Verizon G'zOne Boulder User Reviews

BATTERY SUCKS!!! If you plan on talking more than 1 hour, you'd better get the $70.00 extended life battery... then you can talk for MAYBE 1 1/2 hours

Sure, it's a tough phone.
It promises 5 hours of talk time, but it only delivers 1 hour of talk time.
Only 3-4 days of standby time.

The phone is slow to respond, It does have a halfway decent speaker phone though, But sometimes the phone doesn't ring...it just puts people to voice mail.

Bottom Line:
The phone is over rated & with gadgets you won't even use.
You can get 3 phones for the price of this one.

I've wanted one of these for a couple years now and ,for about 4 months so far, am very pleased with my Boulder. All the other so called "tuff" phones are china shop dolls compared to this phone. I like the larger raised keys that are designed for a real hand to use. The flashlight works great. I used the light and compass features recently while my son and I went camping. My battery lasts for days of normal use. I've played music thru the external speaker for up to 6 hours straight and still have a couple bars of battery life. I like the port design that uses o-rings to seal the ports in the closed position. The sound quality is great for me..no problems...the external speaker hands free operation is a huge plus for me. First phone I've seen able to conduct a hands free session talking in a normal tone or without having to hold phone an inch from the person doing the speaking. I've dropped my phone a couple times from several feet with no problems. Takes okay pictures and videos.The one knock I have on this phone is the bottom charging port/connector. It hasn't given me trouble but I see this as a potential weak point sometime in the future. It is somewhat troublesome to line up the charger plug with the phone connector...takes a little patience.I haven't tried the ear phones yet. I'm going with Blue Tooth as using direct wired phones will cause extra wear and tear on the bottom connector.Overall, I'm very satisfied with this phone...btw...I got my $100 rebate card within 2 weeks of receipt at the processing center!

sound quality made me think about returning the phone on the first day.  within two weeks the clip the holds the battery in broke when i dropped it from 3 feet on my tile floor.  the third hinge broke from me flipping it open. and it doesnt keep track of missed called. ill miss a call then go check who called and it will list someone that called me over a month ago. sometimes it comes back to life and shows me all the people i called and such. overall this is the worst phone i have ever have. i dont take particularly good care of my phones, but ive beaten up other phones way harder than i did this one and they still held together... oh and did i mention the flip part wiggles and the electronic compass is bogus.  but it comes with two batteries! the charging cradle was the best thing that came in the box 

I've had this phone for a few months.  First one I've ever owned, and I only gave in to owning one because my business partner pretty much forced me into it.   I chose the Boulder because it is advertised as being rugged and it did both data and worked as an MP3 player over bluetooth.The phone is stout, and still works even though I've had it drenched several times.  The data operation has been a flawless success.The MP3 player capabilities are a friggin' joke.  I bought the MotoRokr stereo headsets and a four Meg memory card.-The phone's range only extends to chest level.  Yep, if I try to hang it from my belt with a clip, the music starts dropping out.- About every third time I connect the headsets, or try to return to music after a call, the phone decides to remove all my music from the database.  The only fix I've found is to power cycle the phone.- The remote controls only work with the phone open.  If I have the phone open, I can rewind and skip songs with the buttons on the headset.  Close the phone and set it to the side on my desk (because it does work to hang it from my belt clip), and the only button that works is the pause button.  The incoming call button also works, but using that risks having to reboot the phone.- Even when playing music from the speaker, it will miss and skip on MP3s that play flawlessly everywhere else.  It must be really burning the MIPS, because playing music for an hour or so really warms up the battery.I like the phone, as much as one can like their electronic ball-n-chain, but they should pull the multimedia features if they can do any better than this.

The Boulder is not as cumbersome as most phones. it is also durable so it wont break every time it is dropped and it also wont break if it gets dropped in water like most phones would.

