rugged
Latest
Olympus intros upgraded Stylus Tough TG-2, TG-830 and TG-630 rugged cameras
Olympus knows many of us will be jonesing for a rugged camera once the weather warms up, and it's more than happy to deliver with a trio of refreshed Stylus Tough point-and-shoots. The TG-2 iHS flagship is all about going closer and deeper than before: it preserves the 12-megapixel CMOS sensor, 25-100mm equivalent f/2.0 lens and 1080p video of its predecessor, but introduces a new Microscopic Macro mode that Olympus claims can provide extreme detail from as little as 1cm (0.4 inches) away. The body's waterproofing is also resilient enough to survive at a deeper 50 feet, just in case the TG-1 isn't quite a match for that upcoming reef expedition. The TG-2 will arrive in March, and it should undercut its predecessor's original asking price at $380. Those who aren't quite so committed to rough-and-tumble photography still get a few updates of their own. The TG-830 iHS adds geolocation to the TG-820's formula with both GPS and an electronic compass to show the way; its 16-megapixel CMOS sensor is also new, although we're more interested in a newfound option to shoot stills while recording video. At the entry level, the TG-630 iHS is a close cousin of the recent TG-625, adding a front metal plate to the 12-megapixel model we know. The two will ship alongside their bigger sibling in March with respective prices of $280 for the TG-830 and $200 for the TG-630. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Sony ships Xperia advance to the US, offers unlocked ruggedness for $300 or less
Americans who likes the Sony Xperia go's approach to lifeproof smartphone design won't have to live vicariously through their overseas friends anymore. Keeping up its recent habit of selling unlocked versions of niche devices, Sony is selling the toughened smartphone in the US as the Xperia advance. The 3.5-inch handset won't initially be a surprise to those who've had a peek at an international version, right through to the out-of-the-box Android 2.3 installation -- you'll be sitting in line for a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean like everyone else. For most, the advantage will rest in a dust- and water-resistant phone that can wield its 3G on AT&T or Straight Talk while being free to use at least basic GSM calling abroad. Be sure to shop around before committing to an Xperia advance, though. While Newegg's $250 price makes a reasonable case, the $300 official cost has our minds wandering to the much more powerful (if more fragile) Nexus 4.
Drift HD Ghost helmet cam available to pre-order today for $400 (video)
Drift has updated its HD action camera to help you better document your Baumgartner-esque death defying acts. The Drift HD Ghost gets a two-inch LCD screen with a refreshed control setup and chunky, 1,700mAh battery. The company is boasting that audio on this new unit should be greatly improved (something we took issue with last time out) so the world can hear your blood-curdling screams as you plummet through the stratosphere. It's available to pre-order from today for $399, with the device set to begin shipping from November 19th.
Panasonic introduces new Toughbook C2 convertible tablet with Windows 8 Pro for $2,949
The Wire's Lester Freamon was never too far away from his Panasonic Toughbook, and we'd bet he'd be able to handle plenty more wiretaps with one of these. This is the Toughbook C2, the company's latest 12.5-inch convertible notebook for Windows 8 Pro that's designed for healthcare professionals and daring explorer types. On the hardware side, there's an Intel Core i5-3427U vPro CPU, 11 hours of battery life and a pair of USB 3.0 ports. You'll be staring into a 500 nit, LCD IPS display (and a 720p webcam) that offers five-point multitouch and a digitizer so you can scrawl down your notes with a stylus. Connectivity options include 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth and a choice of either LTE or Gobi global 3G. As you might have guessed from the name, it'll withstand a 30-inch drop and can take up to six ounces of freshly-brewed coffee being spilled over its magnesium alloy body. The Toughbook C2 starts shipping from December, with the base model setting you, and the Baltimore PD, back $2,949 with a three-year warranty.
Alcatel One Touch Shockwave reaches US Cellular, takes your bumps and scrapes for $50
Those of us picking budget smartphones in the US seldom have the choice of a toughened smartphone, and it's even more of a challenge when we're not signed on to one of the top four carriers. US Cellular is offering the cost-conscious a (hardened) olive branch by shipping the Alcatel One Touch Shockwave. Skip past the creaky Android 2.3, 800MHz processor, 3.2-megapixel camera and 3.5-inch, 480 x 320 display -- a shock- and water-resistant shell as well as Dragontrail-based glass should keep the smartphone working through most forms of casual abuse. We also don't mind having preloaded Amazon Appstore and media apps, although the frugal 2GB microSD card in the box won't leave much room for any downloading. We'd at least keep the Shockwave on the short list when the $50 price and long-lasting design will leave ample funds for just about everything else.
Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro available on AT&T October 21st for $100
Fans of rugged Android phones, rejoice: you only have to wait until this Sunday to get the Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro on AT&T. The carrier just announced that it'll be making its way into stores on October 21st and will run you a whole $100 on a two-year commitment. It isn't going to be the stellar top-end device many power users crave, as it features a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display, 5MP rear-facing camera with 720p video recording, 8GB onboard storage, ICS, LTE, Enhanced Push-to-Talk, 810g military-spec certification and EAS corporate email support. It's a definite upgrade from the Smart, no doubt, but we're still pining for the day that rugged phones can have the best components and bounce off a concrete floor without incident.
Next-gen Casio G'zOne makes it to the FCC, reveals LTE and NFC support
The last Casio G'zOne handheld to come our way was the Commando, a military-grade device that marked the company's first foray into Android smartphones. Now it seems there's another one in the works, at least if a recent FCC filing is any indication. The Casio C811 looks to be a successor to the aforementioned Commando, with its G'zOne branding and features like WiFi and GSM world phone capabilities. Notably, the FCC document reveals the phone has Verizon-flavored LTE plus NFC support, both of which lead us to believe it'll likely be a mid- to high-end handset. Not much else is divulged from perusing the filing, but we're sure that whatever the C811 turns out to be, it'll be just as tough and durable as the rest of Casio's G'zOne offerings.
Bell may get Samsung Galaxy Rugby LTE on November 1st, give Canadians rough and tumble 4G
Americans won't get to keep the Galaxy Rugby Pro all to themselves. As long as internal documents gleaned by MobileSyrup prove true, Bell should be carrying Samsung's ruggedized 4G phone as the Galaxy Rugby LTE on November 1st. Other than the name change, it's likely to be a match for the AT&T version down to the very wide frequency support we saw at the FCC, when it appeared as the SGH-i547. You're looking at a modest 4-inch screen, 768MB of RAM and 5-megapixel rear camera, but also a quick 1.5GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.0 and that dust- and waterproof body. Pricing is an unknown, although the partly toned-down features imply that the Galaxy Rugby LTE will skew well below the $160 contract price for a Galaxy S III on Bell's network.
Panasonic releases the Toughbook SX2, a laptop that'll take no prisoners at the quarterly conference
If you're in the market for a laptop that won't buckle if you start flinging it across the room, Ballmer-style, then Panasonic's "business ruggedized" Toughbook SX2 might be for you. Resembling one of the company's Let's Note units, the 12.1-inch unit boasts of a difficult-to-believe 14.5 hours of battery life, a slim yet sturdy magnesium alloy body and a 3.3 GHz Intel Core i5-3320M Turbo-boosted CPU. It'll arrive later this month, with the base model making a $2,649 sized hole in your company's procurement budget -- and if you'd like to know more, there's the obligatory hairy-chested press release after the break.
Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro for AT&T hands-on
You can't blame us for having a bit of a soft spot for rugged devices. There's something comforting about knowing you can drop or drown your phone and it wont be any worse for wear. That's the reason we keep coming back to the Rugby series. Its specs dont impress and its certainly not a looker, but its sturdy masculine design kinda gets our blood pumping. So, we just had to stop by Samsung's table at tonight's AT&T event and spend some time with the Galaxy Rugby Pro, an updated version of the Rugby Smart we reviewed earlier this year. The basic design is the same -- it's a chunky slab of thick, ribbed, soft-touch plastic and rubber, with a sizable chrome screw holding the backplate in place. The textured rubber buttons up front have been reduced from four to three, in keeping with the updated user experience of Ice Cream Sandwich. Oh, did we mention it ditches Gingerbread for some delicious Android 4.0.4 goodness -- a most welcome upgrade from the Smart. It's not exactly smooth sailing on the 1.5GHz CPU, but the lag never got unbearable in our brief hands on time. Perhaps the biggest knock against the device though, is the rather lackluster 4-inch WVGA screen. It's a Super AMOLED panel, which means top-notch contrast, but colors were definitely off and a little washed out looking. It does however mean it should be perfectly viewable in direct sunlight -- a major concern for devices such as this. The paltry 768GB of RAM and 8GB of storage aren't really anything to write home about, but at least there's a microSD slot under the battery. Along the left edge of the device is the volume rocker and a customizable key that can be used to turn on the torch or launch the camera or any number of other tasks, while the right side is home to the power / lock button. The micro-USB port is on the bottom under a tiny plastic door while the headphone jack is similarly protected at the top of the device. We can't say we're expecting much from the 5MP camera, but the extremely dark conditions at the AT&T event ensured that we couldn't get anything usable out of it. For more check out the video after the break.
