I never thought there was such a thing, but i saw an ad for one that sounded too good to be true. They said its a touch screen android phone that is military spec whatever rated for waterproofness and for drops of 6’ 26 times with no damage or something like that.
Well I hated my iphone and it was on its last legs, so I got this as a replacement. Ive had it a couple of weeks and it is awesome. When i paddle i normally have my iphone playing music, and would have to leave it in my lap and hope for the best or put it in my pelican case and run the wire out, and have to open it to change songs. With the new phone i can put it in my pfd pocket or drop it in the bottom of my boat and let music play off the speaker without worrying about my phone getting wet (sound quality is great for a phone speaker). The battery life is great, i have played music off the speaker for 10 hrs (6 of those raining hard, not like that effects battery life though) and had a lot of battery life left. My iphone would have lasted 2-3 hours at best like that.
5mp camera with flash, records hd video, the memory card is just a micro sd card so it can be upgraded without buying a new phone unlike apple. It does everything an iphone 4 can do but is waterproof. I dont mean for this to sound like an advertisement, but i love this phone. I just wanted to spread the word, because I always thought the only rugged or water ‘proof’ phones were old school simple flip phones.
Here is a link to the phone,
http://www.casiogzone.com/commando/
and some to youtube reviews
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lDtI53jvYo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIXOZAwg0aQ&feature=related
Looks Like a Winner
Wonder if my AT&T SIM card will fit? Maybe I’ll open up a Verizon account?
SPAM
I’ve got one
it’s everything you say it is.
Military Spec - WHICH ONE ???
Battery contacts
-Brass contacts with nickel plating and gold over
top of that will eventually corrode if left
exposed to sea water long enough.
JIS numbered 2-8
"IPX7" is equivalent to JIS 7.
Items manufactured with LEVEL 8 are expensive
Level 7 gives only 30 minutes of security from water
Test
Level Definition
0 Non protected, No special protection
1 Protected against falling water Equivalent to 3-5mm rainfall per minute for a duration of 10 minutes. Unit is placed in its normal operating position.
2 Protected against falling water when tilted up to 15 degrees. Same as (1) above but unit is tested in 4 fixed positions - tilted 15 degree in each direction from normal operating position.
3 Protected against spraying water, Water spraying up to 60 degrees from vertical at 10 liters/min at a gauge pressure of 80-100kN/m2 for 5 min.
4 Protected against splashing water. Same as level 3 but water is sprayed at all angles.
5 Protected against water jets Water projected at all angles through a 6.3mm nozzle at a flow rate of 12.5 liters/min at a gauge pressure of 30kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.
6 Protected against heavy seas. Water projected at all angles through a 12.5mm nozzle at a flow rate of 100 liters/min at a gauge pressure of 100kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.
7 Protected against water immersion. Immersion for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter.
8 Protected against water submersion The equipment is suitable for continuous submersion in water under conditions which are identified by the manufacturer.
810G according to this reviewer
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/05/04/casio-gzone-commando-underwater-test-video/
And according to Casio also…
http://www.casiogzone.com/commando/
After site opens click on “toughness”…
Good for 3 ft of Water -
MIL-STD-810G
METHOD 512.5
2.3.2.3
Depth of immersion.
a. Complete immersion.
For testing the integrity of a test item,
use a 1m covering depth of water
http://bit.ly/MIL810G
***__Most peoples home pool is deeper than 3 feet__***
At 10 feet of depth, figure about 4-5 psi
on that waterproof membrane over speaker/microphone
What part of the cockpit of a kayak is
more than 3’ underwater?
Best of luck
Wishing you all the best on the water with kayak phone
People that ski - fall in the snow
People that mountain bike - fall in the dirt
People that kayak - all their stuff gets wet
...Especially the stuff that doesn't float...
Who makes a floating smartphone?
Let’s not sacrifice the useful on the altar of perfection.
just get this…
http://www.h2oaudio.com/store/waterproof-cases/amphibx-go-waterproof-case-for-iphone.html It uses O ring rather than fold over closure so it tends to stay quite dry.
Never much need for any such gear to float since you use a lanyard (if forces are great enough to bust a lanyard then it’s floating may not help much anyway). I mostly keep mine phone in this case and then in my day hatch. But when doing a long solo paddle on a mild day I may attach it to my PFD and enjoy some music using my waterproof headphones.
Nothing is 100% guaranteed. I also carry a VHF but it’s nice to have other options or to call my wife to say I’m running late.
I don’t listen to musicn when I paddle
Sounds of the paddle and boat provide too much feedback to me about my performance to sully that with music.
But. A waterproof phone if it works is a big safety tool for surfski. Right now I carry VHF offshore and that should work for me because there’s a Coast Guard station at the inlet where I paddle. VHF doesn’t work everywhere and a cell phone that I could use in an incident could be a big help if I ever needed it.
but if you need it in bad weather
If it’s blowing 25kts and I break a leash in 2-3 meter seas then a phone that works outside the watertight box would be usefull if I don’t happen to be within VHF earshot of the inlet.
VHF hails everyone
A cell phone is a one-to-one connection.
The VHF is a one-to-everyone communication.
Both tools have their place and time to be used.
GPS units float
People were droppin’ $300 GPS units in the water
–customers complained and surprise, floatin’ units.
When a floating smartphone
is available be sure to let us know, until then we’ll muddle through somehow.
fully usable thru case
with the case I mentioned you can use the phone. Waterproof headphones let you actually hear even with wind and you can dial, etc. through the case. Now actually pressing keys on any phone in such conditions may be a challenge though.
i had to switch to verizon from att
I had to switch to verizon from att because they are the only ones that carry the phone.
I had an iphone 3, and they were able to switch over all my contacts to the new phone in about 5 min. As a new customer i got the phone for $50 after rebate, and he gave me a month of free data. You can get the phone through amazon.com for a penny with a new service contract also. Normally its a $400 phone
music police
Every time someone mentions music and paddling on this board, some holier than thou clown says I just listen to my paddle splash for music, and a breath my own pretentious farts for air. Good for you buddy, no one asked LOL.
I DO listen to music when I paddle, and I really enjoy it. Also, im paddling 30+ miles for a day trip not a weekend warrior just putting around the pond taking pictures and updating facebook. Playing music over the speaker leaves my ears open to hear the wind and my paddle splash, so you dont sully the sound up there on your high horse.