Casio G'zOne Type-S / Reviews

The original G'zOne was the Chuck Norris of cell phones: Able to stay fully submersed in liquid for up to a half hour, unaffected by exposure to solar radiation, held together with enormous steel screws. How do you improve on that? By giving it an extreme makeover! The Type-S ditches the Mad Max design of its predecessor in favor of a sleek blue frame and thoughtfully placed controls. The phone is still wicked tough, working perfectly after being tossed in a pool for twenty minutes and then violently thrown down a flight of concrete stairs.

WIRED Can take a licking like some space-age Timex. Surprisingly light at 4.6 ounces. Speakerphone and Push-To-Talk functionality.

TIRED No Bluetooth data transfers. And what's with the dinky 640x480 camera resolution? Monochrome external LCD is bleak and boring. Baffling lack of MP3 functionality and multimedia features-shouldn't there be one gadget that can survive the apocalypse and play Loverboy songs?

Read original review at Wired.

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This is a phone that I wish they still made. My wife has been using hers for 3 years and two toddlers have been unable to destroy it. Water, slobber, stairs, overnight in a car at -15F, all day in a closed car with outside temps nearing 100F (outer screen went black until it cooled), nothing has destroyed this phone. The phone looks like it's 3 years old, but still functions perfectly. It's like the old Timex commercials, it take a licking and keeps on ticking.

It isn't flashy or high tech (we rarely even text) but the sound is good, it has great battery life, and if you have an active lifestyle, it's perfect for you. I replaced mine after two years with the Boulder and gave my Type S to my mother-in-law and she hasn't been able to break it either. I have two brand new in the box Boulders I would happily trade for two new Type S's. Their next "ruggedized" phone should be the Type S with just a new set of guts. I wish they built BlackBerries this durable (I've gone through three of them in 2 years and I've been careful with them).

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This is a phone that I wish they still made. My wife has been using hers for 3 years and two toddlers have been unable to destroy it. Water, slobber, stairs, overnight in a car at -15F, all day in a closed car with outside temps nearing 100F (outer screen went black until it cooled), Brad Paisley concert in 3 downpours, nothing has destroyed this phone. The phone looks like it's 3 years old, but still functions perfectly. It's like the old Timex commercials, it take a licking and keeps on ticking.

It isn't flashy or high tech (we rarely even text) but the sound is good, it has great battery life, and if you have an active lifestyle, it's perfect for you. I replaced mine after two years with the Boulder and gave my Type S to my mother-in-law and she hasn't been able to break it either. I have two brand new in the box Boulders I would happily trade for two new Type S's. Their next "ruggedized" phone should be the Type S with just a new set of guts. I wish they built BlackBerries this durable (I've gone through three of them in 2 years and I've been careful with them).

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I have a GZ1. I bought it for the longevity factor, as well as the all weather features. The phone worked well until 1 month after the warranty expired, and then it would not turn on. The "Verizon" sign kept flashing. The Verizon store said it was "fried." and that it happened often. I asked them to define "fried" and they could only say that something internal "broke." Its very fishy that 1 month after the warranty, it conveniently will not turn on. Sending in for repair is $100, not worth it. Sounds like another potential "electronic timer" issue. Be aware.

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Weighing in at almost 4 ounces and measuring 3.9" x 2" x 0.9" the Casio G'zOne Type S won't be confused with a skinny phone anytime soon. Military certified to withstand water, shock, dust, immersion, vibration, salt, fog, humidity, solar radiation, high altitude, and extreme temperatures. The Type S is certainly no wimp.

There's a locking mechanism with the battery cover (unlock it by using a small coin), and the charging port has a tight rubberized cover. Packed with a an okay camera, Bluetooth, Push-to-Talk, and support for music and video. Reception and transmission has been great with no hiccups.

The navigation pad consists of two soft keys, a four-way toggle with a middle OK key, a dedicated camera/camcorder key, plus a speakerphone key that acts as a flashlight key if you hold it down for a longer press. As for music quality, I would not seriously consider it as a replacement for your mp3 player. The battery has lasted over 4 hours. It pairs well with my Plantronics 510 and 520 Bluetooth headsets.

All in all I am very satisfied with the Casio G'zOne Type S and would highly recommend this system to those that require a phone that can take a beating.

