Tuesday Tip: Protect Your iPhone and iPad

By Alisa Michael

The much anticipated unveiling of the iPhone 6 will take place today, September 9, 2014.  Along with rumors of a larger screen, better battery and camera, another rumor is a newer, stronger glass.  Regardless of whether this rumor is true or not, we will not know if the glass will stand up to being dropped until people begin using it. So, I thought I would share some ways that you can protect your iPhone and iPad.

My daughter and I seem to be more clumsy than most and have used up all our AppleCare replacement phones.  We’ve done this by either dropping our phones on hard surfaces which cracked the screens or by accidentally dropping them in water.

The first step of protection is to purchase a good phone or tablet cover.  My father-in-law drove off with his iPad on top of his car.  Because he had an Otterbox cover, the only damage was the tire mark from another vehicle that drove over it.  Everything else worked just fine.  Otterbox and LifeProof  get the best overall ratings for protective covers.

Another line of defense is a screen protector.  I recently read an article from TopTen Reviews that showcased the best screen protectors for 2014.  This is a great resource to choose a screen protector that will meet your needs.

Liquidpel is a great line of defense for protecting your phone if it is dropped in water.  This protective barrier helps prevent water from seeping into the phone’s internal parts. The manufacturer of Liquidpel states that “While we can’t say your device is waterproof, we can proudly stand behind our hydrophobic technology and say it’s great for accidental occurrences.” So, in other words, don’t take it in the pool with you! But it could protect it if it accidentally comes in contact with water.  The cost is about $60 and you have to ship your phone to them to treat it.

If your phone doesn’t have a waterproof cover or water resistant barrier and it comes in contact with water, try the rice trick.  This worked for me one of the two times I dropped my phone in water (I know, you would think I would have learned my lesson after the first time!).  If your phone gets dropped in water, immediately turn it off, dry it off, and place it in a Ziploc bag of rice.  Fully submerge the phone in the rice and do not turn it on or charge it for at least 12 hours.  I’ve read many success stories to this approach and it worked for me.

Remember to also protect you phone by being careful where you charge it, as referenced in one of Richard’s previous Tuesday Tips.

Alisa Michael

With over 16 years’ experience in the legal arena as well as client management, Alisa brings her experience to Network 1’s team, clients and partners.  She strives to be proactive in managing clients’ needs and expectations with an outcome of client satisfaction and retention.

amichael@network1consulting.com or 404.997.7637

Network 1 Consulting is a 16-year-old, IT Support company in Atlanta, GA.  We become – or augment – the IT department for law firms and medical practices.  Our IT experts can fix computers – but what our clients really value are the industry-specific best practices we bring to their firms.  This is especially important with technology, along with regulations and cyber threats, changing so rapidly.  We take a proactive approach to helping our clients use technology to gain and keep their competitive advantage.