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Casio G'zOne Commando 4G LTE lands on Verizon with faster data, more letters
This isn't too big of a surprise given a preceding leak earlier this month, but Verizon and Casio have now gotten official with their latest, and suitably rugged, G'zOne phone. As the name suggests, the Commando 4G LTE adds some faster data not found in its predecessor, although the differences are less readily apparent beyond that. You'll get an "enhanced G'zGear multi-sensor tool" that promises to deliver accurate information of the world around you, as well as a couple of upgraded cameras to capture that world (8-megapixel with 1080p recording 'round back, plus a 1.3-megapixel front-facing cam). You can also take advantage of a Glove Mode to use the touchscreen without exposing your hands in particularly harsh conditions, although specs remain a bit light beyond that. Look for this one to be available starting June 27th for $99.99 on the usual two-year contract (and after a $50 mail-in rebate). Update: Verizon has now confirmed some additional specs in a press release (also found after the break), including a dual-core 1.5GHz processor and, unfortunately, the same 480 x 800 resolution as before.
Casio Commando 4G LTE reportedly spied enroute to Verizon
Casio's G'zOne Commando was designed with all the subtlety of a cruise missile, but it must have resonated with at least a few Verizon customers. That would explain why @evleaks has posted an image of the reported follow-up, the Commando 4G LTE. The device spied here would be as conspicuously rugged as its predecessor, and the custom Android interface would receive another round of overdone machismo -- witness the metallic app tray and watch-like widget. The leak doesn't include hardware specs, but an earlier FCC filing for a similar device suggests that NFC could accompany the expected LTE. There's also unconfirmed talk of a Snapdragon S4 Plus processor. Launch details remain a mystery, although we wouldn't be shocked if the new Commando is available while it's still warm outside.
Refresh Roundup: week of April 16th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Mobile Miscellany: week of November 14, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of November 14, 2011: Sony Ericsson has teamed up with Ingram Micro, a distributor that ships phones to Amazon, Buy.com, Best Buy and Newegg, to expand the distribution of its Android lineup in the US. The deal will include a healthy chunk of the Xperia series, including the arc S. [PRNewswire] Like the Motorola Defy+ but it's just not tough enough? Check out the limited-edition JCB version of the rugged device, which adds a hardcore JCB case, a special app with handyman tools and a two-year extended warranty. And it can be yours through Clove on December 6th for £219. [TechDigest] Verizon introduced the LG Extrovert, a prepaid device with a slide-out four-row QWERTY, 2.8-inch WQVGA (400 x 240) touchscreen display, 2MP camera and expandable storage. It, however, lacks 3G data. It's all yours on Verizon's prepaid site for $110. [PhoneArena] Speaking of Big Red, the rugged Casio Gz'One Ravine 2 was launched this week, and can be yours for $150 with a two-year contract. [PhoneScoop] The BlackBerry Bold 9790, announced this week, is confirmed to show up in the UK on Vodafone and O2, likely sometime in January. [Unwired View] SFR is selling the ZTE Tania, but it appears to be sold as a carrier-branded Windows Phone. You can purchase it without a contract for €269, or with a two-year commitment for €9.99. [MobileTechWorld] Twitter for Windows Phone just got updated to be compatible with Mango. It's meant to offer a smoother experience, but doesn't bring any new features with it. [WMPowerUser] Fandango debuted a new paperless ticket system, in concert with Regal-owned theaters, which can send a scannable bar code to your phone when you want to go see a movie. The ticket-takers then simply scan the code and you're all ready to root on Team Edward in the latest Twilight movie. Just don't forget the popcorn. [Yahoo!]
Samsung Illusion, Casio G'zOne Ravine 2 and BlackBerry Curve 9370 to hit Verizon this month?
Don't rub your eyes. That above pic is no mirage. It's a leaked rebate form heralding the Big Red arrival of an actual Illusion -- a 3G Samsung-made one, that is. The form, sent to us by an eagle-eyed tipster, confirms that mysterious Gingerbread phone's imminent November launch, while also outing two other equally un-hyped devices: the BlackBerry Curve 9370 and Casio G'zOne Ravine 2. No official release date could be gleaned from the info at hand, but with a redemption period ranging from the 1st of this month to the 28th, we're fairly certain this triumvirate of mid-range phones will be making a retail debut soon. So, if you need to replace your last battle-weary, ruggedized smartphone or have a hankering for portrait QWERTYs, this fair fall month's mobile refreshes could be just the ticket.
