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Waterproof smartphones under consideration

Smartphones of the future may be waterproof, with reports suggesting that Apple and Samsung are considering the technology.

HZO, a business in attendance at CES 2012, have already developed the ability to waterproof a phone. But it is starting to be taken more seriously now that major players, including Apple and Samsung, have held discussions with HZO's representatives.

The technology, dubbed WaterBlock, works by coating the inside of an electronic device with a nano-thin film that repels water. Such technology will not make any smartphone suitable to take scuba diving, but it will mean that common accidents, such as dropping the phone in a puddle or accidentally sending it for a spin in the washing machine, will not destroy the gadget.

Paul Clayson, president of HZO, recently told the Los Angeles Times that the first consumer electronics coated with the WaterBlock technology should be on the market by this summer.

He added: “I think it will take a little bit of time to adopt. I think it will go in the higher end of consumer applications first, but I think two years from now it will be a ubiquitous offering in consumer electronics.

"Once consumers know it can be done, they will demand that it be offered in all devices.”