Sonim XP1 Blog

"With a hammer and his HUGE boots..."

Mobile Industry Review torture-tested the Sonim XP3 at The Mobile World Conference and had this to say about the events captured in the video above:

We popped over to the Sonim stand on the last day of Mobile World Congress and…. yes, we put Dan in charge of the interview. He has been fascinated with the Sonim indestructible handsets and couldn’t stop looking at the hammer on the desk whilst Christophe from Sonim was telling us about their new range.

Annnd then we let Dan loose.

With a hammer.

And his HUGE boots.

First, you’ll see him stepping and jumping on the Sonim XP3 packaging. Rumour has it, the material might even stop a bullet, although we didn’t get that verified. That in itself is worth a purchase.

Then Dan couldn’t keep his hands off that hammer. WHACK. WHACK. WHACK.

And then Dan spotted James walking along the corridor towards us. And promptly threw the phone at him. Then down the stairs. Then stamped on it and threw it down the stairs.

And then engaged the bystanders (a bit of a crowd had formed) and asked them to stamp on it. And… You know what, get a coffee, sit down and watch this…

Click over to Mobile Industry Review to view the second part of this XP3 torture test.

"Oh ... it still works...."

CNN's Adrian Finighan talks with me (Sonim CEO Bob Plaschke) about our super-rugged phones. I challenged Finighan to try and break the XP handset by smacking it with a hammer, flinging it into the air, and dumping it into a fountain.

Somim Technologies at Mobile World Congress 2009

Video: Sonim Land Rover XP3,2 Quest - Impressionen vom Mobile World Congress 2009 (3:22)

Golem.de, a German news site for IT professionals, has just posted a great video showcasing Sonim's newest phones from the Mobile World Congress 2009, along with a brief overview of our new Sonim XP3 Quest.

Media Alert: Preview Land Rover S1 Rugged Phone

Sonim Technologies today announced that it would offer an exclusive preview of the Land Rover S1 rugged mobile handset, to media attending the Mobile World Congress 2009.

The official launch of the Land Rover S1 by Sonim is scheduled for summer 2009, with both Sonim Technologies and Land Rover co-marketing the phones to mobile operators, retailers and consumers in 40 countries worldwide.

Land Rover, recognizing adventurer's desire for a full range of mobile and durable products, engaged Sonim in December 2008 to become its licensing partner for a line of rugged, waterproof cell phones that are designed to compliment the lifestyle of the outdoor adventurer.

The Land Rover S1 is the first product in a series of projects planned by Land Rover and Sonim and will be fully submersible, Bluetooth-compliant and certified to withstand salt, fog, humidity, transport and thermal shock, as well as a 1.6-metre drop onto concrete from any angle. Other technical features include a 2.0 MB pixel camera, assisted GPS and pre-installed with Opera-mini web browser. The phone will also come with a three-year warranty and same-day replacement service.

According to Bob Plaschke, CEO of Sonim Technologies, "The Land Rover S1 will bring to life all the key elements the Rugged Performance Standard that we have developed in consultation with thousands of customers across the world and will be the best example yet of a handset that meets all the key requirements for people who work and play in extreme environments. We are thrilled about the opportunity to further connect with adventurers across the globe through our durable phones and our association with Land Rover."

He continues: "With the Land Rover S1, we are meeting the demand from users who are not willing to compromise on features and functionality. This phone will be a tool, not a fashion accessory that delivers 100% in terms of ruggedness."

To take a look at the Land Rover S1 by Sonim handset please call Robin Dhara, Red Robin at the Conference on +44788-080-7752 or email robin@red-robin.co.uk

Announcing the XP3 Quest!

From our press release:

Sonim Technologies, the world’s leading manufacturer of rugged handsets and solutions, announces the “Quest” - an ultra-rugged phone for people who work or play in extreme environments.

On display with Sonim’s full device portfolio at Mobile World Congress, February 16-19, in Barcelona, Spain, the XP3 Quest delivers unsurpassed water, shock and drop resistance. Coupled with a suite of mission-critical services, the Quest gives small business owners, large enterprise teams, emergency services /first responders and sports/adventure enthusiasts the ability to communicate dependably — no matter what conditions they find themselves in.

Building off Sonim’s popular XP Enduro handset, the next-generation XP3 Quest features all the core elements that make Sonim devices unique: an extra-large keypad for easy use through workgloves . . . extra loud speakers to be heard over industrial-grade noise . . . long battery life to survive up to 16 hours out in the field . . . and non-slip rubber grips and action-oriented design. Add to that a new 2 megapixel camera, the world’s most accurate assisted GPS, Bluetooth, PC Sync and a pre-installed OperaMini web browser, and the Quest takes users further than ever before. And, as with all Sonim phones, the Quest comes with an unconditional, no questions asked, three year warranty including same day replacement to virtually eliminate down-time.

“When it comes to mobile solutions, what works for a 14-year-old girl in New Jersey is not going to work for a construction foreman in the UK or a forestry ranger in Germany,” said Bob Plaschke, CEO of Sonim Technologies. “And while this may sound obvious, it’s about much more than marketing segmentation. Our customers are unique and they demand devices and applications that fit their specific, rugged needs. The new XP3 Quest delivers on both counts by providing a form factor and design that works over-time, along with software and application upgrades that deliver even greater dependability and security.”

