While the name “G’zOne Commando” is totally ridiculous, the phone actually looks pretty solid. And by solid, I mean solid. The Commando is ruggedized and can be submersed in water, exposed to extreme temperatures, and survive the other vicissitudes our phones are often subjected to, by accident or design. It runs Android 2.2 with a custom skin from Casio, and has the usual Verizon stuff on it as well.
The screen is 3.6″ and 800×480, which should make it quite sharp, and it’s got 512MB of RAM but an unspecified processor. At 5.1×2.6×0.6″, it’s a bit large, likely due to its unusual shape and rugged shell. It has as big pair of speakers on the front, since apparently people want big speakers on their phone. The few times I use the speakerphone, I always wish my phone was better in that respect, but that’s maybe twice a month.
It also uses XT9 instead of Swype, and has a “snap out menu” that actually looks pretty cool, though I can imagine it not running well (like other custom graphics and transitions) when the phone is bogged down:
And lastly there are a number of adventure-oriented apps like compass, pedometer, tide tables, that sort of thing. Nice of them to include, though I get the feeling they (like the Verizon stuff) will be unremovable.
The Commando will be available on Verizon for $200 with a new contract starting on April 28. More info here (Flash warning).
