It doesn't sound as hardcore as its predecessor, the Boulder -- but Verizon's just-introduced Rock is actually the company's most functional Casio G'zOne model to date. Though it looks quite similar to the outgoing model, the Rock's headlining addition is the so-called Triple Sensor -- something certain G-Shock owners might already be familiar with -- which allows the phone to offer an integrated thermometer, compass, and pedometer. It also features touch-sensitive music controls, a 2 megapixel cam, and -- you guessed it -- mil-spec 810F compliance for resistance to the everyday ails of the world like water, dust, and sun exposure. It'll be available online starting tomorrow for $199.99 on contract after rebate, while stores pick it up a few days later on the 30th.

If there's one thing we can promise when a Moto starts with "i" it's that it'll be an iDEN phone, so when you hear that there's an i680 in the FCC, you can pretty much gather what's going on here. Taking a look at the documentation, the newest push-to-talk clamshell out of Schaumburg looks way different than what we're used to -- but then again, so did the i9, so we can't say we're surprised to see 'em push the boundaries of iDEN design yet again. It's got a camera of unknown resolution and appears to be pretty well ruggedized (we'd expect no less from your average iDEN set) on account of that beefy thumbscrew holding the battery cover on around back, but it's hard to say when it's launching, so we're trying to keep our excitement level to a dull roar at this point. More as soon as we get it.

[Via Phone Scoop]

The xpPhone isn't even out yet and already it has competition. ViewSonic has announced its own take on the idea of a phone with Windows XP as the OS, in the form of the VPC08. With an Intel ULV processor, half a gigabyte of RAM, and 8GB of storage, it has just about enough to let you run XP productively, and once you open up the clamshell casing you'll find a 4.3-inch display and a full QWERTY keyboard to do it with. The outside is adorned with a 2 megapixel camera, plus a 2-inch screen and numeric keypad for your old school phone needs. An asking price of $800 and what we suspect to be pretty atrocious battery life will likely be the biggest hindrances on this device's path to respectability, but all the same, we totally wanna play with one. You should mosey on past the break to find a picture of the retro-looking externals.

[Via Cloned In China]

Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint (well, Direct Connect anyway) have all gotten their fair shares of ruggedized Motorola love, but what about the regionals like MetroPCS? The answer to that might very well lie in the Quantico flip that was announced today, bearing support for 1700MHz CDMA in addition to 800 / 1900 with EV-DO. Besides mil-spec 810F compliance for resistance to environmental evils like water dunks, heat, and dust, the Quantico offers up a 1.3 megapixel camera (a little meager, if you ask us), stereo Bluetooth, and microSD expansion. Moto's putting nearly all of its weight behind Android right now, but alas, no Android here -- speaking of, whatever happened to the non-touch version of the platform? Anyhow, look for the phone to hit markets in this quarter; carrier partners have yet to be announced.

Update: Turns out US Cellular is already selling the Quantico despite Motorola's vague statement on availability. Thanks, everyone!

Say "AWS-compliant Nokia" and the first thing many folks are going to be thinking about right now is the mighty N900, but yeah, that's not what T-Mobile's getting around to launching today. Instead, it's the 3711 that we first met back in early October, offering a QVGA primary display, 2 megapixel camera, GPS, and FM radio in a smooth little clamshell package that'll run $69.99 on an Even More contract after rebate or $159.99 on Even More Plus. It's available now -- just don't expect to be running Maemo on this bad boy and you should be fine.

For some reason known only to its users, push-to-talk and mil-spec protection seem to go hand in hand -- and that trend continues with Samsung's Convoy for Verizon. The beefy little flip offers 810F compliance for resistance against shock, dust, vibration, salt, fog, humidity, sunlight, and temperature extremes, EV-DO-based push-to-talk, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 2 megapixel camera plus VZ Navigator support. Verizon's also touting its "long battery life" (we'll be the judge of that) with a 1300mAh pack on board, so you should be able to chirp-chirp your way through the night if you play your cards right and you've got some willing participants on the other end. Look for this one to drop (quite literally -- it's rugged, after all) on November 15 for $49.99 on contract after a $50 mail-in rebate.

When the bulk of your business suddenly shifts virtually all of its marketing and engineering resources to Android, certain things are bound to fall through the cracks -- take the "Ruby," for example, once said to be the fallen would-be successor to the RAZR 2. We guess Moto got far enough along on engineering with this one that they figured they'd toss it over to one of its lower-volume markets rather than canning it altogether, though, because the higher-end flip has reemerged in South Korea as the KLASSIC. For anyone who keeps track of these sorts of stats, that's exactly three more letters than the typical Moto model name has, but the phone breaks all sorts of rules -- after all, it combines an old-school 2G radio (which in operator SKT's case, means CDMA) with a relatively fresh 5 megapixel cam, not unlike the ZN5. There's no word on a release outside South Korea at this point, but frankly, we're pretty sure the DROID would eat it anyhow.

[Via AVING]

The T707 has become Sony Ericsson's gold-standard midrange fashion flip for 2009, and in light of the fact that T-Mobile USA has been turning a new leaf with these guys lately, it only makes sense that they'd want to bring a version of it onto the network, right? Indeed, the TM717 remix that we've seen in the FCC already has now been officially revealed as the Equinox, featuring a 3.2 megapixel camera, integrated FM radio, support for HSDPA, and a trick motion sensor that lets you control certain phone functions by waving your hand over the front. It'll be hitting "select" T-Mobile retail locations plus the corporate website tomorrow, but anyone holding out until the 31st and visiting the grand opening of T-Mob's latest LA location will have a chance to meet diehard Sony Ericsson fanatic Maria Sharapova (pictured, along with a T707) and participate in a lookalike contest. Conveniently, we were looking to go out on Halloween as Maria Sharapova anyhow, so this works out swimmingly.

