Sanyo Joins Military, Sprint with SCP-7050

You know, all this time I thought that Sanyo already had one of these things kicking around. I guess I was wrong. The Sanyo SCP-7050, destined for Sprint, is the first phone from the manufacturer to meet Military Standard 810F for dust, shock and vibration. The next time you’re driving down a dusty dirt road and you accidentally drop your phone onto a rocky surface, you’d better hope it’s this phone.

Although they are marketing it to “business users”, I’d imagine the SCP-7050 would be more appropriate for outdoorsy types or those who do the nine-to-five at tough industrial worksites. It’s even got that kung-fu grip thing going on with “textured anti-slip rubber” that wraps around the back and sides. The features are similar to the rugged Motorola phones that Nextel carries, so you get GPS-based Java apps, Bluetooth, and a one-inch external LCD, but strangely, no camera.

The Sanyo SCP-7050 will be available from Sprint for $150 with a two-year contract. Look for it in early April.