Casio / Reviews

Like its predecessors, the Casio G'zOne Ravine 2 stands out from the cell phone crowd for its sturdy and ultradurable design. It's not pretty in the least, but that doesn't matter when you can take the handset for a swim without giving it a scratch. Similarly, though it doesn't have a ton of features, call quality is respectable and it offers everything you need for communication. So if you need a device for calling for help while stuck in a sandstorm, the Ravine 2 is a great buy. I just wouldn't recommend taking photos of that sandstorm with the Ravine 2's camera.

Read original review at Cnet.

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Casio slimmed down its rugged Ravine the second time around. The G'zOne Ravine 2 sports the same stringent 810G military specification as the first model,though it's smaller and lighter than before. It's perfect for construction workers, factory employees, or anyone that wants a cell phone that can take some abuse. It's also our new Editors' Choice for Verizon feature phones; just keep in mind that with the advent of powerful, inexpensive smartphones, it's getting tougher to recommend this category of device.

Read original review at PC Magazine.

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The Casio G'zOne Commando for Verizon Wireless is a specialty phone. When measured against "regular" devices, it might not shine that much. But when paired with the correct consumer, one who needs a tough element-resistant smartphone, it proves itself worthy. If you are that special person, then please check out the Commando. The rest of us, however, will find better values in more compact form factors elsewhere.

Read original review at MobileBurn.

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Even though the Casio G’zOne Commando isn’t the fastest or most high-end smartphone on the market, it fills a void for a mid-level device that is also rugged and durable, which can withstand water and being dropped on occasion. We love its overall build quality, and that it has a different utilitarian look than most other flashy smartphones. At the current $199 price for the Casio Commando, it is only $50 less than the awesome HTC ThunderBolt, which offers a faster processor, larger screen, 32GB memory, and 4G LTE for data. But if you need a more rugged smartphone that you don’t have to worry about damaging much, the Casio G’zOne Commando is the one to get.

Read original review at PhoneArena.

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The Casio G'zOne Commando certainly isn't for everyone. If you're sure-handed enough to never drop things, you don't ever plan on being out of sight of civilization, and you've never lost a phone to a bad encounter with water, then the features that distinguish will be useless to you.

But it's a well executed device which, despite a few minor issues, both delivers on exceptional field durability, as well as having the potential to appeal to day to day users who wouldn't normally think about using a "rugged" phone. Some of it's qualities, like the waterproofing, are so useful that I wish more phone manufacturers would pick up on it for non-rugged devices. For right now though, if you want a smartphone that still works after you take an unexpected swim, or can survive you being less than careful with it, the Commando deserves careful attention.

Read original review at Brighthand.

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The Casio G'zOne Commando is okay, but I have several reservations about it. If you don't need an Android phone, consider stepping down to the excellent Casio G'zOne Ravine ($49.99, 4.5 stars). It's a flip phone with a nifty suite of less powerful apps, it meets the same military specification, and it will likely survive even more abuse thanks to the closed clamshell design. You also don't need a data plan with the Ravine, so you can save hundreds of dollars over a two-year contract.

Read original review at PC Magazine.

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The Casio G'zOne Commando is an interesting beast. It's way too large, heavy, and bulky for me, but if you're looking for a ruggedized Android smartphone, that’s the price of admission.

The G'zGear applications are truly cool, and offer the outdoor adventurer a ton of ways to keep track of what they're doing, where they are, and what's going on in the environment around them. Their usefulness is questionable, however, with the sub-par signal and data performance I saw when testing the Commando.

If solid basics are what concern you, the signal troubles and voice quality are worth weighing before you buy. At least battery life is good.

The Commando's camera and video camera produced great results, which more than offset the ho-hum music and video options.

Read original review at Phone Scoop.

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The Casio G'zOne Commando is absolutely the choice if you want a rugged and durable Android smartphone. Its tough construction is built to withstand everyday drops and spills, so it's well suited for industrial workers or simply those who love the great outdoors. While we're not entirely pleased with Verizon's preloaded apps, we did enjoy Casio's G'zGear suite of apps designed for those who love the active outdoor lifestyle. All of that, and it's also a pretty decent Android smartphone with corporate e-mail security and most of the usual Google apps at your disposal. The Casio G'zOne Commando is $199.99 with a new two-year service agreement.

Read original review at Cnet.

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Beyond its Android 2.2 features, the Commando gives you a variety of outdoorsy and athletic features. Go into its G’z Gear menu, and you’ll see eight apps that are tailor-made for fitness buffs and outdoorsy types. Most are useful, and all are interesting. On board is a compass that shows you distances to national parks and landmarks, a pedometer, trip memory, indicators of tides and moon phases, a thermometer and even a star finder to help you point out constellations as you sleep under the stars.

I like the Casio G’zOne Commando, and those who drive jeeps, climb mountains, and even those who navigate around cities in SUVs even though they rarely leave their desks will probably like it too.

Read original review at Mashable.

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Being the first smartphone member of a Casio lineup of feature phones for Verizon, I fully expected to be let down by the g’zOne Commando. I was pleasantly surprised to find this wasn’t the case. It isn’t the handset for everyone, but for those hesitant to buy a smartphone due to an active lifestyle or just plain clumsiness, the Commando is worth a good hard look. It is built tougher than you will probably ever need it to be.
It delivers at the software level as well, providing a familiar Android experience with a few twists that really add some value. The Snap-Out Menu and Tactile Key get a big thumbs up, and g’zGear applications are sure to get some use by owners of the Commando.
The phone is definitely not without its flaws. The touchscreen can lag and be unresponsive, and a lower-powered processor doesn’t do much to elevate the phone from its humble, feature-phone roots. Throw in a shoddy-at-best camera and you get the essence of the Commando: a no-nonsense device for no-nonsense people. Tech heads and those on the cutting-edge might want to stay away, but for the everyman the Commando gets the job done just fine.

