Keeping Your Tech Safe in The Summer

Now that the weather has finally warmed up and many of us are headed outside to enjoy the extended daylight and our favorite outdoor activities, we thought we would offer some advice on how to care for your portable tech to keep everything in working order this season.

Whether you are taking long hikes, camping, relaxing by the pool, or just setting the mood for your next cookout, portable music is likely to be part of your plans.  Waterproof speakers and cases are essentials this time of year, as are back-up power supplies.  When looking at speakers, be sure to look at how the speaker’s interaction with water is described to make sure it meets your needs.  Speakers marked as splash-proof or water resistant are ones that would do fine on a picnic table or by a pool where someone may drip on them.  But if you have kids doing cannonballs or the speaker is likely to get knocked off a fishing boat, you want to look for ones that are marked as waterproof to at least three meters (roughly 10 feet, enough to survive the deep end of a pool or a shallow stream).  If you will be boating or camping by a lake, you might also want to look for ones that can float as well, in case they do get swept away.  Floating speakers are easier to grab from a bobbing wave or with a net.  As for back-up power options, you would do best to look for ones that are not device-specific.  Sure it is nice to have an extra charger you can snap onto an iPhone if you need it, but a charge-and-go back-up can handle recharging your speakers too, with extra juice left over if you need a jolt for your eReader or Fitbit.  Most universal charges have a USB-in to charge them and USB-out port that you connect a device to by using the cables that came with it.  The charge-and-go chargers typically do need to charge overnight, but will deliver a full battery charge to a cell phone.

Beach reads are great, especially if all you pack is an eReader or tablet and can bring a vacation’s worth of reading in less than a pound of carry-on weight.  Protective cases can help to keep out sand or protect from damage from drops.  Again, the activity you are planning may play a role in the case you get.  If you know you need to use your phone as a compass while rock climbing, you certainly want to look for a case that is cushioned against falls and that protects the screen from cracking.  If you are just kicking back on the beach, something that seals the device from sand would be good enough.  While screen protectors for everyday use are not really necessary, they can save you some cleaning time if you will be using sunscreen or might get other hard to clean stuff on the screen.  Consider one if you are taking in a daytime ballgame or making s’mores and need to check your phone or tablet to keep up with the stats or weather.

Of course, some general guidelines are helpful for all devices.  Try to keep everything cool and backed-up in case of theft or damage.  Devices do overheat from just being in the sun or locked in a hot car.  If you take tech with you on a trip, remember to find ways to keep you devices cool.  This can be a simple thing, like an umbrella at the beach, or more sophisticated, like a special cooling bag or a waterproof pouch that lets you store devices in a cooler.  Speaking of waterproof pouches, they are good to have anyway in case you get caught in the rain or might have the giant bottle of water open up in your bag.  The pouches are great for pool and beach bags so you can store your phone, wallet, keys, etc. without worrying that they will get damaged if the bag gets wet.  As for backing up the devices, this is usually just a case of making sure the device’s built-in back-up app is turned on.  Both iOS and Android devices let you sync content to the cloud for back-up purposes, so do turn it on in your devices’ settings.  Finally, consult our previous blog on cleaning tips in case something does happen.

Lastly, you don’t want to forget about our Virtual Branch, which delivers entertaining content 24/7.  The next time you need to refill your playlist, pick up a good read, or are looking for something other than reruns to watch, we have you covered with eBooks, music, movies, and magazines.  Flipster even has full issues of Consumer Reports, in case you want to check out ratings on waterproof speakers or protective cases.

-          Laura N., Information Technology