.
If you consider yourself to be more of a rugged, rough and tumble Android user, who doesn’t mince his words and prefers to push-to-talk, you may just grunt with joy at Sprint’s new military grade Motorola i1 offering.
Not a phone for neck-scarved hipsters, the Android-powered i1 is a smartphone which boasts compliance with Military Spec 810F, meaning resistance to dust, shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, salt fog, high humidity and even blowing rain. Because real men don’t mind the rain or the way it frizzes their hair.
Motorola boasts that its ruggedly designed i1 is the first Android device to support Nextel Direct Connect’s push-to-talk service, and also sports an impressively large 3.1-inch HVGA touch screen.
The i1 may have more brawn than brains, however, with a rather average 600 MHz processor, five megapixel camera with LED flash, and a rather antiquated version of Google’s Android 1.5 with MOTOBLUR (because real men need social networking).
Indeed, Sprint’s VP Fared Adib reckons the device contains all the power tools a man could need, offering “a [number of] business and entertainment apps, [like] Scan2PDF Mobile 2.0, Unit Converter, ConvertPad, RealCalc Scientific Calculator, Facebook and Twitter.”
Adding to the i1’s tool belt is Wi-Fi, GPS and of course, Bluetooth.
The phone will ship on July 25th for a rather meat and potatoes $150 (after rebate) and Sprint is offering a guarantee that if customers aren’t entirely satisfied with the i1’s rugged toughness, they can return it within 30 days for a full refund including fees and taxes. Of course, big strong men don’t whine about their phones, so this may be a pretty safe bet for Sprint.
Sprint's Motorola i1 – rugged, rough and ready to rumble
ABOUT AUTHOR