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My motivation for purchasing this phone was its ruggedized case and water-resistance; unfortunately, this is about all it has going for it. After 6 months of use I have determined the following:

1. Exterior volume button can easily disable the ringer while in your pocket; resulting in missed calls. The button can't be disabled or reassigned.
2. The LCD screen is unreadable in sunlight and is poorly backlit; screen fonts are too small. NOT a good choice for texting.
3. Battery life is unacceptable; with normal use, it requires almost daily recharging! Noticeable decrease in longevity in just 6 months.
4. The camera/video features: Use it only as a last resort; poor quality.

The things I like about this phone are the Industrial Sci-fi styling and the rubberized case (protects it from drops and provides a better grip for small hands).
TIP: To overcome the muffled sound of the ring tone while in a purse or pocket; use the provided "Synthesizer" ring tone.

If I treated my cell phones better and handled them carefully, I would get rid of this phone. For me, the Casio GZOne is like a pair of orthopedic shoes: You wear them only because you need them.

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This phone is pretty shock proof. I put it though quite a bit and it was able to handle it. It's also pretty water proof, however I through it in the pool and some of the buttons stopped working. So, i guess don't forget about it in your pocket.

Anther thing. This phone is about as intuitive as a rock. I don't think they did any beta testing on it to see how well the interface worked. If I entered a phone number into the contacts list the name wouldn't come up if they called. Only the number. Often times the speaker phone would turn on at random so when i answered the phone it would blast into my ear and more... Over all I hate this phone.

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Just thought you might want to know that this phone is seriously backordered although the website gives you no clue it is not currently available. I ordered it on June 11 and received notice to expect it on August 22. But this is the phone I want so I'm sitting tight.

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After a couple of months of usage I think this phone was a good purchase, but I have some complaints. The manufacturer does a fine job of touting the plusses, so I'll address the minuses. My most recent phone for comparison is the LG VX8100.

1) The ringer is muffled when the phone is in a pocket, so calls are easily missed. The selection of ring tones is poor from the standpoint of audibility. (Poor from any standpoint, actually.)

2) The screen is horrible in daylight. the 8100 was far better.

3) The speaker phone button is unwisely placed -- twice! -- so that it is easy to inadvertently activate it.

4) The volume control is screwy, sometimes indicating that I'm trying to adjust the headset volume when no headset is attached. When I did attach a headset, the volume was dismally low.

I admit that I'm a harsh judge of cell phones, which aren't first generation, after all. Overall I find the phone reasonably pleasant to use, but the poor screen and the hard-to-hear rings are unacceptable. By comparison, the 8100 had an easily heard ringer and a lovely screen, and if I could combine the best of the two phones I'd give five stars. (Sadly, there seems to be no chance that cell phone makers will combine all the best features in one phone, so my stars won't be spent.)

I've had very good experience with Verizon's GPS on this phone (except in the nightmare which are the roads of San Antonio). I have even found Verizon's customer service to be decent.

Of the three colors, only the black has the rubberized surface, which I prefer. I don't know if Amazon offers it, and most Verizon stores must special order it. (The black seems to be pictured on Amazon's product page, but I would call them to find out what they actually ship.)

You might think that the phone is masculine, but when I gave my wife a blue one she thought it was attractive, though it is not dainty. She might have thought differently if I had told her it was "ruggedized," so I didn't.

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I have broken more of the external screens than I can remember. This phone has a thick bezel on the outside screen which should enable me to put this problem behind me. I am a heavy cell phone user that does not use the camera or downloaded rings, etc. I try to be careful, but at 2500 minutes/month, my phones take a beating in airports etc. This phone works great. The ruggedization will come in handy. The charge cable is a little fussy, like the LG phones, but it comes with a cradle that allows me to just set the phone in the cradle when I get home, without plugging in the cable. It is charged when I leave in the morning. Battery life is very good. Speaker phone is better than some, not as good as others, but adequate. Overall, I like the phone. It is tough like a hammer. I like hammers. Ring tones? Get a fooh fooh fone. Camera? get a camera. This is a phone, not a mp3 player.

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I bought the Casio G'zOne Type-S phone because of a soda spill that ruined my last phone. This phone is waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof. The only complaint is the number of steps to add appoinments.

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