Recomended Rugged/Tough Phones

[expo80]

Anything that will fit in an Otterbox will instantly become rugged and somewhat water resistant..

agreed! I need a blackberry for work but i kill them at least 3 times a year.
bought an otterbox for my 9650 and can vouch for its toughness, ran it over with a 9,500lb land cruiser cracked the otter boxes plastic but the phone was fine:victory:

side buttons are a bit harder to use but its a trade off for a tougher phone

 

[craig]

Forgot to add, i am looking at a Sonim XP3. Does anyone have any experience with them?

G

edit: sorry, this is in the wrong section, MODS, can it be moved to comms please. apologies.

Toughest phone you'll find. If you're a Land Rover guy, Land Rover sells a version with the Land Rover logo on it (kind of like Jeep does with stuff).

It's not as full of features as others, but it's tough. Personally, I'd go with an iPhone w/ a Magellan GPS/ruggedized case or an Android and an OtterBox simply because of the extra features.

If all you want is a simple phone the Sonim is perfect. They sell them at Best Buy but since they aren't affiliated with any US carriers you can't get a discount with a long term contract.

 

[Equipt]

Get an iPhone and put it in an Otter Box.

Well.... I tried that. I made the big switch to iPhone 4 at their launch. I think the phone is great. Really nice, well made, very strong stainless steel with Corning glass. An otterbox would make it really tough. But the point of a phone is being able to use it. ATT just doesn't have the network capacity here in the southwest middle of nowhere. The phone becomes a nice wheel chock.

Went back to Verizon and the Samsung Fascinate. Otterbox is next. For now I got the insurance, an invisible shield, and a good cover. The insurance covers dropping, water, lost or theft. The same combo on my Blackberry lasted 4 years without incident. Service everywhere, Wifi hotspot everywhere.

I would say bottom line is to get the best service and build up the phone of choice to match.

Cheers,

 

[MossMan]

Well.... I tried that. I made the big switch to iPhone 4 at their launch. I think the phone is great. Really nice, well made, very strong stainless steel with Corning glass. An otterbox would make it really tough. But the point of a phone is being able to use it. ATT just doesn't have the network capacity here in the southwest middle of nowhere. The phone becomes a nice wheel chock.

Went back to Verizon and the Samsung Fascinate. Otterbox is next. For now I got the insurance, an invisible shield, and a good cover. The insurance covers dropping, water, lost or theft. The same combo on my Blackberry lasted 4 years without incident. Service everywhere, Wifi hotspot everywhere.

I would say bottom line is to get the best service and build up the phone of choice to match.

Cheers,

Haha, they're not worth a lot when there's no service eh. Sounds like you've got it covered now but if not, the new Droid X is pretty cool. I don't know if there's an Otter Box for it or not though.

 

[Hltoppr]

so handsets aside, what are peoples views on actually needing a ruggedised handset? do you have one and feel you need it? do you break phones and feel you need it? does your current phone manage ok?

just getting a feel for peoples views

G

I carry my cell in a radio chest harness during our frequent SAR missions here...once or twice a week at least, plus, its always in a backpack or on a pack strap during hikes, etc.

More than once I've dunked the phone in a stream, had to use it during pouring rainstorms or in snowstorms as back up comm...and I use it to text our incident commander if we're in a communications shadow and are missing the repeaters from our location with field radios.

....that and sometimes I'm just clumsy.... :coffeedrink:

 

[Equipt]

Haha, they're not worth a lot when there's no service eh. Sounds like you've got it covered now but if not, the new Droid X is pretty cool. I don't know if there's an Otter Box for it or not though.

The Droid X was on the short list. Definitely a nice phone. I talked to the phone guy for a while about the different Android options. He is the resident technical guru, and he said that the internal return/error/damage/broke stats show the Samsung phones are returned less than any other model they offer. Worked for me. And they nickname iClone did too. Just about as close to the iPhone as I could get.

 

[wjeeper]

Not trying to revive a dead thread here........but I have been more than pleased with my verizon boulder phone! Tough as nails!

