I always swore I would never get my husband a smart phone. He has destroyed every cell phone he has had, with many replacements. Also, electronics hate him. He is also not very savvy when it comes to technology. So, it is a bit like giving a caveman a word processor – he would probably use it to pound on rocks with. Okay, maybe my husband isn’t that bad – but close to it. So, when I decided to upgrade to a smartphone – I didn’t really consider getting him one. But as I was browsing the upgrades available, I saw a phone that caught my eye. The” Commando”

What in the world is the Commando? A phone built to withstand even people like my husband? Does it exist? Apparently it does. And it was offered as a free upgrade to us. Hmm, I may have to consider getting my husband the indestructible smartphone that has been tested by soldiers in Afghanistan. It was tested against immersion, rain, being dropped, dust, vibration, salt fog, humidity, solar radiation, low pressure, high pressure, as well as low and high temperatures. Perfect for my husband who works outside in all elements and all seasons. So neither rain, nor snow, or sweat and tears would bother this phone. Made with a gorilla glass screen makes it ideal for my husband’s heavy abuse.

The heavy, black capsule like appearance cries out masculinity, while not being bulky or heavy. At only 5.4 oz, it is not clumsy or heavy. The dimensions of 5.1 x 2.6 x  o.6 inches fit comfortably in both his hand and mine.  My concern that it would be a monster of a phone were unfounded. When the phone arrived, I was not home, but got the excited phone call from my husband that our phones arrived. Knowing that he was not one to read directions, I told him I was going to be home in about 10 minutes and not to touch anything. Sadly, upon walking in the door, I saw my husband with his phone box open, and various booklets and parts scattered around him in the middle of the living room floor. Sigh. So it was no surprise when he looked up puzzled at me and said “it doesn’t work”. He had managed to get everything unwrapped. Unfortunately – the protective paper wrapped around the phone battery was also gone – even though it was stuck on there and required a great deal of effort on my husband’s part to scrape and peel it off. Yup – he broke it in the ten minutes it took me to get home. However, a call to Verizon had a replacement battery on the way. So, a couple of days later, with a warning of not to touch anything or else, the battery arrived and I was able to sit down with his phone and get it put together.  Allowing it to charge for a bit while I read the booklets, I found the SIM card was already installed, and it came with many apps already available.

This phone is definitely geared towards a rough and rugged lifestyle. Not only is the design tough, but the pre-installed apps are all related towards fitness, outdoors, and activity – such as the built in compass, pedometer, adventure training, thermometer, and star gazer.  Many of these apps are not removable, which is a feature I did not like. But we can live with that. It does come with a 1 GB built in memory, but also a memory card that offers another 32 GB of memory. So, ample storage for the millions of pictures my husband stores on it. The camera features both a front and back camera, that is easy to switch between.  The sound is very good for such a phone with large front speakers which allow for clarity on speaker phone, and good sound when watching videos and such.

It was fairly easy for me to set up the phone with personal ringtones, sounds, and displays. My husband still struggles a bit and brings it to me to help him. But then again – he also does that with his digital watch that he has had for years, so that doesn’t surprise me. I found it to be a very easy to use phone. But the true test was going to be time. Would it hold up to my husband’s harsh treatment? We are at 3 months and counting, and there has been absolutely no damage to the phone at all. There are rubber stoppers that fit in the power jack, phone jack, and memory slot. These must be tightly pushed in to ensure protection from the elements – but he has had no problem making sure that is in place.  So the answer so far is yes – they do make an indestructible cell phone – it’s called the Commando.

Final thoughts – this is not a phone that I would want to carry, as it is rather masculine, a bit slow loading, and slightly smaller screen. However, for a person who is very hard on phones, drops them, carries it in their pocket with tools, keys and random other things, this phone would be perfect. Also perfect for someone who lives a very outdoor life.  For my husband – perfect.

Recommended: Yes