Casio's Tough G'zOne Boulder

Here's something for those who love tough handsets and the outdoors. Casio has just announced the arrival of the Boulder, the latest version of the G'zOne ruggedized line of phones.

With a name like the Boulder, you've got to expect that it's a rugged type of phone. I also like to say that it's a cool looking phone with a compass on the exterior. I'm sure that outdoor enthusiasts will love to have it as part of their gear. Let's go over the details of this device.

This handset is currently being offered by Verizon at $129 with a contract agreement for two years and after a $50 online discount. A few days ago, Verizon also released a rugged phone called the the Motorola Adventure V750. It seems that Verizon is making a move into the rugged phones market.

Like most rugged phones, the G'zOne Boulder is built to military specifications to withstand shock, water and dust environments. This makes it a phone for those who like to hike, fish or climb mountains. It can withstand those environment that would destroy most other mobile phones.

Today's tough phones do not only offer durable bodies but decent features as well. And Casio's Boulder is no different. It offers integrated GPS, e-compass, LED flashlight, and Push-to-Talk functionality. It also offers a 1.3 megapixel camera, a microSD card for storing media, video and music playback, Bluetooth, and speakerphone. In short, it's loaded. That camera can come in handy for those great out doors sights.

The G’zOne Boulder supports some of Verizon Wireles's productivity tools and entertainment services including VZ NavigatorSM, Field Force Manager, V CAST Music with Rhapsody and V CAST Video.

Here is a list of the Boulders features and capabilities:

• 1.3 megapixel camera
• Flashlight
• Electronic compass
• Music player
• optional microSD™ card up to 8 GB
• Bluetooth®
• Advanced speech recognition with dedicated voice dial key
• Alarm clock
• Voice commands
• Speakerphone
• Bilingual interface
• VZ Navigator-capable
• Field Force Manager-capable
• V CAST Music with Rhapsody-capable

Tune in to this blog for more info on mobile phones and related topics.