Caterpillar, the same company that produces bulldozers and other land-moving equipment for construction sites around the world, is now entering the smartphone space, or I should say tough-phone as this is one rugged device.
Caterpillar has used Mobile World Congress to launch a new tough-phone dubbed the Cat B15. This rugged 4-incher is built to withstand a life of being carried by those that have a most familiar acquaintance with Caterpillar equipment. The Cat B15 can withstand a fall from the height of the average man’s head on to a concrete surface and carries an IO67 rating. That means that this thing is also water and dust proof. It can also be operated at temperatures as low as -20 degrees centigrade.
With all the aforementioned characteristics and the ability to survive such a hard life, you can imagine that the device is just a bit bulkier than we are used to seeing and is clad in anodized aluminium and rubber. The Cat
B15 measures 125 x 69.5 x 14.95mm and weighs in at 170 grams or right at 6-ounces.
This 4-inch device comes wielding a below average 800 x 480 pixel resolution as well, but also has a Gorilla Glass covered display and the ability for the touchscreen to function while wet. The specifications and the features just seem to keep evening each other out, while as we might imagine, this thing isn’t exactly being marketed toward the techies either. This phone is all about the long-haul and we do believe that his device is one that will be able to withstand the roughest of lifestyles and take more than one beating (per week).
As for the rest of the spec side of things, the Cat B15 packs a dual-core 1GHz processor with 512MB of RAM. There is a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera with video recording capabilities up to 720p. Inside, we also have a 2,000 mAh battery that the manufacturer says will keep the B15 running for 16.3 hours.
This may not be the fastest most agile device on the market but again, that is not what it is meant to be. This phone, however may just be the best bang for your buck if you spend most of your time on muddy construction sites. It will debut for €329 or about $450 US, the Cat B15 will run on Android 4.1.