Samsung Rugby SGH-a837

The Samsung Rugby SGH-a837 is a rugged phone that is best suited for the outdoorsman or for anyone who works in a physically demanding environment. While the device possesses a wide array of features such as camera and music player, the specific features are generally pretty basic.

Standout Features

• Ruggedized construction
• Push-to-Talk
• 3G
• GPS

Features

Ruggedized Construction
The Samsung Rugby is a sturdy phone that will take a knock far better than most mobile devices. Its case has the general look of hardened rubber that is often featured in this category but it is constructed of strong plastic. The phone meets Military Specification 810F meaning that it is resistant to shock and vibration, temperature extremes, dust, water and humidity, as well as a host of other environmental hazards. That’s a big plus for users who don’t have the option of treating their phones like a precious jewel. Please note that resistance to water doesn’t mean waterproof. Essentially, you don’t have to worry too much if you use the Rugby in the rain, but, drop it in the pool and it’s just as shot as any other phone.

Push-to-Talk
A favorite feature on the job site, push-to-talk is the walkie-talkie feature that gives instant communication with an individual or a group of people. The Rugby’s speaker is located on the front of the phone when closed and is much larger and more substantial than most phones. That is ideal for PTT users because of its accessibility and the fact that the feature is often used in noisy environments.

3G and GPS
The Rugby’s web browsing speed and voice quality are enhanced by access to 3G connectivity. The device provides a basic email capability but supports only the POP3 format. It can also be to send and receive text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages. A GPS receiver is built in.

Camera and Video Recorder
The 1.3 megapixel, 4x zoom camera takes higher quality pictures than we’d expect to see. It doesn’t include a flash. Video recording is pretty basic and the results are rather disappointing but a lot better than nothing. Both video and still images show up well on the bright internal display which, at 2-inches diagonal measure, seems small compared to the overall heft of the phone. There is also a small external screen that displays signal strength, remaining battery life, caller ID info, and the like.

Music
The music player on the Rugby is bare-bones and supports only the MP3 file format. There is no standard headphone jack, but the device does support use of Bluetooth stereo headphones as well as other Bluetooth wireless profiles.

Battery Life
Talk time for the Samsung Rugby SGH-a837 is rated at 300 minutes with 250 hours estimated standby time.

Design
The Samsung Rugby is a tough phone and looks the part. It’s somewhat larger than the typical flip phone but that’s to be expected. The phone’s external speaker is one of its best, most distinguishing features and it dominates the face when closed.

Summary

This isn’t a phone for everybody and it isn’t intended to be, but, if your job or leisure activities are hard on normal electronic devices, the Samsung Rugby SGH-a837 is worthy of consideration.