Surfing. Kayaking. Taking a bath. Until now, the list of excuses for not returning a call was long indeed. But inaccessibility is going to require a lot more creativity, thanks to go-anywhere phones like the waterproof, shockproof, dustproof, and heatproof (in excess of 140 degrees) G'zOne. This bomber, palm-size unit is built to meet military specifications for durability, including a three-foot, 30-minute dunking tolerance. It does everything you'd expect of a phone today—Web and e-mail included—plus it has GPS capability. Oh, and a two-megapixel camera, so you can skip the call back and just send your buddy a picture of the surf. Actions, as they say, speak louder than words.

Verizon G'zOne Type-V $300 verizonwireless.com
*Price includes two-year contract.