Casio G'zOne Brigade C741 Phone (Verizon Wireless)

by Casio

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 2.2 x 0.9 inches ; 5.9 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0039ITKME
• Item model number: Brigade
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,028 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Built to military specifications, the Casio G'zOne Brigade mobile phone for Verizon Wireless is ideal for highly mobile and active users who want access to Verizon's always-on Push to Talk service. It's also a great choice for business customers in industries such as construction, public safety and utilities who need devices that stand up to tough work conditions while still delivering high-performance mobile technology.

Business-oriented with a full QWERTY keyboard, the Casio G'zOne Brigade is resistant to water, shock, dust, immersion, vibration, humidity, salt fog, altitude, high and low temperature storage, and solar radiation.

The tall candybar-shaped Brigade has a small circular display and standard alpha-numeric keypad on its exterior, and it opens up to reveal a 2.9-inch display and full QWERTY keyboard for easy texting and e-mailing. The Brigade also sports an HTML browser and a document viewer for reviewing Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations as well as PDFs

The Brigade is compatible with the V Cast Music with Rhapsody service, which enables you to purchase songs through your phone and download them via the fast Verizon Wireless 3G EV-DO data network, and the V CAST Video on Demand service that enables you to watch full-length TV shows plus news, sports, weather, and live entertainment video clips. You'll also stay on course thanks to the VZ Navigator GPS turn-by-turn direction service. And with the optional Visual Voice Mail service, you'll be able to quickly and easily scroll through your messages and pick the ones you want to listen to.

Other features include a 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder with flash, Bluetooth for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, multi-format digital audio player, microSD memory expansion (up to 16 GB), and up to 6 hours of talk time.

Key Features

• Fast 3G connectivity thanks to the reliable Verizon Wireless EV-DO, Rev A network
• Tough Technology design that can withstand water, shock, dust, vibration, humidity, salt fog, solar radiation, altitude, and high and low temperature storage (conforms to MIL-STD-810F)
• Push to Talk capability enables you to quickly connect with one or multiple team members at the same time with just a push of a button. Connect on the Verizon Wireless nationwide broadband network, and get expanded coverage across the United States within the National Enhanced Services Rate and Coverage Area.
  • Place group calls: Hold conversations with as many as 50 total participants.
  • Check team member status with Presence: See who is available for a Push to Talk call.
  • Manage contacts for the entire company online: Add, delete and assign contacts, create groups and more.
  • Use one number, one device: Make and receive voice calls without needing a second device or phone number.

• GPS navigation capabilities via VZ Navigator service
• 3.2-megapixel camera with flash and autofocus as well as white balance settings and multishot capabilities
• Best Shot camera mode has six presets for a perfect photo finish and automatically changes the setup of the camera based on the background
• Video capture capabilities
• Digital audio player for MP3, WMA, and unprotected AAC/AAC+ formats. Sync music from your PC to the phone and create and manage playlists right on the device.
• Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.1) includes profiles for communication headset, hands-free car kits, and the A2DP Bluetooth profile--enabling you to wirelessly stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones or speaker dock. And with dial-up networking capabilities, you can access the Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Connect service to use your phone as a modem. (Learn more)
• Memory expansion via microSD card slot with support for optional cards up to 16 GB.
• Full messaging capabilities including SMS, MMS, Mobile IM, and Mobile Email.
• Document viewer makes reviewing Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and PDFs a breeze
• Organizer tools including calendar, alarm clock, countdown timer, world clock, notepad
• Airplane mode allows you to listen to music while the cellular connectivity is turned off
• Speakerphone with front-facing stereo speaker

Vital Statistics
The Casio G'zOne Brigade weighs 6 ounces and measures 4.4 x 2.2 x 0.9 inches. Its 1150 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 6 hours of talk time, and up to 90 hours (3.75 days) of standby time. It runs on the CDMA 800/1900 frequencies as well as EV–DO, Rev A 3G frequencies.

What's in the Box
Casio G'zOne Brigade handset, rechargeable battery, charger, charging cradle, quick start guide, user manual

Verizon Wireless Services

• Reliable 3G Network: With support for the EV-DO high-speed data standard, you'll enjoy fast access to the Internet and Verizon Wireless multimedia services (additional charges applicable), with average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps and peak rates up to 2 Mbps. (Learn more about where EV-DO coverage is offered.)

