Pulling off a successful product demo at a big expo like Mobile World Congress isn't always an easy thing. That's a lesson Archos CEO Loic Poirier learned the hard way this week.
Poirier was showing off a new 5-inch Android phone that was designed in conjunction with the outdoor gear specialists at Quechua. It's described as "the first mountainproof phone," though clearly Poirier found a way to push this particular unit past its limits. He tries to demonstrate just two things to a TV presenter from France's M6. First, that the Quechua Phone can handle a decent drop onto a hard surface. Second, that it can be submerged in water and survive — just like the tough mountaineers that would be proud to pocket such a phone.
The wheels come off quickly, however. After the drop test, Poirier places the Quechua Phone into a glass container and fills it with water. He proudly reaches in and attempts to wake it up, but to no avail. The phone is dead.
Quechua's got a marketing video on their website that shows the phone standing up in a mud puddle during a simulated rainstorm. It runs without missing a beat and even receives a phone call. There's a big difference between a device that can deal with water droplets or a splash, and one that can actually go for a swim — however brief.
Turns out the Quechua is IP54 rated. That means "protected against splashing water" from all angles, but it's not even close to the point of withstanding a pressurized attack from water jets. Poirier should've left this particular stunt up to a phone like the Galaxy S4 Active or a Sony Xperia Z1.
