The Top Rugged Cell Phones

So, right now everyone is into the smartphones with their big, glass touch screens, but we all know that smartphones just aren’t that durable. I have seen plenty of cracked iPhone and Droid touch screens. Haven’t you? Have you ever dropped your phone in the sink, the pool, or possibly even the toilet? I have dropped my different phones in all three!

Have any of you that have had phone problems or that work in high risk situations for phones ever thought about getting a rugged phone that would be able to handle quite a bit more than any smartphone or feature phone? If you work in a rough environment, are an outdoorsy kind of person, or simply are just accident prone, then you might want to check out some of these top-of-the-line rugged cell phones.

AT&T

Motorola Tundra VA76r
$179.99

Pros: The Tundra is rugged without giving up all elements of style. No, it’s not chic, but it features fantastic reception, top-notch keypad, web use, GPS options, and AT&T’s push-to-talk.

Cons: It’s rather large for a flip phone, has an external antenna, and features a pretty poor quality camera.

Samsung Rugby II SGH-A847
$119.99

Pros: The Rugby II is firmly constructed with excellent voice quality and a fantastic speakerphone.

Cons: The earpiece could definitely be much louder and there is too much bloatware.

Sprint

Motorola Brute i686
$119.99

Pros: The Brute features great voice quality and a fantastic speakerphone. It also comes with Sprint’s push-to-talk ability.

Cons: The Brute is a very rugged phone, but it feels like it could use a little updating. It looks and feels a little older than some of the others. The phone also has poor Web and video features.

Sanyo Taho
$99.99

Pros: The Taho features a super extra-rugged design that allows the phone to be run over by a car several times. It also features a very loud speakerphone.

Cons: The issue with this phone is that it has poor reception and to many people’s dismay, the Taho doesn’t feature push-to-talk.

T-Mobile

Motorola Defy
$99.99

Pros: The Defy from Motorola is the very first rugged smartphone to hit the market. The phone is waterproof and has a fantastic speakerphone.

Cons: Now there are definitely some issues with the Defy. The Motoblur does make the OS a bit sluggish at times. It also doesn’t have a hotspot mode or HSPA+.

Verizon Wireless

Casio G’zOne Ravine
$149.99

Pros: The Ravine is an extremely rugged phone that is nearly indestructible. It features good call quality, a long battery life, and great outdoorsy apps that can be downloaded.

Cons: The only big issue with this phone is that it has a very dated music player, but if that doesn’t matter to you, then this is a good rugged phone to consider.

Casio G’zOne Brigade
$99.99

Pros: The Brigade is built like a small tank. It has a good battery life, Verizon’s push-to-talk service, and a fantastic QWERTY keyboard.

Cons: The problem with the Brigade is that it can be fairly expensive if you decide to pile on the optional data service. Also, its multimedia performance is poor.

Motorola Barrage V860
$129.99

Pros: The Barrage is a pretty good phone if you’re looking for something rugged. It’s got good call quality, a long battery life, and it is waterproof.

Cons: However, compared to a lot of the phones on this list, it’s not super rugged. It also just has an average video and camera phone.

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Newest Adition to the Rugged Line of G'zOne Phones: The Ravine

On Monday October 4th, Casio announced the newest addition to their rugged G’zOne line of phones for outdoor enthusiasts, the G’zOne Ravine. Casio’s G’zOne line of phones from Verizon are waterproof, rustproof, and shockproof. These phones are not only for individuals with hard hat jobs, but also for people who simply would like a phone that can withstand a dunk in the pool or a drop in the sink.

The design of the Ravine is very similar to other phones found in the G’zOne line. The phone is made of a sturdy black plastic and is a little slimmer than previous G’zOne models. It certainly is no smartphone but the Ravine is much sleeker and not as “outdoorsy” looking as some of the other G’zOne phones.

The Ravine not only has all the basic features found on most cell phones, but also includes tons of outdoorsy apps including a compass, a thermometer, a pedometer, a tide chart, a sunrise/sunset list, and an astronomy app. The astronomy app allows you to figure out and name constellations and shows local star charts. Whether you’re outdoorsy or not, these apps are cool. Several of these apps can even be accessed from the external display so that you don’t have to open the phone. There is also a flashlight on the back of the phone. The Ravine definitely has some very unique features to offer consumers.

Inside of the Ravine, there is a lot of Bing to be found. Verizon began promoting Bing hot and heavy with Samsung’s Fascinate. The Ravine features a Bing icon and a Bing home page in the phone’s basic browser.

Besides being waterproof, rustproof, and shockproof and featuring some unique apps, the Ravine includes a 3.2 megapixel camera and camcorder with flash, VZ Navigator GPS software, and voice dictation that allows you to text hands-free. The phone also is capable of running Verizon’s usual feature phone e-mail and IM apps.

The big question at hand about the Ravine is how it will perform. The other G’zOne phones from Casio have been all over the boards. Some feature amazing voice quality for your calls, while others have been absolutely terrible. The Type-V phone was excellent on voice quality, but the Type-S and Boulder that followed were certainly not the best on quality. Casio claimed in their press release that the Ravine would have noise cancelling abilities, but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee good voice quality.

Verizon has said that the Casio G’zOne Ravine will be available with a two year contract for $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. As of right now, there is not a release date, but Verizon says that it will be “coming soon.”

This is a very intriguing cell phone. Whether you’re an adventurous outdoorsy type of person or simply don’t want to take the chance of having your phone damaged by the elements, this phone can serve all of your needs plus more. No it’s not the iPhone or Droid X, but this is definitely a phone that offers something new and unique to the cell phone market.

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