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Want a waterproof Apple Watch? Liquipel will offer nano-coating
Most of us here at TUAW were baffled by the lack of waterproofing on Apple's upcoming Watch. This is a device that will always be on your wrist, will accompany you to the shower if you forget to take it off, will go for a swim if you don't leave it in the locker, and will be subject to splashes and drips all the time. Fortunately, we received an email today from Danny McPhail, one of the co-founders of waterproofing firm Liquipel and the current chief of product development for the company. Guess what? They're going to offer their Watersafe nano-coating to customers who want a waterproof Apple Watch. McPhail says: "With the emergence of wearable tech like the Apple Watch, the need for a water repellent coating is greater than ever as these devices will be in constant danger of coming in contact with liquids and humidity. Liquipel is excited to offer our Watersafe nano-coating to customers who are seeking that extra level of protection to help save their wearable tech from unexpected encounters with liquids. Be on the lookout for our wearable technology treatment option on our site in the coming months so you can protect your new Apple Watch!" Personally, a lot of TUAW staffers are baffled as to why Apple doesn't add this type of coating as a standard offering on all of its mobile products. Help us, Jony Ive, you're our only hope!
Jambox and Mini Jambox score a water-resistant option for an extra $50
Sure, you might shrug off peril when it comes to placing portable speakers near the tub or sink, but it wouldn't hurt to have an added line of defense. To that end, Jawbone is now giving folks who purchase a Mini Jambox or its normally-sized counterpart from their website the option to add Liquipel 2.0 protection for an extra $50. The coating bestows hardware with an IPX-5 rating, which lends it protection from water splashed upon it from all angles. It might not be the time of year to bust out your super soaker or dip into a pool, but you can prepare for summer by picking up one of the specially-treated gadgets at the bordering source link.
Liquipel debuts Skins to protect your phone from physical damage
We've highly regarded Liquipel for its clever "watersafe" nanocoating, which has been known to give phones the same protection from liquids and other materials as an IPX7-certified device. That doesn't prevent physical damage from occurring, however, so the company's announcing Skins, its answer to drops, hammers and plenty of other things that cause blunt force trauma. Even better, Liquipel claims that it requires a three-step dry installation process that doesn't involve squeegees, water bottles or bubbles; once you're done, you'll enjoy a "literal shock absorber" for your trouble. Skins for the iPhone 4S and 5 should be available today for under $20 on the company's site, while the Samsung Galaxy S4 will soon follow (it's currently listed as "out of stock") and other models will be ready in the coming months. Check out the video and press release after the break.
CES 2013: Liquipel improves its water-repellent coating
At last year's Startup Debut I was quite impressed with Liquipel, a company who will add a nanocoating to your iPhone (inside and out), making it incredibly water repellent. This year Liquipel was back with version 2 of their product. There are actually a few companies who do this now, as the technology was not unique to Liquipel in 2012. This year it hopes to stay ahead of the competition (like HzO, which was at CES Unveiled) by offering a better coating that it claims is, as Engadget reports, "up to 100 times more effective." The big downside to Liquipel in the past has been that you had to send your precious iDevice off to have it coated. In Hong Kong and a few other places you can actually go in and have your device coated as though you're at LensCrafters waiting on glasses. Liquipel said they would be making "Liquipods" available to retailers who wish to offer the service, but there are still few places to get it done stateside. I'm just hoping more manufacturers adopt the tech to make our consumer electronics more impervious to the elements.
Liquipel 2.0 nanocoating debuts with improved water protection, matches IPX7 and beyond (video)
We were rather stoked when Liquipel brought its "watersafe" nanocoating service from California to South East Asia in fall 2012, but it turns out that the Santa Ana-based company had another surprise lined up for us later on. At Startup Debut 2013 in Las Vegas today we saw the announcement of Liquipel 2.0, which claims to have "significant advancements in durability, corrosion resistance and water protection" than its predecessor. Specifically, the new version is "up to 100 times more effective... while maintaining component integrity and RF sensitivity." Obviously we had to see it to believe it, and to our surprise, this time Liquipel had a demo that let us submerge a 2.0-coated iPhone 5 under two feet of water -- you can see us going bonkers with it in the video after the break. According to Managing Director Sam Winkler, a device thoroughly treated with Liquipel 2.0 can actually achieve a liquid protection rating of at least IPX7: immersion at a depth of 1m for 30 minutes. While the iPhone 5 we tortured did eventually take in too much water and thus disabled the touch panel, it quickly came back to life after we shook off some of the water. Winkler added that his company's now offering its 4ft x 4ft "Liquipods" for shops that want to provide the Liquipel treatment themselves, but it'll be a while before all existing partners -- mostly outside the US -- can be upgraded to 2.0. That said, interested customers can already get the 2.0 treatment for the same price via the online service in the US. One final note: it turns out that Jaybird also uses Liquipel during the assembly of its sports headphones. Hopefully we'll see more products treated with the same goodness in the near future. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub. Myriam Joire contributed to this article.
Liquipel launches retail store in Hong Kong, spreads the hydrophobia for gadgets
Over the years we've come across many hydrophobic coating technologies aimed at electronics, but sadly, none of those were made directly available to consumers. The closest one was Nokia's nanocoating demonstration we saw last October, though the company recently said to us that it's still "currently a research project," and it never mentioned plans to offer a service to treat existing devices. On the other hand, Californian startup Liquipel recently opened its first Hong Kong retail store, making it the second Liquipel service center globally after the one located at the Santa Ana headquarters. Folks in the area can simply call up to make an appointment, and then head over with their phones or tablets to get the nanocoating treatment. So how does this funky technology work? How does it cover both the inside and the outside of gadgets? And is Liquipel's offering any better than its rivals? Read on to find out. %Gallery-163600%
Daily Update for January 16, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Liquipel could make your iPhone waterproof without a case
Yeah, it sounds too good to be true. But that really is an iPhone in the cylinder above. Liquipel claims to make your smartphone water resistant by bonding it inside and out with a "nano" coating which repels water. While this isn't for deep sea diving, it appears to be an ideal solution if you are clumsy or happen to be around water quite a bit. In the image below, I snapped a pic of a tissue paper coated with Liquipel technology. The tissue is impervious to water absorption, acting more like wax paper. Pretty neat stuff. The downside (for now) is that you'll have to send your device off to Liquipel for a few days for them to coat it. A rep I spoke to said they are hoping to work directly with manufacturers to integrate their coating before you buy a phone. In that case, you'd buy a water resistant phone automatically, eliminating the need for a LifeProof case or OtterBox if you're just going to have your phone by the pool. I'm hopeful Apple will license or acquire this tech and implement it as soon as possible. While it won't help with gravity, Liquipel certainly seems capable of preventing those spills and splashes that we're all accustomed to -- the ones which make us cringe or, at worst, place our iPhones in a sealed container filled with dry rice overnight (and prayer, for the devout). Currently the Liquipel coating costs $59 for a 1-2 day turnaround for coating your phone. While the iPhone is certainly supported, it isn't the only smartphone you can protect. But really, if you have one of those other phones, is it worth it? I kid. Check out Liquipel's YouTube videos for more of this product in action. Here's hoping Apple shows some interest in using the material soon -- I'd love my iPhone 5 to be water resistant.
