Casio G'zOne Commando Android Phone (Verizon Wireless)

I am enjoying this phone May 15, 2011

Reviewer:  Dpsammy 

I have had my Commando for several days now, and really enjoy it. I am new to android and smartphones. I have an iPad, so I have experience with Apple. I wanted something different than an iPhone. I was doing a ton of research on the latest and greatest phones. When this phone came out I was intrigued by the toughness. I hunt, fish, hike, camp, and spend a lot of time outdoors. I wanted a phone I didn't have to baby, and this is it! I have dunked it several times in water (my ice water was 40.7 degrees). I dared my friends to do the same, or purposely drop their phones....no takers....lol.

I have only downloaded a few apps. The gps, which is important to me, is spot on. The speakers are awesome! Even in the car testing the navigation, I had the volume down from max.

The screen clarity is fine. Compares to my friend's Incredible. Screen size is the same as an iPhone. As reviewed by others and on forums, the touch screen is not super sensitive or buttery smooth. The texting is a bit touchy. I downloaded a texting app that I like. I am still getting used to using swipe.

The camera, while not fantastic, meets my needs. The video is choppy if you try to pan or if things are moving fast. Maybe an upgrade will fix this?

But, for all the little quirks, I dig this phone. I am getting it dialed in for my personal likes.

If you need a tough smartphone, and don't need dual core, HDMI, front facing camera, or 8 mega pixel camera, then consider this phone. I had never even heard of the Casio G'Zone phones. This one is very cool. There are lots of videos on You Tube for g'Zone phones.

Size of the phone is fine for me. Not as svelt as iPhones or Galaxy S2, but on line with Thunderbolt, Atrix, EVO.

I highly recommend if you need a tough phone. If you want pretty, slim, and buttery smoothness, look elsewhere. Just don't get those other phones wet! Lol

Oh.... Battery... I am a moderate user. The GPS pulls on the battery pretty hard. I keep it off unless needed. I have been getting a full day off usage......12-15 hours. When the newness wears off I am sure it will go longer. I would rate it as typical for a smart phone. I will keep a charger in my car. My next purchase will be the cradle charger and a 32 gig card. I want to download my music files and some pics.

Great Rugged Smart Phone May 3, 2011

Reviewer:  Cellphone Junkie 

Came to this phone from a Droid X with no regrets whatsoever. Display is very crisp. Call clarity and volume are excellent. The speaker is very loud and clear. Comes with Android Froyo.Phone is very sturdy, but not to big. Highly recommend.

finally retired my type-V May 10, 2011

Reviewer:  dthrckt 

Ordered directly from verizon the first day it was available. Previous phone was gz'one type V.
Pretty happy with it so far. Two issues - phone will not charge from a PC USB port if it is off (tried quite a few different models, all Dell, desktops and laptops). I brought it to the local Verizon store and they confirmed that issue. If they get some in and they don't have that problem, I will be exchanging. Not only does it not charge, but it constantly cycles through a boot screen, which actually drains the battery.
Also, built in camera app will not turn on the flash. Installed a camera app from the app store and flash works fine.
LED seems marginally less powerful than on type-V.
I think the micro usb port might eventually be a weak spot, ie the plug can wiggle around too easy and will eventually break it. I'll get a cradle as soon as I can find one, or an inductive charger.
Battery life seems to be improving w/ each cycle, to what is now an acceptable level. Aside from those issues, and the need to rip out some junk apps (like bing...) I love this phone!

Commando C771 July 22, 2011

Reviewer:  Softball Chick 

This phone is indestructable. I accidently left it laying on the back of my truck and drove off with it on there. When I went back to look for it I found it lying face down in the middle of the road about a 1 1/2 miles away. It had been ran over and the cover I bought for it was destroyed but the phone only had a couple of minor scratches on the outside edges. The screen didn't have a scratch on it.

In Depth Review June 14, 2011

Reviewer:  Mistercommunication 

The Casio Commando is rugged and stylish considering it's designed to take a beating. I work construction and mow acres of lawn every week. I need a phone that works as hard as I do and can take any abuse I can throw at it. The Casio Commando is up to the task. However, toughness may be its only real attribute.

This phone is 'supposed' to attract the outdoor enthusiast with its G'zGear functions. These features are what attracted me to this phone. However, you can d/l ALL of these types of apps FREE from the Android Market.

My roomie has a Droid X. It's an incredible phone. The Droid X is easier to type text on because of its larger screen. Droid X takes stunning pics/videos and has tons of editing features for a phone, but will it survive in my pocket mowing all day? How about a drop from a roof? How about a drop in the lake? I doubt it. There is a trade off it seems.
If I didn't have the Droid X to compare my phone to I would probably rate the Commando 4 stars.

Casio Commando Pros:
-Aforementioned ruggedness. Water, dust and drop proof.
-Android 2.1 OS
-Pedometer works well. Can edit height, weight, age length of stride etc. Downside is that it registers bumps from my riding mower as steps.
-Sun/Moon feature gives detailed info on position of sun/moon, rising and setting times and length of day.
-Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS work as they should.
-Excellent speakerphone!

Casio Commando Cons:
-Battery life is ABSOLUTELY pathetic! Needs a recharge in the middle of the day. A few texts, surf Face Book a bit, answer a few emails, play a few games and take a pic or two and it's done for! Forget about listening to MP3's for the work day. Many say "hey it's a smartphone, the battery life is not supposed to be great". Well...I don't buy that argument. As of 6.14.11 there are NO extended batteries on the market. The battery technology needs to catch up w/ smartphone advancements.
-LED Flashlight is WEAK. My roommates Droid X is 5x brighter and covers 3x more area.
-MP3's skip like an Ipod generation 3 or 4 when running or mowing. Starts back at beginning of song/album.
-Very poor photos/videos in low light situations. LED does NOT work in Camcorder mode. The Droid X has tons of video settings (edit, extract frame, text etc). The Commando is basic like a $60 cell phone.
-G'zGear Thermometer isn't accurate at all when tested against other thermometers. It must register the heat from the phone?
-Can't tell which side is UP/DOWN. Phone looks exactly the same either way until illuminated.
-Notification LED (blinks when you have a new email, text or missed call) is on the side of phone. Works well at night, but in daytime you never know it's blinking.
-No dedicated music button. Have to click on widget. Has dedicated camera/video, G'zing Gear and power button, but nothing for music.

Overall:
If you're looking for a smartphone with a touchscreen that can survive in heat, dust and moisture then this may be a good option. If you want the sleek responsive screen with tons of features for pics/videos, then look elsewhere. If Motorola made a Drod X with the above specs I'd pay $100's more!!!