The Casio G'zOne continues Casio's long tradition of ultrarugged phones with the bonus of improved call quality.
Kent German
Kent was a senior managing editor at CNET News. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he reviewed the first iPhone and worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not working, he's planning his next vacation, walking his dog or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).
The Casio G'zOne Ravine 2 won't win any beauty contests, but its superdurable design is built to last. You'll notice the burly, comfortable feel in your hand.
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The Ravine 2 is designed to withstand a variety of harsh elements, including a full dunking in water.
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One of the best things about the Ravine 2's design is the spaciousness of its navigation controls and keypad.
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Indeed, the keys are very comfortable to use. But that's only if you remember how to text on an alphanumeric keypad.
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The external display shows the usual information, though it would be nice to be able to see some internal menus without opening the phone. The black-and-red color scheme is very Verizon.
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The Ravine 2's moving parts are neither too stiff nor too loose.
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The Ravine 2's camera and flash are located on its top rear side. Photo quality is poor, unfortunately, and there's no self-portrait mirror.
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The battery cover has a locking switch to keep out water and dust.
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Similarly, the Micro-USB and microSD ports on the right side are protected by rubber flaps.
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On the left side are the push-to-talk control, the volume rocker, and a voice commands button. The headset jack up top also has a cover, though it's too bad that the jack is 2.5mm, rather than 3.5mm.
