Verizon Targets Outdoorsy-Types With Their Latest Phone

Filed in archive Announcements on November 20, 2009

Verizon realizes that not all mobile handset users want to simply make and receive phone calls. As such their latest collaborative effort with Casio, a rugged clamshell model will have six operating modes including one tells the user the best time for fishing.

Calling the handset the Rock, this unit is designed for consumers with outdoor lifestyles and includes modes for activities such as fishing, hiking and climbing.

Tides Mode shows users tidal graph, times of ebb and floodtides, and graphs for 100 locations for the absolute best time to go fishing. Additional modes include an Earth Compass Mode to find GPS distances for 40 places worldwide, a Walking Counter Mode that keeps track of steps, time, distance, speed and energy consumption, a Thermometer Mode that measures temperature, an Astro Calendar Mode to show the number of days until a full or new moon, and Sunrise Sunset Mode to view the position of the sun and find the times for sunrises and sunsets for a given location.

The push-to-talk handset is also designed to withstand water, shock, dust, vibration, humidity, salt fog, solar radiation, altitude, and high and low temperature storage.

Tech junkies will be pleased to hear that it also includes a 2.0-megapixel camera, touch-sensitive music controls, stereo Bluetooth, high-speed EV-DO Rev. A Internet, microSD slot and access to Verizon's VCAST Video and Music services.

The Casio G'zOne Rock is available now for $200 with a two-year contract.