When a Chilean Air Force plane crashed on Sept. 2 near the Juan Fernandez islands, killing all 21 on board, search and rescue teams were unable to locate the plane's wreckage until a victim's family member used Apple's Find My iPhone app and shared the information with officials, according to Gizmodo.

"One of the passengers carried [an iPhone]. When it fell into the sea, it was located and one of the relatives sent us that information," a military official reportedly said.

Initially, an emergency beacon believed to be from the plane was found on Saturday, Sept. 3, but actually belongs to a fishing boat, according to CNN.

Find My iPhone allows you to locate their iPhone 4, iPad, or fourth-generation iTouch using the device's GPS receiver. With the program you can cause the device to play a sound, remotely lock the device, display a message or even clear its data.

In another demonstration of the iPhone's durability, in July skydiver Jarrod McKinney was in free-fall when his iPhone 4 slipped out of his pocket. Also using the Find My iPhone app, McKinney was able to find his functioning phone on top of a building.

Numerous YouTube videos demonstrate the devices durability, but historically Apple has been very strict in regards to replacing the phone after sustaining water damage. Even within the one-year warranty or under the AppleCare Protection Plan Apple will not replace a device that has been damaged by liquid -- as indicated by the Liquid Contact Indicator which turns red when exposed to liquid.

-=-=-=-=-
AWESOME STARTUP JOBS
Challenge Post - Solving problems for everyone.
Datastax - Big Data. Big Smarts. Big Fun.
Thumbtack - America's marketplace for local services.
RecoEngine - Tech Buying. Made Simple.
Rapportive - Let's make email a better place

LAUNCH Blog