Fujitsu claims thinnest waterproof phone

(Credit: NTT DoCoMo)

There's one constant in the gadget world: The minute you post an item that claims to have set a new record for being the smallest or thinnest fill-in-the-blank, someone will immediately dispute it. (The point was proven once again in discussions stemming from the MacBook Air.)

So the only thing we dare say is that, as of this writing, Akihabara News is reporting what it calls "the slimmest waterproof phone ever made." The 3G handset in question is the Fujitsu F705i, which measures 13.7 millimeters thick, or about 0.54 inches.

There are most certainly other phones that are even slimmer, but how many can be plunged in a meter of water for 30 minutes and keep on ticking? No, we don't know why one would need an ultra-thin phone to do that--or any phone, for that matter. Maybe it's some weird fitness regime needed to maintain its svelte figure.

[JasonSpradlin]

Why one would need ANY phone to be submersible

I've had a number of problems in my days of cell phone usage involving a cell phone that got wet, and therefore wasn't covered under warranty. I had a cell phone die last year after submersion and it never, ever worked again -- at all. Since then, I've submersed a couple of phones that simply didn't work properly for about 12 - 36 hours. A phone being 100% waterproof would be my dream come true, though I could care less about being the thinnest, and don't like clamshell-style cellphones... They seem to fragile to me

[JasonSpradlin]

Why one would need ANY phone to be submersible

I've had a number of problems in my days of cell phone usage involving a cell phone that got wet, and therefore wasn't covered under warranty. I had a cell phone die last year after submersion and it never, ever worked again -- at all. Since then, I've submersed a couple of phones that simply didn't work properly for about 12 - 36 hours. A phone being 100% waterproof would be my dream come true, though I could care less about being the thinnest, and don't like clamshell-style cellphones... They seem to fragile to me

[jdonalds]

Perfect for boating

I bring my cell phone on my personal watercraft. Most cell phone service companies operate well off the coast of Southern California. I've been able to use the phone 10 miles off the coast of Ventura. I keep it in a waterproof bag but still have to take it out and handle it with wet hands and wet hair as I make a call. A waterproof phone would be great for this application. Salt water causes a lot of damage and the ability to rinse the phone off under a stream of warm water would be welcome to clean it after a ride. Good idea Fujitsu!

[jdonalds]

Perfect for boating

I bring my cell phone on my personal watercraft. Most cell phone service companies operate well off the coast of Southern California. I've been able to use the phone 10 miles off the coast of Ventura. I keep it in a waterproof bag but still have to take it out and handle it with wet hands and wet hair as I make a call. A waterproof phone would be great for this application. Salt water causes a lot of damage and the ability to rinse the phone off under a stream of warm water would be welcome to clean it after a ride. Good idea Fujitsu!