Construction equipment company JCB has announced it will launch what must be the hardest ever handset: the Toughphone.

The construction giant has teamed up with Phones 4u and distributor Data Select to launch the handset, which comes in a uniform JCB yellow hardened rubber case.

The phone has been awarded the IP53 rating that makes it one to reckon with – being shock, dust, water and drop resistant as well as operational from -20 degrees C to +60 degrees C.

The Toughphone is shock, dust, water and drop resistant, and is operational from -20ºc to 60ºc. It is on sale from November and will be manufactured by US company Sonim, which has underlined the phone’s durability by offering a three-year guarantee.

The JCB TOUGHPHONE is fully-featured to suit most user demands and includes Bluetooth, Push to Talk, tri-band and built-in dual speakers (so the JCB TOUGHPHONE can be heard in noisy environments).
The JCB TOUGHPHONE is actually manufactured by Sonim Technologies as the Sonim XP1. Sonim aren’t some nameless third-tier manufacturer, they are actually specialists in enterprise and industrial communications systems.

On the negative side, the screen is only 128 x 160 pixels in resolution, and the TOUGHPHONE lacks a camera or multimedia capabilities. What you doget though is an extremely rugged and durable handset, backed by a no quibble three year guarantee.

The JCB TOUGHPHONE will be available from Phones4U during November (where it is free on a contract of £25/month or more), and also SpeedyHire and Plumb Center stores with other retailers following from February 2008 onwards. It is also available at Vodafone they are carrying their own variant of the Sonim XP1 . The Sonim XP1 is also currently available SIM free for around £200 / €300.

Heres a video of kid try to destroy the phone

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lG-iuriEiU]
What can we say about this phone ?
its tough and ugly !

The JCB TOUGHPHONE will be available to the public in Phones 4u, Speedy Hire and Plumb Centres.