If you must go outdoors in frigid weather, bundling up is a must both for you and your smart phone. Here are some ways to keep your mobile device safe from the dangers of extreme cold. First, Verizon Wireless warns cell phone users to keep their phones fully charged.
"Cold temperatures can run down the phone’s battery charge more quickly," according to Verizon Wireless. "Use a car charger to keep the phone's charge if you get stranded or stuck in traffic on icy or snowy roads. Think about an extra battery as backup."
Phones in frigid temperatures should also be handled with care: "The display screen can become brittle when exposed to cold temperatures for long periods of time," Verizon added.
Mobile devices should be kept in a warm place, preferably in an inside jacket pocket that holds in the body's heat.
Getting creative
For those who need to use their touch-sensitive phones outside, it's no secret that it's difficult to do so with gloves. In addition to traditional finger flip gloves, a new trend on the market includes small discs called Digits, which you pin to your glove fingers so you can tap away at your iPhone touch screen and other devices without removing the gloves.
Digits are mini-pins made of conductive silicone, with a metal pin on the back for attaching to your glove. A four-pack can be purchased from Quirky.com for $13.99.
Another fun way to avoid frozen fingers is with a new app called NoseDial, which lets you dial your iPhone with your nose. For 99 cents, users can adjust the size of the buttons to match their nose size.
Meanwhile, in South Korea, people commuting in the cold have embraced an unlikely tool to help them use their phones and iPods: Sausages.
In fact, last year the CJ Corp. reported a big jump in sales of frozen sausages, thanks to those people who used them as an extension of their fingers.
And for those indoors who want a glimpse at how cold it is outdoors, there's a wallpaper app for Android users called How Cold Is It? The app changes color depending on the temperature outside: It's deep red when hot and icy white when freezing.