Dryer Box hits Japan, promises to dry out soaked cellphones for $12
By Donald Melanson 
posted August 12th 2010 2:55AM
posted August 12th 2010 2:55AM
posted August 12th 2010 2:55AM
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Looks more like an oven...
@jackjumper85
Looks like a NAS box if you ask me.
@jackjumper85
Just use a toaster oven at low heat works just the same.
Saved a BlackBerry 8900 from a dunk in the toilet.
@okandroid2 how is ur iPhone sir?
ZZZAAAAAAAOOOOOZZZAAAAA !!!!!!!!!!
@jackjumper85 it's a vacuum chamber. they will lower the pressure of the air inside of there and all the water will harmlessly boil away around room temperature.
@jackjumper85
probably use the moisture to make the sushi next door taste better
@jackjumper85
It's a dehumidifier. I have two sitting in my garage. You mean to tell me I can make $12 with them?
They pump the power of the all spark into to box, causing your phone to turn into a tiny malignant robot.
@TheRealCJ U mean iRobot?
ZzzzzAaaaaaaaaaaOOOOOzzzzaaaaaaaaa. !!!!!!!!#
probably heats it up? if it doesnt revive the device its because it burned it
@omegatron2010 don't be stupid, it's a vacuum chamber, not a heater
I'm curious to see how this works. I was under the impression that once a liquid made contact with an electronic device in a high enough amount, it basically shorted it out or fried it, though I never *really* knew the technical reason why. Hmm. Well this is certainly interesting at least.
@kenny goo It's more likely that the traces will fry on the board than the components themselves (esp. if it's protected with epoxy/glue coating). This system must use something other than microwaves to heat the item. Microwaves would cause water (and possibly other liquids depending on their boiling point) to heat up and cause burns/damage to whatever it was touching.
@DBG Ahh, no. A microwave will fry electronics whether it has water in it or not.
@kenny goo
I was recently wrestled into a lake with my phone in my pocket and I was somewhat amazed that after a few days in a bag of rice, my phone booted right up and seems no worse for the wear. I was certain that I'd gone too long before taking out the battery, but apparently not. So an active dehumidifier is probably quite capable of restoring a phone in 1/2 hour or so (no need for microwaves).
@okandroid2
haha. no.
@omegatron2010
Hahaha right!
It must be pretty wet in Japan.
Hmm... I chatted with a guy who owned a shop selling TVs - and he said that if you have copper and tin (? - or is it Zinc? - "Kupfer & Zinn" in German) and the mixture comes into contact with water it grows a kind of mold/furr - but basically it breaks forever, especially prevalent in old TVs.
So unless the circuit bord has been sealed in, any mobile will be bound to break sooner or later.
On that note though - I believe most circuit boards are sealed in - and thus to some extent humidity resitant.
@DetlevCM You had it right the first time, Zinn = Tin.
$12 for a hair dryer to dry out your phone, great value
@okandroid2
Did you seriously make an account for the sole purpose of making an idiot out of yourself?
@Phuk0ff He was doing perfectly well on the first account... guess he is an over-achiever.
@okandroid2
the first comment was posted at 2:59, how can one be 13mins late on a "first"... In a way, that's a first.
"at least im not holding it wrong"
I don't know what you're talking about, but I sure hope it's not your genitals.
@jayjaync
Why is it that when engadget deletes a troll's thread they always leave my comment..
So I look like a dumbass talking to myself..
@okandroid2
Just shut up and enjoy oblivion.
I lost my old AT&T GoPhone/Moto Razor V3 to the bottom of a lake last year, glad i did in a way, cause it made me go back to my old Nokia, and realize I was getting ripped off, and I then moved over to Net10, which is still on the same network backbone, and I get a much better deal now. So in this case yeah for a water logged phone, giving me a reason to switch. Also last year, I dried out a Net10/LG 300G, my mother dropped in her washer, using the rice trick, took 3 days, but it worked, and if i had something real expensive, I would give this oven deal a try.
Looks like the bigwigs at Easy Bake are REALLY making some changes.
I still don't understand how people end up getting them soaked in the first place...
10+ years of owning various gadgets here, all of which have remained very dry.
@r3loaded
I haven't had it happen to me either, but I guess when you have your phone in a back pocket (which I feel is stupid) it greatly increases its chances of falling in a toilet. I've had a few friends lose phones that way.
@okandroid2
Even if it were a female phone, there's no adult apps in Apple's store, so nothing in there should be able to make a phone wet.
