Future Technologies

STORY HIGHLIGHTS Phone is water- and dust-resistant Active has most but not all Galaxy S4 features Device failed a swimming pool test NEW YORK — Samsung has already made a splash with its feature-rich smartphone the Galaxy S4. Now it is hoping to generate enthusiasm for a Galaxy S4 variant that can survive one, in most circumstances. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active has arrived just in time for summer. Samsung is marketing the phone as the perfect handset for the beach, pool or to go camping. Unlike your standard Galaxy S4, the Active version is certified to be water-resistant and dust-resistant. While it is not billed as a ruggedized phone per se, it does have a protective scratch-resistant 5-inch Gorilla Glass display, though that's not uncommon these days. Suffice to say, this isn't one of those homely phones with lots of visible extra padding. In my tests over a few days, the phone withstood whatever wet obstacles I threw at it — dunking it in a bowl of water...