Waterproof cells - Liquipel

Remember that time your phone fell into the toilet and you had to buy a new one at full price? Too bad you didn’t have a Liquipel coating on it.

Based in Santa Ana, Liquipel has created a protective coating that, when applied to your cell phone, will keep it running after it comes in contact with any liquid.

“I think it’s an awesome thing. I’ve had my phone water-damaged several times,” said Santa Ana College student Bushra Kunbarg.

Liquipel applies the coating by putting the device in an airtight chamber to create a vacuum. Liquipel then binds a special coating to the phone’s surface on a molecular level, which means no physical changes will be made to your device. Air is returned to the chamber and the process is complete.

The whole thing takes about 30 minutes, minus the time it takes for their engineers to test the product to make sure they are comfortable working with the model you own.

It costs $59, and the company guarantees that the coating will “outlast the life of your device.”

The reasonable price seems ideal for a student on a budget.

“I think that would be good, I’d be interested in something like that,” said SAC student Enrique Martinez.

The list of supported devices ranges from all versions of the iPhone to some phones from Motorola, Samsung and HTC. Even though your device may not be on the list, Liquipel can still apply the coating, but they won’t be able to perform their extensive tests on it.

As time goes on, more devices would be added to the approved list. Other devices such as the iPad and different cameras are expected to be officially supported some time in the future.

To get your electronic device coated, you can either send it in or take it to their facility, located on 2911 Tech Center Drive, off the 55 Freeway in Santa Ana. Sending it in will take a couple of days, while taking it in will only take about an hour.