Anyone that knows me knows I love my phone. Not that I can’t live without it, but I do like to be connected and have the ease of finding a new restaurant or the GPS to find where I am going at my fingertips. I don’t know but I assume the makers of DryCASE feel the same way. That is why they created a case that will protect your phone or any other small electronics from dirt and water.
As their website says “DryCASE is a flexible, crystal clear waterproof case that allows complete use of your phone…while keeping it dry and clean.” So what does this mean? It means that you can use your phone even while it is in the case safe and dry. The case works with a vacuum seal to suck all the air out of the case and have the plastic tight against the screen. I thought that the case would cause some disruption to the touch screen and make it not as responsive, but I found no difference personally.
The DryCASE is also super easy to use. All you have to do is slide the device into the case. After the device is in the case you lock the closure shut by twisting the clasps inward to close and lock the DryCASE. One important step that you shouldn’t skip is positioning your device in the case exactly how you want it. Because after it is positioned, you will pump out all the air with the supplied pump. Now that the air is all out the device is securely in place and will not move around in the case. If for some reason you lose the pump, you can remove the air my just sucking on the cases valve.
One of the best features other than being waterproof is that it comes with a 3 way headphone jack. This way you can listen to your music as well as take calls if your headphones have a microphone built in. Also it comes with a neoprene armband that floats just in case you drop it overboard.
Does it work is the question? Being winter and not having an ocean nearby, I started to improvise on how I was going to test it. I wanted to know if it could keep out a lot of water. So the first time I used it, I decided that I would take it into the shower with me. I thought this would be a good test to see if could handle the constant beating of water or a heavy rainstorm. Well to my delight for the next few day I was listening to Pandora while I was taking a shower. Then I decided it was time to up the game. I started to dunk it in sinks full of water. Again it worked. Next I decided to put the case in our family’s turtle aquarium to see how it held up under even more water. The turtle seemed a little uneasy but the case did great. I haven’t tested the case at 100 feet for 1 hour like DryCASE claims it will hold up to, but I know that it worked great for me through all other tests that I did.
DryCASE also make waterproof headphones that you can use while playing in the water. That is how I was listening to Pandora in the shower. I was given a pair of the Sport DryBUDS and they worked great in the water and sound was great as well. I was a little skeptical that the sound quality would not be that good, but was pleasantly surprised by how good they sound.
Some of the downsides are the size of the case and the touchscreens performance under water. My phone is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and although it did fit in there is was a tight squeeze. But the kid’s phone fit great and so did our mp3 players. I was thinking that maybe a couple of different sizes would be nice. They do have a tablet size but that would be way too big for my phone. Another problem and no fault of the DryCASE is that touch screen go a little crazy underwater if there is any water moving. So it can be a little tricky navigating the phone while around a lot of water.
That said it performed great. I wasn’t worried about it working in light rain or snow, but I do think this is a great product to protect your device while snowboarding or skiing. All so if you commute to work this would be a perfect solution for getting caught in the rain and saving your phone. I would recommend the DryCASE to friends and family who are looking for a way to listen or talk with their phone while protecting the phone from water.
Features from DryCASE’s website:
• Waterproof Vacuum Seal
• Crystal Clear for taking Photos
• Stereo Headphone & Mic Jack
• Neoprene Armband Included
• Crystal Clear for Photos
• Works with any Phone or MP3
• Tested to 100 Feet for 1 Hour
• MSRP: $39.99