Rogers Canada has just announced their first-ever rugged phone, the 3G enabled Motorola Extreme VA76r.  The Motorola Extreme VA76r meets the military standard 810F for drops, vibration, humidity, dust and extreme temperatures. In consequence, the handset can operate at temperatures between -10°C and +55°C, under pouring rain and even after 4-feet drops.  Our take on the VA76r is we are all for the rugged handset as long as the Nextel Chirp never makes its way onto Roger’s network.

Rogers Motorola Extreme VA76r Specifications

• A 2.2 inch TFT internal display
• Web browser, to make good use of that 3G connectivity
• Stereo Bluetooth 2.0
• A 2 MP camera with 8x digital zoom
• Expandable memory, up to 4GB

The VA76r is exclusively sold by Rogers for 199 CAD with a 3-yr contract agreement.  While the price is not too friendly, the target consumer looking for a rugged device that can withstand more than basic wear and tear really has no other choices on the network.  Motorola Canada claims that the Extreme VA76r is available on Rogers, but the website is not showing the device as of now so you’ll need to check back soon www.rogers.com/rugged.