Wet n’ Wild – Tales of the Submerged Blackberry

Want to know how it turned out? Here is the updated post.

Want to use your phone in the shower? This is how you do it.

Weeks away from being able to get my freebie upgrade, I slipped my blackberry into a pocket in the stroller and saw it brightly flash. I thought that was odd, but it wasn’t until I had to reach back in to grab keys that I realized the pocket was filled with water. That flash of light was the cry of a Blackberry I witnessed drowning.

This wasn’t my first. Several years back I was taking a bath and son gave my phone the old Nestea plunge, tossing it in because he thought the phone was a natural appendage, er, I might need it. That phone survived after taking the battery out and letting it dry out overnight. This is also an example of why phone insurance is so handy.

But back to the latest disaster at hand. I was in a panic because I had been trying to locate the cable to download my data. For a replacement cable I had a $29 quote from a Verizon mall cart, $20 Verizon store and then a $2.95 Verizon quote, with none in stock. I found the cable, but decided to get my run done first. What a mistake. It looks like I may have to resort to the phone I had in college. (Originally $14.99 at Target)

Looking back I should have done what I did after the bathtub incident – wait. I thought if I could get the data downloaded before the phone died I would be okay. While the phone sprang to life and started hourglassing toward the familiar, I began to plug everything in. Then it died. I tried to dry it off further. It was such a humid day nothing was working. I propped it in front of a fan. I waited overnight. Each subsequent plug in led to less of a light before it would fail.

If you ever find yourself in this situation, here are the basic steps for trying to save your phone:

• Immediately dry off the phone
• Remove and dry battery. Do not insert back in
• Using towels, cradle the phone and rotate, removing as much water as possible
• Using a fan or blow dryer on cool setting is an option. Do not use heat, as you need to avoid condensation
• Insert your Blackberry into a bag of rice to help wick out the moisture. Close bag, keep sealed for 48 hours or more.

Once this period has passed and it seems the phone is dry, reinsert battery. If done before the circuits are dry, you risk shorting out the board.

If you are reading this because you are in the same situation, remember, patience is a virtue.