Casio G`zOne Commando

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”