I picked up the Samsung B2100 ruggedized cellphone, marketed as the "Samsung Marine" in India and the "Xplorer" elsewhere, for about Rs.4800 (€70) in Delhi. The ad was cool - a kayaker drops his phone into the river, before plucking it out, (apparently) as good as new. But that's advertising. In reality, the phone conforms to MIL-STD 810F, which means that it can be dunked in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, and nothing deeper. It's also shockproof, dustproof, and a bunch of other proofs.
Good enough for me, I'm not doing much Himalayan river kayaking (yet). I just want it to survive alpine climbing, snowboarding, plus some monsoon rain, and an occasional conversation in the shower. Calling for rescue in the Alps just got easier!
As the pictures show, the rubber-gasketed battery cover is closed by a 'coin-operated' screw-seal, which should make it pretty water-resistant. The weak point to me seems to be the earphone jack / recharging point, which is just a small rubber seal that seems like it could come off easily. I can't say how resistant that is.
As I do with all my gear, I've got a small cord tied off to it.
What's cooler is that it's also got a tiny LED lamp on top, so I don't have to carry my headlamp all the time. Apparently a bunch of new phones sold especially in the developing world have this feature. With my post-apocalypse paranoia, I like it!
After a month of use, it seems fine. It's a little heavy and definitely bulkier than my previous Motorola Razor V3, but seems to be more reliable. Much better battery life. I haven't used it heavily in any serious outdoor pursuits so far, except being stuck in traffic during a 3-day monsoon deluge in Delhi. Back in Paris, it seems like overkill... I'll just have to wait for a good day in Chamonix. (Samsung's official Baltic site - don't ask why, but Google pulls it up first).
