As an electronics engineer who hasn't been active for years, I do find 3g shutdowns by design a bit strange.
It's pretty easy these days to design a device which can stand much more; in fact I'd be willing to bet that your average flash-RAM ipod packed in a few inches of polystyrene would stand a LOT more. Of course a more heat-resistant shock absorber might be preferable for airplane use.
But then, the good thing about a non-working flight recorder is one can blame the aircrew
Edmund