IS Magazine Blog

Rugged Phones For Hard Tech Life

Jul 05 2011

Sonium XP 1300 Core_1

Virtually everyone who has ever owned a cell phone has also experienced the pain of breaking a cell phone. Phones meet untimely demises every day, from falling to hard floors and shattering to accidentally running through the laundry. Whether you work in a physically demanding job, spend a lot of time in the great outdoors, or are simply a klutz who's hard on your cell phones, investing in one of these three rugged phones could save you a fortune in insurance claims or early upgrade fees. They may not have all the fancy features of an IPhone but have solid phonebook, GPS, and Internet so are great for outdoors.

Motorola Defy (T-Mobile)

Smart phone users are all too familiar with their delicate touchscreens and unfortunate tendency to break on impact. The Defy by Motorola offers, at long last, a smart phone specially designed for those whose phones see more wear and tear than normal. Its Gorilla Glass touchscreen is scratch-resistant and a tightly-screwed case and battery cover protect its internal parts from water damage. The Defy features an excellent speakerphone, ideal for people who work with their hands or engage in a lot of physical activity. Best of all, this is an Android phone, with full access to Android's market and immense range of both free and paid applications.

Casio G'zOne Ravine (Verizon)

The G'zOne Ravine may not offer all the bells and whistles of a smart phone, but it is virtually indestructible. A PCMag reviewer claims to have run over this phone three times with his car, with no noticeable ill effects. The Ravine comes pre-loaded with apps to aid the adventurers among us, including a thermometer and a compass. GPS navigation is available as well for a $10 monthly subscription to VZ Navigator. While the pre-installed applications are not smart phone quality, they get the job done. The Ravine also features incredible battery life, with over six hours continuous talk time, making it an ideal voice phone for those who are away from power sources for extended periods of time.

Sonim XP1300 Core

The Sonim XP1300 is an unlocked phone that will work on AT&T, T-mobile, and many smaller regional carrier networks simply by inserting your existing SIM card. While this is a bare-bones phone, it is widely regarded as the toughest cell phone available. The Gorilla Glass screen is unbreakable and resists scratches and dings. It is completely waterproof, and the hard rubber body covered with a fiberglass casing holds up to even the most serious punishment. Sonim is so confident you will be unable to break this phone that it comes with a three year warranty that even includes accidental damage. While call quality is only average, the battery life is astounding at over 22 hours of talk time.

Written by FirespinJay a Tech writer from London. Gives his technology some big time hard work come and say Hello @FirespinJay

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