AT&T has just launched the Samsung Rugby which is a clamshell phone. If it seems familiar you might have seen elsewhere as the Samsung SGH-a837. The phone will cost you $129.99 after $50 mail-in rebate and with a 2 years contract. Without a contract the phone will sell for $279.99.

Now that we know how we can get it, let’s take a quick luck at the Rugby’s specs. The clamshell phone isn’t it called the Rugby for nothing. It will withstands shocks, vibrations, dust and solar radiation, rain and extreme temperatures. You will be able to carry it with you no matter you are. But there’s more:

• 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity
• 850/1900 MHz UMTS/HSDPA connectivity
• A-GPS
• E-mail, Instant Messaging, Media Net
• MP3 player and AT&T Mobile Music
• Bluetooth
• 1.3 MP camera with 4x digital zoom and video
• 2-inch internal display with 65K colors and 128 x 160 pixels.
• push-to-talk service.

So if you’re going to the Sahara, or any other desert, or you’re planning a trip to Himalaya, forget your smartphone and take this Rugby phone with you. You might not have reception nor power for the battery in those particular locations, but the Rugby won’t fail you on the road.