Samsung, Google & Snow!
The tale of the Galaxy S3 and how it survived the the snowstorm of 2013.
This is the story of how I lost and found my Galaxy S3 during the "big snow" of 2013.
Northwest Arkansas has many benefits for those of us who live here. Scenic beauty, rolling hills and for most, a small town atmosphere that is perfect for getting away from the metro rat race of big city life. The area is comprised of four small cities with a population of around 250,000 which tends to give you the best mixture of big city culture and rural friendliness. Here you can spend a morning at Crystal Bridges Museum of Art studying Monet or Vincent van Gogh and then take the afternoon bass fishing. Years ago I chose to live on the southeastern edge of this area where I could enjoy wonderful peace, great views and the local wildlife.
Nothing is perfect and even this area has it's weaknesses. Rapid growth over the past twenty years (population has quadrupled) has strained the infrastructure somewhat. Many of the smaller roads are unpaved and go from treacherous in the rain to totally impassable when ice or snow covered. As a result, when we get a snowstorm the whole area just shuts down.
This past week was just that nightmare scenario. Two inches of sleet followed by eight inches of snow and then bone chilling cold as the temperature plummeted to 4 degrees above zero. In the midst of this maelstrom my oldest son called to say that his boss's pickup was stuck in the snow and since I had a four wheeled drive vehicle would I pick him up and help get the poor guy loose. So off I went across town to first get my son and then to find to his boss.
We found this poor guy stuck in ten inches of snow in a business parking lot off the one of the main highways. After a concerted effort we were able to get his pickup unstuck and point him towards home. I dropped my son back at his house and since I was already out headed for the local grocery store. I was feeling pretty pleased with myself until I reached for my phone.
My pocket was empty. My Galaxy S3 was missing and that could only mean that it had come out of my pocket somewhere near the site of where the pickup had been stuck. Railing at myself for stupidity and carelessness I decided to drive home. There was no way I could find this phone on my own with all the blowing snow and I was already cold, tired and sore from the rescue.
Bitterly I realized how cut off I was from the world. This phone was my communications hub outside of the house. Both personally and professionally. If I were to lose control on these ice and snow covered roads like so many other poor individuals. I would have no way of calling for help. Even if I did recover the S3; I had little hope that it would work.
Back at the house I used Google Device Manager to locate it. Right where we freed the pickup from the snow. I could still lock it, ring it or worse case, wipe it of all data. I marked the spot on Google Maps and decided to wait till the next morning to attempt a rescue. Hopefully, the phone wouldn't generate enough heat to allow moisture to seep in and ruin it or be destroyed by some snowplow jockey clearing the area.
The following morning I quickly went to the Google Device Manager. Yes! It was still where I had dropped it. Plus it was apparent there was still enough battery life even after spending the night in four degree weather to function.
Carefully I drove to the location and began ringing it. Faintly I heard it and after two or three tries; my vindictive ringtone "An idiot is attempting to reach your cellular device" could be heard clearly through the snow. The irony didn't escape me. It was clear that this idiot had not only attempted, but succeeded at locating my S3.
After carefully brushing off the snow; I realized that the cold had insulated the phone and no snow or moisture had invaded it. I wrapped it in a towel and allowed it to warm slowly. Hoping against hope that condensation wouldn't short out it's circuitry.
Back at home I unwrapped it and found a perfectly intact device! Not only was it completely functional, it still had 46% battery life!
I don't give accolades too often to large successful companies like Samsung or Google. Because I believe that quality, craftsmanship and innovation are the foundation for any good company.
But I find my recent experience represents far more than I expected.
If this had happened just a year ago, I would have simply lost everything. The phone, the contacts and all the data would either have been destroyed by the weather or possibly would have ended up in the hands of some crook.
Instead, because of Google's innovation and Samsung's craftsmanship nothing has been lost!
Thank you to both Google and Samsung!
Nothing is perfect and even this area has it's weaknesses. Rapid growth over the past twenty years (population has quadrupled) has strained the infrastructure somewhat. Many of the smaller roads are unpaved and go from treacherous in the rain to totally impassable when ice or snow covered. As a result, when we get a snowstorm the whole area just shuts down.
This past week was just that nightmare scenario. Two inches of sleet followed by eight inches of snow and then bone chilling cold as the temperature plummeted to 4 degrees above zero. In the midst of this maelstrom my oldest son called to say that his boss's pickup was stuck in the snow and since I had a four wheeled drive vehicle would I pick him up and help get the poor guy loose. So off I went across town to first get my son and then to find to his boss.
We found this poor guy stuck in ten inches of snow in a business parking lot off the one of the main highways. After a concerted effort we were able to get his pickup unstuck and point him towards home. I dropped my son back at his house and since I was already out headed for the local grocery store. I was feeling pretty pleased with myself until I reached for my phone.
My pocket was empty. My Galaxy S3 was missing and that could only mean that it had come out of my pocket somewhere near the site of where the pickup had been stuck. Railing at myself for stupidity and carelessness I decided to drive home. There was no way I could find this phone on my own with all the blowing snow and I was already cold, tired and sore from the rescue.
Bitterly I realized how cut off I was from the world. This phone was my communications hub outside of the house. Both personally and professionally. If I were to lose control on these ice and snow covered roads like so many other poor individuals. I would have no way of calling for help. Even if I did recover the S3; I had little hope that it would work.
Back at the house I used Google Device Manager to locate it. Right where we freed the pickup from the snow. I could still lock it, ring it or worse case, wipe it of all data. I marked the spot on Google Maps and decided to wait till the next morning to attempt a rescue. Hopefully, the phone wouldn't generate enough heat to allow moisture to seep in and ruin it or be destroyed by some snowplow jockey clearing the area.
The following morning I quickly went to the Google Device Manager. Yes! It was still where I had dropped it. Plus it was apparent there was still enough battery life even after spending the night in four degree weather to function.
Carefully I drove to the location and began ringing it. Faintly I heard it and after two or three tries; my vindictive ringtone "An idiot is attempting to reach your cellular device" could be heard clearly through the snow. The irony didn't escape me. It was clear that this idiot had not only attempted, but succeeded at locating my S3.
After carefully brushing off the snow; I realized that the cold had insulated the phone and no snow or moisture had invaded it. I wrapped it in a towel and allowed it to warm slowly. Hoping against hope that condensation wouldn't short out it's circuitry.
Back at home I unwrapped it and found a perfectly intact device! Not only was it completely functional, it still had 46% battery life!
I don't give accolades too often to large successful companies like Samsung or Google. Because I believe that quality, craftsmanship and innovation are the foundation for any good company.
But I find my recent experience represents far more than I expected.
If this had happened just a year ago, I would have simply lost everything. The phone, the contacts and all the data would either have been destroyed by the weather or possibly would have ended up in the hands of some crook.
Instead, because of Google's innovation and Samsung's craftsmanship nothing has been lost!
Thank you to both Google and Samsung!
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