Samsung Rugby

User reviews and rating

Needs a Couple of Improvements

31 Oct 2008 akita256

5.3 out of 10

I tried for about 3 weeks and took it back.  It's rugged but doesn't come with a longer warranty. The PTT button is easily pushed by accident.  The coating/paint on the outside edges started flaking off as I have seen noted in other reviews by users.  I didn't like not being able to access a phone number stored in the address book if a default had been set to a different number.  There is an ability to set a default for a voice number and one for a text number which is nice, but once the default was set, I couldn't find a way to send a text to another number which seems to make storing other numbers in the address book rather pointless. The ringtones that come on the phone are limited and none of them are very good.  The menu choices seem rather limited as well but maybe this is true with all Samsung phones as I have never had one before. 

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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Finally, a man-sized phone

23 Sep 2008 MdniteEagl

9 out of 10

Disclosure:  I'm a guy with fairly large hands. These small slim phones were literally a pain, as my hand would cramp after just 5 minutes, and it was difficult to position the phone where the ear-speaker would allow me to hear, but the mic could still pick up what I was saying.

I spotted the Rugby the week of its release on the AT&T Wireless website, and I did some quick research. Not much there since the phone is that new (released September 15 2008), but there was plenty of incorrect info on some of the cell phone websites... particularly the screen sizes -- the main screen is 176x220 (250K color), the external is 96x96 (64K color)... many sites incorrectly list the main as 128x160 and don't even tell you what the external is. But what really piqued my interest was the size - it was a full quarter-inch wider than my current Nokia 6102i, and over a half-inch longer when folded. And at nearly 5 ounces, it has some meat to it. In fact, when this phone is open, it's the same length as the handset of my regular corded home phone.

I ordered the yellow unit from AT&T since I qualified for it as an upgrade phone. The SIM is a little tricky to get in and out as the slot is recessed and partially covered when the card is inserted. But once in, it was ready to go. I spent a few minutes getting the settings where I wanted them, and was quickly able to make calls, send/receive text and multimedia messages, and take/send pictures with the camera. With the Edge and 3G networks available, internet is much faster than with the Nokia. The memory is expandable with a microSD card, and once I got used to them, the menus were easy to follow.

But what I appreciate the most is the size and feel... it's almost as good as holding a standard corded-phone handset. It has a nice beefy feel to it, it's very long when open - it easily reaches from my ear to mouth, and the buttons are nicely sized/spaced. You can understand the military-spec rating when you hold it, as you can tell this phone is substantial and can take a hit.

I can't speak for the Push-To-Talk (not a PTT customer), but everything else is just as advertised. The only complaint I have is the cover of the charger slot is very flimsy, and I can see that disappearing by accident one day. But since most phones have an exposed slot anyway, it's probably not that big a deal unless you really do use the phone in a harsh environment.

Since 1999, I've owned 3 Nokias and one Motorola... this is my first Samsung phone. And so far, I am very impressed.

Pros

Navigation
Video Share
PTT
3G/Edge speed
Full-size phone
Very fast recharge

Cons

SIM/microSD card access
Charger port cover

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Durable phone, great phone

22 Sep 2008 Anonymous

9 out of 10

Being a lifelong Nextel user due to my job (contractor), I've needed a rugged phone and PTT. Where I live, Nextel isn't that great and I only really used it for PTT and on-the-job communications. AT&T by far has the superior network over everyone (Sprint Nextel, Verizon, T-Mobile) and I've used them for years as my non-work phone. When Verizon released their G'Zone Boulder, I cancelled my Nextel line and decided to give them a try. It was a mistake. Their PTT service is awful, with very high latency between messages and bad quality. Call quality is decent, but PTT is miserable. I was also due for an upgrade for my AT&T line so I decided to get the Rugby because of it's rugged design and PTT. Side-by-side, I tested the Rugby and AT&T vs the G'Zone and Verizon. Not only is the Rugby not bogged down by Verizon's mediocre UI, but AT&T's PTT network has zero latency and is very comprable to that of iDEN. I cancelled and returned the G'Zone and now just use the Rugby. It's been a great phone and I couldn't be more satisfied.

Pros

PTT
Rugged Design
AT&T's network
3G for data
Not as bulky as some iDEN phones.
Great Keypad

Cons

Could had made the screens a bit bigger, but it isn't major downside unless you're picky for large screens.

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11 out of 12 people found this review helpful.