I've had my phone for 4 months now and purchased it simply because I needed something durable. I lead a very busy life, and unfortunately all of my other phones have either been lost or broken (from being dropped or from getting wet.) I'm extremely happy with my bright orange G'zOne Boulder. The sound quality is good, the keys are user friendly, the color makes it "easy to find," the battery life is comparable to all of the other phones that I've had, the charging cradle is great, the compass has been of help when I'm driving (I have directional dyslexia,) it truly is shock resistant (I've dropped mine numerous times,) and to top it off, it accidentally went through a complete wash cycle in my washing machine last night and came out working perfectly!!!  I don't think you'll find another phone capable of doing that!!  This phone is perfect for a teenager or active person on the go.

Only in the designer's dreams!

Aug 12th, I purchased a GzOne Boulder thru Verizon as I needed an extremely durable phone that would withstand the rigors of my daily functions. Overall, I am extremely impressed with this phone. It is very user friendly and appears to be very durable. Unfortunately I won't get to use it long enough to find out how durable and have simply donated $150 for nothing.
 
I have two issues with this phone. The first issue is the locking procedure for the phone. Every phone I have ever had, you pressed one button to lock the phone. You pressed another button to enter the unlock code. Sweet and simple. Your phone requires pressing the menu button, open settings & tools, open phone settings, open security, enter the code, press ok, press lock phone now. Far to many unnecessary steps and very poor programming. The unlock function is the same as every phone I have had.
 
By far the most important and disappointing is the accessory port. It totally destroys the viability, functionality and main purpose of the phone design. Plugging into the port is a major event as aligning the port and plug is very difficult. This port is for the charger and for accessories such as the headset connection which requires the use of the 2.5mm headset splitter connector entailing plugging a 3” adaptor cord into the port then plugging the head set into a one inch box at the end of the adapter. Now you have all this garbage hanging out the bottom of the phone that makes it almost impossible to use with a holster. It is also next to impossible to keep the plug connected when using a headset. The port is extremely fragile and poorly designed as my phone is two weeks old and already has connection problems with the port. Even though firmly plugged, it is loses its connection. Granted, bluetooth would eliminate this problem but many consumers such as myself cannot use a bluetooth attachment but must use a corded earbud setup. 2.5mm headset ports should be located at the top of every phone for efficient and durable use. This design is a first for me and extremely disappointing for what was supposed to be such a high caliber phone.
 
These two issue turn one of the best designed phones into a totally useless phone for the purpose it was designed. An extremely durable phone is only as durable as it’s weakest link which is the accessory port. As I have found on the net, this appears to be a major issue with the Boulder. Would be no problem for someone who carried it in their purse or wore a suit/tie every day but definitely is not designed for the working man or extreme activity. So now I must take my phone back to Verizon, go through all there procedures to determine IF there is a problem, then attempt to work with them to resolve this problem. My old LG AX390 at $60 puts this $150 phone to shame.

Within a year, I am now on my thrid Boulder. Each one of them has the same defect. The port ad the bottom of the phone, with the water-proof hatch, develops a bad connection. So when you plug in a power cord or ear peice, the connection is not stable. This makes charging it nearly impossible. I've had to tape the cord in a kinked position to hold it in place for charging. The ear piece is unusable. It is such a frustrating, time consuming effort go to over crowded Verizon store to stand in line, then have them tell you that I can only get a different phone if the defect occurs 3 times. The phone sounds like a good idea, rugged and all, but it is a defect waiting to happen.

I have had my phone for eight months and I love it but where the front of the phone hits on the top of the phone when opened it cracked and broke now Verizon Wireless will not replace it the say I have to pay to get another one. When I bought this phone it was my understanding that is was indestructible but that was a joke.

My wife and I bought the Boulder for each other for christmas.We received both phones in the mail.When we opened them we were surprized to find they came with two battery,s.I was concerned about this and wondered if this meant the battery life was not good.
After two days of ownership we both agree that the phones are useless.Do not hold a charge with either battery.you can charge them at night and when at work they both are dead by lunchtime.Even when you dont talk on them they use all the battery life up quickly.
I met someone else today who has the same phone and same issues.
Dont plan on going into the great outdoors with this phone unless you are bringing a generator to charge them.

