In the realm of tough gadgets we generally see a lot of cameras and dumb phones but you don’t get to see many smartphones. Well that’s what Casio was maybe thinking when they came up with the G’zone Commando. If you are after a rugged, waterproof and generally resistant phone running Android, then read on.
To tell you about the degree of toughness you are getting with the G’zone Commando, we could say that it’s got the military spec MIL STD 810G but if you’re too lazy to read the specs here is a rundown: waterproof 1m for 30min, rain, dust, salt water and solar radiation resistant, shock resistant (tested from 4ft/1.5m), scratch proof screen (gorilla glass).
Design wise it’s looking good too, industrial if a bit macho. The phone has a lot of rubberized areas which are balanced by some thin red stripes. It might be a bit on the large size though and the screen is only 3.6 inches so if you like slim then maybe a Motorola Defy is the way to go.
The phone is said to be running Android 2.2 Froyo, not the latest version of Google’s OS, which is a shame but comes with some custom Casio apps like XT9 (let you swipe words on the keyboard), compass, walking counter, trip memory, tides, sun/moon, thermometer and start gazer.
So here you have it, a tough Android phone, not running the latest software but coming with some goodies, wrapped up in a large manly case. It’s available only in the US at the moment, on Verizon, starting from $19.99.
More info on Casio‘s website.
