A rugged smart phone for someone who hates smart phones?

Alright folks this is my current phone….

A 3 year old samsung tough phone which has absolutely been through the wars and is nearing the end of it’s life (screen is cracked and rubber is peeling off the body).

Perhaps against my better judgement I am contemplating getting a smart phone this time around. The main things that are attracting me to the idea would be a decent camera on my person at all times, spur of the moment video, I’m tempted to try strava and occasional internet browsing, facebook etc. After some initial research I’ve singled out the Sony Xperia go as being my no.1 contender at the minute. Has anyone any experience of it and can recommend it (or reason why I shouldn’t)?

Other than the features I’ve mentioned (which most smartphones can do) the things that are important to me would be robustness, compactness, battery life and ease of use, particularly when texting and ideally I’d like to get it as a free upgrade on o2.
Thanks

Utano Barrier T180.

Hmmm, it’s not quite as rugged as your current phone, but i’ve been using a galaxy s2 for quite a while with this :
amazon case
It protects from dropping and if you can get the screen protector on right it works pretty well.

So far I’ve dropped my phone down the stairs, on the road whilst riding, on the drive getting in my car and all with no issues.

Just reread your post, and the galaxy doesn’t score well on the compactness, although it’s significantly smaller than some of the beasts out there. But it is very easy to use, particularly for texting as you can set up one touch messaging direct from the homepage to any contact.

Spudly, a guy at work has one and I think it’s massive.

Defy+?

…maybe a Dedy Mini might be a better option.

I have the otterbox defender case. Turns any phone rugged.

Not a smart phone, but not competely dumb either, I’ve got a Nokia C3-01 which is small and tough (though no rubber but it has a stainless steel housing which is pretty tough). The battery lasts ages, it has wifi and with the Opera browser is just about useable for some very basic mobile web use. You can’t stream videos on it but I can read STW ok. The camera is pretty good too at 5Mp it’s fine for snaps and has a reasonable flash.

So not a smart phone but, as another who doesn’t really like the bulk of smartphones, the Nokia does all I need it to do and is free on my cheapo conntract.

mikewsmith
I have the otterbox defender case. Turns any phone rugged.

Is it drop and crush proof?

Jamie, I looked at the defy but if i recall, all reviews seemed to say it was a bit old hat, is the defy + brand new?

Drop yes. Crush no idea depends what’s crushing it really.

I have the Sony Go smart phone,and it`s been wet and droped,so far so good. However,i would not class it in the same league as your previous phone.

AndyF1
I have the Sony Go smart phone,and it`s been wet and droped,so far so good. However,i would not class it in the same league as your previous phone.

What’s battery life like Andy?

My iphone in the otter commuter is pretty damn tough. Im rough on my phones and wasnt sure about going touch but happy I did. Covers all the ports and is semi ‘waterpoof’, as in I spilt a pint on it (what a waste) and its fine.

Sony Xperia Active fits the bill perfectly. Check out some of the youtube videos of people trying to destroy them! Very compact for a smart phone too.

I have the Active and although it’s very good, I don’t think I’d class it as properly rugged. Once I dropped mine from about 1m and the power button broke (was repaired free) and now the earpiece has gone (will be going back shortly). Also the screen is very small. I get on fine with that but not everyone will.

I would be inclined to look at the Defy+, possibly the JCB edition, and Samsung make a tough phone but I forget its exact name.

I use a CaseMate 2-piece case on my other (non rugged) phone and that does a good job. If you can get those for a waterproof phone like the Go or Defy you’d be sorted.

Op I also have the 2700 and owned it for over 5yrs+ it gets used everytime I break a fancy phone.

Do this- 2700 for riding, swap sim into smart phone post ride.

My 2700 is in a worse condition than yours!

+1 for mikewsmiths suggestion

otterbox and griffin cases do work well

although not waterproof my dad dropped his iphone in an otterbox defender in a bucket of water by accident – took it out and it still worked. Still going now as mrs Tr phone.