     I got a Black and Silver Boulder in September. When I first got it the ear set sound quality was terrible. Perhaps its a function of the ear set having a water proof membrane and that's causing it to sound like I'm getting a call from Charlie Brown's teacher. (Wah, wah, wah, whaaaa, wha, whaaaa)
     I am in the National Guard and also a civilian law enforcement officer, so I am hard on phones. I couldn't believe that the phone didn't come with the software to support Backup Assistant, that made me mad. Finally a software upgrade came out. Now, ever since upgrading the software, my phone runs very slow. I push a button for a function and wait several seconds for it to take effect.
     The screen is much smaller than my old Samsung ach930, which I loved. The plastic is gimicky and the black parts have a rubber like feel, but it's only the type of paint they used, it's not truly armored. The silver paint chips and gouges quite easily. My phone looks like it's several years old instead of just a few months. I do like the flashlight feature, but when charging the phone at night I have to cover it with something as the charging function light it so bright it lights up the room. 
      I spoke with Verizon rep today and they stated that the Boulder has several quality and software issues. They are sending me a brand new replacement and have promised that it has all of the bugs fixed. I am not so sure. Overall, it's a disappointment as a phone and doesn't live up to the company hype.

It is a good, tough phone. It lacks, as most new phones, an external antenna port. The speaker is good, though on the back of the phone. The buttons are easy to use. You can drop it in the mud, wipe it off on your jeans and keep talking. I am not getting the stated stand by time. I loaded a two gig memory card but doubt I will use it much. I love the pocket watch type crystal on the clock display on the front of the phone.  I have a history of breaking phones in my line of work. This one is tougher than most, and I highly recommend it if you are in harsh environments. I don’t text, get e-mail, take photos, listen to music, etc. I am not saying the phone is not good at these function, I just don’t use them so am not qualified to comment on how well they work. My needs are for a bullet proof phone and this fills the bill. The charging cradle is perfect and adds to the toughness of the phone as there is less chance of pulling the guts of the phone out with the charger. (The cause of death of my last phone.)

I had already ordered this phone online when a friend told me it had bad reviews. We rushed to a verizon store to mess with it and I was surprised. We were making calls and there didn't seem to be an audio problem. In fact, Verizon said the known issue had been updated.I ordered the orange Boulder.
Recieved the phone and thus far, I love it. The flashlight/flash for camera has come in handy a few times. Yeah, the battery life could be a little longer but a Verizon rep said to let the phone die all the way 3 times, fully charge (do not use while charging) and it will help the battery life. I am on the 2cd attempt of a full charge now so we shall see how that goes. I would like the see the ability to edit pics. I could do that on an older phone.
Right now I have 113 read messages in the inbox and it says it's 97% full. Love the charging cradle and the ability to change the front fashion ring. Hope they later offer more styles and colors.
Going through the internet was a breeze. Perhaps it's the older phone I am coming from (moto 325i) but it's so much faster.
I was so scared to get this phone but I can honestly say that I actually like it. Have had it for about 5 days now.
When looking for ringtones, using the sony music box was a world away from using the verizon portion. Tones were distorted with Verizon preview but not with Sony Music Box.

I need a cheap, simple, and RELIABLE PUSH TO TALK PHONE! I mean it! My work needs these types of phones, and I just heard about the new Motorola Venture, but this phone does the job. As a Verizon customer since 2000, i was given a special rebate saving me over $50 (this phone was good priced to start with). Its design is awesome (like a cool robot style) plus I've had the older G'Zone before and it worked like a charm. It's not like I'm only required to have a good push to talk phone- I would want one anyways. Sleek, reliable, and cheap. You can talk in seconds. Plus, it comes with the Verizon Network (thats nothing to sacrifise). i love it!!!! best push to talk out there

Correction to last review... The phone is only dual mode, not tri-mode as mentioned.  It does receive the signal very well however.
 