Read original review at Phandroid.

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I had a LG Chocolate touch screen phone, and switched because my contract was up, bad mistake. At first the phone was good, but then something went wrong with the speaker and who ever I talked to on the phone sounded staticky, and I gave it a week and it that problem disappeared. Not only that but it randomly shuts off, I can't use the bluetooth function because it doesn't work. And now it shut off and the battery won't charge up any more, it just says battery low when i plug it into the charger. WORST PHONE EVER!!! I wish I stuck with my last phone.

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I am really abuse my it is always getting scratched up and it says you can run it over with a small car and this was 100% true because I ran my phone over with a 3/4 ton Chevy that weighs around 6000 pounds and all it did was break the front screen that is under another piece that must protect it every thing else works great still

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This phone has a lot of great features, but lacking basics. On your Spec's page, you listed that the phone has auto answer capability, which it does not. Additionally, there is no Speech to Text app available either. If these were available, I would dub this the "Perfect Phone". Until then, I am stuck with a phone that is almost there...

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Please make this into a smart phone! When I got this phone over 2 1/2 years ago, I tried 2 kill it! I ran over it with my car, I dropped it in a glass of coke- called it, answered it, rinsed it off & it still worked. So I let my then teething son, chew on it, slobber on it & throw it around like a ball, still it lived! I talk on it when I am in the shower, taking a bath, or even swimming in the pool! The one thing that you must understand before you buy this phone is that it is NOT a frills phone!!! Yes it has a camera with video, bluetooth, VZ Navigator, V Cast music, micro SD slot, & can get on the web, but this is NOT like a smart phone! I think I have finally abused it enough that the buttons are starting to stick,the speaker function sounds very bad, & I broke the connection to charge it with the cable plug (thank God it cradle charges), not to mention I took it apart a few times, lost one of the screws & all the basic functions still work!! So AWESOME phone Casio!! Please make it in a smart phone that doesn't cost the earth!!

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The processor needs to be improved. I open the flip phone and I have to wait for the phone to react (light up). Delayed key response when texting or dialing (my most fustrating complaint). User interface is minimal at best. When speaking from time to time people have a hard time listening (the mic area gets easily clogged). I've had this phone six months and was ready to give it back after 3 when these problems started to happen. And to add, the docking station that came with the phone is about as cheap as you can get. Used it only once for a reason - too big a hassle to put into cradle for the metal contacts to properly connect. Being an avid Casio G-Shock watch owner since 94', I was excited when this phone came out, and after owning this phone I am completely disapointed.

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HORRIBLE phone... cant wait to get a new one. Piece of sh*t was on the charger perfectly fine. Then It randomly turned off and never turned back. O and because Its a little worn I have to pay $50 to get a new one. And by worn I mean no scratchs on the screen but scratches on the black outing that happens on all phones! Ohhh, yeah it turned off exactly 10 months to the day. I would that is quite a coincidence. Thanks again Verizon for your sh*tty customer service!

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All the you saying this phone sucks is CRAZY i have had it for over a year & half its stands up to everything i give it! mud rain, swimming, so far the sound is great on mine maybe mine is updated! but thae sad news this is no longer at verizon they came out with 2 more gz ones since i purchased this one, the rock & ravine.

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I got this phone when I got my contract renewed 2009. I was coming from an old LG VX8300 and it was REALLY banged up. It had even got a little wet once and still worked. So I definetely considered I needed something durable, and this is what I chose.

The phone is water proof. I never tested that capability until today, when I decided I was going to get it wet based on I've seen YT videos showing people with their phones in water and other stuff like one guy had his in jello. The phone worked and even though my bottom cap for where the charger goes in it is off because it broke off, it did survive because i taped it. It was tested in throwing in bathtub and the rain test, which is just me in general going out in to the rain with it which I have done with it before. I am done with my contract on this phone, and sad to see that the Rock is discontinued. The phone is pretty beat up but does exactly what its supposed to do as a phone.

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This is the best phone i have ever owned. I chose it when I was pregnant with my third child and my two boys had dropped my other phone in a cup of water. I realized that phones these days are not made to be handled roughly and that wouldn't work for me. This phone lasted 2 years with no issues... dropped, dunked in water, spit up on, sat on, etc. People always kidded me about the size but I never had to worry about it getting destroyed and i never lost it at the bottom of my purse. It has an enormous amount of storage for pictures and a great camera as well. I thought all "newer" phones had this until I had to switch providers and give up my G'zOne. I miss it desperately and keep trying to find a way I can get a similar phone on my new provider. Verizon is just too expensive for us but this phone is almost worth it. Practical, Functional, hard-working, great phone.

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This phone absolutely fell apart in a year and a half. Many of the things that went wrong (such as the battery pack lock breaking) were known manufacturing defects, but since after a year it was no longer under warranty I was told that nothing could be done. It is at a year and nine months now and the battery is held on with tape and it is unchargeable because the entire charging port fell out. Same thing happened to my sister with the same phone. Hopefully the rock is better, but this phone is terrible!!!!!!!

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