Jambox and Mini Jambox score a water-resistant option for an extra $50

Posted on 27/11/2013 by Alexis Santos

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.

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video

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Liquipel debuts Skins to protect your phone from physical damage

Posted on 13/08/2013 by Brad Molen

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.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Liquipel 2.0: Now Even More Waterproof

Posted on 23/01/2013 by Range

The need to keep your phone safe from water and the weather is nothing new, but when the first version of Liquipel was released, I was pretty amazed. This coating is designed to protect gadgets from water, even without a case. Liquipel 2.0 was launched at CES 2013 this year, and it’s gone a step further than the original.

liquipel 2 nano coat phone

Liquipel 2.0 is a nanoscale coating, capable of protecting your smartphone’s circuitry in the event of water exposure. It’s supposed to keep your device nice and safe, and the new formula is apparently 100 times more effective than the original coating. The new Liquipel coating permeates the entire device and bonds with it on a ‘molecular’ level, to keep it safe from water for years. While Liquipel doesn’t recommend that you intentionally submerge your coated gadgets in water, they do say that the coating will protect it from accidental spills and water damage.

liquipel 2 nano coat phone water

Liquipel plans to start offering their coating process at retail locations, the first of which is scheduled to launch at the West Edmonton Mall in Canada later this year.

In the mean time, you order a brand new iPhone 5 pre-treated with Liquipel 2.0 for $899.99(USD). That seems like a whole lot of money for what it is. Hopefully, the cost for treating your own device won’t be as prohibitive, as the Liquipel 1.0 coating costs as little as $59 for an iPhone.

[via designboom]

Liquipel 2.0 nanocoating debuts with improved water protection, matches IPX7 and beyond (video)

Posted on 07/01/2013 by Richard Lai

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 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.

Myriam Joire contributed to this article.

Continue reading Liquipel 2.0 nanocoating debuts with improved water protection, matches IPX7 and beyond (video)

Filed under: Misc, Science

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Liquipel launches retail store in Hong Kong, spreads the hydrophobia for gadgets

Posted on 07/09/2012 by Richard Lai

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: Liquipel store in Hong Kong