I've had my Boulder for 4 weeks now.  First I want to mention that I did not buy this phone but was issued it as a work phone.  I work in an office 95% of the time so my need and use of this phone is minimal, but I'll give you my review either way.  Battery consumption on Stand By seems about normal compared to most phones I've had.  I got about 10 days out of the last charge, with 1 bar still remaining.  Keep in mind that I don't talk and text all day like a 13 year old girl.  I also did not notice anything wrong with the sound clarity.  When I first turned the phone on and used it, it seemed to sound a bit tinny but I turned the main volume down to medium and it sounds fine.  I can hear others as well with this phone as my personal phone (LG vx5400 - one of best for this).  It gets good reception both in and out of buildings.  I like the tri-mode capability as well.  Since the phone is not mine, I can't test it's durability like some of the things I've seen on You Tube, but if it's anything like previous versions, it's bombproof.
Maybe there were earlier versions that had many of the troubles mentioned in other reviews, but I have not experienced any of the problems mentioned in those reviews with my phone.  Maybe the other reviewers weren't giving an honest review, but just regurgitating what someone else wrote.  Maybe they didn't read the directions and used their phone without charging it completely (for those that haven't figured it out yet, batteries last much longer when the phone is charged when it is turned off, using the wall charger for no more than 3 hours.)
I also should mention that I have not and will not be using the PTT feature, so that part is not being reviewed.  I also have no use for V Cast, Rhapsody, listening to MP3's or many other features that this phone is apparently capable of.  I don't even use the Bluetooth or Camera features but I'm glad that they're on the phone. 
This phone is great for using as a phone (as long as you're not talking all day).  If you need the latest and greatest texting gadget or a computer that can make calls, this is probably not the phone for you.  It is probably also not the phone for you if you need the smallest, sleekest, shiniest phone around.  If you need a tough phone that works well as a phone as long as you don't talk all day, this is a great choice.

Great tough phone.  I drop my phone alot and my old phone, the battery door kept popping off and the battery went sliding across the floor.  Not anymore with the battery locking in.  Phone flip is stiff, Outside display shows the basics; time, date, battery, service signal plus icons for alarm, calendar, missed call, text and voicemail.  Outside display is black and white, also features military time as well as 12-hr digital and analog.  Compass is nice to have, flash can also be used as a flashlight.  Other than the battery life being failry short, lasts me about 2 days, I do quite a bit of texting and mabye 2-3hr of talk time a day.  All in all great phone.

I had my Boulder for a few days and its going back to Verizon. The only problem I really had with this phone was the battery life. You shouldn't have to charge a cell phone everyday after only talking for an hour the most and very few texting. I disabled the push to talk feature and the battery still was no good. Also the battery would get real hot after a 30 min conversation.The Verizon rep. suggested an extended battery for $50.00. Well sorry I'm not paying for a cell phone and then have to buy $50.00 battery on top of that. Also my Step-Father's company just switched over to Verizon for push to talk and purchased the Boulder and as of last week they switched back to Nextel. I went to this phone because for some reason I always seem to get my phones wet. Oh well, I'm sticking to LG.

