Land Rover phone promises to be tough

MWC 2009: Not just another fashion phone

15 February 2009 18:04 GMT / By Stuart Miles

It might be struggling to sell cars, but that hasn't stopped Land Rover teaming up with tough phone maker Sonim to release the Land Rover S1 at Mobile World Congress this week in Barcelona.

The new handset, the 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-megapixel camera, assisted GPS and pre-installed with Opera-mini web browser. The phone will also come with a 3-year warranty and same-day replacement service.

Taking a dig at other car phone tie-ins, Sonim's CEO Bob Plaschke says:

"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".

Pocket-lint will be covering Mobile World Congress live from Barcelona all this week.

Full tags

Phones, Mobile phones, Land Rover, Sonim, MWC2009