Rugged gadgets put to the test in Engadget labs, wanton destruction ensues
Lets be honest, we've all had those moments where we've wanted to hit our phone with a hammer or throw our laptop against the wall. Generally though, we resist those urges, knowing full well that it would spell the end for our precious gadget. There's a special class of rugged devices though, that are designed to withstand anything you throw at it -- or throw it at, as the case may be. We took a few of these beefy products, as well as one Extreme Sleeve for your non-military grade electronics, and put them through a battery of tests that would turn your average gadget into an unrecognizable pile of silicon and plastic. Head on after the break for a dose of dramatic destruction porn and to find out how this bevy of brawny portables held up against our gratuitous onslaught.
KDDI launches trio of Gingerbread-powered phones for the Japanese market
Last month, outdoorsy types in the states were treated to the G'zOne Commando, and now the Japanese market is about to get a macho Casio-made, Android-powered handset of its own. KDDI just launched the G'zOne IS11CA on its network, along with the Toshiba Regza Phone IS11T and the Xperia acro IS11S -- all of 'em Gingerbread-powered (sigh). The G'zOne IS11CA's design is similar -- but not identical -- to the Commando's, complete with rubberized bumpers, a 3.6-inch (480 x 800) display, and compliance with the US military's 801G specifications for dust, shock, and immersion in water. Meanwhile, the Regza IS11T is a 4-inch (854 x 480) slider boasting full QWERTY keyboard, 8 megapixel camera, GPS, TV tuner, and DLNA support. And lastly, the Xperia arco IS11S is a slab with a 4.2-inch (480 x 854) display, available in three colors. No word yet on pricing, though we know the G'zOne IS11CA and the Xperia arco are coming in late June, while the Regza Phone is slated to go on sale in September. Candy-colored press shots at the source links.
HTC Incredible 2 prepares for imminent launch, Casio's Commando provides backup
If you'd been crushing hard on HTC's Incredible, cool that burning desire just a smidgen -- we've got evidence that suggests an imminent release of the Droid Incredible 2. Following its appearance in Verizon's internal system and leaked training docs, Best Buy has begun receiving accessories for the re-purposed Incredible S, ensuring you'll have all the requisite goodies at launch. Additionally, the folks at Droid Life report Verizon stores are receiving retail shipments of the device, along with Casio's G'zOne Commando. The expected release date is April 28th, so it looks like you'll be playing with those capacitive buttons soon enough. We've included a pic of the retail box after the break, and you'll find additional snapshots in the source link.
KDDI au outs Winter 2010 and Spring 2011 collections at the same time
A few of these handsets were already public knowledge, but by and large, KDDI's mind-numbing torrent of phones announced as members of its new Winter 2010 and Spring 2011 collections will leave you once again asking why you haven't sold your four-bedroom suburban home and relocated your entire family to a 125 square foot flat in the heart of Tokyo. We've already talked about the X-Ray, a member of KDDI's fashion-forward iida line, and the 16.4 megapixel Sony Ericsson S006 -- but other highlights include the IS04, IS05, and IS06, Android smartphones from Toshiba, Sharp, and Pantech, respectively (which doesn't even include Sharp's IS03 announced at CEATEC a few days ago). Of the three, none matches the IS03's 960 x 640 display nor its low-power secondary LCD, but the Toshiba Regza IS04 notably features a 12.1 megapixel cam. As the iida line goes, the X-Ray will be joined by the G11, a follow-on to 2009's G9 model -- and from what we can discern, it'll be a GSM / CDMA dual mode slider for international roaming with a touch-sensitive area below the 854 x 480 display in place of the G9's physical keys. Highlights among the other models include an upgraded Sharp Aquos Shot SH010 combining a 14.1 megapixel sensor with a waterproof shell, a Bravia-branded Sony Ericsson S005 with a 1GHz processor, and "simple" phones from Kyocera and Pantech -- the K008 and PT002, respectively -- that are designed for the occasional shopper that actually doesn't want ridiculous specs designed to make every phone outside Japan look like a DynaTAC. There's also a new e-reader, the E Ink-equipped Biblio Leaf SP02, featuring integrated solar recharging -- a smart feature for a device designed to sip power in the first place -- and a new mobile WiFi hotspot from Pantech, the WiFi Walker Data05. If you need to know more, follow the source link, but we've got to warn you: it might be hours before you're done.