• VZ Navigator Capable: With this GPS-enabled phone, you'll be able to access the Verizon Wireless VZ Navigator service (additional charges applicable) for voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, heads-up alerts, local search of nearly 14 million points of interest in the US (such as landmarks, restaurants and ATMs), and detailed color maps.

• Visual Voice Mail: This innovative service enables you to delete, reply, and forward voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions. Visual Voice Mail is the ideal tool for the busy mobile professional who may need to prioritize which messages he or she listens to first. Features include on-screen access to voice mail message status, save up to 40 messages for 40 days (or archive permanently), create up to 10 different caller ID-based greetings, and reply via call back, text or even voice mail.

• Field Force Manager: Combining a powerful Web-based application with a handset application, the Field Force Manager service provides visibility and control for all of your mobile workers. It's a turnkey wireless-solutions package that breaks new ground in resource tracking and management. It is composed of three solution modules:
  • Location and Tracking uses rich, detailed mapping to show the location and location history of field workers; provides location information when users clock in and out; shows where they are when they accept and complete jobs; creates an audit trail to validate job information for customers; and generates turn-by-turn driving directions.
  • Electronic Timecard gives employees an automated way to capture their time, and gives employers the ability to export this information into many current payroll systems for processing.
  • Job Dispatch provides an automated way to manage customer service requests, dispatch field personnel, and track job progress through completion.

• Mobile Broadband Connect: Use your smartphone as a modem for your notebook when you connect the two using a USB cable--or open a Bluetooth connection--enabling you to access the Internet or your company intranet. The Mobile Broadband Connect tethered modem capability is ideal when you're traveling and need to use your notebook to check e-mail, access corporate networks, or download large files like presentations and reports. And with Mobile Broadband Connect, you won't have to buy an extra PC Card or other devices.

• V CAST Music with Rhapsody: Access this exclusive digital music service for RealNetworks and for MTV Networks, which delivers unlimited monthly access to music on up to three Rhapsody-compatible mobile phones and players and online on multiple PCs and Web browsers. For a monthly fee (billed on your Verizon Wireless bill), you can load and reload your subscription songs from your PC to your V CAST Music with Rhapsody phone as often as you want, and take your music on the go.

  On PCs running the Windows XP or higher operating system, you can also browse, preview, and purchase music using the V CAST Music with Rhapsody software, which is available as a free download from the V CAST Music with Rhapsody download website. Additional subscription charges applicable.

• V CAST Video on Demand: This optional service enables you to watch full-length TV shows plus news, sports, weather, and live entertainment video clips. It features more than 100 full-length programs from leading broadcast and cable networks, ranging from highly-rated drama and comedy series to reality programs and children’s programming. V CAST Video on Demand also delivers live sporting events, including NHL hockey games and an upcoming slate of college football games

  The service offers unlimited viewing of Basic Videos and the ESPN MVP channel. You can choose from 14 categories, including Entertainment, Kids, Music, Sports, Comedy, News, Pop Culture, Information, Women, Latino, Home & Leisure, Multicultural, Cutting Edge, and Hollywood. Additional subscription charges applicable.

• Family Locator: Securely locate your family members' locations from your Verizon Wireless device or the web. The locate feature provides you with the information you need to stay aware and stay in touch, including detailed location information and the address of your family members displayed on an interactive map and the option to receive turn-by-turn driving directions to your family member's location using VZ Navigator. You can also receive updates when your family members leave or arrive at locations that you define such as school, soccer practice, or home, with monitored locations set up within a 1/4-, 1/2-, or a 1-mile radius.

Product Description

This mobile phone features a 3.2MP digital camera with video record so you can capture special moments on the go. The QWERTY keyboard makes it easy to send text messages and e-mails from the palm of your hand. Requires a voice plan with data pack $9.99 or higher. Early Termination Fee $175 (1 yr/2 yr contracts)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty is skin deep, It has it where it counts., March 24, 2010

By 

Patrick H. Crain "Ghost" (NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Casio G'zOne Brigade C741 Phone (Verizon Wireless) (Wireless Phone)