My first phone with Verizon was the LG V8300(the phone some experts claim to be the near-perfect cell phone) - I loved that phone; it had everything I wanted and more!  So, when it started to wear out, I went looking for another one to replace it and, low and behold, they were not selling them anymore!  So I was forced to look for a different but similar phone.  Because I was impressed with my first LG, I looked at a few of them and there was nothihg I fancied.  I looked for months until one day I found the Boulder online (and online only).  I read all the negative reviews and I was hesitant to buy it, but the description was so close to what I was looking for, that I couldn't resist.
I must say, I'm sure glad I did buy this phone!  Since I am no phone expert, I can only compare the Boulder to the LG V8300.  Despite all the hoopla, I have found the sound quality of the Boulder quite comparable to the 8300; my only problem here is that the phone speakers on the 8300 were much better for listening to music (only because they were designed for that).  The lack of a 2.5mm headphone jack is an issue for me but Verizon kindly supplied an adapter for me.  Another issue is the lack of support for Verizon's Backup Assistant (contact backup), but, once again, Verizon came through and transferred my contacts for free!  I do find the Boulder a little more cumbersome to open than the 8300 but I'm sure I'll adjust to that.  The only accurate complaint about the Boulder is that it is a battery eater compared to the LG V8300 (only lasts about half as long), but for my personal purposes, it is sufficient.  I have found the Bluetooth capabilities much better than the LG V8300 so far and I have already adjusted to the new UI (it's basically the same thing as the 8300, only a different look).
 
 
 

my company recently bought several of these phones and we like them a whole lot better than our old phones.  we have had them about a week now and the battery is doing great.  i went three days with out a charge (no calls though).  some of the guys are thinking about buying them for there personnal phone as well.  you can make the sound a little better by going to Setting & Tools > Call Settings > Voice Privacy > Off.  this does not improve the speaker phone at all. 

I contacted Verizon about the audio quality of my Gzone Boulder. The next day my phone did an automatic software upgrade. I would not have known but I was trying to use the phone and saw what was happening. I received an email the next day from Verizon saying this was the first they heard of the problem. Wow this was a coincidence that the software update happened the next day. The audio quality has improved tremendously but still is not as loud on the speaker phone as I wished. The battery still sucks. My friend has the extended battery and it lasts about 20 hours with about 2 hours of talk with standby.

After talking with an authorized Verizon Agent I learned that all their stores had quit selling the Boulder and pulled it from the shelves because of the known speaker issue.  Verizon corporate did not admitt to this issue nor did Ashurion the phone insurance company Verizon contracts with.  I know about Ashurion because my buddy needed to replace his and asked them for a different model because of the speaker issue, which they said they didn't know about.  Long story short my verizon rep called me and said the new Boulders were in.  I have one now and it seems to be working great.  NO SPEAKER ISSUE AT ALL!!!!!

Our company bought three of these phones on July 30th. They looked like the greatest thing on the market and we needed durable phones. They are in fact great looking and very durable phones, but they are not very useful phones. The batteries die almost every day (our previous phones would last three days minimum). Even after the software update, the batteries still die to quickly. And the speaker is horrible. I have to constantly ask people to repeat themselves. Everything comes through distorted.  You have to push the receiver very hard against your ear to make any sense out of what people are saying. If you try to turn the volume up it simply gets more distorted. I tried playing some MP3s and it sound like crap. Some government agency should actually force Casio into making a recall on this phone. It doesn't really matter how durable the phone is if you cannot understand what people are saying. Of the three phones our company purchased, two have been returned and the remaining one is continuing to get complaints. Buyer Beware ! ! !

I am on my second Boulder and was about to send it back when I read about the software update. I great tech at my Verizon store knew about it. After about 10 minutes he had me on the road with a much improved phone. Hopefully it will help with battery life also.

In general I am pleased with the solid design of the phone. It is about the same size and heft of my old E815 Motorola, which I like. If it is as rugged as it feels it should last a long time. My first one was orange (more like copper colored). The second one was black and silver, which disappointed me until I found that the black surface is a tacky form of rubber that feels much better than the plastic surface of the orange phone. It will be easier to hang onto and maybe more durable.

If you like the overall design of the phone give the update a try before you return it. you may be glad that you did. Lew

You suck verizon for selling such a piece of crap phone. I hope you lose customers because of this. This is one customer thats looking elsewhere. Pull this crap off the shelf. Durable yes. Can you understand or hear what people are saying, umm hell no. What a joke of a phone. Casio should stick to watches and leave phones to people who know what the hell there doing. Pissed off in Hawaii.