'Heavy' handset challenges all comers to prove its mettle
Antennas at dawn
Handset manufacturer Sonim is so confident of its "indestructible" XP1 handset’s anti-smash capabilities that it’s inviting people to come and have a go if they think they’re hard enough.
Sonim's XP1: the Captain Scarlet of mobile phones?
The phone has apparently been engendered to meet the needs of extreme sports enthusiasts and people who don’t work in cosy offices.
Sonim's taking the tri-band GSM phone on global tour of toughness, stopping at construction sites and DIY stores to demonstrate the device’s mettle. It claims the XP1 can withstand pretty much all the world’s harshest environments, tweaking the nose of shock, water, wind, dust, dirt and extreme temperatures.
The phone can supposedly survive a 1.65m drop onto concrete and works at temperatures between -20°C and +60°C, but we imagine it’s still best served at room temperature. It also has two loudspeakers, Bluetooth connectivity and a scratch resistant 128 x 150 display capable of displaying 65,536 colours. Polyphonic ringtones are supported too.
A three-year unconditional warranty’s also thrown in with the handset, but we’re sure you won’t need that. Should a passing elephant step on the XP1, a lifetime casing guarantee is included too.
The Sonim XP1 is available now for around £250 (€380/$500).
COMMENTS
Phil
Well i think its a fantastic phone, in principle. well overdue! I am a welder and destroy phones regularly.(Expected usable lifespan of a normal phone about six weeks). The metallic dust from grinding is hugely destructive. Will i buy one of these phones?..... No. Not until its features come out of the dark ages. No camera... Wot?
for Dave B: Submersibles and more...
Head on over to PenComputing.com to find all sorts of fun rugged hardware. A few months back they did a review of a waterproof PDA, by donning SCUBA gear and taking it for a dive. The video is hilarious. Rugged phones are nothing new.
Can be had cheaper in UK on monthly contract
Just to say this phone (as the JCB Tough) is already coming down in price in the UK as it can be had for free on a £40 per month, 12 month contract with 500 mins, 500 texts as mobiles2yourdoor are giving you 7 months free line rental via cashback which totals £200 over the minimum term of the contract (12 x £40) according to Mobile Checker.
The deals can be seen here:http://www.mobilechecker.com/compare_mobile_phone_prices.asp?phone=jcbtough
sexy phone
"The phone has apparently been engendered to meet the needs of extreme sports enthusiasts and people who don’t work in cosy offices."
Which gender did they chose, and where are the orifices?
@extreme sports
Sorry someone beat me to it but I'd also like to call Anthony a plonker, quite obviously has some sort of "extreme sports enthusiast phobia"
And FYI if I had inadvertently been scuba diving at 200 metres I'd definitely want the phone to work when I surfaced and needed medical treatment... 200 metres is just a little deep for most divers and is pretty much a killer if you do (seriously) cock up and dive that deep.
I had one of the nokias and was really quite sad to see it returned when I handed (workphone) it back
Jacques Cousteau
