14 DAY TRIAL // Even though rugged phones aren't that wanted as other handsets, Samsung doesn't want to lose the few fans that usually buy these kind of devices. Mostly sold to hikers and those that are crazy about extreme sports, the rugged phones series did not reach the glory of today's Android smartphones or the like. This is probably the reason why Samsung decided to release a mid-entry level rugged phone instead of a device with more and better features.
Samsung E2370 X-treme Edition will be available in Germany starting this month, for about 129 Euro. The handset has already seen official announcements in Sweden and Russia, last month. The rugged phone offers users of the device protection against dust, water, drops, but also the advantage of a huge battery life (67 days standby time) provided by a 2000mAh Li-ion battery. The rugged phone is IP54 certified and include only the basic features of a mobile phone.
Some of the highlights of the Samsung E2370 X-treme Edition include: 1.77-inch display with 128 x 160 pixels resolution, FM Radio, music player, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, Flashlight, VGA camera, microSD slot for memory card (up to 2GB) and loudspeaker.
It would've been great for a phone targeting hikers and sportsmen to include at least a built-in GPS receiver and a few specific applications (fitness, health and body care). Nevertheless, the phone seems to be more of an entry-level device when it comes to features, than a mid-budget one.
Even with all the “rugged” abilities of the device, we don't expect the phone to sell too well. Perhaps the price of the handset is also based on the material used at manufacture and less on the features it includes. E2370 X-treme Edition will probably be announced in more European countries in the future, in the hope to achieve notoriety. Unfortunately, nothing really recommends the phone for such a trait.
