Protecting your smartphone from disaster

It’s a sinking feeling: You’re showing your new smartphone when it slips out of your grip and falls on the concrete sidewalk below. This doesn’t have to be the end of your favorite mobile device though, not if you’ve purchased one of the newest cases — which have science backing them — designed to protect smartphones from surprise falls.

Powerful protection

The New York Times’ Gadgetwise column just recently covered the growing science behind protect cases for cell phones. According to the column, the new cases are remarkably effective, protecting smartphones from the bumps and slams that could otherwise knock them out of commission.

D30 protection

The Times concentrated on the London-based Tech21, a firm which has created D30, a polymer that it injects in the edges of its smartphone cases. According to Tech21, this polymer absorbs any shocks – from falls or bangs – that smartphones receive. The polymer then redirects the impact of these falls and bangs so that the smartphone it covers isn’t damaged.

A shrewd investment?

Are Tech21′s cases a shrewd investment? Most likely. According to the Times, the company’s Impact Band case costs $30, while its higher-end Impact Mesh case retails for $35. That’s not a lot of money for peace of mind.