The Commando brings Android to the outdoors in a sleek, The Casio G’zOne Commando is designed to take a fair share of abuse. Commando on Verizon ($200 with a new 2-year contract) is a rugged Android device meant for people who require a smartphone that can endure the toughest elements. The G’zOne Commando ships with Android 2.2 adorned with a custom UI. Notable features include high-security encryption for corporate e-mail, Wi-Fi hot-spot capability for up to five devices. The Commando measures 5.1 by 2.6 by 0.6 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.5 ounces. That’s not bad for a phone that permanently ensconced in a tough, rubberized case. It’s very comfortable to hold for long conversations. The glass screen is exposed, so you’re still not going to want to run this thing over with a Jeep. But aside from that, the Commando meets military specification 810G, which means it’s resistant to rain, dust, shock, vibration, salt fog, humidity, solar radiation, higher altitudes, and extreme temperatures. The 3.6-inch, 480-by-800-pixel capacitive touch LCD is about average for the class.
The right spine of the Commando houses the headphone jack, a micro-USB charging port, and a dedicated camera button. These ports have waterproof covers, just in case the phone falls out of your pocket and into a puddle. Instead of being on the top of the device, the power button is on the left spine, along with the volume rocker and a customizable tactile key, but rather far down; I would prefer to have the power button higher up. A 5-megapixel camera (with flash) is on the rear of the Commando, and you also have the standard touch-sensitive buttons you’d find on most other Android devices (Menu, Home, Back, and Search).
The Commando is a dual-band EV-DO Rev. A (850/1900 MHz) device with 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. There’s no 4G support. You can use the Commando as a mobile hotspot for up to five devices with the appropriate data plan. Voice calls sounded clear and crisp through the earpiece. Transmissions through the microphone were good, but not the best we’ve heard. Reception was fine.
Like many Verizon phones, the Commando is unfortunately stuck with Bing as the default search engine. Verizon has also preloaded a whole suite of applications on the Commando, like Verizon’s V Cast suite of apps, Mobile IM, City ID, VZ Navigator, Skype Mobile, NFL Mobile, Slacker Radio, Social Beat, InnoPath ActiveCare, and Casio’s G’zGear. Social Beat is essentially a hub that houses all your various social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace plus RSS feeds in a single app, while InnoPath ActiveCare lets you check for software updates. Unfortunately, these apps can’t be uninstalled.
But the primary piece of software of interest to Casio fans is the G’zGear suite of apps. This suite is aimed squarely at the outdoors enthusiast with such apps as Earth Compass, Walking Counter, Adventure Training, Trip Memory, Thermometer, Tides, Sun/Moon, and Star Gazer. The apps are fairly self-explanatory the thermometer app uses the built-in temperature sensor, and the compass app uses the compass, for example. Battery life was a stunning 8 hours and 41 minutes of talk time.
Android 2.2 (Froyo) is on board, which makes this a relatively up-to-date handset. Casio hasn’t listed a release date for an Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) upgrade. The Commando’s 800MHz processor benchmarked okay—not as fast as today’s 1GHz, single-core Android phones, but not terrible, either. But Casio’s UI layer is a drag. The rugged-themed graphics are cute, but they slow the handset down considerably in day-to-day operation.
The 5-megapixel auto-focus camera includes a small LED flash. The specs are fine, and the Commando snapped photos quickly even with auto-focus enabled. But slow shutter speeds rendered most photos just blurry and out of focus enough to be annoying. Tree leaves had a smudged look outdoors, and nearly every indoor photo wasn’t sharp enough to keep. Recorded 720-by-480-pixel videos were too pixelated, and played back at a somewhat jumpy 15 frames per second. We consider the low frame rate more of a problem than the lack of 720p HD support, because it reduces the chance you’ll use the camcorder at all for anything important.
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.
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