At work I left it on top of a tractor engine (was listening to music while changing the oil) totally forgot about it and hopped in to start the motor:Wow1: OOPS! It slid off the valve cover, fell into the fan and was shot at the shop wall! Besides a few scratches it was non the worse for the wear! Dropping it in a pond, bucket of cutting oil, dropping it on a weekly basis, rinsing it off when it gets dirty: nothing seems to really phaze it. In all fairness it is getting a bit beat up but it works flawlessly.

At first it made a good conversation piece: my favorite thing to do is drop it in peoples drinks at dinner when they aren't paying attention! I loved the look on their face when they find a phone in their drink:sombrero: but the novelity of a waterproof phone eventually wears out

My biggest gripe with it is sound quality. The speakers pretty much flat out suck. I do understand that it is likely difficult to make a good sounding and waterproof speaker, so its a compromise I live with........Also the compass is utterly USELESS! Its never close to right, my directionally handicapped sisters are a better compass. My last gripe with it (and every flip phone I have owned) is after awhile the hinge starts to wear out and the keys start to rub the screen!

 

[LilKJ]

I have a Samsung Rugby 2... love the thing and battery lasts FOREVER! I never turn it off and only have to charge it once every week or two.

 

[Caoboy]

I've got a Casio "Exilim" Phone from Verizon. It's almost the same as the GZ style phones, water resistant, just not 'ruggedized' with a hard rubber coating, and comes with a 5.1MP camera, which actually takes pretty nice pictures for a phone/PNS camera. I love tossing it into pools and freakin people out. I've even tested it while on a call and tossed it into a sink. Still works PERFECTLY! It has plenty of scratches all over it. Every time I drop it, the comment "I'm glad I don't have an iPhone" pops out of my mouth instead of some bad words if I DID have one and dropped it.

They really should gear ALL phones towards being able to withstand a lot of abuse. I believe they don't, because that'd just be bad business...

 

[Caoboy]

Verizon just dropped this today :

www.casiogzone.com/commando/
Hmm...maybe I'll get a new phone

 

[Fireman78]

Well, if you want a smart phone (honestly, you can just do soooo much more with them).... get a case like this.. it's an OtterBox Adventure case.. (if Pelican Cases made phone cases this would be it)..
http://www.otterbox.com/DROID-Pro-b...es-Case/MOT2-DRPRO-20-E4OTR_A,default,pd.html

I have the Droid Pro and have dropped this thing many times. Even left it on my wife's car's bumper and found it two hours later in the middle of the street. It's not waterproof however, so if that's a requirement I guess it's a no-go.

I had several of the "super tough" military style phones but they just couldn't do enough for me. I love having satellite imagry maps on my phone, which are standard on the Droid.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Shopping for a replacement for my Boulder right now. The Boulder I got in 2008 still works but battery life is becoming erratic.

One feature that I absolutely LOVE about the Boulder: The flashlight! Of all the "cell phone tools" out there that has to be the smartest. How many times have you been somewhere and needed a flashlight in a hurry to look for something you dropped or examine some dark area? Happens to me all the time, and I've gotten used to being able to pull out my phone for the flashlight feature!

Too bad more phones don't have this. The G'zone Ravine has it, so far that's the only one I've found.

 

[esh]

Nearly all smartphones with an LED flash have a flashlight with any number of free apps. Quite bright.

Casio has the G'zOne Commando out.. ruggedized smartphone (w/LED flash).

 

[Martinjmpr]

Nearly all smartphones with an LED flash have a flashlight with any number of free apps. Quite bright.

Casio has the G'zOne Commando out.. ruggedized smartphone (w/LED flash).

Well, I have zero interest in or need for a smartphone (at least not until data plan prices come down) but I just ordered this one yesterday:

http://www.casiogzone.com/brigade/

Not a smartphone although it does have a clamshell design with a full keyboard and I guess it's got some internet apps. I may or may not try an inexpensive data plan to see if it will be something I'd use.

Nice thing is that it's as ruggedized as the Boulder I carry now. And yes, it does have a flashlight!

I'll post the full review after I get it (should be tomorrow.)

 

[ssssnake529]

I have a Casio Commando. I really like it. It's a droid phone, with all the droid apps etc. It has Verizon, which gives me much better coverage here in Utah. It's waterproof shock resistant, etc. Smaller than the Brigade (which I also considered)

I couldn't be happier.