How much phone do you want?

If all you want is a simple to use and durable phone, this serves well, but don't let that tough=simple moniker fool you. This phone deserves more than a passing glance.
Rugged-milspec, meaning it would be functional in a war zone. You can drop it in a bucket of water while its in the middle of a call and simply pull it out, shake it off and carry on with your conversation. As long as the ports are covered, it can handle water up to 3 feet deep. Dust is no problem either. Dropped your phone while working on a roof? Its not likely to do this one much harm. Every bit as tough as they claim and its fairly simple to use for basic functions.
Take pictures and video, play music, use a bluetooth earpiece or sync it to your car audio system, you can even tether your computer to it and use it as a cell network modem linking through the bluetooth radio or the USB cord. One of the best ergonomic features is the easily accessible micro sd (up to 8GB) slot on the side rather than under the battery. I'm able to pull that card out of the phone and insert it into my computer (via an SD adapter that comes with the micro-SD card) and transfer any pictures or video I've taken with the phone directly onto the computer rather than trying to sync the phone to the computer. This is a great work around if you're not computer savvy and just want to get the pictures out of it, much like any digital camera or pda. Same thing for putting the podcasts and music files on the phone, simply transfer them directly to the SD card and then reinsert the card into the phone. Do ask about the types of files this phone can handle. I loaded my 8GB card with a passle of audio files in mp3 format only to discover the phone's software didn't recognize them. What's up with that Verizon? I haven't tried that in a while, could be the updated software will handle it. Hope, hope!! Don't expect it to be a ruggedized iPhone with its access to the App Store, but the Navigator provided by Verizon and the very limited music player are easy to use. As a mobile web browsing device, the tiny screen and the 16 key keyboard aren't supposed to compete with QWERTY keyboard sliders or the touch screen phones, but it will allow you to get that web page up.
Features-A little bulkier than most clamshells owing to its ruggedized shell, especially with an extended life battery. (good for 2 days of normal use without a charge) 1.2 megapixal pix and flix camera and the camera's flash also serves as a flashlight, speach recognition, (it will take verbal instructions so you can dial a contact by pushing a single button and saying, "Call" and the contact's name) intuitive text t9 typing, web browser, global positioning system receiver (GPS) which I use with Verizon's navigator, an electronic compass, (in case you get lost in the urban jungle) speaker phone, Push To Talk radio (PTT) capable, . Its great for audio, but I don't recommend it for surfing the web on its tiny screen, however, if you do have a need for a data connection I'd recommend checking out thestreamcenter.com/pda for live radio feeds from any English speaking country around the world. I also recommend getting the charging cradle, its much easier to drop it in the cradle which has two contacts that marry up to the contacts on the back of the battery, than to plug the charging adapter into its covered port. For some reason I find it difficult to get that adapter plugged into the phone's port. You'll love this phone.

Simple design that works. Not a lot of useless bells and whistles.

So it's important to know with this phone and most older Verizon phones that they are cheaper partially because the app updates don't work. That means you CANNOT use the phone number back up app with this phone anymore.

That aside this phone is perfect for me. I consider myself somewhat of a tech person and as of this writing (10/3/2011) I refuse to get any phone with a data plan. I have an ipod touch and I'm never out of a wifi zone so paying an extra $40 to $60 a month for a service I already pay for with my internet bill is useless for me.

Which is why I bought this phone. It's water proof, it's dust proof. There's a strong simplicity that makes it work. There are actual exterior screws that keeps the shock absorbing material attached to the phone. The battery is a one piece design with a steal locking mechanism so it won't come loose. This phone is well constructed and very durable.

I also prefer flip phones to the straight vertical smart phones because it cups your head better. The listen and talk quality on this phone is great. It does offer blue tooth features so it's not that primitive. The battery is really impressive as well. If you follow proper battery charging (wait for it to die then charge it all the way) I've had this thing on for upwards of a week straight.

