Strangely though, this phone does come with a fair bit of multimedia functionality. The integrated 1.3 megapixel camera takes some pretty decent shots, all things considered, especially if you make use of the LED floodlight (which "pulses" when you take a picture). The camera comes with 4x digital zoom, picture size ranging from 176 x 220 (wallpaper) to 1280 x 1024 (max), self timer, and the ability to record videos (128 x 96 or 176 x 144) of up to 30 seconds in length.

The built-in media player tackles music and video files through the very bright (and I do mean bright) internal color display and twin speakers, with storage coming by way of the microSD expansion slot and the approximately 20MB of usable on-board memory. But of course, this isn't designed to be a music phone. The i580 is a rugged handset to be used in the field by mobile professionals and not those who linger around downtown in a three piece suit or the kid down the block as he cruises on his skateboard. In the ruggedness category, I feel this phone is a success. I didn't put it through too much stress for fear of actually damaging it, but based on my experience, it's built pretty darn tough.

Pros:
- Super rugged and waterproof. I think this phone can just about take anything on.
- External controls are easy to access, and provide extra functionality when the flip is closed.
- Very bright internal display
- Very loud speakers for calls, ringtones, etc.

Cons:
- Battery life. Under fairly light usage (including mobile MSN, web, etc.), I found I had to charge the phone every 2 days.
- Menu. It's too cluttered and not exactly the most streamlined.
- Weight: Physically, it's not that much bigger than some of the beefier clamshells on the market, but it is noticeably heavier.
- Crippled Bluetooth. It hurt not being able to freely transfer files between phones.