subject: Icorkz Protects Skiers' & Snowboarders' Iphones [print this page] Winter is upon us here in North America, bringing with it torrents of snowfall, and sparking a desire in many of us to wax up our skis or snowboards and head out to the slopes. Recently, iCorkz introduced a product that will help us keep our iPhones dry and protected as we carve through deep powder or tackle the moguls.
If you're anything like me, you're faced with a difficult decision every time you're in the lodge getting ready to start your day on the mountain. "Do I take my iPhone snowboarding with me, or leave it in my locker?" I'm pretty confident that if I zip it into an inside pocket in my jacket it will survive the occasional wipe-out and stay dry. Even if I don't always have a signal on the mountain, it's nice to be able to pull it out when we stop to check the time. These two thoughts, as well as near-neurotic fear of being separated from my phone for more than five minutes, usually prompt me to take it with me.
Most of the time it's when I actually pull it out that things can get hairy. If it's snowing heavily, I usually don't dare pull it out, even if it's just to take a peek at the time. I've heard too many horror stories about the liquid sensors in the headphone port and the charging port to risk letting a snowflake sneak its way in there (voiding my warranty / causing all kinds of headaches for me).
Even if it's not snowing, I pull out my iPhone with a sense of anxiety. You know the feeling you get when you're holding something really important and fragile? Usually it's this feeling that causes you to be "extra careful," and typically prompts you to drop whatever you're holding anyway. The rational side of me knows that I've never had my iPhone actually slip out my hands. The irrational side of me is thinking, "if this thing hits the snow, it's all over."
For this ski season, iCorkz has solved the problem for us. By introducing two smooth rubber pieces that plug into the iPhone and protect the ports, I don't have to worry about the errant snowflake, or the gentle fall onto the slope (although dropping the phone could still damage it, the liquid sensors will be protected). A set of iCorkz costs $9.95, and will protect the ports from rain, snow, spills, or any other water that is trying to find its way in to damage the device.
Do yourself a favor, while you're bundling up to hit the mountain this winter, bundle your phone up too. I think we'd all rather be standing in the lift-line, as opposed to the line at the Genius bar at the Apple store.