We've been hearing about Casio's next US-bound G'zOne for a while now, but the Rock's been taking its sweet time getting to market -- not unlike the EXILIM before it, we suppose. We still don't have a release here, but PhoneArena appears to have nabbed solid shots of the C731 in the wild, showing totally typical G'zOne styling cues with the pointy tips, textured components, and a total disregard for beauty (at least in the traditional sense of the word). They still haven't managed to scrounge up a possible release date -- but really, you could argue that the Boulder still has some life in it, so we wouldn't be surprised if this didn't hit until closer to the holidays at the earliest.

T-Mobile is rolling in with a couple new 3G-enabled devices for the holidays that manage to keep costs under control -- at least they should, though prices haven't yet been announced. First up, the Tap -- as its name suggests -- is a touchscreen phone that looks a bit like a dumbed-down HTC Touch of old; it's got a 2 megapixel cam with video capture, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, and availability in "berry" and midnight blue. Next, the 3711 fold from Nokia has a concealed (read: fashion-friendly) external display, GPS with Nokia Maps built-in, 2 megapixel camera, and a "sable" finish. This one should be on shelves "in the coming weeks," but the Tap's merely "anticipated" for availability later this year, so we'll see how that plays out.

Wouldn't it have been amazing if Nokia had managed to drop S60 on a brand-new flip for AT&T and push it out the door for just $29.99 on contract? Yes, well, that's not what's going on here -- but if you're looking for a basic featurephone with a distinctly Finnish accent, the 6350 might be right up your alley. The phone still manages to pack HSDPA, a 2 megapixel camera, and dedicated music controls without breaking the bank -- and thanks to the 3G radio, it'll work with that newfangled 3G Microcell if you find yourself needing it. It'll be available in your choice of red and graphite (Nokia calls them "seasonal shades") starting this Sunday.

There's a certain joy, an undeniable stress release associated with heaving your phone directly at a wall. Of course, your average handset isn't likely to respond favorable to that kind of maneuver, so you might want to pick up something that makes boastful claims about its ability to stand up to shock, vibration, and all the other ails of an abusive relationship with its owner -- something like the Motorola Barrage, for instance. The Barrage is a mil-spec 810F that can tolerate submersion in a meter of water for half an hour, dust, baking in the sun, and everything in between, giving Casio's place at the top of the rugged food chain on Verizon a run for its money. It's got external music controls, a 2 megapixel camera, and support for VZ Navigator, launching today for $129.99 on contract -- or if you prefer to skip on the camera, you can look for a blind version to hit on the 21st of the month.

Separately, Verizon is trotting out yet another member of its heavily-renewed partnership with Nokia, though this one isn't nearly as odd as the Twist. The 2705 Shade is your basic, run-of-the-mill clamshell with a 1.3 megapixel cam and swappable covers that's ready to do battle in the very lowest shelves of the store thanks to a $29.99 on-contract price -- though it'll take a while to get to those shelves since it's an online exclusive for the time being starting October 6.

Read - Motorola Barrage
Read - Nokia Shade

Pantech's Korea-only SKY brand has launched a new flip that it's very overtly targeting at a female audience, the IM-S500K Crystal -- and as the name implies, it's a visual feast. The major differentiating "feature" here is a diamond patterned shiny plate up front with concealed lights and icons that seemingly illuminate at random (though are probably configurable enough to make sense to the user, just not those of us looking at a couple pictures from halfway around the globe). It's available in no fewer than four colors and features a 2.4-inch QVGA display, FM radio reception, a 2 megapixel camera, and a document viewer -- not the most Earth-shattering spec sheet we'd ever seen, but then again, can you really put a price on a shiny diamond pattern with LEDs underneath?

Casio has a pretty tight lock on Verizon's market for ruggedized gear, but they don't own it outright -- Motorola's got the V750 in the mix, too, though it's a little stale at this point (it launched last July, which amounts to an eternity in phone years). That might just be where this puppy comes into play: meet the "Barrage," a phone that both sounds and looks like it's gearing up to kick ass and take names. Verizon boasts in the launch pack that you don't have to "be afraid of getting dirty" when you're carrying the Barrage thanks to its mil-spec 810F compliance -- and you don't have to be afraid of getting wet, either, since 810F covers submersion in a meter of water for up to a half-hour without ill effect. If EV-DO, a 2 megapixel camera, external music controls, and GPS all sound good to you -- and you can tolerate a meager QCIF display -- it looks like you'll be able to score the Barrage online on the first of next month, while in-store availability follows on come November 16.

Are you a "connected socializer" or a "sharing optimizer" who's "motivated by the combination of affordability, style, and high-end features"? If so, good news: T-Mobile's directly targeting you with the release of its Sony Ericsson Equinox, a tweaked version of the T707 that we've seen in the FCC as the TM717 not long ago. Big features on this one include a 3.2 megapixel cam, a trick multi-colored pulsating light up front that can be assigned to individual contacts, and support for gesture controls, but don't get too excited just yet -- you'll have to wait until October 28 to enjoy this lovely little gem, it seems.