My iphones been dropped in its griffin countless times and its still unmarked !

I also have the c3-01 as a works phone and its a robust little bugger. No matter how i treat it i cannot break it and the battery lasts for ever , cameras impressive too No gps tracking though.

Its pish for internet browsing compared to the iphone , but thats not what its for !

Mines for listening to the radio on the way too and from work without worryign about it getting wet in the rain…… and for when im away on business for work calls…..

Casio G’zOne Commando?

I have recently upgraded to a smart phone too and got one of the Lifeproof cases which are water-proof and shock-proof… it seals the phone in a polycarbonate case and doesn’t make it overly bulky and you can still use the touchscreen… check them out Lifeproof phone cases[/url], a bit on the expensive side but if it saves your new phone from an early death, then it’s worth every penny.

+1 for the Otterbox Commuter cases. Not too bulky but seem to give a lot of protection

Thanks for the suggestions guys. My plan was to put whatever phone I get, rugged or not into a case…incase. So I guess it should be tolerable. Anyone using xperia care to comment on the battery life.

hora

My 2700 is in a worse condition than yours!

Pics or it’s not true!

please do not get a motorola defy. i made that mistake, and i am now on the 3rd one. first one the speaker broke, couldn’t hear anything. second one just completely stopped working one day. the 3rd one seizes up every single day, and i have to take the battery out to reset it. the speaker has almost failed again, but i cannot bring myself to speak to the vendor to get yet another one. thankfully i am out of contract soon, so i shall get something else. even when it is not seizing up, it is desperately slow, wifi will not work sometimes, and other strange things happen. most recently it stopped letting me send or receive photos via sms.

I have the otterbox defender case. Turns any phone rugged.

+2

Commuter does the trick for me but you might want the Defender. Rubber case combined with a tough plastic shell.

Might want a case that covers both sides if you’ve got a big screen.

Jiimjam…the battery is a damn site better then the last minipro sony i had,theres a function to shut all sorts of things down when you dont need them ie at night. Even so it`s not like the handsets of old. I reckon i get 2 days between charging.

I don’t know about the sony experia but I had the sony experia mini pro for two weeks, got caught in a shower with it in my waterproof jacket pocket, it could’nt handle the humidity stopped working and the indicator changed colour, when I contacted, first the provider (tesco) then Sony Ericsson no amount of explanation could dissuade them not too invalidate the warranty. I’m now stuck paying 23 months of a contract for a phone I can’t use. They told me that the phones are not designed to work in a humid atmosphere, we live in a country with an oceanic climate, these phones are not fit for purpose.

I can vouch for the Go model working in a shower.

Active has been fine in torrential rain and a sweaty pocket. Battery life is average – bit better than my Desire I guess. Pretty much any smartphone is going to have to be fed on a daily basis, though.

I’ve got an HTC Desire HD, which wouldn’t fit your compact requirements. It lives in an Otterbox Defender though, which is absolutely bombproof. Dropped the thing numerous times without causing any damage.

jimjam,
Did you get the Sony Xperia Go in the end?
And if so, any problems? and is the battery good enough?

I’m in a similar situation to where you were, and am looking at probably going for that phone to replace my Samsung B2100. I did a bit of research and the reviews say it’s pretty good for water resistance, and decently small enough to fit easy in a pocket. My only concern was if the battery was good enough, ‘cos I work outside a bit and wouldn’t always have access to re-charge it during the day.
Then I found your thread 🙂

http://www.handtec.co.uk/jcb-toughphone-pro-smart-tp-909.html?gclid=CILHz6iJ0rUCFUTItAodtxgA3Q

runbo x1

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/15/runbo-x5-x3-x1/

walkie talkie antenna is removable

How about a rugged 4 incher?

A Hard-Working Smartphone for the Toughest Environments: The Cat B15