Smartphones are tiny devices filled with delicate electronics, and ought to be coddled and shielded to ensure their safety…right? As part of a story about third-party mobile phone warranties, a TV reporter in Houston trashed an iPhone by dropping it in water and running it over with a car. These things rendered it completely unusable, right? Nope.

This was a story about how you should consider insuring your phone against mechanical failure and accidental damage, after all, since sending your phone for a swim voids the manufacturer’s warranty.

Better yet, it wasn’t completely wrecked. “The screen actually did start functioning (letting me swipe from one screen to the next and hit icons/ apps) about 10 minutes after we taped this bit,” noted reporter Amy Davis when she e-mailed the video to Consumerist.

The warranty company provided the station with an iPad Mini to drop from the roof of their building, since stunts like this attract attention to your brand. (Including from bloggers… ah, yeah, like this. Instead of dropping the iPad off the top of their broadcast tower, they donated it instead.

Of course, no one just beats the crap out of a tablet for no reason. KPRC was doing a story about a local startup company that offers third-party warranties for portable electronic devices that serve as an alternative to carriers’ own insurance programs.

Independent companies insuring electronic devices [KPRC]
Watch Amy Davis tries to destroy an iPhone… for a story [KPRC]

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