Samsung Galaxy Xcover: waterproof touchscreen Android smartphone

Samsung has announced its plans to update the Galaxy lineup with the Galaxy Xcover, one of the world's few rugged Android touchscreen smartphones. It's an IP67-certified dust- and waterproof 3.65-inch device running Android 2.3. It looks like the Motorola DEFY/DEFY+ and the upcoming Sony Ericsson Xperia Active rugged Android smartphones could be getting some "tough" competition.

The IP67 certificate means that the Galaxy Xcover is completely protected against dust and dirt, and can be immersed in water to a depth of one meter (3.28 feet) for 30 minutes, which should be more than enough to resist accidental splashes. Running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), the new arrival in the Galaxy family comes with a 3.65-inch HVGA (480 × 320) LCD touchscreen which is made of scratch-resistant, tempered glass "four to five times tougher than regular glass," while its 3-megapixel autofocus rear camera is LED flash-equipped, and doubles as a torch.

The phone's specs include:
HSDPA 7.2Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps support
800MHz CPU
3.65" HVGA TFT LCD
Android 2.3 OS (Gingerbread); (Samsung Social Hub app on board)
3-megapixel LED flash-equipped camera with 30fps VGA video recording
150MB of built-in storage, micro SD card reader (up to 32GB)
3.5 mm jack, FM Radio with RDS
Bluetooth 3.0 +HS, USB 2.0, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Battery: 1500 mAh
Dimensions: 121.5 x 65.9 x 11.95 mm (4.78 x 2.59 x 0.47 in); weight: 135 grams (4.76 oz)

The rugged Samsung Galaxy Xcover will be available in Germany starting from October and in the UK "later on this year." It is also rumored to be available in Sweden and Finland in November, priced at SEK2,800 (US$437) and EUR299 (US$430) respectively.