Samsung Solid Extreme B2100 review

One of the flip-side advantages of not having so much high-tech 3G gadgetry onboard is that the 1000mAh battery pack provides a hefty amount of staying power for general day-to-day usage. Samsung reckons on the phone delivering up to 9 hours of talktime or up to 600 hours standby in optimum conditions.

With just regular voice and calling we easily managed over three days between charges – the sort of staying power that may appeal if you're using the phone in remote areas. Naturally, extensive music player usage will diminish that standby time.

Organiser

Samsung doesn't deliver any surprises or upsets in the Solid Extreme's organiser capabilities. It ticks the list for the usual array of tools – calendar, memo, tasks, world clock, alarms, stopwatch, timer, calculator and converter functions are included, plus there's a voice recording function.

All of these are standard applications for Samsung handsets, and operate along conventional lines.

Connectivity

Stereo A2DP Bluetooth is available on the Solid Extreme, so you can link a pair of stereo headphones, should you wish to listen to tunes while the phone is submerged or, more likely, if you don't want to expose the connector to the elements. You can transfer files to and from the phone too

The phone supports USB connectivity, plus mass storage transfer – but as mentioned above, no USB cable is supplied in-box. Nor is there any syncing software provided.

Other

There's a picture editor function on the phone, should you wish to fiddle with your images, and a few games are included as standard – although all but one of the seven, Cannonball, are demo games you can try before you buy.

Comparison

There are one or two other ruggedised phones on the market that may be built to take more knocks, such as the JCB Toughphone, but the Samsung Solid Extreme has better waterproofing qualities than other heavy duty handsets, including the original Samsung Solid and Samsung Bound. Sure, the Bound has a richer set of features, boosted by 3G connectivity and a few extra outward-bound gimmicks (like a compass, pedometer and altimeter), but the Solid Extreme does promise better protection in severely wet conditions.