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The Motorola DEFY is, as far as I’m aware, the first ruggedized Android device. Shipping with Android 2.1 in Europe in Q4 for an as yet to be determined price, the DEFY has a 1540 mAh battery to let you go hiking, cycling, or whatever sport you like to do, without having to worry about your device going dead, 5 megapixel camera, 3.7 inch screen with 480 x 854 pixels protected by Gorilla Glass, 512 MB of RAM, dual band (900/2100 MHz) 7.2 Mbps HSPA, quadband GSM/EDGE, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11n WiFi, 3.5 mm headphone jack, all in a surprisingly light 118 gram package that measure a svelte 13.4 mm thick, 107 mm tall and 59 cm wide.
It’s dust-proof, scratch-proof, impact-resistant, and water-resistant, earning it the IP67 durability badge of honor according to Engadget, who also found out that the DEFY has an 800 MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 3610 processor. It’s only 200 MHz slower than the just announced Milestone 2 and chances are you’re not going to notice the difference in terms of performance.
Announcing a device with anything but the latest version of Android seems kind of lame, but then again Motorola has been pretty OK when it comes to updating their devices. They’re not as great as HTC, but they’re not as bad as Sony Ericsson. If I had to wager a guess, I’d say if you purchase the DEFY you’re probably going to have Android 2.2 on it by the end of March.
That being said, Android 3.0 is supposed to be announced between now and Christmas, so you’re only going to feel more ancient with that silly little Éclair in your pocket. Back to the DEFY, it joins Nokia’s 3720 Classic as the only ruggedized devices to be launched in recent memory. Those Sonim devices don’t count since you can’t buy them everywhere and they’re the size of a small child’s sneaker. Do you have a need for something this idiot proof or are you just so clumsy that the safety of your mobile phone is the least of concerns since you can’t leave the house without falling on your ass?
[Live photos of the device at Pocket Lint]
About The Author
Stefan Constantinescu
Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.
