Land Rover has reportedly launched their tough-phone, the S1, in the UK. The all-terrain vehicle manufacturer has tested the S1 against an elephant stomp, mud submersion and getting it ran over by a Land Rover vehicle (you can check that out, through this link).

It has also been soaked in beer, dropped from a two-storey building and baked in an oven that was heated to 150 degrees centigrade. The tough phone however, met its demise after being matched with a three-ton forklift truck.

It seems that the Land Rover S1 mobile phone is a rebranded Sonim XP3 Quest. You can check out a PDF data sheet of the Sonim XP3 Quest here. For specifications of the Land Rover (Sonim) S1, check below.

One notable downside that I’ve noticed on the Land Rover (Sonim) S1: display technology that is years-behind current mobile phones, 128×160 resolution?!

Other than that, there are still some good things about it. microSD expansion slot, built-in torch mode, Bluetooth 2.0, 2 megapixel camera with flash, FM radio and built-in GPS.

The Land Rover S1 by Sonim is available through www.landroverphone.co.uk or from Go Mobile stores nationwide (in the UK) or the www.gomobileuk.com website starting June 2009. The tough-as-nails ultra-rugged Land Rover S1 priced at £299.99. I would guess that price is contract-free and unlocked.

I believe that a US release will surface soon since it has already been seen going through the FCC.

Land Rover S1 Specification
- Fully submersible to a depth of one metre
- Survives being dropped onto hard surfaces from up to two metres
- Extra-Loud speakers for use in extremely noisy environments
- Extra-long battery life with over 1500 hours of standby time and 18 hours of talk time
- Durable keyboard mechanics and extra-wide buttons for ease of use
- Keypad buttons tested to over 500,000 pushes
- Completely dust and micro-particle resistant – IP-67 Rated
- Resistant to road shocks and vibrations to over 2000 random vibrations in the 500Hz range
- Operational under temperatures from -20° to 55° C
- Resistant to extreme pressure up to 400kg
- Resistant to punctures at 75kg/cm2 of pressure.
- Three year unconditional guarantee

The phone is compatible with a wide range of off-the-shelf car kits and headsets and comes with complete with charger, belt clip and headset as standard.

[via RealWire, Telegraph and SlashDot]