Oregon Scientific MEEP! tablet ships for $150, gives kids a safe, exclamation-filled place to play
For all the enthusiasm Oregon Scientific put into launching (and naming) its MEEP! tablet, the company has been a bit timid about getting the kid-friendly Android device into the market -- we're just seeing it go on sale eight months after it was first shown to the world. Now that the slate is here, it may be worth the patience from parents. The 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 chip, 512MB of RAM, 800 x 480 screen and 4GB of storage won't have the adults regretting their Kindle Fire purchases, but the MEEP! does come in a smash-resistant form with remote parental control and an allowance-based store that lets kids 'buy' apps with virtual coins. Oregon helps its case through the use of Ice Cream Sandwich, preloaded games like Angry Birds and a raft of accessories for games and music. The $150 asking price is just low enough that we can see a few families starting their youngest technophiles on a MEEP! before graduating them to bigger, badder tablets with less punctuation in the name.
iPhone 5 camera gets tested in Iceland, panorama and low-light comparison with iPhone 4S included
Sure, we tested the iPhone 5's camera in the well-lit streets of New York City, but if you're wondering how Apple's latest functions when used primarily as a shooter, TREK has a pretty remarkable look. Photog Austin Mann and a few of his closest pals took a pair of iPhone 5s to Iceland following launch weekend in a bid to test the unit's durability, capability and image quality next to the 4S. After two days of geyser spray and admitted "drops in mud," the uncovered 5 seemed to be a-okay, and when it comes to output from the sensor, that's worthy of praise as well. The low-light capabilities of the 5 are perhaps the most impressive upgrade compared to the 4S, with much less noise seen in shots from the former. He also gushed over the panorama mode, which admittedly churned out some pretty seamless results of the Icelandic countryside. As for shutter speed? That too has been "significantly" improved over the 4S. He interestingly noted that Snapseed was acting a bit wonky with iOS 6, but one has to wonder how much smoothing will be done by the Nik team now that Google's calling the shots. Hit the source link below for the full rundown, comparisons included, and a video that shows how the iPhone 5 reacts after sunset.
Polaroid XS7, XS20 and XS100 Sports Cameras run $69 and up, we snap away at Photokina (sample video)
Polaroid may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of adventure-friendly video cams -- Contour and GoPro own that space, with Sony now making a heavy push of its own -- but the insta-film maker turned camera manufacturer now has a rugged lineup of its own. First off the assembly line is the XS7, a $69 cam that packs a waterproof housing (rated to 10 meters), 720p video capture and a 2-inch touchscreen. This model is as entry level as they come, and Polaroid reps said to expect to see it in stores like Toys 'R' Us. If you're slightly more serious about image quality, you might opt for the XS20, which packs a "professional" CMOS sensor, 720p shooting, a waterproof housing (20 meters) and a battery that's rated for up to 3 hours of use. It also includes a fixed lens with a 120-degree viewing angle that's surrounded by eight LCDs, for shooting in the dark. Finally, The XS100 is what you might consider to be Polaroid's flagship, with support for 1080p video, an adjustable frame rate, a 170-degree lens, an orientation sensor for auto rotation and a $200 price tag. All three cameras use microSD cards, but the XS100 also includes 32MB of internal storage, letting you store a small collection of 5-megapixel stills. The sports-shooting trio may not blow you away spec-wise, and we also weren't floored by the design, but they weren't created to lead the market from a performance perspective -- Polaroid is playing up the cost angle here, and we don't blame them. Based on our quick test of the XS7, image quality was passable, but you're not going to want to use it for close-up shots as we did here. Even with the underwater housing removed, frames were either under or overexposed, generally unsharp and audio wasn't terribly clear. It's worth noting that we played with a pre-production sample, that'll run you just shy of $70 when it does hit stores. That said, if quality is key and you don't mind dropping a few hundred bucks, you'll probably be happier with a more established model. Because we're at a photo show and Polaroid was generous enough to let us take the XS7 for a spin, we figured there's no better way to demonstrate this camera's capabilities by using it to film our hands-on -- you'll find that video tour just past the break.
How would you change Samsung's Rugby Smart?
Samsung's beefy Rugby Smart is probably the best rugged smartphone it's easy to lay your hands on. However, its preoccupation with being able to take a beating means there's not much going on in the specs department -- with performance that's not pedestrian, but infuriating. The question we're asking you, however, is does its super-cheap price and build quality make up for being straight-up nasty to use? Would you have stumped up an extra fifty bucks to get a better CPU (or just to banish TouchWiz from the device?). Mobile phone companies want to know what'd compel you to buy this device, over all the others in the world so why not tell them in the comments below?
Olympus Stylus TG-625 Tough adds AF light for tricky shots in rough situations
It's been awhile since we've seen Olympus tackle the more affordable side of its rugged camera lineup, which makes its latest entry feel overdue. The Stylus TG-625 Tough effectively replaces the TG-620 by adding something that's been commonplace in the camera world: an autofocus illuminator light to improve focusing at night or, more likely with this camera, when it's plunged 16 feet underwater. Outside of a new double-lock system, though, you're looking at the hardware that has defined most of Olympus' rugged line this year, including a 12-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS sensor, a 28-140mm equivalent lens, 1080p movie making and a 3-inch LCD. The Japanese should get the TG-625 the soonest, on August 31st. There's no word on whether or not there's an upgrade on the way for the US, although we can picture it slotting into the American lineup without much trouble.
