SAMSUNG M110 SOLID: Safety in numbers

The Samsung M110 Solid, announced shortly after Data Select released its own durable handset, the JCB Toughphone, is designed for one thing only – the building site.

It’s not a pretty handset compared to today’s sleek designs, looking more like a phone from the turn of the Millennium. Unlike the Toughphone, it doesn’t feature rubberised outer edges, but the robust plastic prevents scratches and protects the handset from the elements.

On the rear, there is a lockable cover to protect the battery and SIM card from water, dust and the like, similar to that found on the Nokia 5500 Sport.

It’s not really fair to compare the Solid to any of Samsung’s other devices. Measuring 109x48x17.9mm, it will never break any records in the slimline department, and the screen is nothing to shout about either. It’s tiny and seems completely out of proportion to the rest of the handset, lost in an wastefully large surround.

The rubberised buttons are a good idea, but perhaps a little too spongy for speedy typists,. However, that’s probably not a big problem for its target audience.

Handset volume can be changed easily with two large buttons on the side and you’ll be sure to hear the loud ring tones in the noisiest environment, as the loudspeaker is located at the top.

True to Samsung style, the keypad lock is bound to drive you mad. Not only will it lock itself after a couple of seconds, but pressing any button other the unlock key will bring up the message ‘keypad is locked’. You have to be quick because, if you’re slow off the mark, the message will continue to flash up until you get the timing right.

The Solid is pretty sub-standard in the features department, but clearly it wasn’t developed with this in mind. Continuing the theme of working in dangerous environments, it has an SOS text feature (that sends a message to a predefined number in an emergency) and a flashlight that doubles up as a camera flash. It’s not the type of flashlight that builders are used to but it’s not bad. There’s no MP3 player and the VGA camera is pretty woeful, but there is an FM radio.

That said, taking away features from the handset is a boon for battery life, which lasts a lot longer than the average Samsung handset.

Just by looking at the Solid you know it’s not going to provide any fireworks but it does exactly what it was designed for and has plenty of safety elements that will help both user and handset in some of the more dangerous environments.

Verdict

Although it’s not spectacular to use or look at, the Samsung Solid is the perfect answer for people who work in hazardous environments. Although it lacks features many now take for granted, such as an MP3 player, this means the battery does last a lot longer. Plus, with its rugged plastic coating, water and dust will find it very hard to enter the phone – don’t drop it in your pint after work though.