Samsung Rugby Smart offers ruggedized construction and Android 2.3 on AT&T for $99.99

If you’ve been looking enviously at the Motorola Defy+ and its semi-waterproof construction, AT&T and Samsung might have the phone for you. The upcoming Samsung Rugby Smart is claimed to be dustproof, temperature-resistant, and able to sit in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes, much like the aforementioned Defy+ and the recently-launched Pantech Element tablet. The Rugby Smart’s other specs are a bit more pedestrian: it’ll include HSPA+ connectivity, a 3.7-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display, 4GB of internal storage (with a microSD slot), 1650mAh battery, and 5MP rear camera that can shoot 720p video. There’s also the requisite front-facing camera for video chat, and, of course, Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The audience for this phone is clearly not people who are buying on specs, but those who need a phone that can withstand a beating that can run Android. That’s likely a small market, but the interested can pick this phone up on March 4th for $99.99 plus the standard two-year contract.