Verizon G’zOne phone kid-test

The ads for the Verizon G’zOne phone shows it half submerged in mud, the impression of a giant shoe smashed down on the device. It’s promoted as being built to survive the backcountry, but can it survive a few rounds with a rambunctious 9-year-old? Our fourth-grade tester stomped the phone into the mud, dropped it down a slide, kicked it like a soccer ball around the yard, let her dog chew on it and then tossed it down a staircase. We rinsed it off in the kitchen sink and the G’zOne, with a built-in camera and flash, still continued to make and take calls. Cost: $150 with a two-year Verizon wireless contract. www.verizonwireless.com.