RugGear review: Phones stripped to the elements

SINGAPORE — Launched for the first time today (June 17) at CommunicAsia2014, two Spartan devices designed by RugGear stand out from the sea of sleek, stylish phones.

Aimed at the explorer, the hiker, and the other outdoorsy sorts, RugGear’s iSafe Innovation 2.0 and Mariner Pro RG100 are packed to the brim with tough features. Both phone are made with Corning’s Gorilla glass and have impermeable polycarbonate bodies. RugGear claims the phones can withstand being dropped onto concrete from a height of 2 metres, and that they can operate in temperatures ranging -20°C to 60°C. They are also dust-proof, shockproof and waterproof for up to 30 minutes in depths of up to 2m.

With all these protections in place, it’s no wonder the devices are slightly bulkier than norm. But surprisingly, despite weighing in at twice of the iPhone 5 I am used to, the Innovation 2.0 felt more hefty and solid than simply heavy. It may weigh 245g and be 2.9cm thick, but the Innovation 2.0’s body allows for a steady and easy grip, even for smaller hands.

At 2.3mm thick, the RG100 is also smaller than the Innovation 2.0 and weighs 165g. The more compact RG100 has a power bank and is comes equipped with an LED torchlight, Bluetooth 3.0 and a 3-watt loudspeaker. It is easy to use and unpretentious, accompanied by the bare minimum a handset provides. Because of its ergonomic design, you’ll find your hand easily slips on to its concave mid-section, which positions your thumb neatly at the keypad and navigation keys.

However, I found the phone’s keys slightly small and clunky, which made me fumble I ended up with a cautiously slow typing speed. Another thing to note about the RG100 is that not much personalisation can be done, leaving the phone feeling cold and lackluster. If you’re a stickler for aesthetics, you may have to ignore that everything on-screen looks rather ungroomed.

That said, the RG100 does acceptably for a feature phone. It’s also equipped with a 1.3-megapixel rear camera — but that dulls in comparison to the Innovation 2.0’s 5-megapixel autofocus with flash rear camera and 0.3-megapixel front camera.

The Innovation 2.0, with its 3.2-inch HVGA (480x320) display has capacitive touchscreen and many other smartphone features, is definitely a more viable option for those in a professional sector. Running on Android 4.2.1, the Innovation 2.0 comes fully equipped with 3G, NFC functionality with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, Push-To-Talk functionality, and it provides almost instantaneous access to email and business applications. ATEX and IECEx Certified for use in Zone 1 hazardous environments, the Innovation 2.0 comes with an SOS button and the Lone Worker Protection application which provides tracking functions, GPS and acceleration sensor, useful for those working in remote areas. But even outside of danger zones, I found the phone ran smoothly without hiccups, was relatively easy to figure out and had good touch-sensitivity.

Both devices have up to 32GB of micro SD space and carry dual SIM card slots (RG100 with one micro SIM slot and standard SIM slot, the Innovation 2.0 with two standard SIM slots). The Innovation 2.0 comes with 4GB ROM and 1GB RAM while the RG100 has 8MB ROM and 8MB RAM.

RugGear says the RG100, which sports a 2,400mAh battery, can clock in up to 15h of talk time and 600h of standby time. The iSafe Innovation falls slighter shorter, with its 1,800mAh battery, up to 10h (6h on 3G) of talk time and up to 100h of standby time.

Depending on your line of work and scope of interests, the RugGear devices can either be unsettling, being so stripped of pleasantries down to the bare minimum, or the Tezing Norgay to your Edmund Hillary, whom you know you can rely on to withstand the impressive wear and tear of an extreme lifestyle.

The iSafe Innovation 2.0 and Marina Pro RG100 are available for purchase on the RugGear website at www.ruggear.com.sg at S$2,700 and an estimated S$200+ respectively. CommunicAsia2014 opens today (June 17) to June 20 from 10.30am to 6pm (4pm on June 20), and RugGear can be found at Booth BB5-03, Basement 2, Hall D at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.