A preview for next year's CES technology conference in Las Vegas showed off a new "nanotech" coating for smartphones which lets you dunk it entirely underwater, and it still takes calls.
The CEO of the company HZO, which makes the coating, made a call to the Galaxy S, and it rang underwater.
If it takes off it will be a huge relief to owners of the pricey handsets - 52 per cent of British users who water-damage their handsets by dropping them down the toilet, and up to a million phones are water-damaged every year worldwide.
The coating could spell an end to a huge number of insurance claims.
The technology works by spraying an ultra-thin coat over the exterior and ports of gadgets, preventing water damage.
The coating "seeps" into every crevice, including ports such as the headphone port, protecting individual components.
The touchscreens still work - as do the ports the hi-tech spray is applied to.
"HzO uses a unique coating processes to shield almost anything from water and corrosion damage," says the company. "Unlike other water damage solutions, with HzO technology a device is not sealed, water is able to enter."
"Instead, the electronic components inside the device are coated to provide protection, leaving the device unencumbered and always guarded against unexpected accidents."
Part of the company, Zagg, is to incorporate the HZO coating into iPhones next year, and offer pre-treated phones for sale.




据英国《每日邮报》11月17日报道，一项手机新技术将在明年的拉斯维加斯消费电子技术研讨会上展出。该技术为智能手机涂上了一种新型的"纳米涂料"，能使手机即便是完全被浸泡在水中也能正常通话。
HZD公司（该防水涂层的研发商）的执行总裁，拨打了一只浸泡在水中型号为Galaxy S的三星手机号码，随后这只手机便在水下响起了来电铃声。
如果该涂料能被手机市场广泛应用，将是众多高价手机使用者的福音。据调查英国有52%的手机用户不慎将手机掉入厕所中，而导致手机无法使用。而全球每年有多达一百万部的手机因为进水而无法使用。
这种涂料可以终止巨额的手机保险理赔。

该技术是给手机外层以及端口喷上一种超薄型防水涂层。
该涂层能渗入每一处缝隙--包括耳机插口在内的手机端口，以保护独立的手机组件。

和手机端口一样，这种高科技涂料也能应用于手机触屏而不会影响其正常使用。
该公司称："HzO使用一种独特的涂层工艺能保护手机的所有配件不受水和腐蚀损害。和其他解决手机进水损坏的方法不同，HzO的技术不会让设备变成全封闭式的，水是能够进入的。"

"相反的，电子设备内部的元件都被喷上了防水涂料以提供保护，使得设备没有使用阻碍并且能预防任何意外事故。"

该公司的分公司Zagg，将于明年为iPhone手机采用HzO涂层工艺，并出售已预先加工过的手机。

• conference [´kɔnfərəns] n.讨论(会)；会谈 (初中英语单词)
• relief [ri´li:f] n.救济；援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)
• shield [ʃi:ld] n.盾牌；防御 v.保护 (初中英语单词)
• device [di´vais] n.装置；器具；策略 (初中英语单词)
• protection [prə´tekʃən] n.警戒；护照；通行证 (初中英语单词)
• toilet [´tɔilit] n.梳妆(台)；卫生间 (高中英语单词)
• unique [ju:´ni:k] a.唯一的 n.独一无二 (高中英语单词)
• unexpected [ʌniks´pektid] a.突然的；意外的 (高中英语单词)
• incorporate [in´kɔ:pəreit] v.结合 a.合并的 (高中英语单词)
• exterior [ik´stiəriə] n.&a.外表(的) (英语四级单词)
• crevice [´krevis] n.裂缝，罅隙 (英语四级单词)
• applied [ə´plaid] a.实用的，应用的 (英语六级单词)