Former Nokia consultant Heikki Sarajarvi loves everything about being out at sea. Unfortunately, four of his smartphones didn’t share the enthusiasm and all fell apart from sea-spray alone. Sarajarvi, fed up by wimpy smartphones, enlisted the help of sixteen others (including eight former Nokia employees) to form Adaia. Adaia’s sole purpose is to build a sea-ready Android phone that still looks slick and performs well. » Read the rest
Sony released specs today regarding its newest addition to the Xperia Z family today in the form of the Xperia ZR. The ZR packs many of the same components and waterproof capabilities as the Xperia Z, putting it in the mid to high-end range. Sony’s putting a lot of emphasis on the ZR’s higher IP rating (IP55 and IP58 as opposed to the Z’s IP55 and IP57), which makes it perfect for those HD recordings of your underwater adventures.
Powering Sony’s new aquatic handset is the Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5 GHz quad-core processor also found on the Xperia Z and ZL. Rounding out the internals are 2GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and a microSD slot. The display measures out at 4.55-inches with 720p resolution. On the back they put a 13-megapixel Sony Exmor RS camera with an LED flash and “burst mode” capable of taking 15 frames per second.
In a not-so-veiled attempt at bringing multiple versions of the Galaxy S 4 to the world, it’s not surprising that Samsung is planning on bringing a rugged version out. That’s right folks, all of you who are prone to dropping your phone, flinging it across the room, or accidentally spilling water on it can rest easier. It’s a peace of mind knowing that you can purchase the flagship device and have it hold up against all the abuse thrown at it. According to Young Soo Kim, President of Samsung Gulf, we’re just weeks away from seeing a waterproof and dust proof version of the GS4.
As nice as that sounds, we have yet to hear about which markets will see the device or even how much it will cost. Of course we’ll know more when the device actually gets announced. Even as such, this should entice those clumsy people, myself included, into purchasing Samsung’s latest flagship device. Even if it doesn’t,well, at least it will lead to multiple GS4 beating videos being posted to the internet. I can hear the squeals of joy now.
source: Techview.me
via: Phone Arena
Remember that rugged Galaxy X Cover 2 leak we saw not too long ago? We’ve got word on the device’s official release date and pricing. According to Sammobile, you’ll be able to get your hands on the device started March 7th for 319 euros, or $414.96. Not too bad for a device that’s waterproof and dustproof and runs Jelly Bean on top of that.
As a reminder, the Cover 2 features a 4-inch TFT display, 5-megapixel back camera, 0.3 megapixel front camera and 4 GB of internal storage. It’s not a high-end device, but it fills that rugged market very nicely. Anyone plan on picking one of these up?
source: Sammobile
Sure, Christmas may have come and passed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself to a little something extra. Amazon is offering a steal of a deal on Grace Digital’s ECO X Terra rugged and waterproof boombox for just $50, equating to a savings of $100.
The idea behind the go-anywhere speaker set is fairly simple. In the center of the boombox there is an air tight chamber for your Android powered device, which the company claims can fit even the “largest Android phone” in addition to keys, glasses and other small valuables. Unlike other similar systems, the ECO X Terra isn’t just water resistant, it’s fully submersible. In fact, it can even float in your swimming pool. Power is supplied through either a standard AC adapter, or a set of four C batteries, ultimately providing 25 hours of continuous use.
If this sounds like something you could use, be sure to hit the source link below while they are still available.
Source: Amazon
Via: SlickDeals
CTIA is officially here gang and handset maker Kyocera has wasted no time in introducing two interesting new budget-level handsets. The first is the Hydro smartphone which features a Snapdragon MSM8655 clocked at a reasonable 1GHz, 512MB of RAM, a 3.5-inch screen, a 3.2MP rear camera and a full scoop of what looks to be untainted ICS. The specs are modest I know— but the Hydro has one thing most other devices don’t have: official waterproof certification. The device is capable of being submerged underwater at 1 meter (3 feet) for up to 30 minutes. Kyocera’s reasoning for creating a waterproof device? It’s simple really— research shows many of us clumsy folk tend to destroy our phones with moisture being the sole cause. More importantly, Kyocera believes its customers are interested in having waterproof features in their next smartphones by citing “70 percent of consumers indicated they consider water resistance an important feature in their next phones”.
The next smartphone is the Rise smartphone, which is identical to the Hydro— except it features a full QWERTY keyboard. So inside, you’ll still find the same 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 3.5-inch screen and Android 4.0. Kyocera believes that there is a niche and need for the Rise because the:
“Kyocera Rise is the ideal device for those underserved consumers for whom a touchscreen isn’t enough and who demand the familiar tactile feedback of a keypad. With both Hydro and Rise, people have spoken loud and clear about what they want, and we’ve listened”.
Each device features an CDMA/EV-DO radio, it’s likely the device will operate on Sprint— especially considering Sprint and Kyocera seem to have a history of releasing budget-minded devices. Want more details about the device? Make sure you hit the break to see the full presser.
We recently got our hands on a review unit of the Samsung Rugby Smart, a smartphone designed for rough conditions. We immediately filmed an unboxing video and initial review but I figured I would spend a little more time with the phone to complete a proper review. While I intend to put it through the ringer, testing its dust/water/shock proof abilities, I will also be reviewing it’s ability to be a worthy daily driver. It seems that lately we have been focusing a lot of attention on high-end devices and the Rugby Smart is a nice departure from that norm. My initial instincts are that this is a device for those who don’t need the best specs and who are looking for an Android phone that won’t break the bank, or is easily broken for that matter. I spent almost a week using the phone and over the next few sections of this review I will break down its performance, durability and usability. The good and the bad.. » Read the rest
Caterpillar Inc, perhaps better reconginsed as CAT and most famously known for being the worlds largest manufacturer of construction and engineering equipment have entered the smartphone market. It will come as no surprise to find that the B10 is a mid-range Android phone that positions itself as a rugged, heavy duty device.
The CAT B10 is fully IP67 certified meaning it’s water, scratch and dust resistant. The tech specs are relatively modest, sporting Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, a 800MHz Qualcomm processor, 3.2″ display, 5MP rear camera and a front facing camera for video calling. The B10 is expected to go on sale worldwide from May with European pricing set at €379 ($500).
All terrain phones aren’t new to Android. The Motorola Defy+ has been around for a while and Samsung recently announced the Rugby Smart. The interesting story here is to see if heavy duty experts but smartphone virgins, CAT, can challenge the Android elders.
source : THE VERGE
The folks over at BGR have received a tip or two suggesting that AT&T will be launching a new tablet next week at CES. The tablet, the Pantech Element, will be the first to rock some AT&T 4G LTE speeds not at a kidney selling price and comes in an 8 inch variety. The tablet will run the latest variation of Honeycomb and will be waterproof. Okay it’s not the take your tablet and take pictures with it in the ocean waterproof but more water resistant/splash proof provided you close all the port doors.
Besides the 8-inch display and the water resistance it boasts the following specs: » Read the rest
Softbank just keeps tacking on more Androids to its fall/winter line-up. Yesterday we told you about their Dell Streak Pro 101DL, and now we bring you news of the Lumix Phone 101p. This phone, manufactured by Panasonic, is meant to really combine a phone and digital camera, more so then just adding a camera to a phone. From the picture it looks like they succeeded. That’s a 13.2MP CMOS Lumix sensor with “Mobile Venus Engine.” Of course, it’s a solid phone as well. Check out these specs:
No word yet on pricing or the possibility of international sale. Did I mention it also comes in pink.
[via techcrunch]