Casio G’zOne Rock review – rough-and-tumble look, several outdoor features
For:
2-megapixel camera, GPS, Push-To-Talk, EV-DO Rev. A network; outdoor features like GPS, compass, thermometer, Sunrise Sunset app, Astro calendar, tidal graph, thermometer, and so forth.
Against:
The Rock needs improvement for music player interface, call and photo quality.
The Whiz Kid Speaks:
Casio G’zOne Rock is based on CDMA2000 1X technology and supports dual-band of CDMA 800/1900. The Rock has micro-SD expansion slot that accepts up to 16GB cards.
0.9 inch OLED monochrome external display sits in a decorative circle on the front. 2.1 inches LCD internal display has 240×320 colors that supports 16-bit colors. Casio G’zOne Rock features backlit and display languages of English and Spanish.
2-megapixel camera features flash, video recording, multi-shot mode, white-balance presets and self timer delay of 3, 5, and 10 seconds. It can capture pictures in five resolutions: 160×120, 320×240, 640×480, 1280×960, and 1600×1200. The video capture resolution is 320×240.
The additional highlights are Integrated digital compass, Inbuilt motion sensor, E-911 compliant, TTY compatible, and thermometer. Messaging features include Voice mail, email, instant messages, picture messages, text and multimedia messages.
Casio G’zOne Rock has one 2.5mm headset jack (sub-mini-phone). It is compatible to hearing aids. The battery life is 300 minutes talk time and 80 hours idle standby time. Accessories supplied inside the package are handset charging cradle, device lock tool, wall charger, battery cover, and lithium ion battery.
Razzle Dazzle:
Casio G’zOne Rock is 4.1 inches tall, 2 inches wide, and 0.9 inch deep and weighs 4.4 ounces. Its rough-and-tumble look clearly reflects its namesake. All of its ports are protected with rubber stopper covers. The battery cover has locking mechanism to secure internal chip and battery.
Inside Dope:
There is a large consumer base for rugged handsets from Casio ever since the launch of Type-V model in 2006. These handsets are not only for industry workers, but also for swimmers, mountaineers, safari and naval professionalizes. Now, the company has launched another rugged phone – Casio G’zOne Rock. The Rock is not a beauty like its predecessor – Verizon G’zOne Boulder. It is MIL-STD-810F (military specification) certified to withstand extreme temperatures, high altitude, solar radiation, humidity, fog, salt, vibration, immersion, dust, shock, and water. The G’zOne Rock is available for $149.99 with two year contract from Verizon Wireless. The handset offers GPS with compass, thermometer and tidal graph, push-to-talk, and EV-DO. The G’zOne Rock looks masculine with its blocky and jagged angles. On the contrary, its call and photo quality as well as music player interface needs improvement. Noteworthy that Rock will be first choice for those persons who need rugged handset with some traveling/outdoor features like compass.
Design
The external display sits in a decorative silver circle on the front of Casio G’zOne Rock. Touch-sensitive music controls surrounds the external display and glows red when activated. You can use these controls also to access other applications and Push-To-Talk contacts. The external speakers are located above the display. You will find side key, volume rocker, push-to-talk button, and 2.5mm headset jack on the left spine. Side key can be used to unlock the keyguard and you can also customize with a shortcut. The charger jack as well as connector pins to connect charging dock are located on the right side. Came lens with LED flash/flashlight sits on the back, while silver button-type one-touch hinge is located on the right side.
Display
0.9 inch OLED monochrome external display of Casio G’zOne Rock has 96×96 pixels resolution. It displays signal strength, battery life, caller ID, and date/time. You can use the external display as camera viewfinder, but remember that it is Black & White.
2.1 inches internal display has 240×320 pixels resolution that supports 65,000 colors. You can customize the menu font size, dial fonts, menu style, clock format, and backlight time.
Navigation Array and Keyboard
Navigation Array sits underneath the display and consists of speakerphone/flashlight key, dedicated camcorder/camera key, two soft keys, and round toggle with center OK button. You can customize the up, down, and left directions of toggle with shortcuts, while right key will show My Shortcuts pop-up menu containing four additional shortcuts. Send key, Voice command/Clear button, and Power/End key with alphanumeric keypad are located beneath the array. All keys are jagged and raised above surface.
Phonebook and PIM features
Casio G’zOne Rock can store 500 contacts in its phonebook. Each entry can store four phone numbers, two email addresses, street address, and one instant messenger name. You can divide the contacts into groups and pair them with alert-tone, ring-tone, and photo for caller ID. The essential feature set includes notepad, world clock, countdown timer, stop watch, calculator, calendar, alarm clock, text and multimedia messaging, 12 polyphonic ring-tones, speakerphone, and vibrate mode.
Additional Highlights
The advanced features are mobile email for POP3/IMAP4 accounts, mobile Web email for Web mail services like Yahoo and Windows Live Mail, mobile IM (AOL, Yahoo, and Windows Live), Web browser, and voice commands. Casio G’zOne Rock also offers Push-To-Talk, USB mass storage, GPS, and stereo Bluetooth. Verizon has also provided its VZ Navigator service for turn-by-turn directions. In addition, the Rock also supports Field Force Manager – resource management tool to keep in touch with field workers.
Casio G’zOne Rock comes with preinstalled useful applications such as tidal graph to display suitable fishing time, Sunrise Sunset application to show position and time of sun, Astro calendar to show lonar cycle, thermometer with both Fahrenheit and Celsius measurement, Walking pedometer/counter, and earth compass.
Verizon services
Verizon Wireless is also providing its services with the phone including V Cast Video (streaming video service), and V Cast Music with Rhapsody (download on-the-air music).
Camera
2-megapixel camera of Casio G’zOne Rock features flash, night-mode, multi-shot mode, self-timer, and video recording. Other image settings include brightness, shutter sound toggle, six color effects, five resolutions, and five white balance options. The overall photo quality was good and images appeared sharp. You can record videos up to 60 minutes to store at cards and 60 seconds for MMS. The video editing options are similar to that of still capture.
Music Player
The music player interface of Casio G’zOne Rock is similar to other Verizon cell phones. It features create/manage on-the-fly play-lists, shuffle and repeat modes. You can sync the music tracks via USB or micro-SD cards and download through V Cast Music for $1.99 per song.
Games and Personalization
Casio G’zOne Rock does not come with any game. You can personalize it with numerous alert-tones, display themes, wallpaper, and so forth. You can download more options and buy games from Verizon Get It Now service.
Call Quality
We made few calls through dual-band based Casio G’zOne Rock via Verizon Wireless. The overall call quality was average. We received natural, clear and loud sound without any distortion at our end. The callers received harsh and hollow sound at their end. The speakerphone call quality was below average. Both of us received echo while conversation over speakerphone. The audio quality was average on speakers with hollow and tiny sound, but remains good on headset.
Battery Life
The battery life of Casio G’zOne Rock is 26.25 days idle standby time and 5 hours talk time. The digital SAR is 1.18 per kg in accordance with FCC radiation tests.
Verdict:
If you need a rugged handset with outdoor features but do not mind average call and captured picture quality, then purchase – Casio G’zOne Rock.
