Basic Features

Like the Motorola Clutch or Motorola Tundra, the Casio Exilim C721 meets military standards for humidity, salt fog, drop, altitude, vibration, dust and solar radiation. Not only will the phone survive a drop in a puddle, it can withstand immersion in over one meter of water for up to 30 minutes and bring back the photos to prove it.

As packed as Exilim is with technology, it lacks the battery strength necessary to keep all of its bells and whistles running for long.

Many users report charging the phone every day for moderate use. With heavy use of the camera, the handset requires charging more than once a day.

Over time, the Exilim's strengths could be dwarfed by its lackluster battery performance. Then again, many high-end phones, such as the iPhone 3GS, require twice-daily charging with heavy video and game usage.

The Exilim comes with multimedia messaging options, and a phonebook with up to 500 entries with multiple contacts. Other tools include flashlight, alarm, calendar, calculator, stopwatch, notepad and speakerphone.

Call quality sounds robust and clear, with no dropouts or static. The speakerphone also projects balanced and vibrant tones, with good bass and treble on both ends of the call. When playing back video or music on the external speakers however, the sound comes out overly compressed, tinny and weak.

Also lacking from the Exilim is an audible tone for missed calls. Not all users will complain when they discover that the tones for incoming text messages or voicemail are discreet. But the audio level can't be adjusted, to the chagrin of some users. It can merely be switched from tone to vibrate.

The handset also features Visual Voicemail to manage and listen to messages, Verizon's Chaperone service for parents to keep tabs on their children, Field Force Manager for employees who work outside of the office and VZ Navigator for turn-by-turn directions and location information. Users should be aware that these features cost a monthly subscription fee on top of a user's plan.

Screen

The Exilim's puny 2.3-inch screen doesn't do justice to its 5.1-megapixel camera. It supports a mere 65K-colors, which doesn't hold a candle to the 16.7 million colors supported by many high-end devices.

Given the phone's battery issues, a less-than-brilliant screen is probably the better for the user. Still, with Casio's reputation for putting large screens on its Exilim digital cameras, the size of the handset's screen is disappointing.

Users can adjust the main screen's backlight time, contrast, dial fonts and clock display, as well as add wallpaper.

The phone's external, black and white screen measures 36 x 96 px and displays battery use, time, connectivity and incoming calls. Positively drab, users can't personalize it with photos or wallpaper.

Both screens are highly glossy, which adds luster to the viewing experience, but only if users wipe off the smudges and fingerprints first.

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