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Samsung's next Galaxy XCover phone makes an early Google Play Console appearance
The ruggedized phone looks like it will offer some reasonably solid specs
It's been a while now since Samsung's offered a ruggedized Active edition of its flagship Galaxy S phones, but if the average modern smartphone is too frail to join you on your adventures, the company's still got you covered with its XCover lineup of heavy-duty devices. Last year brought us the Galaxy XCover 5, and lately evidence has been piling up pointing to a sequel to 2020's Galaxy XCover Pro. At least, that's where the trail's been leading so far, but a new Google Play Console listing suggests this hardware could arrive under a different name.
Samsung's small, cheap, and rugged Galaxy XCover5 is now official and landing this month
Though market availability is something of a crapshoot
Yesterday we saw a couple of leaks for a new Samsung rugged phone, and whaddya know, here it is. The Galaxy XCover 5 is a smaller, cheaper entry in the tough-as-nails series, a fraction of the cost of the XCover FieldPro. And crucially, it's actually running a current version of Android.
Ruggedized Samsung Galaxy Xcover 5 shows off its armor in spec-filled leak
It's smaller and presumably cheaper than the last one, and hopefully running much more current software
You gotta love a phone that can take a beating. Samsung has made a few, from the Galaxy Active series to the more recent Xcover Field Pro. That last one made a splash with its high price and ancient software, but an updated Xcover 5 was leaked in a software update schedule earlier today. Just a few hours later, both photos and specs are available.
In our Wi-Fi-connected-everything reality, Bluetooth-only speakers aren't all that exciting. If you spend a lot of your time outdoors, though, Wi-Fi probably isn't your closest friend, and you might find yourself wanting for a wireless speaker that can brave the elements. Aukey sells just such a speaker, and it's currently more than half of on Amazon with a coupon code.
Samsung's Active series takes the hardware from its primary Galaxy S phones and wraps them up in big, tough plastic and a water-resistant chassis. The Galaxy S4, S5, and S6 were all given Active variants, and now it's the S7's turn, as previously leaked. While the new AT&T phone hits all the familiar notes from previous generations, a little extra engineering manages to cram an impressive 4000mAh battery inside. With similar specs elsewhere, the S7 Active should last a solid 30% longer than the standard S7 and even a bit longer than the larger S7 Edge.
Alcatel Onetouch has been working to become more than a purveyor of mega-cheap devices that lurk in the back of carrier shops. The Idol 3 was a step in the right direction, and now there are two new devices in Alcatel's portfolio, the GO PLAY and GO WATCH. One is a phone and the other is a watch. Can you guess which is which?
Samsung's Active line of phones have been dull but reliable machines for the last few flagship generations, and it looks like they're bringing them back for another round. GSMArena has posted photos of what definitely looks like a Galaxy S6 Active, and we've been able to confirm that this is what the phone will look like (with a very small margin of error) thanks to a secondary source. If you prefer your Samsung phones a bit more rough-and-tumble, this is the 2015 model for you.
Sometimes PR people make up words they think are clever—they usually aren't. Kyocera's new "fragiphoniphobia" line is an example of this. The "fear of fragile phones" will allegedly be mitigated by the new ruggedized Kyocera Hydro Life. Whether or not you want a rugged phone, I think we can all agree that fragiphoniphobia should never appear in print again.
Someone at the Caterpillar equipment company had a lot of fun devising this promotional video for CAT's Android-powered, ruggedized smartphone, the B15. In addition to some dramatic drops using machines right out of a Tonka fantasy, the demonstrators set up a line of 600 smartphones, all powered on and running, then ran over them with a CAT 277D Multi-Terrain Loader weighing over 9,000 pounds. Let's watch![EMBED_YT]https://youtu.be/mVPku-xItv8[/EMBED_YT]Naturally the phones come out unscathed, or at least apparently so. That's because the CAT B15 might just be the toughest "rugged" phone yet: this brick of a device covered in thick rubber and plastic is designed specifically to be abused at construction sites, oil rigs, and other hazardous workplaces all over the world. It's not exactly a looker, and it might not even fit in your pocket, but if you're a worksite manager and/or The Hulk, it might be the phone for you.
Sprint And Virgin Mobile Announce The Low-End, Water-Resistant Kyocera Hydro Vibe For Release In May
Do you like the idea of water and ingress protection on the Galaxy S5, but don't feel like ponying up for a flagship phone? Then Kyocera hopes you'll consider its Hydro Vibe smartphone, at least if you're a potential Sprint or Virgin Mobile customer. The "ruggedized" Android phone will be launching on Sprint on May 9th and Virgin on May 27th. Sprint is talking up its "Easy Pay" payment plan, where the phone costs ten bucks a month for two years, but Virgin will sell it outright for $149.99.
