Being a site widely considered ahead of the curve on both the tech and eco-friendly front has it benefits. One of those perks manifested itself towards the end of last week when we were invited to an exclusive pow-wow with smart USA President Dave Schembri, which included our own smart fortwo test drive. Before hitting the road, however, Mr. Schembri was kind enough to share some interesting tidbits about the company and give an overall update on the state of burgeoning branch of the Daimler automotive family via a question and answer session. READ MORE…

Described as the most rugged and toughest phone in the world, the Sonim XP1 sure failed my tests. With one solid drop on our offices cement floor, the screen has shattered, making it both unreadable and inoperable. I didn’t even get long enough to put in my SIM card and make a call. The test and destroy site they have setup seemed convincing, and for $499 it better be.

Did I get a dud? Sonim CEO Bob Plaschke left a letter in the box telling me I’ve officially got one less thing to think about. Bob, buddy, you left me hanging here. Good thing these things come with a 3 year guarantee, I’m out of pocket and off the grid inside 3 minutes.

Update:  We’re trying a new one. Letter from their PR agency after the jump.  
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