Motorola brings the new DEFY XT535 rugged smartphone for consumers with an active lifestyle in China. The new model is relatively more stylish than its DEFY brothers but retains its ruggedness. The XT535 IP67-certified for waterproof and dust-proof, and comes with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass display. It is powered by a Qualcomm MSM7227A 1GHz processor and 512MB of RAM.

AT&T launched Samsung’s Rugby Smart, a rugged smartphone with support for HSPA+ 4G mobile network. The handset meets the MIL-STD 810F military spec standards, which is IP67 waterproof down to 1 meter for 30 minutes, dustproof and can withstand extreme temperatures.

Motorola Mobility UK announced the limited edition DEFY+ JCB Edition featuring work-orientated protection transforming the life-proof handset into a work-proof device. With visco-elastic protective sleeve from JCB with re-entrant geometry, the limited edition DEFY+ is ideal for anyone operating the demanding construction and engineering sectors, or who work in the rugged outdoors and in extremely demanding conditions. Of course, the DEFY+ retains its water resistant, scratch resistant and dust proof design and the scratch-proof Gorilla Glass.

Huawei and Discovery Channel have partnered to introduce a new phone called Discovery Expedition. The rugged candy-bar phone is water-resistant, dustproof, and shock-resistant. It packs GPS support, a flashlight, compass, accelerometer, making it …

Sonim’s XP3300 is now officially the World’s Toughest Phone, setting the Guinness World Records. The rugged phone survived an extreme drop test from a remarkable 25 meters onto concrete without operational damage – a drop higher than a twelve-story building. To fulfill the strict requirements, the record attempt was witnessed by independent judges from Guinness World Records, who tested the phone to confirm it was still working following the drop, beating the previous World Record of 3.25m held by the 2008 JCB Toughphone.

Motorola Mobility introduces the new DEFY+, an update to the DEFY, offering faster and smarter performance. The rugged smartphone has a water resistant, scratch resistant and dust proof design (IP67) and comes with scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass. It can survive a sudden rain shower, a day on the beach, an all-night party – or even a tough workout with the pre-loaded CardioTrainer application, which transforms the device into the perfect running mate.

Verizon and Casio launches the G’zOne Commando, a rugged Android smartphone ideal for the business environment, especially for fields such as construction, transportation, manufacturing, utilities and healthcare. The rugged phone runs Android 2.2. It meets Military Standards 810G for Immersion, Rain, Shock and Dust Resistant, Vibration, Salt Fog, Humidity, Solar Radiation, Altitude, Low and High Temperature Storage.

Sprint Motorola XPRT

Sprint unveils two new Android smartphones with enhanced business-ready capabilities from Motorola, the XPRT and Titanium. Both devices have bar-type form factor and full QWERTY keyboard. The former is Sprint’s version of DROID Pro and is the first Android smartphone from Sprint to deliver enterprise-class security, personal productivity enhancements and international roaming; while the Titanium leverages Sprint’s industry-leading Push-to-Talk capabilities as the first Nextel Direct Connect smartphone built on Android 2.1.

Sonim has just announced at the MWC 2011 the new XP3300 Force ultra-rugged MRM-ready mobile phone that provides the longest talk time in the world. The phone meets Sonim’s Rugged Performance Standards, surpassing the military specifications for ruggedness. The IP-68 rated, water and dust proof handset can survive in wastewater 2 meters deep, 2 meter drop onto concrete. It is also certified against salt, fog, humidity, transport shock, and thermal shock and operates in temperatures ranging from -20 degrees C to +55 degrees C. The phone has a 2-inch display protected by 1.5mm thick Corning Gorilla Glass lens for scratch and shock resistance.

Sprint is going to release the Kyocera Sanyo Taho rugged mobile phone that can withstand some of the harshest elements and 30 minutes of full immersion in water up to one meter (3.28 feet) deep. The Taho is Sprint’s first fully submersible device available for less than $100. It meets military standard 810G, which means means it can stand up to dust, shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, blowing rain and water immersion.