If you habitually rock climb, scuba dive, ski cross-country, or do any of the things you might regularly see on a heath food or Viagra commercial, you're probably in the market for a ruggedized smartphone. And if you're on Verizon, your options have been somewhat limited as of late (try not to drool over AT&T's shiny new Galaxy S4 Active, please). Verizon just made the Casio G'zOne Commando LTE official: it's a super-sturdy Android device in the same vein as the former Commando and the G-Shock watch line. It will launch on Thursday for $99.99, after a $50 mail-in rebate on-contract. Big Red isn't saying how much it will cost outright.
NEC's first entry into the American Android market isn't exactly auspicious, but it does fill a much-neglected niche. AT&T is now offering the NEC Terrain for sale, right on time and online only. $99.99 on contract gets you the QWERY candybar phone with a miniscule 3.1" screen, or you can shell out $429.99 to own it outright. Considering its ruggedized, semi-waterproof build, that's not such a bad deal... but you will have to live with Ice Cream Sandwich, a year after Jelly Bean 4.1 was released. Ouch.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Gets Official: Same Great Specs (Mostly), IP67 Waterproof Rating, Available This Summer
Samsung's tougher brother to the flagship Galaxy S4 is a pretty poorly-kept secret, with multiple leaked photos, videos, and different sets of specifications
Samsung's tougher brother to the flagship Galaxy S4 is a pretty poorly-kept secret, with multiple leaked photos, videos, and different sets of specifications coming out weeks before its announcement. Samsung confirmed the device today in a press release coinciding with Computex, painting a picture of the S4 Active as a device that mostly matches the Galaxy S4 for power and capability, with the ruggedized design seen on some of Samsung's Rugby smartphones. The Galaxy S4 Active will be available for purchase this summer starting in the United States and Sweden, for an undisclosed price.
Leak: Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Press Shots Show AT&T Branding, Possible June Release Date
The @evleaks Twitter account has become a surprisingly accurate source for pre-release hardware information, and the elusive Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is
The @evleaks Twitter account has become a surprisingly accurate source for pre-release hardware information, and the elusive Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is its latest target. The tipster revealed to The Unlockr that the ruggedized version of the S4 will be headed to AT&T's network in the near future, along with a handful of other Samsung phones, including the Galaxy S4 Mini, S III Mini, and the Galaxy Mega 6.3. Only the Active was shown with a convincing set of AT&T-branded press shots, so that's what we'll focus on.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Shows Its Rough And Rugged Façade In New Leak
Throughout the history of the modern smartphone, those who wanted something that could take a beating but keep going were left with one option: buy a
Throughout the history of the modern smartphone, those who wanted something that could take a beating but keep going were left with one option: buy a device with at least year-old specs. For some reason, manufacturers just couldn't get behind the idea of releasing an ultra-ruggedized device with cutting-edge specs. That has slowly started to change as of late with devices like the Sony Xperia Z, and now Samsung is looking to join the party and with a rough-and-rugged device featuring top-tier specs.
The ruggedized smartphone market is small, but not so small that it's ignored. Admirable entries like the Samsung Rugby Smart and the Casio Commando might not have all the bells and whistles of their flagship contemporaries, but they take a licking and keep on ticking. Phone retailer Wirefly decided to put Sprint's Kyocera Torque (Bear Grylls approved!) through its paces via some decidedly extreme tests: a drop from two stories, hibernation in a block of ice, and most dramatically, a trip through a 30-minute washing machine cycle.
Sony loves making stuff that's hard to break. The Xperia Active was probably the pinnacle of this obsession (see: hilariously awesome video), but now that Sony has decided to make pretty much all of its phones look exactly the same, it's out with the old, in with the new.
Rumors of an upcoming ruggedized handset for AT&T made their way around the 'net earlier this week, and that handset is now a reality on Big Blue. The Samsung Rugby Smart is a waterproof, dustproof, and extreme temperature-resistant mid-range handset, perfect for the outdoorsman (or anyone who is prone to destroying devices):
Harris Corporation, an international communications/IT company catering specifically to government and commercial markets, officially unveiled their own 7" Android-powered tablet today, meant to provide a rugged tool for the transmission of "mission-critical" communication for defense and public safety. The tablet is specifically aimed at military personnel and first responders, who "require secure real-time information at their fingertips to execute their missions."
I hate phone cases. When I bought my Nexus One back in March of 2010, the first thing I did with my very first smartphone was head over to Amazon and start searching for a cool and convenient way to protect it. So I bought some leather ordeal with a flip cover and all sorts of gimmickry, and I hated it. I used it for 2 days, and since then, it has occupied my box of unwanted electronics and related accessories. It was probably one of the worst $25 I ever spent. I swore off cases from that day forward.