AT&T Rugby Smart Delivers Ruggedization For $100

AT&T and Samsung have taken the wraps off of their latest Android smartphone, the Rugby Smart, a $99.99 ruggedized handset that can handle 30 minutes of submersion in up to a meter of water. Hitting shelves on March 4, the Samsung Rugby Smart is also dustproof, shockproof and temperature-resilient, meeting US Mil-STD 810F specifications, with a 3.7-inch WVGA Super AMOLED touchscreen and 5-megapixel camera.

It's a UMTS/HSPA+ handset, rather than LTE, and you get Android 2.3 Gingerbread rather than Ice Cream Sandwich. Internal storage is 4GB, with a microSD card slot to add to that, and the 5-megapixel camera can shoot 720p HD not 1080p Full HD video. You do at least get a 1.3-megapixel front camera so that you can video call people while paddling in the ocean.

Samsung reckons you'll see up to 8hrs talktime from the 1,650 mAh battery, or up to 16 days standby, and the whole device is a sturdy 122.4 x 65.9 x 12.19 mm, 4.2 oz package. AT&T is unsurprisingly targeting those on building sites or the like, though if you're an extreme sports fan you might want a phone that can stand a few knocks too.

The AT&T Samsung Rugby Smart will go on sale March 4, priced at $99.99 with a new, two-year agreement.