Bundle Up Yourself and Your Electronics
It’s that time of year. I’m not talking about the holidays this time. I’m talking about the weather. As the cold weather sets in, we remember to drain the sprinklers, prepare the yard for winter, change the tires on the car and more. I even make sure I don’t leave my daughter’s epi-pen in the car because the pharmacist told me it isn’t good for it to get too cold. Yet I seldom give much thought to my electronics.
Typically, I have my phone in my purse and my iPad or Intel 2-in-1 in a tote bag that goes with me into and out of wherever I happen to be going. When we’re traveling we stop to eat, visit rest areas, go shopping or do some site-seeing to stretch our legs. Obviously, these are times when we leave our suitcases, including electronics, in the trunk. While I’ve consider the safety and potential for theft of the items, I haven’t worried at all about the weather causing harm.
Thanks to some tips from U.S. Cellular, I’ve learned that keeping them safe from the cold is as important as keeping them protected from theft. Why? Because frigid cold temperatures aren’t healthy for electronics. Here are some examples:
Battery performance: Did you know that cellphone batteries lose their performance when the temperature dips? Cellphone batteries that provide 100% capacity at 80° only deliver about 50% at 0°. Power users burn through battery life fast enough without the weather making it worse. Best solution: Keep it with you. If you go inside to warm up, your phone should too.
Display: Depending on the type of phone you have, the display cover can become brittle when exposed to cold temperatures over a period of time which causes the liquid crystals to start freezing. Best approach: Keep it covered up.
Moisture: There are more ways for a phone to get wet than just dropping it in water! Condensation can build up or it can get wet if exposed to snow. What to do: If it gets wet, power it down right away and remove the battery. Use a towel or napkin to get as much excess water off the phone as possible. It may be painful but you’ll want to leave it powered down for a day or two to give the circuits adequate time to dry out.
Protection: The best offense is a good defense. Plan ahead: Get a waterproof case such as LifeProof to protect it from inclement weather such as frigid temperatures, ice and snow.
Weather: Arm yourself with free apps that keep you informed of the weather. What to download: Take your pick of any of the free apps available. They all have their pros and cons so pick one with an interface that you can understand and navigate. Check out AccuWeather, MyRadar Weather Radar for Android or iOS, The Weather Channel or WeatherBug for Android or iOS.
Phone Quality: If your job or hobbies mean you (and your phone) will be exposed to cold and snow, consider getting a phone that is designed specifically with that in mind. the Kyocera DuraForce is an ultra-rugged smartphone designed and certified to operate all the way to -22°F. It’s certified IP68 waterproof so it can be submerged up to 6 feet deep for up to 30 minutes. The “Wet & Glove Touchscreen Operation” allows the user to operate it with winter gloves on and it continues to operate even when exposed to snow or rain.
As you think about bundling yourself up for the cold temps, don’t forget to care for your electronics too.
All that wonderful snow! We were expecting at least 3 inches last night, and it was really coming down….Then it stopped. We only got about an inch last night, and by 6am, it was mostly gone. It was very disappointing. We only get a good snowfall once every 10 years or so.
BTW: Great tips, and if we ever get this cold again, I’ll know what to do.
Great tips! It gets pretty cold in Chicago (although this winter has been great so far, we haven’t even gotten snow!) It’s so important to always protect your electronics against the cold weather. I just got a new iPhone so I’m taking a lot of precautions this winter <3
Those water proof/life proof cases are so expensive, but awesome if you are out in the elements a lot and need the protection.
I am going to go check out the Kyocera DuraForce phone case for myself, my husband and our 3 kids! It sounds perfect for the crazy weather we get in Chicago too.
PLEASE keep that snow where you are. We have only had a few dustings this year and I am hoping we don’t get hit too bad this winter.
It has been cold here but not as bad as it could get (I’m kind of hoping it doesn’t). These really are very good suggestions. People-and I am definitely one of them-forget about electronics and what cold and wet can do to them!
Great tips. Did you ever hear the tip about putting a phone that got damp into a bag of rice? Not sure if it works but I’ve heard it mentioned a lot.
Yep, we have a cousin who did just that and it did work! However, she also left it in the rice too long and icky things started to happen to the rice.
These are great tips. I just bought a new phone and I’m trying to take good care of it.
Having just moved from Florida to Idaho, I am learning a lot about this cold weather stuff. I never even considered my electronics and just throw my phone in my coat pocket, zip it and go. Luckily it is new so hopefully not a lot of damage has been done.
I didn’t know that the cold affected battery life so much, maybe that’s why I’ve had problems with mine lately. A good case is so crucial, I actually dropped mine in a snowbank getting out of my car yesterday – Lifeproof to the rescue!
Great tips, thank you! I finally got my first smartphone this summer, and I didn’t know any of that stuff.
I never thought about electronics getting too cold, but we live in a pretty mild climate in TX, and dipping below freezing doesn’t happen too often.
Oh my goodness, I had no idea. I mean, like you I take care of the meds (asthma inhalers) but never gave electronics a second thought!
Those are some great tips. And that is a huge snowball. Great picture
Those are some great tips. And that is a huge snowball. Great picture
looks like fun you guys had,,didn’t know a lot about keeping the electronics dry,,I don’t play outside much anymore ,after you get older snow is not your friend
I never knew that there was a direct correlation between temperature and battery performance. I’ll keep this in mind this winter with regards to my smartphone.
Great tips! I live in a Winter weather state, and my phone is too pricey and important for safety not to protect!
We learned this the hard way. Hubby left his iPod in his car’s console all winter and by the time he took it back out in the spring, the battery was pretty much shot. It was cheaper just to buy a whole new iPod at that point.
Wow, look at all that snow. These are great tips to help keep your phone going in the cold!
Very good tips. Will remember this.
My kids are so hard on their electronics. I’ll definitely have to remember these tips!
Great tips! I know I get worried sometimes when my phone gets rained on, when using. that’s when earbuds with a mic come in handy. That way I can leave the phone in my pocket or purse and still talk on the phone.
These are some awesome tips Nicole for caring for your phone in the winter 🙂 Great share!!
There is nothing better than a snowball fight