Gadgetwise: A Waterproof Cover for the Samsung Galaxy S III

Now your Samsung Galaxy S III can go swimming with your iPhone 5.

The LifeProof Nuud cases, previously available for Apple products only, are now available for the S III and the iPhone 5.

What makes the cases unusual is that they are waterproof but have no membrane covering the phone’s glass. Instead the cases have a gasket that forms a seal against the phone’s glass to keep water from seeping past the screen, which is itself waterproof.

This design makes the Nuud line among the thinnest, most rugged cases available for these phones and for the iPad as well.

While the case promises to be waterproof, snowproof, dirtproof and shockproof, the phones cannot be used underwater. (There are cases, like the one from DriSuit Technologies, that allow the phone to be used while submerged). Water on the screen can make it impossible for the phone to detect your touch.

The case requires careful assembly to seal the bead around the screen. I found it best to assemble it on a hard surface and work my way around the phone, pressing down along the edges from the top to the bottom.

At the base of the case is a hatch that opens to the charger, so you don’t have to remove the case to update the phone or top off the battery. Microphone and speaker ports are covered with a membrane that keeps water out (up to six feet down) but lets sound pass.

The Nuud is $90 for the S III and the iPhone 5.

Gadgetwise: A Waterproof Phone With Battery Stamina

The Sony Xperia Z phone is tougher than it looks.

The phone is waterproof — in water up to three feet deep for a half-hour, according to Sony — but it looks like a standard smartphone, lacking the macho armoring of most devices built to withstand the elements.

The phone uses an Android operating system and is powered by a quad core Snapdragon chip, which, at least on paper, isn’t as fast as the chips in some competing phones. But the chip is snappy nonetheless.

The device is on the larger side, with a 5-inch, 1920 x 1080p HD screen. Sony makes much of its access to Bravia TV technology, but the screen is not definitively better than an Apple Retina or Samsung Amoled screen.

The phone also has a 13-megapixel camera with High Dynamic Range capability, which means that in a sunlit room, it should capture details from the shadows without having the window look like a glowing rectangle. In practice, its photos weren’t clearly better than those from the aforementioned competitors.

The Z has NFC capability, so it can trade information with other NFC devices with a touch. Sony has cleverly marked the NFC spot on the back of the phone, so you’re not reduced to rubbing your phone all over some other device hoping to connect, as is often required with NFC.

A battery “stamina” mode shuts down background operations while the phone is sleeping. You can designate which apps should keep running, so you can still get alerts.

With the Android Jellybean 4.2 operating system, it of course connects to the full suite of Google goodies, including Web backup to contacts and your calendar, as well as easy access to Google Plus, Google Maps, YouTube and the Chrome browser.

The Xperia Z is available through T-Mobile for $100 upfront with 24 monthly payments of $20, for a total of $580.

Gadgetwise Blog: A Mini Waterproof Case for the iPad Mini

The Fre case wraps the iPad mini with a protective bumper that has clear front and back windows.

Lifeproof has made its name building phone and tablet cases that are water, dust, snow and shock proof without adding the armor cladding of many submersible cases. It claims its new Fre case for the iPad mini is its most streamlined yet.

The Fre wraps the iPad mini with a protective bumper that has clear front and back windows, unlike its nuud models, which are waterproof without a front cover. (A nuud for the iPhone 5 is due in mid-July, and for the Samsung Galaxy S III end of July.)

It adds modest bulk and weight to the mini, so you aren’t compromising the little iPad’s foremost charm.

The Fre has optical glass over the camera, to avoid distortion and a latch on the bottom that opens for charging without removing the cover completely.

All the iPad controls can be reached while in the case and there are eyelets for a carrying strap that is included.

Be careful with the earphone hatch, however. When it is open it can allow water to get into the case, unlike some other cases that have a seal so that you can safely listen to music while, say, kayaking.

The cover also has two removable rubber strips, one along each side. One will accommodate a magnetic cover that Lifeproof said it is developing, the other is for an as yet unnamed accessory of some sort. Perhaps a stand.

As with similar Lifeproof covers, it takes a little muscle to get this one on. Lift up the edges of the cover carefully, make sure it is on a flat surface, then press down hard working your way around the edges until it is snapped shut.

The Fre is available from Lifeproof online and Best Buy for $100, and comes in either white and gray, or black.

Gadgetwise Blog: A Waterproof Hearing Aid From Siemens

A lot of people who are hearing impaired would be more active if they weren’t afraid of damaging delicate hearing aids that don’t like the humidity of gyms or the dousings of jet skis.

Responding to this issue, Siemens has introduced what it says is the first waterproof hearing aid, capable of working as deep as three feet under water.

Called the Aquaris, the device can also be connected to a Bluetooth remote, called the Minitek, that streams audio to the earpieces, so a person could listen to music from a Bluetooth music player when swimming, for instance. Or an accessory microphone can be worn by someone whom you need to pay close attention to in a noisy room.

A survey by Siemens found that of 500 hearing aid owners, 17 percent restricted their activity to avoid damaging their hearing aids. That is particularly hard on groups like hearing-impaired children and people who work at jobs where there is dust or grime, like farmers or steel workers.

The Aquaris is available through audiologists nationwide, and is priced at around $2,500, per ear, although that number varies based on the cost of the custom fitting.