Samsung Rugby Smart review: Tough INC.

The Samsung Rugby Smart for AT&T is bound to bring a massive dash of toughness to the Korean giant's Android ranks. Compliant with MIL-STD-810f military grade standard, the handset will also enable Samsung to compete in yet another smartphone segment of the already saturated U.S. market.

While it is no secret that Samsung's smartphone lineup in the United States is difficult to keep track of due to its sheer size, a rugged device had been a notable omission until the arrival of the subject of today's feature.

Samsung Rugby Smart official photos

Despite being a newcomer to the U.S. market, the Samsung Rugby Smart is hardly a revolution in terms of design or specifications. What Samsung have done essentially, is put the single-core, 1.4GHz Scorpion CPU and Snapdragon chipset of the Galaxy W into the casing of the Galaxy Xcover. Add a 3.7" Super AMOLED screen to the mix and there goes the Samsung Rugby Smart for AT&T. Here is the full list of key features for you.

Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support14.4 Mbps HSDPA; 5.76 Mbps HSUPAMIL-STD-810f ruggedness standard compliant1.4GHz Snapdragon CPU; Adreno 205 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset; 512MB RAM4GB storage, microSD card support (up to 32GB)3.7" Super AMOLED display with WVGA (800 x 480) resolution; 252ppi pixel density5 megapixel auto-focus camera; HD (720p) video recording at 30fps, LED flashFront-facing VGA camera for video callsAndroid 2.3.6 Gingerbread with TouchWiz 4.0 launcherRich video format support out of the boxWi-Fi b/g/n; Hot-spot and DLNA connectivityBluetooth 3.0 with A2DPGPS with A-GPS; Digital compassStandard 3.5 mm audio jackAccelerometer and proximity sensorDivX/XviD/X264 video supportOffice document viewer/editorWeb browser with Adobe Flash 11 supportNot exactly a lookerHardware is not exactly at the cutting edgeNo dedicated camera button

As you can notice at its key features above, the Samsung Rugby Smart is not exactly at the cutting edge of the Android realm today. The smartphone surely is not a looker either. Instead, the handset is here to offer its potential users solid functionality, without compromising on toughness.

Samsung Rugby Smart live photos

Traditionally, we are now going to kick things off with an unboxing of the Samsung Rugby Smart, followed by design, build quality, and toughness inspection.

Editorial: You might notice that this review is shorter than usual and doesn't include all of our proprietary tests. The reason is it has been prepared and written far away from our office and test lab. The Samsung Rugby Smart for AT&T is a US-only phone, so it will probably never get to the shores of the Old Continent. Still, we think we've captured the essence of the phone in the same precise, informative and detailed way that's become our trademark. Enjoy the good read!

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Is Smart Money Finally Starting to Head for Sidelines?

Retail investors have begun to take the driver's seat in Wall Street's aggressive rally, an indication both that the surge could have some life yet and that it's likely nearing an end.

Mutual funds — the vehicles through which most mom-and-pop investors play the stock market — had lost funds for nine consecutive months heading into February.

But over the past several weeks the tide has turned.

Stock funds have seen inflows in three of the past four weeks, with another $1.04 billion coming in for the week ending Feb. 15, according to the most recent data from the Investment Company Institute. Unless there is a major shift in allocation, February is shaping up as a solidly positive month for stock fund inflows.

Trouble is, the last time retail investors didn't take more out of their funds than they put in was last April, which saw inflows of about $6 billion.

That move coincided with the end of a stock market rally that looked much like the current one — a big surge higher as the year began that preceded an ugly six-month skid that made sell-in-May-and-go-away the trade of the year in 2011.

What's more, institutional investors — often referred to as part of the "smart money" in the market because of their insider position — have been slowly heading for the exits.

After pulling about $100 million from zero-yielding money market funds in 2011, the folks with the deep pockets are heading back toward the sidelines. Institutional deposits have increased by $9 million in February — a relatively miniscule amount, to be sure, compared to a total of $1.74 trillion on hand, but a number that's been steadily rising.

Finally, corporate insiders are taking an increasingly cautious approach as well.

They've dumped $4.2 billion in stock this month, about double January's level and — here's that warning sign again — the most since May 2011 as last year's rally fizzled, according to TrimTabs.

Company stock buybacks, meanwhile, are at a healthy $2.1 billion daily level, but are mainly concentrated among a few big purchasers. The number of daily buyback announcements is at its lowest level since the October to November period of 2009.

"The best-informed market participants — the top insiders who run U.S. public companies — are taking full advantage of the stock market melt-up to unload huge amounts of shares," TrimTabs said in its weekly market analysis.

The fear here is an important one — that retail investors will be the last ones to the party, buying high and selling low as the smart-money guys get out when the getting's good.

"One thing we know is money goes to where it's best treated," says Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Annuities in Newark, N.J.

"The fact is, if the market keeps moving higher without volatility pushing the market down dramatically or upward dramatically, you're going to see retail investors put money into equities," she adds. "But what about the professional traders who take advantage of that?"

Continued inflows of retail money might push those who have been in the market to start cashing out as the late money drives up prices.

Insiders are considered the smart money, Krosby says, because of "the notion that they know more."

"The classic rationale for insider selling at the stage we're in now is they know more than the average investor regarding the company's guidance," she adds.

The bright side: Those institutional outflows could represent simple profit-taking and an anticipation that a modest correction is in the cards.

Standard & Poor's strategist Sam Stovall sees resistance for the "500" in the 1360 to 1370 range, where a pullback of 5 percent or so is likely, sending the average down in the 1270 or so range. For the full year, he expects the S&P to hit 1400, which would constitute a 9 percent or so run from the pullback levels.

In other words, a pullback here could make an attractive entry point, and retail investors might be better off waiting it out.

"March and April tend to be favorable in terms of seasonality," Krosby notes. "If we do have a pullback, I think it brings in more buyers."

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