Casio G'zOne Ravine blasts its way onto Verizon
Alright, Boulder owners, heads up -- your upgrade has arrived. The rumored Casio G'zOne Ravine is now official for Verizon, offering a 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash, noise cancellation, VZ Navigator support, and -- of course -- MIL-STD-810G compliance for resistance to "water, dust, shock, vibration, humidity, altitude, salt fog, solar radiation, and high and low temperatures." Salt fog can be brutal, can't it? It's also got push-to-talk capability over Verizon's EV-DO network, though we suspect that ain't a thing for most would-be Ravine buyers -- serious push-to-talkers have long since rallied around Sprint and Boost, both of whom offered their own ruggedized gear. We don't have a date just yet, but it'll be "coming soon" for $149.99 after $50 rebate on a two-year contract.
Casio G'zOne Ravine coming soon on Verizon, it seems
Fact: the QWERTY clamshell Brigade is the only Casio G'zOne that Verizon currently sells. Fact: not everyone that wants a G'zOne wants a QWERTY clamshell (well, okay, that's more of a suspicion of ours than a fact, really). Anyhow, looks like Big Red is finally getting around to replacing the now-discontinued Rock with a new model, the Ravine, which appears to carry over all of the G'zOne lines usual features and styling cues -- most notably the ultra-rugged shell and push-to-talk capability. The external LCD reads Wednesday, September 29, which we suppose could be the launch date; in the meantime, we guess we'll just have to continue being careful not to drop our phone into creeks or mud pits. [Thanks, Terrence]
Casio G'zOne Brigade now officially available on Verizon
It's no mere coincidence that folks have been able to pick up Brigades this week, because Verizon's chosen today to officially light up retail availability of its latest in the long-running G'zOne series from Casio. The landscape QWERTY clamshell features a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera with video capture, microSD expansion, EV-DO Rev. A data, mil-spec 810F compliance for resistance to just about all the bad stuff you could possibly come in contact with during an average day, and a pair of displays: WQVGA on the inside paired with a 128 x 96 monochrome OLED up front. It runs $249.99 on contract after $50 rebate and it's available today, so start planning your next dusty, wet, cold, rocky activity where you can put this thing to the ultimate test.
Verizon selling Casio Brigade on the downlow?
It feels like the Brigade's been in the public conscience for forever and a day (and let's be honest, November is forever and a day ago by phone standards), but amazingly, Casio's latest rugged G'zOne for Verizon still isn't being offered -- at least, not in any official capacity. It seems some HowardForums posters have managed to order and receive their Brigades by calling the carrier's telesales directly, and a few uploaded shots of the boxed QWERTY clamshell is enough to have us believing it's the real deal. For what it's worth, this tends to happen pretty frequently with Verizon -- they'll start selling and shipping new devices over the phone a couple weeks before announcing availability or offering them via the web -- so it doesn't come as much of a surprise that we're going down the same road again here, and a few brick and mortar locations have apparently started to take delivery, too. Expect to pay $249 after $50 rebate -- in other words, enough cash so that you'd better really need a messaging-centric dumbphone with a tough shell.
Casio G'zOne Brigade brings whole new level of rugged insanity to the QWERTY clamshell
We've seen some crazy phones in our day, many of them from Casio, as it turns out, but the G'zOne Brigade really pushes the envelope. It's a ruggedized, weatherproof, Push to Talk QWERTY clamshell, with some of the odder physical protrusions we've seen on a handset this decade. Unfortunately, the QWERTY keyboard, which is populated with large and very clickable keys, is arranged in possibly one of the least sensible layouts conceivable. Software-wise the handset runs the full gamut of V CAST apps and also includes a document viewer for opening Microsoft Office files and PDFs. Price and availability info will be revealed "closer to launch."
Casio's G'zOne Rock C731 for Verizon oozes tough
We've been hearing about Casio's next US-bound G'zOne for a while now, but the Rock's been taking its sweet time getting to market -- not unlike the EXILIM before it, we suppose. We still don't have a release here, but PhoneArena appears to have nabbed solid shots of the C731 in the wild, showing totally typical G'zOne styling cues with the pointy tips, textured components, and a total disregard for beauty (at least in the traditional sense of the word). They still haven't managed to scrounge up a possible release date -- but really, you could argue that the Boulder still has some life in it, so we wouldn't be surprised if this didn't hit until closer to the holidays at the earliest.