Down on the Farm

Farmers Weekly subjected four rugged phones to “all sorts of unpleasantness” to determine which one stood up best to “serious abuse from farmers, builders and other serial phone-killers.”

The Sonim XP3 Enduro was named best overall “if you want the ultimate in toughness and waterproofness,” and the second runner-up was the Sonim-made JCB Toughphone “If you want a simple, compact, tough phone that doesn't require a degree in software engineering, the JCB is ideal…”

Farmers Weekly noted that "Life can be nasty, short and brutish for such a phone on a farm. It bounces around in tractors, gets a regular diet of dust and every so often receives a good soaking. If it falls out of your top pocket (let alone off the top of the combine) there's usually unforgiving concrete waiting below to shatter its lovingly-crafted components.

The answer to all this cruelty, of course, is a rugged phone. But makers have been curiously slow to come forward with waterproof and shockproof versions."

Sonim’s phones were selected as the top rugged choice for those who need a truly tough mobile phone after a collection of rugged phones were subjected by Farmers Weekly to:

The Freezer Test: how would the phones cope with a spray of water then an hour in the freezer?)

The Ring Volume/Earpiece Test: How easy was it to hear the ringer (and the other caller's voice) in a New Holland T7050 running at 1500 engine rpm?

The Fat Finger Test: How would a typical farmer's fingers get on with the phone's keypad?

The Screen Durability Test: How would the screen cope with a 20-second blast of fat sparks from an angle grinder 18in away?

The Torch Test: How powerful were the dinky torches that are fitted as standard to three of the four phones?

The Water Test: How would the phones cope with a good hosing down?

The Drop Test: How would the phones cope with a 6ft drop on to hard-packed mud?

The Strength Test: How would the phones cope being driven over by a 250kg Polaris ATV?

The Land Rover Test: How would the phones cope being driven over by a 1.7t Land Rover?

The Concrete Drop Test: How would the phones cope with being dropped 12ft on to concrete?

Read the full review here.

The Quest For Ultimate Toughness

One of our retail partners, Crazy John’s in Australia, is circulating this great press release on Sonim’s new XP3 Enduro. (And yes, we've featured the Crazy John's video, above, on this blog before but it's too good to leave it languishing in the post archives.)

Crazy John's quest for ultimate toughness continues with the new Sonim XP3 Enduro Crazy John's, Australia's mobile phone experts, has scaled mountains, explored the ocean deep, battled ogres and destroyed a few rings to bring you the Sonim XP3 Enduro, the world's only rugged mobile phone that can be fully submerged in water.

The Sonim XP3 Enduro is the first phone specifically designed to endure the extremes of your lifestyle so that from ski slopes to beaches, construction sites to quarries, wherever you are, you can be sure that you have a phone that will stay tough where others would surely fail.

"The Sonim XP3 Enduro has improved on all the tough features of its predecessor, the Sonim XP1, with the added benefit that it can be completely submerged in water. This means the phone can withstand conditions that would defeat standard phones, even the most ruggedized handsets," explains Head of Marketing for Crazy John's, Matt Scriven. "So whether you are working outdoors or getting stuck into extreme sports, you won't be afraid to answer a call, even if it means exposing the phone to the elements."

When it comes to water, the Sonim XP3 wipes the floor with the competition. Unlike standard rugged phones, this beast is not just water-resistant; it is waterproof which means it is still fighting strong after being fully submerged in one metre of water for 30 minutes. Beaches and construction sites are usually out of bounds for the average phone but with body armour of injection moulded rubber and fully covered ports, the Sonim XP3 Enduro blocks dirt and sand particles from entering, earning it a IP-57 protection rating.

"Like fish sticks in an Igloo ..."

German tech gadget review site site Electrobeans torture-tested our new rugged, waterproof XP3 Enduro and posted videos and results.

First they immersed the XP3 Enduro in water to see whether it would still operate while submerged -- it did.

Then they decided to up the ante and "as the current frigid temperatures invite,freeze the XP like fish sticks in an Igloo."

"Even after 9 hours and 40 minutes in water and ice at -15 degrees, the thing works without any problems, unbelievable"

They then freed the XP3 Enduro from the ice with an ice pick, a process that could not be described as gentle. Finally Electrobeans concluded "As a simple cell phone or outdoor rugged workhorse (the Sonim XP3 Enduro) is perfect..."

Sonim XP3 Enduro In Style

Style Mag.Net, a German fashion/music/culture publication, is featuring Sonim's XP3 Enduro in its Style Loves section. They've dubbed it Das Anti-iPhone and praise the XP3 for its merger of form and function.

It lives up to its rugged appearance promises. After relevant tests in the wild in ice and snow, the device continued to operate with no problems. The battery has an extremely long life, especially of you don't try out the built in flashlight too often.

The Sonim is refreshingly different, both in its retro look, indestructibility and has the good feeling of a loyal companion.

We are more accustomed to the media describing our rugged phones as fugly, so we really enjoyed this review (great photos too!)