For those of us out there who look primarily for ruggedness in a phone, Sonim's new XP2 Spirit model aims to please. For those who are not familiar with Sonim's previous phones, these cell phones are well known in the mobile device market as being tough to kill, perfect for those who like the outdoors or are simply less-than-kind to their devices throughout the day. Previous examples of "tests" users have done to see how tough the phones really are include dropping them from great heights, throwing them into walls, submerging them in water (repeatedly), hitting them with hammers, and even shooting them point blank with a pistol. While unfortunately the pistol shot DID actually cause the phone to cease functioning all other impacts didn't - which is something not many companies can claim.

To top off the extreme ruggedness of the XP2 is the fact that it's not simple a communicator in a block but a fully functioning social networking device as well, complete with an Opera internet browser, 3-megapixel camera, 3G connectivity and your other standard wireless connections you'd expect to see on modern phones these days. GPS enablement further means that the phone can keep you up to speed on your exact location at all times and help you share that with your friends and family when you're out and about in the wilderness - either rural or suburban.

However, one of the primary drawbacks of the phone is its relatively poor appearance compared to other devices hitting the market as of late. In fact, many people have even described the XP2 as outright "ugly" in many ways due to its octagonal form and blockish structure. While it's true that the phone may somewhat resemble the concept cell phones of the early 1980 this is for good reason, as the less-than-trendy design actually allows for the phone to disperse impact energy throughout its shell, thus protecting the important electronics within and only adding to the overall durability of the phone.

Another concern voiced by some people who are keen on big screen and high resolutions these days is the lack of such on the XP2. With a screen coming in at only 2 inches large, that isn't much to wow a strict audience; however, the fact that it is protected behind 1.5 millimeters of what is known as "Gorilla Glass" - a shatter resistant, scratch resistant, and virtually-everything-else resistant protective shield - does somewhat make up for the fact that the phone is lacking that "wow" factor in looks as it more than makes up for it in durability.

For those looking for good internal storage as well, the XP2 is a keeper, coming in with roughly 4 gigs of internal storage space while most other machines out there can only boast a few hundred megs. If you're worried about your information's safety in hot or cold temperatures, quite simply don't, as the XP2 is tested to safely store and retrieve information anywhere from -20 up to 55 degrees Celsius (or -4 to 131 degrees Fahrenheit). In short, once this phone hits European stores in March with its unconditional three-year warranty, make this the first on your list if you're looking for something that is sure to keep up with you no matter where you may find yourself.



With the help of lip reading cell phones, you may not have to cup your mouth and talk in hushed whispers when you don't want to let anyone else hear what you're saying while on the phone.  Yes, a new technology from German researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology claims to allow cellphones to read your lips and translate it as sound to the person on the other side.

Using the system, all you have to do is move your mouth like you're talking without actually letting any sound out.  A sensor hooked up to the phone will pick up the lip motions and convert it into the equivalent words.  Based on electromyography, the recognition is done by measuring electrical potentials generated by muscle activity on the face, rather than actual lip reading.   What's the catch?  In order to measure electrical impulses from your face, the system requires attaching nine sensors to it.  Yikes.

The signals gathered by the sensors are then fed to a software that records and amplifies each, then passes them to a laptop via a wireless link.  Once on the computer, the group's software decodes the data and converts them into words that a virtual voice can then read to the person on the other end of the line.

Yep, it's cumbersome and the group admits it might not exactly be a mass-market piece of technology.  However, there could be some definite value to it.  According to the KIT team, it can be used to transmit sensitive information (such as PINs and passcodes) over the phone, hold a lengthy conversation while inside a quiet theater, allow people who have lost their voice to communicate verbally over wireless and even translate from one language to another.

Of course, you can always just text what you want to say (unless you're talking to a foreign language speaker), but I digress.  The research was shown off this week at the ongoing Hanover CeBIT trade show.

[Karlsruhe Institute of Technology]