Oh, by the way: August 4, 2009
Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Tuesday, August 4th, 2009: Following the G'zOne C731 Rock, Casio's C741 Brigade for Verizon has nabbed FCC clearance. Not much is known about the phone -- we can assume it'll be ruggedized to one degree or another -- but one interesting tidbit is the inclusion of VCAST TV support, something Verizon's been getting lax on as of late. [Via PhoneArena] Have you seen a white / silver Samsung i7500 Galaxy? Now you have. [Thanks, Ruben W.] China's regulatory peeps have had the good fortune of seeing a couple new Philips Xeniums in their midst, a K700 full touch model and an X501 candybar. Philips has yet to announce either unit, but you can bet they'll last until the next ice age on a single charge. [Via Unwired View] Microsoft's MSDN -- its official developer network -- has published a case study on porting an iPhone app to Windows Mobile. A year ago, you'd have been more likely to see case studies going in the other direction, but, you know, times are changing. [Via Tweakers.net] Digia put together a nice little web browser for UIQ called @Web, but then UIQ sorta went away -- so they're back at it again, this time on S60 5th Edition in beta form. S60 does a decent job browsing out of the gate, but @Web's got some interesting UI elements that might make it worth a look. [Via All About Symbian] We don't see much of it in the States, but Samsung's got a whole brand -- DuoS -- for dual-SIM capable handsets. Mobil.cz has dug up a new model in the series, a low-end candybar dubbed C3212 that'll run the equivalent of around $195 and go on sale in Russia later this summer before expanding to other European markets. [Via Mobile Phone Helpdesk] Value brand Cricket is adding yet more value to its unlimited voice plans that start at a bargain-basement $40. The $40 price point now includes web access; $45 gets you unlimited email, backup, and 30 roaming minutes a month, and $55 ups the roaming to 200 minutes.
FCC approves Casio's G'zOne Rock, probably Verizon-bound
Casio has developed a well-entrenched reputation on Verizon for bringing mercilessly rugged phones to market -- a strange reputation, considering how few phones Casio sells in North America in general -- but at any rate, it looks like that trend's probably going to continue with the new "G'zOne Rock" that just garnered FCC certification. It's a CDMA set with EV-DO and Bluetooth (what else), and from the ID label document's outline, we get the sense that this is a flip that doesn't diverge too far from the edgy design cues set forth by the Boulder before it. No word on when this one will be available, but we bet this FCC lab is having a blast "torture testing" it in the meantime.[Via Phone Scoop]
Verizon's G'zOne Boulder now shipping with front speaker
Yeah, you read that correctly. Now shipping with a front speaker. If you'll have a look at the original version (after the break) and compare the front to the image you see above, it's easy to spot the difference. With no rhyme, reason or official announcement, Casio has apparently started shipping VZW a refreshed version of the rough and tough G'zOne Boulder. According to the owner of this here mobile, the model number now sits at C711ORXB, though the significance of that is anyone's guess. We know, your "old" Boulder now feels totally inadequate -- shame a simple software update can't bring it up to speed.[Via phoneArena]
Verizon G'zOne Boulder gets torture tested, er, "reviewed"
Casio's G'zOne Boulder doesn't do much, but what it does do, it does anywhere, anytime and under (almost) any circumstances. After launching a few weeks back on Verizon, the ultra-rugged handset has been reviewed over at CNET, and needless to say, it managed to handle a few dips in the pool and a couple close encounters with a wall with nary an issue. Unfortunately, the phone faltered at handling its most important task: making calls. Call quality in San Francisco was said to be "hugely disappointing," with most calls sounding "crackly" with a dash of "static and echo" for good measure. The extra features (camera, multimedia player, V Cast, etc.) were all decent, but nothing truly stood out as phenomenal. Overall, the Boulder is probably only a safe bet if you're dead set on the design and toughness, but even still, we'd try out a few other hardcore handsets before settling on one with lackluster call quality.
E Ink fits Vizplex displays into Casio, Hitachi handsets
For those still thinking that flexible displays are far from being widely accessible, think again. E Ink has just announced that its Vizplex Imaging Film-based displays will be used in handsets by Casio Hitachi Mobile Communications. For starters, the Hitachi W61H (already available) boasts a 2.7-inch E Ink display that can scroll through 96 different images whenever a call is received or the clamshell is cracked open; the Casio G'zOne (shown after the jump) will feature the same technology on its secondary "silhouette display." Details beyond that are pretty scant, but the real news here is that these displays are finally making their way into reasonably affordable handsets. Open up the flood gates, we say.[Via SlashPhone]