The reason I purchased this phone is because my last phone which was a newer Verizon cosmio (the only free phone with a keyboard that won't charge you for a data plan on the Verizon network) and my girlfriend put it through the washing machine. I almost brought it back to life but got a little hasty putting the battery back in thinking it was dry and I fried it.

I wanted a bullet proof waterproof phone and feel like I got it. If you are like me and feel like having a data plan is not worth the $720 a year price tag for a data plan and you want a phone that is reliable, has a long battery life, and is extremely durable I would highly recommend this phone. The only reason I did not give it 5/5 on overall rating is that due to being an older phone some of the features are a little dates. The alarm clock cannot due custom alarm settings throughout the week. It sounds petty but if it could that would be a 5/5 to me.

Casio Gzone Boulder,one tough phone.

This phone is rugged. No ifs,ands,or buts! User friendly to a nongeek cell phone user like me. The light is a nice plus. Easy to hold when not using handsfree. Decent signal in most areas. Don't like: 1) vibrate mode sucks-vibrates about as hard as a butterfly. 2) One plug for headset,chargers, and whatever else. no port for external antenna in vehicle. I buoght this phone to try and see if it can hold up to my style of living.I did not want a smaller phone because they are easier to loose and harder to keep in hand for long periods of time. I like the flashlight and compass,the buttons are easy to use, and the volume can be set high enough to hear in loud areas. I got the extended battery and really like theuse time between charges. I really recommend this phone for people who need a rugged phone. Any doubts, go see the Casio Boulder website.

Very rugged phone

The phone is really rugged. In my engineering class I placed it in a bowl of water.
We then called my phone and it still worked!
I've thrown it across my room to prove how strong it is. It's INDESTRUCTIBLE!
There are barely any scratches on it!

There is one flaw: the software.
Why does verizon contract Casio to build indestructible phones, yet program it with terrible software?
The network speed is incredible. It downloads media faster than any phone I've used. However for a messaging phone the processing is weak. Sometimes when I get into texting the phone will shut off when messaging too much. To fix this all I do is turn the phone off for a few minutes. When I turn it back on, it always works perfectly for several hours.

Likewise, because it is waterproof it means that nothing gets in or out.
When you put that much padding on a phone some sound will be compromised.
Granted Casio compensated by putting in one of the loudest and highest quality speakers I've ever heard in a cell phone, however the microphone is difficult to work with. You have to absolutely make sure the microphone is level with the corner of your mouth. Otherwise they cant hear you. Once you figure out how to talk into it, its is incredibly easy to use and truly an amazing phone.

The only "real" problem is with the texting. However, this phone has been out for a while now, so soon Verizon should be releasing a software update for the phone which will hopefully fix the occasional text overload the phone can get.

This is a great phone and I'll never buy another!

Solid as a Rock, but at one third the price!

What a neat idea! I love my Casio G-shock watch, now I've got a phone to match. This model doesn't have all the features of the Rock, the upgraded model, but I was looking for something basic anyway and, at only a third of the price, I consider the Boulder to be an excellent bargain. If you're a low-tech phone guy like me, you'll love this phone. I was amazed at how light it is considering its sturdiness. Of course, if you're getting the phone with a contract, and you have an even choice at no additional cost, you'd probably do better to select the newer model. But I prefer to buy my phones at a reasonable price and not have to sell my soul for two years. I couldn't find the Rock for much under $200, but I managed to get a nice new Boulder for about $65. Us old guys really get off on stuff like that! I was also able to activate it myself, online, so I didn't have to go to a Verizon Wireless store and cough up an extra $20. I get a nice clear signal, a fair selection of ringtones and wallpaper, a built-in clock and calendar, and a phone that's sturdy enough not to need a case to protect it. Of course, there's also a camera, as well as plenty of available games and applications for those who are interested in such things. I rated the features at 3 stars only because I'm sure there are lots of 'smartphone' features that are missing from the Boulder, but I won't be missing any of them. I can talk, I can text, I can take pictures - that's enough for me. If I were so inclined, I could also download ringtones and wallpaper, as well as games and applications. As Lt. Worf might say, "Nice phone. Good price."