Trail Mix: Operating Ranges

You can tell that my iPhone has hypothermia because it wants to strip out of its case

In our meagre day-to-day lives, we don't run into many issues or even give a second thought to operating ranges on our devices. While we don't think twice about taking our phones camping with us, we only pause to consider how to keep our electronics dry. Sadly you won't make it halfway on your next mountaineering expedition up K2 (which is 8,611 m high) before your phone starts to behave quirky because the average altitude limit is 3,000 meters.

Something a little more down to Earth would be your next Winter camping expedition (or next snowshoeing trip for that matter). It wouldn't be out of the ordinary for the night time temperatures to dip below the -20C mark and just when you need the device the most in an emergency, it is non-functional. This actually happened recently to a Canadian who was snowshoeing with his SPOT device (which has a lower range of -30) and just when he went to use it, he couldn't send out an SOS!

One new piece of tech is the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active who claims that it works through "extreme temperatures, humidity, and high altitudes" (although Samsung doesn't actually list its own ranges). While manufacturers all seem to be working toward making more rugged devices for our day-to-day lives, maybe more will attempt to create a stronger device that functions well in the outdoors.

Just because the temperature hasn't dipped to the lower threshold, simple exposure to colder temperatures may stop it in its tracks as well. Your mileage may vary, but start by keeping them inside your jackets, close to your body heat (the same goes with the battery for your camera) will help you when you need it most.