Android By Ryan Whitwam May. 6, 2014 2:29 pm
Caterpillar is known for its heavy construction equipment, but in some ways, getting into the ruggedized smartphone market makes a lot of sense. The people who are using a bunch of bulldozers and backhoes are probably also consumers of super-durable phones. Cat released the B15 smartphone powered by Android last year, and now it’s showing just how durable it is on video. This isn’t just another boring drop test — we get to watch a few tons of steel rolling over the phone.
The B15 isn’t going to stand up to modern flagship phones in terms of speed, but it does better than most of the competing rugged phones. The Cat B15 is running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with all the usual Google apps. Inside its durable casing is a dual-core MediaTek processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage. The 4-inch Gorilla Glass screen has a resolution of 800×480 (WVGA). So, obviously you don’t buy it for the specs, you buy it for what Cat shows in the video.
The B15 is IP67 certified for water and dust resistance, which means it can be submerged in a meter of water for 30 minutes. A number of other phones, including the new Samsung Galaxy S5 have the same certification, but Cat is starting off slow in this video. A gigantic MH3049 material handler uses its claw to drop the B15 into a pool of water. Of course, the phone is fine once it’s scooped out. As an added bonus, the screen on the B15 still works when wet. Many water-resistant phones might survive a quick dip, but the screens won’t register touches until you dry them off.
After a drop on the ground (a 1.8 meter fall is no problem), it’s on to the grand finale. The final demo requires a few more phones — 600 to be exact. The devices are arranged in two blocks on the ground, ready to bear the full weight of a 4.6 ton bulldozer. Hey, and how about that? The phones survive with minimal damage.
If this is the sort of thing you’re looking for in a phone, the Cat B15 retails for about $330.
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The B15 isn’t going to stand up to modern flagship phones in terms of speed, but it does better than most of the competing rugged phones. The Cat B15 is running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with all the usual Google apps. Inside its durable casing is a dual-core MediaTek processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage. The 4-inch Gorilla Glass screen has a resolution of 800×480 (WVGA). So, obviously you don’t buy it for the specs, you buy it for what Cat shows in the video.
The B15 is IP67 certified for water and dust resistance, which means it can be submerged in a meter of water for 30 minutes. A number of other phones, including the new Samsung Galaxy S5 have the same certification, but Cat is starting off slow in this video. A gigantic MH3049 material handler uses its claw to drop the B15 into a pool of water. Of course, the phone is fine once it’s scooped out. As an added bonus, the screen on the B15 still works when wet. Many water-resistant phones might survive a quick dip, but the screens won’t register touches until you dry them off.
After a drop on the ground (a 1.8 meter fall is no problem), it’s on to the grand finale. The final demo requires a few more phones — 600 to be exact. The devices are arranged in two blocks on the ground, ready to bear the full weight of a 4.6 ton bulldozer. Hey, and how about that? The phones survive with minimal damage.
If this is the sort of thing you’re looking for in a phone, the Cat B15 retails for about $330.
More...
