Have you ever dropped your phone in a sink, in a swimming pool, or worse, a toilet? Have you ever forgotten your cellphone in your pocket and then put it in the washing machine? The steep cost of high-end smartphones available nowadays means people will spend slightly more to ensure that their device is protected and in pristine condition.

While most cases protect against unexpected drops and falls onto solid ground, waterproofing a device is a whole different ball game. A device dropped in water for even a few seconds could spell big trouble. While there are some household solutions to salvage a water-logged device, more often than not, you'll need to replace the device. In case you and your device are frequently in close proximity to water and are worried about losing your phone to water damage, Liquipel has the answer for you.

Liquipel, based in Santa Ana, California, specializes in research and development of innovative protective coating for electronic devices. The Liquipel team has come up with an amazing proprietary technology that fully protects your device from any kind of water damage, and even lets you use the device while it is submerged in water (Temple Run in the shower anyone?), although that is obviously not a recommended use. Two amazing features of this product are:

• Liquipel is not a cover but a nano-sized coating of armor which is invisible to the naked eye. It completely protects your device from water damage without taking away from the aesthetics of the device.
• Permanently bonds at a molecular level to the device, not only on the outside, but inside as well. As seen from a video below, you can even remove the back cover of a smartphone while it is submerged in water and the device will still work.

Don't take my word for it. This video explains how the technology works, as well as two videos of a product test using an HTC Thunderbolt 4G.

How it works

Product test

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ama47RGdL4&feature=channel&list=UL

The list of devices supported by Liquipel so far is somewhat limited, but the developers mention that the list while continue to grow.For more information on Liquipel, you can visit their website here. Supported devices include:

• Apple: iPod shuffle, iPhone 3G/S, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S
• HTC: Evo 4G, Evo Shift 4G, MyTouch 4G
• Samsung: Galaxy S2, Charge
• Motorola: Droid X, Droid X2

What are your thoughts? How helpful will the Liquipel coating be for you? Are you planning to Liquipel your device?