I recall hearing once that customers perceive things that are yellow or red as being “sturdier” and “better made.” We’re not sure about the 5500, Nokia’s sporty model with rubber cladding, but it sure looks like it could withstand 4Gs and a brushfire.

Interestingly enough, the 5500 actually has a sport mode which includes a training diary and stopwatch. There is a switch on the side which locks the phone into one of three settings, sport, music, and standard. Finally, it has a text-to-speech feature for reading out SMS messages on the run. It’s also tri-band and should be in stores this summer for 300 euro.

Press Release [Yahoo via mobilementalism.com]
From Gizmodo

From Techeblog:

Nokia’s 5500 is a semi-rugged phone designed for the active lifestyle. Boasting rubber grips, a splash/spill resistant shell, and stainless steel casing for maximum durability. It’s no slouch in the multimedia department either, with a 1.3-megapixel camera, MicroSD card slot, and music player. Nokia will start shipping the 5500 to Sprint outlets nationwide this summer, priced at $382 USD.

The integrated pedometer feature serves to monitor distance walked or calories burnt -during a busy day in the city or that breathtaking cardio session.

[via Slashphone]