Motorola Defy Pro arrives in Rogers stores for $275
Canadians who need a handset capable of withstanding the frantic hustle of life can now avail themselves of Motorola's Defy Pro. The "lifeproof" smartphone should be able to withstand water, dust and hockey sticks, with a touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard working together in perfect harmony. While it's not yet online at Rogers, the chaps at MobileSyrup found units available in store -- setting you back $275 outright or from as low as a few pennies on the right contract.
Fujitsu's Stylistic M532 quad-core tablet ships to the US with toughened body, dash of security
Fujitsu's Stylistic M532 has had a protracted development process that saw it appear on our radar as early as January; imagine our surprise after it ships to the US with barely more than a knock on the door. Now that it's here, it looks to be on the sunnier side of average for an Android 4.0 slate. A quad 1.4GHz Tegra 3, a 1,280 x 800 display and 32GB of built-in space won't rock our world in mid-2012, but the rough-and-ready among us will likely appreciate the military-spec abuse tolerances and a year-long subscription to Absolute CompuTrace theft tracking, just in case it's pilfered from an open bag. Fujitsu's obstacles? Apart from not having much of a cachet in the tablet arena, the company also has to convince buyers that the extra safeguards are worth a $549 price -- for those who treat their tablets more delicately, there are a few tempting alternatives.
Motion outs F5t, C5t rugged tablet PCs with Ivy Bridge and optional SSD, pricing starts at $2,240
Okay, these might not be quite as elegant as, say, that 10-inch, high-res slate coming out of the famed Cupertino labs, but hey, folks working on construction sites (or doing other types of handy work) need to get some actual work done. Here's where Motion Computing comes in. The outfit's just taken the wraps off of its newest rugged tablet PCs, the F5t and C5t -- both of which can be loaded with a choice of an i3, i5 or i7 third-gen Intel CPU, also known as Ivy Bridge. What's more, the company's also letting users pick between a 64 or 128GB solid-state drive, which can then be paired alongside 2 or 4GB of RAM. As you can imagine, this ruggedized duo isn't exactly aimed at something like the Nexus 7 crowd, since the starting price point for the Windows 7 Pro couple starts off at around $2,240 ($2,236, to be exact) depending on configuration. Either way, you can give 'em both a better look after the break, thanks to a press shot gallery courtesy of their creator.%Gallery-162406%
Panasonic preps SD cards that survive heat, water and X-rays, will probably outlast you
Much ado has been made of weather-resistant cameras, but it's all a moot point if the memory card dies, isn't it? Panasonic wants that level of survivability in its SDHC and SDXC cards, and its new UHS-I-level SDAB and SDUB lines are tested for the kind of abuse that could see the camera give up the ghost first. The cards can take the kinds of punishment that we often associate with rugged gear, such as temperatures from -13F to 185F, immersion in 3.3 feet of water for half an hour and the usual steep drops. It's beyond this that the resistance levels become truly exotic: the cards are also built to survive zaps of electricity, proximity to magnets and exposure to X-rays. If it all becomes too much to bear, the design will even fuse on the inside to prevent fire burning the card from within. Those who like what they see will only have to decide whether or not they want the SDAB range's 95MB/s read speeds and 80MB/s writes or are willing to settle for the SDUB line's respective 90MB/s and 45MB/s transfers. We have yet to see if or when the SD cards cross the Pacific after their September 8th launch in Japan, although we hope so -- with that kind of extra-tough design, our photos are more likely to endure than we will.
Lacie USB 3.0 RuggedKey now shipping: $40 for 16GB, $70 for 32GB
Encountered much violence lately? Then consider yourself a target for Lacie's new ruggedized USB 3.0 stick, which is now available at the company's online store. Yes, it's as fat as it looks in the SanDisk Extreme comparison photo after the break, but most of that girth comes from the rubbery orange cushion designed to protect your data from water, extreme temperatures and 100-meter drops. Exactly how much of that protection you'd retain even after removing the orange part isn't yet clear, but we can vouch for the fact that an 850MB video file made it across from the RuggedKey to a Retina MacBook Pro at almost exactly the claimed maximum transfer rate of 150MB/s. The write speed wasn't so stunning compared to the SanDisk -- only around 40MB/s when data travelled the other way, or a quarter of the speed of a 64GB Extreme stick -- but then, at $40 for 16GB and $70 for 32GB, the Lacie also comes in a lot cheaper.
