofing may be on the uptrend in the smartphone world. It's easy to see why - countless phones are lost to moisture-related incidents, whether it be a pool, toilet, or washing machine. Building phones designed to withstand the elements only makes sense, as nearly ever-present companions in our daily lives, our phones are bound to end up exposed to some less than electronic-friendly conditions during their lifetime.
Hardware demos don't get much worse than this one. Archos CEO Loic Poirier wanted to demonstrate just how much punishment one of his company's smartphones could take, but he didn't get quite the results he wanted. He was able to drop the phone just fine, but when he placed the device in a glass and filled it with water, apparently the handset had taken all it could handle.
Kyocera's Waterproof Hydro ELITE Launches On Verizon Online August 29th, $99 With A Two-Year Contract (After $50 Rebate)
Kyocera's Waterproof Hydro ELITE Launches On Verizon Online August 29th, $99 With A Two-Year Contract
My first two smartphones, the Milano and the Rise, were both made by Kyocera, so I have a soft spot for the brand. The company's handsets generally may not be high-end, or even midrange, but they're good for average folks who don't live and die by the number of pixels their phone is able to push or flip tables if there's a momentary stutter when switching between home screens. Kyocera's latest offering, the Hydro ELITE, will launch online at Verizon Wireless this Thursday, August 29th, and it's quite an improvement over the company's usual offerings.
When a phone is advertised as "water-resistant" you have to wonder just how resistant it actually is. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active on AT&T, the answer is apparently "not very." Despite AT&T heavily advertising the device as “whatever-proof” and great for taking underwater videos, some owners have been complaining of damage to the device after an encounter with water.
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 large celery stalk
1 cup penne noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Sony Xperia Z
Republic Wireless Is Ready To Begin 'Wave B' Of New Customers, Launches Motorola Defy XT In The Process
Republic Wireless, the wireless carrier that prefers WiFi for most of its connections, and utilizes Sprint 3G in the interim, has announced that it's ready
Republic Wireless, the wireless carrier that prefers WiFi for most of its connections, and utilizes Sprint 3G in the interim, has announced that it's ready to take on new customers. The company reported that "Wave A", which consists of an unspecified number of users, has been a resounding success and that they believe they've found a model on which a $19/month unlimited everything plan is sustainable.
Kyocera Hydro Lands On Boost Mobile, "Where You At?" Can Now Be Answered With "Under The Sea"
Okay, so Kyocera's not really known for producing the best smartphones. And Boost Mobile is perhaps best known for mildly entertaining ads and cheap plans,
Okay, so Kyocera's not really known for producing the best smartphones. And Boost Mobile is perhaps best known for mildly entertaining ads and cheap plans, compared to the big dogs. If you're not interested in having the latest and greatest, if your primary concern for network carrier is price, and if you spend a lot of time making phone calls under water, then I've got some great news for you: the Kyocera Hail Hydro is coming to Boost Mobile for $129 (no contract) on August 3rd.
When we last left Kyocera, the company was still trying to convince us that more screens are more better. Today at CTIA, the company best known for creating the company printer you kick at least once a week in the office announced two new phones that are decidedly less gimmicky: the Kyocera Hydro and the Kyocera Rise of the Machines.
Adding to the heap of pre-MWC goodies we've seen lately, NEC decided to show off three of their new Android-powered phones today in Japan, and if nothing else, the devices look interesting.
The makers of the darn-near invincible Toughbooks are taking on the tablet world. Today Panasonic announced the "Toughpad" family. There are 2 versions, the A1, a 10.1 incher; and the B1, a forthcoming 7 inch.