Cell phones began as briefcase-sized units, then large plastic bricks, then finally they became pocket-sized.  All of this happened in barely 10 years, a pretty amazing technological leap if you think about it.  However, with this increased portability there has been an inverse relationship with durability.  Modern phones are not exactly built to last, and a user has to worry about dropping their phone.  I say, why does this have to be the case?  Why can’t phones still be a little beefier while still being portable?

There have been more durable phones before, mostly offered by Sprint and Nextel, being aimed at working men and women.  However, these phones tend to be long on durability and short on features.  Want a camera? Tough luck.

Casio, long known as a maker of fine digital wristwatches and calculators, has stepped up to the proverbial plate with their new G’zOne (pronounced Geez-one).  Bizarre pronunciation aside, this phone will likely please a lot of people.  It is specifically marketed to the extreme sports crowd, with an insert in the box displaying the phone’s use at an Alaskan surfing competition, a long snowy hike, a desert race, and a punk rock concert in Manhattan.  The phone claims to be resistant to sunlight, impact, dust, and water (resistant to about one meter in depth for up to 30 minutes).

My abilities to truly test this phone were somewhat limited, as I didn’t want to break the only test model we had.  However, I was able to make phone calls from my swimming pool.  While this does not on its own make the G’zOne a revolutionary phone, it is an effective demonstration of some of the phone’s abilities.  Seriously, when was the last time you took your cell phone swimming?  Disappointingly, this is where I encountered the phone’s only shortcoming: the screen is very difficult to see in bright sunlight.  My everyday cellphone, which is by no means a very nice one, does fine in any lighting.  Yet somehow, this dedicated “outdoorsy” phone has a screen with very little contrast and poor brightness.

Unlike most durable phones, the G’zOne is packed with all the features one would expect: GPS, push-to-talk, Bluetooth, speakerphone, music capabilities, and a handy LED lantern (a feature lacking on most phones).  In addition, the phone’s dimensions are only slightly larger than a conventional flip-phone.

All in all, the G’zOne is a useful product for the outdoorsman or the worker whose job finds him or her in inconvenient environments.  Add to that a full list of features and a convenient size, and you’ve got a winner.  This phone is designed to be useful to a large number of people, well beyond the “Extreme sports” niche that it seems to be marketing to.

• To learn more and get your own Casio G’zOne Click Here
• To review special pricing on the Casio G’zOne accessories Click Here