I bought this phone as a replacement upgrade to a LG Voyager, with the touch screen. It was 2 and a half years old, wasn't working as well as it used to. It was my 3rd LG phone. As durable as they were, I had been looking for a more durable replacement, or addition I could use while working. Two years I considered other Casio Gz'One phones as a secondary phone. Their reputations weren't bad. Some minor reliability issues. The biggest turnoff was the added expense. Until I saw this in the Verizon store, and I had an epiphany. It did everything my LG Voyager did, but was armored against everything I would throw against it while working(or playing). The two biggest negatives people say about it is it is too bulky, and it is ugly. The people who said this are obviously shallow, and conceited and are afraid of someone seeing them with it in public. Its lighter then most Nextel phones. And the coverage is way better. No other phone shares the features this does. As for the price, this phone has to be built to a higher standard then most phones. You are paying for water tight O rings. Design, and durability. It isnt as pretty as a Droid, or quick as a Nokia N900. It is a tool, for working class people. You can rely on it in the worst scenarios to call for help, your Mom and your significant other to buy milk on their way home. It just works. Even if it falls in the puddle next to your car on a cold winter morning. Lets see a Droid, or ANY other phone do that.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This phone is AWESOME!, April 7, 2010

By 

Michael J. Kinsey "Mshox" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casio G'zOne Brigade C741 Phone (Verizon Wireless) (Wireless Phone)

My wife and I should be hired by a phone manufacturer to test out the durability of their phones. I've never seen anyone as hard on a phone (not in the construction business or something) as we are, so it has been a challenge to find a phone that was durable enough to handle us...until now!!! My wife and I both got a Brigade so we are quickly putting it to the test in every area imaginable. I don't think that the phone is ugly, and it is heavy if you are comparing it to a sheet of paper! I've read a review where someone said it was like carrying around an anchor...what have you been talking on...a flash drive!? This phone is actually lighter than my AT&T Smartphone that it's replacing. We've dropped the phone a ton already and it still looks like it just came out of the box! I've had it in the rain, wore it on my hip while cutting grass, dropped it in the soccer field while playing, and it was trampled a few times, kicked across my hardwood floor by my 5 year old, and just for grins, I've even had entire conversations on the phone while I was taking a shower! This thing seems to be indestructible! The buttons are easy to use, the phone is easy to navigate, the qwerty keyboard buttons are easy to push without hitting multiple keys, the camera and video camera are sweet (great quality on both), and I've used the flashlight to find everything from items I dropped under my seat, to my keys in the yard! The speaker phone isn't just for show! You can actually hear (clearly) the people you are talking to, and they can hear you! I really like the key lock feature (it's on a timer) because I've done a lot less butt dialing than I did on my touch screen during the times when I forgot my case. The display screen looks great, and music sounds really good on the speaker. I can't comment on the Push-to-talk feature because I haven't used it, but it is clearly marked with a big red button on the side of the phone. The only thing that I've had to adjust to is the data plan. You are required to get at least the $9.99 data plan, and I'm not a phone internet user so I've had to try to find a way to "get my money's worth" through features like Mobile E-Mail. Bottom line, if you want a TOUGH phone that still looks good, is functional, and DOES NOT weigh 100lbs, this IS your phone!!! If you are someone who wants to be able to surf the net while driving, you will be greatly disappointed because the phone only has a mobile web browser and not a "true" HTML browser like an iphone or Droid...but you could put the Droid in one hand, the Brigade in the other, use the Brigade to Smash the Droid, and then call someone with the Brigade to tell them what you just did...[..]!!!!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT!!, April 15, 2010

By 

CJ "ChefJeff" (Ozone Park NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Casio G'zOne Brigade C741 Phone (Verizon Wireless) (Wireless Phone)

Got this because my LG Envy Touch was dying. NEVER BUY LG PHONES!
I could not be more happy. Phone is built to last, already dropped it on a hard floor, not a scratch.
I have read other complaints about poor voice quality with this phone, but for me, callers sound crystal clear, and my callers have no complaints.
One thing I noticed is my bluetooth reception has improved with the Casio Brigade, on my other device I would always hear static, no static now!
Also has very loud ringers, and a loud and clear speakerphone as well.
So as a phone it works great!
I haven't used the web browser, I don't have the data plan, so I can't comment on it.
It takes great pictures and video for such a rugged looking phone, better than my LG Envy Touch.
Also has a great qwerty keyboard. I have large fingers, so I need a big keyboard, keys feel great, very responsive.
Also has a flashlight, comes in handy at times.
Voice recognition works great, I only need say a command one time, and it will understand me, my other stupid phone I would have to repeat the command several times, and it still wouldn't understand what I said.
And it is not heavy, I have read reviews where people complain, maybe if you weigh 90 lbs it might seem heavy, but it's about the same weight as my Envy Touch.
Great cellphone overall, this is my first Casio, I'm very pleased so far.