But there’s a whole market out there for durable phones that do little more than make calls and send/receive texts, and can withstand more than their fair share of daily knocks.
ITTM Monaco’s Out Limits rugged handset is designed for extreme conditions and manual labour: its specs boast it’s waterproof to 1m for up to 30 minutes; dustproof; drop-proof to 2m; and press-proof to 100kg. We had no success in destroying it, and a plethora of YouTube videos back up our results.
The International Top Tronic Monaco Out Limits has extra-large keys that can be used while wearing gloves, a noise-cancelling microphone, and an SOS function with a dedicated button on the rear that can call (text) for aid in a man-down emergency.
Should you take a fall and render yourself unable to use the handset, its balance sensor will note the impact and automatically send a predefined emergency text to a designated number.
The outdoor challenge
I took on the challenge of reviewing this ITTM Monaco Out Limits phone with a view of getting my partner to help out with the testing. As a builder and a lover of motorcross, mountain biking and all things destructive, within a couple of months of owning a phone he tends to be missing various buttons and experiencing random restarts, have smashed the screen, and filled up the speaker and microphone with so much sand and grit that it’s barely usable.
I had two problems with the ITTM Monaco Out Limits though: first, like many rugged phones the Out Limits doesn’t offer 3G connectivity. That’s not so bad for a non-smart phone – but it also means it doesn’t support the 3 mobile network.
Second, our field-test partner absolutely refused to be seen dead with this handset.
Clever it may be, but the ITTM Monaco Out Limits is hideous to behold. It isn’t the ugliest in the manufacturer’s portfolio – that award must go to the spartan ITTM Easy Call, which is designed with ease of access in mind.
But with its oversized buttons that make a irritating clicking sound, outdated hole at the top for a securing strap, tiny 1.8in screen, basic user interface and cheap-looking plasticky, rubberised casing, it looks like something you’d find in a kid’s toy box.
Its waterproof credentials mean the industrial-looking battery cover and flap that conceals the microUSB charging port aren’t especially user-friendly, and rather stiff to open. And even basic mobile phones these days offer at least one camera, a large-ish screen and a web browser; the ITTM Out Limits has a torch.
But, of course, that isn’t the point of this handset. If you’re hiking in a beautiful mountain range and would rather be checking Facebook, you’re probably on the wrong type of trip – although the lack of a camera here means you’ll likely need to carry a second device.
Interestingly, the ITTM Monaco Out Limits does support Bluetooth and MMS messaging, and comes with a set of earbuds for the phone’s 3.5mm headphone jack.
And you can get online, but it’s incredibly unintuitive to set up – last century’s WAP is found under Services in the Organizer menu… obviously.
Video Review :
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