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rugged

Nokia's 3720 Classic: Just the latest torture-proof phone

Nokia's new dust-, water-, and shock-resistant GSM phone, the 3720 Classic, is good news for people who've lost one or two mobiles in a pool of water.

It's not the only one on the market, though--well-protected phones for iDEN and CDMA networks have been around for a long time, and starting a few years ago a new series of GSM mobiles from Sony Ericsson, Samsung, and small American manufacturer Sonim were certified according to the so-called IP-54 standard.

All are fresh alternatives to trustworthy and historic companions such as the Ericsson R310 from 2000 (the "shark fin"), the Nokia 5210 from 2002, and the Nokia 5500 Sports from 2006.

American users might not have had the pleasure of torturing these phones, as GSM networks were scarce in the U.S. at the time the Ericsson R310 and Nokia 5210 launched. Furthermore, they were only dual band for European frequencies.

The IP Code that's used for certifying the new models is an international standard that defines protection against dust and water.

The first digit ranges from 0 to 6 and regards dust, the second ranges from 0 to 8 and regards water. IP-54 means, more or less, that the device is almost completely protected against dust and that it resists splashing water from any direction.

Last year I had great fun putting the Samsung M110, Sonim XP1, and Sony Ericsson C702 to the test (article in Swedish). I put the phones in a vacuum cleaner bag while cleaning, held them under the shower spray, launched them from a second-floor balcony, and dropped them in a glass of beer.

The Samsung M110 turned out to be the clear winner, happily receiving calls even when immersed in a mug of brew. … Read more

Nokia releases rugged 3720 Classic

Nokia has officially announced the new Nokia 3720 Classic, a sturdy and durable phone that's IP-54 certified to resist water, dust, and shock.

Early looks at the Nokia 3720 Classic have proved to us that this is certainly one rugged phone (it has to be, after surviving several beatings with a golf club and getting dunked in a pint of beer). It has a battery cover that's locked with a screw to protect the battery and circuitry, and a sealed leakproof design that comes in variety of colors. Unlike a lot of other rugged phones, like the Sonim XP1, … Read more

Nokia 3720 Classic survives beating with golf club, dunk in pint

We may not beat the crinoline out of our phones with a golf club, but we can imagine accidentally dropping them in a sink--or even a pint. Nokia's decided to try out both phone-destroying events in a series of YouTube videos showing off its first ruggedized phone, the 3720 Classic.

You can also watch a fat man leave it in his pocket while he does a lap in a cold-looking pool, giving it a rugby punt on a typically gorgeous British day, and dropping it on to concrete off a very tall ladder.

It's not strictly scientific--we're … Read more

Chrome debuts new Corsair and Vega commuter bags

Chrome started with a couple of guys in Boulder, Colo., who set out to built a bag that could stand a lifetime of daily abuse. Eight years later, the operation is now based out to San Francisco, where Chrome bags have become the staple of bike messengers, students, and packrats alike. Today, Chrome also announced its sojourn into the techie commuter market with the release of two stripped-down, laptop-friendly bags: the Vega and Corsair.

The Vega draws inspiration from the classic "musette" bags used to feed cyclists in the middle of a big race. Since weight is everything to these pros, the bags have to be minimalist and utilitarian, and the Vega is no different. It's light, tough, and can easily fit up to a 15-inch laptop.

It's important to stress the tough material used in the build: 1,000 denier Cordura material, a heavyweight nylon with a urethane coating to protect from water, abrasian, and grime. Make no mistake about it: these are some of the toughest bags you can get.… Read more

LaCie's rugged external hard drive gets bigger

If you own a compact Rugged All-Terrain external hard drive from LaCie, you know how tough the device is. It has a rubber bumper, and the scratch-protected aluminum case can take a serious beating.

Now the same drive has evolved to a bigger physical size with larger storage capacity.

LaCie announced Tuesday the new Rugged LX external hard drive that shares the same distinctive design by Neil Poulton.

The new drive is now based on a 3.5-inch internal hard drive and is therefore much bigger than the Rugged All-Terrain, measuring 8.46 inches by 5.11 inches by 1.… Read more

Yanko Design agrees: Rugged compacts needn't look it

After seeing this year's offerings at CES and PMA, I was disappointed by how Frankensteinian rugged compacts are, with all their nuts and bolts hanging out.

So I hope someone somewhere heeds the new concept cam by Yanko Design's Camillo Vanacore for a flashy faux Coolpix dubbed "eXtreme," which he describes as "an all-weather, all-terrain coolpix device that looks sleek and really knows how to rough it out!"

(Via PhotographyBlog)

General Dynamics' most ruggederiest laptop ever

"We have the most rugged laptop." "No, WE have the ruggedest!" "Psshhh, ours is even ruggedier!"

No, those aren't real words, but that's kind of how the marketing and advertising goes among the niche of companies making laptops that can stand up to dust, wind, rain, vibration, and getting dropped.

The latest entrant is General Dynamics subsidiary GD-Itronix, which has rebranded its GoBook XR-1 as the GD8000. According to the company, it's the ruggederiest of them all.

It's built to "mil spec," or military specifications for rugged gear, … Read more

Canon's new rough-and-tumble point-and-shoot

I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner, but Canon has finally decided to enter the market for rugged point-and-shoot cameras. It's kind of odd looking--I think it looks like a submarine--but according to the company the PowerShot D10 is freezeproof down to down to 14 degrees, shockproof up to a 4-foot drop and submersible up to 33 feet. Canon will offer interchangeable face plates and other accessories to match the camera to your adventure outfit du jour.

On a more prosaic note, the D10 has a 12-megapixel CCD, 3X zoom lens and all the automation features bestowed by … Read more

Exclusive: Panasonic's new F8 14-inch Toughbook

Panasonic's fabled Toughbook line of rugged laptops gets a new addition Thursday, with the Toughbook F8, a 14.1-inch system that Panasonic calls the world's lightest 3G-ready notebook. The F8 has a built-in carry handle and weighs 3.7 pounds, and includes a standard Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, up to 4GB of RAM, and a 160GB shock-mounted hard drive.

The new F8 has the same semirugged features the Toughbook line is known for, such as a magnesium alloy chassis, spill-resistant keyboard, and flexible internal connectors. It also boasts wireless options, including 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Gobi 3G technology, which should let the system stay connected on different mobile broadband carriers around the world.

Besides the new F8 system, Panasonic's existing 12-inch W7 and tablet T7 Toughbooks are getting upgraded to the W8 and T8. All three new Toughbooks are designed to survive drops of 12 inches for the laptop itself and 30 inches for the shock-mounted hard drive, as well as 6-ounce spills and up to 220 pounds of pressure on the lid.

All three new systems will be available in November 2008, and we've got specs of each model after the break: … Read more