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The Rugged Nokia 3720 Classic
29 Oct 2009
Our mobile phones can take a lot of abuse as they join us on our day to day lives. Dropped from heights, stepped on, squashed in bags, covered in liquid, used by children as improvised weapons without your consent, the list of potential mobile phone hazards goes on and on. Sometimes our phones will survive the rough treatment, whilst in other situations they will give up the ghost. Nokia is known for producing phones which stand the test of time, but there is one handset in particular which has been subjected to truly terrible treatment and yet has come out on top. What's more the treatment was deliberately administered in the name of consumer interest. That handset is the 3720 classic.
In order to prove that the Nokia 3720 Classic is rugged, it was put through a variety of tests by its own manufacturers. Before we look at the type of tests it had to endure, let us examine what it is that makes the 3720 Classic so durable. Firstly it is completely sealed in order to protect it from dust, water, dirt and sand. These are all common materials which can work their way into even the most seemingly well built phones and when they get under the screen it is game over. But the 3720 Classic is specifically built to repel these pests and should thus remain safe if you ever take it with you to play in a sand pit.
To emphasise the idea that the Nokia 3720 Classic is rugged it was advertised using a hilarious range of photographs, including one depicting the handset sitting on top of a haystack with a tractor in the background. This is perhaps the first mainstream mobile to be aimed at farmers in some way.
The Nokia 3720 was deliberately tested by Nokia in a series of videos on YouTube to build up a rugged image and reputation. To prove its water resistance an employee took it for a couple of laps of a cold-looking swimming pool and then made a call immediately afterwards to prove that it was still in good working order. Phones frequently fall victim to drowning by alcohol on nights out and as such the 3720 Classic was also dunked into a pint of beer. What is more impressive is that the phone was actually ringing before, during and after the dunking and would probably need nothing more than a bit of a wipe before it was ready for the next challenge.
The funniest and arguably the most taxing test in which the 3720 Classic was forced to participate involved jelly. First a mould was filled with the unset jelly, then the phone was placed in the jelly and both were put in the fridge. Once the jelly had set hard, it was turned out onto the plate with the phone still suspended in its midst. Then the phone was rung and - lo and behold - it was still working, even after being chilled and covered in gelatinous goop for a couple of hours.
If you need any more proof that the Nokia 3720 Classic is rugged then check out the videos of it dropping from the top of a very high ladder or tacking a hit from a metal golf club. There is even a video of the phone taking a booting from a rugby player. In each and every instance the phone is able to operate perfectly afterwards.
Whilst most people will never go to these extremes to prove that the Nokia 3720 Classic is rugged, it is nice to know that there is relatively little you can do to damage this attractive and well-featured phone.
Our mobile phones can take a lot of abuse as they join us on our day to day lives. Dropped from heights, stepped on, squashed in bags, covered in liquid, used by children as improvised weapons without your consent, the list of potential mobile phone hazards goes on and on. Sometimes our phones will survive the rough treatment, whilst in other situations they will give up the ghost. Nokia is known for producing phones which stand the test of time, but there is one handset in particular which has been subjected to truly terrible treatment and yet has come out on top. What's more the treatment was deliberately administered in the name of consumer interest. That handset is the 3720 classic.
In order to prove that the Nokia 3720 Classic is rugged, it was put through a variety of tests by its own manufacturers. Before we look at the type of tests it had to endure, let us examine what it is that makes the 3720 Classic so durable. Firstly it is completely sealed in order to protect it from dust, water, dirt and sand. These are all common materials which can work their way into even the most seemingly well built phones and when they get under the screen it is game over. But the 3720 Classic is specifically built to repel these pests and should thus remain safe if you ever take it with you to play in a sand pit.
To emphasise the idea that the Nokia 3720 Classic is rugged it was advertised using a hilarious range of photographs, including one depicting the handset sitting on top of a haystack with a tractor in the background. This is perhaps the first mainstream mobile to be aimed at farmers in some way.
The Nokia 3720 was deliberately tested by Nokia in a series of videos on YouTube to build up a rugged image and reputation. To prove its water resistance an employee took it for a couple of laps of a cold-looking swimming pool and then made a call immediately afterwards to prove that it was still in good working order. Phones frequently fall victim to drowning by alcohol on nights out and as such the 3720 Classic was also dunked into a pint of beer. What is more impressive is that the phone was actually ringing before, during and after the dunking and would probably need nothing more than a bit of a wipe before it was ready for the next challenge.
The funniest and arguably the most taxing test in which the 3720 Classic was forced to participate involved jelly. First a mould was filled with the unset jelly, then the phone was placed in the jelly and both were put in the fridge. Once the jelly had set hard, it was turned out onto the plate with the phone still suspended in its midst. Then the phone was rung and - lo and behold - it was still working, even after being chilled and covered in gelatinous goop for a couple of hours.
If you need any more proof that the Nokia 3720 Classic is rugged then check out the videos of it dropping from the top of a very high ladder or tacking a hit from a metal golf club. There is even a video of the phone taking a booting from a rugby player. In each and every instance the phone is able to operate perfectly afterwards.
Whilst most people will never go to these extremes to prove that the Nokia 3720 Classic is rugged, it is nice to know that there is relatively little you can do to damage this attractive and well-featured phone.