@r3loaded
It can be surprisingly easy but mostly involves bad luck. I have had two go to the graveyard due to water. My trusty Nokia 3310 fell out of my pocket while I sat on the bank of a lake. I watched in slow motion as it slid down the bank and into the water..... I fished it out ripped the battery out and then took it home to dry it out. However it was dead on arrival (Possibly the only thing that could kill a 3310). Then a year or so a go I had just got a new Storm and was carrying it in my pocket while crossing over a small river via some slippery logs...(You know where this is going...) I slipped and fell in. Once I got out I took my phone out to attempt to save it to find that it was still working fine, however some water then dripped off my arm and directly down the side of the screen.... killed it pretty much instantly.
@Phuk0ff
The guy just needs some attention *virtual hug*
This is excellent if you need to access time sensitive information on your phone. However I wonder how thoroughly it dry you devices, I would not risk my device for $12.
I just use my toaster oven, its worked so many time for my friends. As long as you get it inside within 24 hours and corrosion takes place :/
My toaster oven has a 160 degree Fahrenheit setting... as im sure @ 180+ most will start to melt.
Also!!!! a closed bag of rice will dry it too. Just that you have to do it ASAP, and wait 24 hours.
I've a dryer box for cameras.But I need a bigger one.
This seems enough,although it's for cellphones.
@potato76828606
Did you miss the part about it being in camera stores around Japan? Seems big enough to fit most SLR's. I probably wouldn't put the lens in with it, if you got water in that it's pretty much screwed anyway since the dying would probably leave water spots on the inner glass.
I dont think this is just an oven, I work in the PCB industry and we use a similar device that gently heats the equipment whilst pumping out the air. Works far better than just heating the equipment.
How much silica gel can you buy for $12?
@okandroid2 When i upranked u. My iPhone started making calls. Thank u
ZZZZZAAAAOOOOZZZZAAAA! !!!!!!!
Will it dry out a urine soaked iPhone? Ya know, for when Android pi55es all over it?
I wonders if I can makes food in that thing??
It looks like a small freeze dryer. For those that don't know how one works, the air inside is heated past the boiling point of water, while at the same time the walls are super cooled so the water in the air condenses on them.
Or you could just throw it into a sealed container with Rice... but I don't think Japan is too familiar with Rice.
12$ vs 1$ for some rice. Hmmmmm. . . Seems like a no brainer. Rice is actually a really good solution. It's a natural dehumidifier that's gentle on electronics. I actually used grits one time and it worked, all of this on friends stuff, because I don't drop my stuff in the toilet, lakes, or rivers.
I have dropped my electronics several times whether its in water or on asphalt. The amazing thing is they all work perfectly afterwards. My macbook fell off my bed (don't ask how), my iPhone has fallen into a kiddie pool (again don't ask how), my nintendo devices have fallen into water a couple times (one time with my DS and the other with my SP. It was years ago), and my iPhone has also fallen into several puddles. They never seem to break or get a crack in the screen or anything. My iPhone from being dropped numerous times has only 3 tiny scratches. I don't own my SP or DS anymore but they worked perfectly, had a few scratches, and I am typing on my macbook right now.
If the machine doesn't work the 12 dollars is an extra tax on your dumb ass for dropping your gadget in water.
@KrazyCalvin
"Exactly how it does that isn't clear, but there's apparently no charge if it fails to revive your device."
It's basically risk free.
It has to be a combination of the methods mentioned here.
I would guess that it would do all of the following.
First it would have a dehumidifier in it to take the humidity level to at or near zero.
Then it would lower the air pressure inside the box lowering the boiling point any remaining water.
Lastly it would apply enough heat to boil any remaining water at it's new, lower boiling point.
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I think this sounds like a great idea, and to me, $12 sounds dirt cheap. The value of the contacts on a phone can be worth orders of magnitude more than $12. Not everyone has all of their contacts fully backed up off their phone, and even if they do, finding and reentering them manually is worth much more in time spent than $12.
Hell, for many people, waiting a day or more without their phone waiting for the rice trick to work (it never did work for me) may cost them hundreds or thousands of dollars, depending on what they use it for.
Presumably, this company isn't planning to load up Japan's camera stores with expensive, untested equipment that can't at least sometimes do what it's supposed to do. That's especially true considering that if it doesn't work, the customer doesn't pay, so I'd say they've got a good incentive to have done this right.
Oh, and it is remarkably easy to water log one's phone. An accidental trip though the washing machine works quite nicely. I definitely could see a service like this, especially at only $12 and only if it works, being quite successful, assuming people actually knew about it.