Deal Seeker: 5 Ways to Protect Your Smartphone (Without Spending a Bundle)
Last week, Verizon announced that it was ditching its old sign-a-two-year-contract-and-we’ll-subsidize-your-phone plans. Instead, you’ll buy your phone for full price (perhaps with installment payments). And Verizon is only the latest carrier to make that switch.
Which means that, now more than ever, you need to take care of your phone; replacing it could cause some serious sticker shock. That’s why this week I rounded up some great deals on products and services that’ll help you keep your smartphone safe.
Scosche handleIT
Carry your phone in a cute leather flip wallet or (shudder) no case at all? That might work for the office. But if your commute or weekend activities include a bicycle, such lightweight protection isn’t enough: One spill or cloudburst could kill your phone, and then how are you going to call for a ride home? That’s what makes the Scosche handleIT so handy: Attach it to your bike and zip your phone into it, and your phone will stay safe —and even help you navigate — as you ride. I got you a deal on the handleIT: Normally $25, you can get a 25 percent discount on it just by using the code YAHOOTECH at checkout in the Scosche online store.
GoMate Waterproof Smartphone Case
If you regularly take your phone along when you’re recreating on or near bodies of water, chances are it will go for a swim at some point. Drop it into the GoMate Waterproof case first, however, and it might survive to tell the tale. Tucked into this inexpensive case, your smart phone will survive a dunk in up to 20 feet of water, a crawl through mud, or a not-so-elegant slide down the slopes. And your phone will always be right there, attached to you by a lanyard, when you need to call someone to dig you out. It normally costs only $20, but you can get 25 percent off that with the code YAHOOTECH.
iCracked Phone Repair
Once their smartphones take a spill, many users (including members of my own family) just carry on using it anyway. Why? Because they don’t know where or how to get it fixed — or, if they do, they balk at the cost. iCracked solves those problems. The service will come to you and then fix your phone or buy it from you; in either case, you can get back to a less dysfunctional relationship with that thing in just a few minutes. They’ll give you a quick quote before you commit. I got you $10 off an on-demand device repair from iCracked; just use the code Yahoo!. This deal expires September 30, though, so don’t delay.
iShower2
You’re in the shower when the phone rings. You answer (because you know that important calls always wait until you are wet and naked), and now you’re dripping on a slick tile floor, holding your expensive phone in your slippery hands. In retrospect, you’ll admit it never stood a chance. There is, however, an alternative scenario: This shower-mounted Bluetooth speakerphone lets you answer that inevitable call – or listen to news or music – without risking yourself or your phone. It has controls that let you open your music app, skip tracks, replay, and pause right from the shower. It even has a clock to keep you on schedule. I got you 25 percent off the iShower2 (normally $99) from now (August 14) through next Friday (August 21). Use the code YAHOO25 at checkout.
Gazelle
If you already killed one phone and are faced with buying another on the open market, consider getting a refurbished one from Gazelle. If you have a tablet (or old phone) you never use, it’s as good as cash here. Trade in your old gear for cash or an Amazon gift card and get something you do want. Right now, Gazelle is doing a back-to-school promotion in which your tablet is worth 20 percent extra in trade. Go to Gazelle.com/school.
