2013 Casio Commando 4g LTE
Edited: Jul 26, 2013, 9:52 AMPhone owned for less than 3 months
First off, I'm not a forum guru but I'm from neanderthal when it comes to reviews. This is my opinion one of the best pieces of consumer tech to come out in years. Asian cell phone markets have been a semi-test bed for phones similar in concept, and while they have reflected a strong interest in waterproofing electronics, no phone released elsewhere has been quite as well put together as the commando. The fact that it has received little publicity in the shadow of S4 active is sad. Probably this is due to the fact that the name isn't catchy enough and way too long. Casio as a company has been mediocre and dropping the ball across the board for awhile. But let's put all that aside for a minute and look at just this phone. You can read specs for yourself, I'm not a salesman, all I can say is that the phone does everything described on paper and more. For me, the software and hardware are sufficient for anything that you would want to do on a phone.
I've had this phone for a little over amonth. I've beat the living snot out of it. Every phone I've ever owned has needed an insurance plan to keep up with my lifestyle (and yes I got a plan for this phone too, although it may not need it). If you need a prissy phone that takes good self-portraits, your out of luck here. If you need a phone that blasts your favorite music while enjoying a shower beer, you've struck gold. In the rain, in the sun, thrown into pools, dropped from ledges this thing is still kicking strong.
Here's my list of pros and cons on this product:
Pros:
1. Rugged and familiar with water
2. Fully customizable landscape
3. Functional built-in apps (that can be removed) and power control widget is awesome
4. Global capable
5. Hotspot node
6. Blutooth sync options (although the refresh rate can be a little slow)
7. The developer options under the settings menu are exceptionally useful
Cons:
1. Severely lacking accessories
2. 'Glove mode' button placement is terrible (although it can be turned off)
3. Battery life (although it has a bulky upgrade option)
4. The seal around the headset door experience wear and tear the more it is opened since it is made of a solid plastic piece (i.e. the more you open it the less waterproof the seal over time, replacable o-rings would have been a great option just like it has on the charge door). The charging dock may be a good preventative accessory since I'm assuming it will charge through the copper plating on the side of the phone, and for the headset door wear, I recommend using blutooth sync for audio.
If you're thinking about this phone, here's something to consider before buying. You're getting into a phone made a company that is not very popular or frankly well-known outside of specific markets. The Walkman days are over and we're not comparing new tech so often as we are better tech. This phone is the best at what it does and represents the best union of specs reflected in functionality within its category.
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