Sonim XP1 Blog

Neither rain, nor sleet nor dark of night....

The Boy Genius Report strikes again, with a series of torture tests for the Sonim XP3 Enduro. In the video above, the XP3 Enduro is submerged in mountain dew soda for 30 minutes and "came out a bit sticky but fully functioning."

The XP3 was also subjected to a full cycle in the washing machine, followed by 16 hours outdoors in 18 degree (f) temps along with rain, snow and sleet -- and survived. Check out the full review, along with a bunch more videos, at Boy Genius.

Torture Test: "The Daddy of the Tough-Phone Market"

3G.co.uk torture-tested our rugged Sonim XP3 Enduro and had this to say:

When we received our Sonim XP1back in February 2008 we dropped it from a first floor window, showered with it and even drove a car over it. Much to our amazement and a degree of frustration, it actually survived all of the above. So when we got our hands on the even ‘tougher' Sonim XP3 Enduro (Xtreme Performance) we were determined to really put it to the sword. So confident is Sonim in the phone's indestructability that it has included an unconditional three-year warranty for every XP3 Enduro purchased.

We're not sure what happened to the Sonim XP2 - perhaps it's so tough it has been locked away for our own safety - but the XP3 Enduro looks and feels like a bigger and heavier version of the original, suggesting it is a tad more robust. 

Onto the torture tests

Having left the handset soaking for half an hour we returned to see whether it was in working order. Awakening the phone by pressing the keypad fired it up immediately. So far so good. We then tested the phone for both outgoing and incoming calls, sending a text message and surfing the net. We're pleased to say that the XP3 Enduro passed with flying colours.

Underwater Phone Calling

Here's part two of the review we linked to in yesterday's post, click above to watch as reporters from Mobile Industry Review make/receive calls and text messages using a fully submerged-in-water Sonim XP3 Enduro phone.

Best quote from the clip: “I can hear you! The audio is actually coming from the water! Rather impressive..."

Synching issues? XP3 Software Update

Just a quick note for those folks who are having contact manager syncing issues between their desktop programs and their XP3 phones -- we've just posted a software update intended to address this problem.

Click here, look on the right hand side of the page, click on "Downloads" at the bottom of the page, and update your phone's software. This should solve any PC-XP3 synch issues you may be experiencing.

The XP3 Keeps Bouncing Along

One of our favorite mobile gear review sites, Mobile Industry Review, has posted an in-depth look at our new waterproof, rugged Sonim phone -- the XP3 Enduro.

Editor Ewan MacLeod, (a self-described "excitable, energetic chap") does his usual excellent job of analyzing tech claims, if we do say so ourseleves. Click the video above to watch as he unboxes the XP3, gets to know the phone, and then drops it onto the hardest surface he can locate --  but fret not, the XP3 survives a drop onto a hard surface better than said hard surface does.

And don't forget to add Mobile Industry Review to your RSS reader if you have any interest whatsoever in mobile technology -- Ewan does good work. (And we're not  just being nice to him because he gave us a good review, we know if Ewan manages to break a Sonim phone he'll be more than happy to tell the world about it in excruciating detail.)

Sonim XP3 Enduro Expereinces The Spin Cycle

The obsessively neat freaks, clumsy and the forgetful among us will be glad to see this demonstration of what happens when you toss your waterproof, submersiable Sonim XP3 Enduro into the washing machine. This torture test was conducted by the reporters at Boy Genuis Report, check out the site for a steady flow of interesting gadget news and reviews.

Gone Fishing

We put this video together to demonstrate one of the coolest features of our newest rugged phone, the XP3 Enduro. It's waterproof -- the world’s only rugged fully submersible GSM mobile phone.

For those of you who saw this video on YouTube and have been fretting about the fish -- it's alive and well and living happily in a bowl with gravel and plants and all the things a fish needs to be happy and healthy. We do not regularly place a phone or any other devices in the fish's bowl. We're fond of the fish, and we think it likes us -- though its kind of hard to tell with fish, they are so skilled at hiding their emotions.

And now that we've addressed the fish's status, we can tell you that the XP3 can withstand more shocks and drops than its predecessor and can also be fully submersed for 30 minutes within one meter of water. In addition, the XP3 boasts an IP-57 rating and is designated with a Mil-Spec rating of 810F against salt, fog humidity, transport and thermal shock. The phone is rugged in every detail – the keyboard touch buttons are tested to function beyond 500,000 pushes, and the Sonim XP3 is capable of operating in temperatures ranging from -20C +60C without breaking down. Check it out -- click here.

Sonim XP3 Enduro Goes With The Flow

Watching water flow is a great way to calm the chatter in your brain , and who couldn't use a little mental downtime these days? Click on the video about and indulge yourself in a watch-the-flow zen moment compliments of the Sonim XP3 our new super-rugged, water-proof, submersible phone.

Sonim's XP3 Enduro Reviews

 

The New York Times:

However protective you may be of your phone, accidents happen. Instead of using a skin for damage control, why not get a phone that withstands the elements?

Sonim bills the XP3 Enduro as the “world’s only rugged fully submersible G.S.M. phone.” The unlocked XP3 comes covered in a hardened rubber case and can be dunked up to three feet. The phone can function in temperatures from 4 degrees below zero Fahrenheit to 140 degrees above — and it has a 128-by-160-pixel shock-resistant screen, so odds are that it will not crack as easily as the more delicate Apple iPhone. The XP3 also supports multiple languages and has an omnidirectional microphone.

Pocket Lint's Favorite Gadgets of 2008

My favourite gadget of 2008 (is) one that offers something different - and arguably what every gadget should offer - something really useful.

Sonim's Xtreme Performance 3, is a rugged "all weather" GSM mobile phone. The follow-on from the XP1, the XP3 is the SAS of the mobile phone corps with a hard-as-nails spec that makes it the ultimate practical mobile.

Anyone whose phone has suffered from water damage would appreciate that fact that this model can be fully submersed for 30 minutes in one metre of water.

In addition, the XP3 gets an IP-57 rating and Mil-Spec rating of 810F against salt, fog, humidity, transport and thermal shock.

And, unlike many manufacturers of more flimsy products, Sonim is happy to stand by the hardy spec of its product offering an unconditional, no-questions-asked, 3-year replacement warranty if the phone does break - no matter how you manage to bust it.

That alone, in an industry where year-plus warranties are an extra revenue generator, is something to warm the cockles of my heart.

Port Strategy

... the company is putting its money where its mouth is. Markedly different to a number of other mobile warranties, Sonim offers a complete, unconditional, no-quibble three year guarantee on the phone, saying, that it won't enquire how the unit was damaged or if it had been exposed to water, just replace it, "no questions asked.”