BD+C’s sister publication, Construction Equipment, recently field tested Caterpillar’s entry into the rugged mobile device market, the Cat B15 smartphone.
Manufactured by Bullett Mobile Ltd. under license from Caterpillar, the B15 is billed by Cat as “the most progressive, durable and rugged device available on the market today.”
Among the listed features are drop-resistance up to 1.8 meters (nearly five feet), water resistant (submerged up to one meter for 30 minutes), imperviousness to dust, and easy wet-finger tracking ability. The phone starts at $349 and ships unlocked to work with any carrier.
CE Contributing Editor and long-time construction industry professional Pat Crail put the Cat B15 through the paces to see if it actually lived up to the company’s claims. Crail offered the following feedback:
• Wet fingers? No problem. “The first rugged feature that I tested was wet-screen finger tracking on the VGA touch screen. I have used several other touch-screen phones and have always had difficulty with wet-finger tracking, especially if there is any oil or grease present. The B15 masterfully handles wet finger gestures on its screen, even with some oil residue or grease on the fingers.”
• Built to take a beating. “I then tested the phone’s ability to handle the 1.8-meter drop onto a concrete surface. Its aluminum-and-rubber construction lived up to claims. I dropped the phone from 1.8 meters a number of times, with no apparent damage.”
• Passed the water test. “After submerging the Cat B15 for 30 minutes in a meter of water, I pulled it out, shook off the excess moisture, and was able to use the phone immediately for both voice calls and Internet connectivity. I repeated this trial a few times over the several months of testing. To its credit, the B15 easily handled multiple submersions over the three months I used it.”
• Lack of 4G could be an issue for some. “The B15 seemed a bit sluggish when opening large, photo-heavy Web pages and video files, likely a result of the phone’s lack of 4G connectivity. The B15 operates on the latest version of Android and supports 3G wireless connections. According to Caterpillar’s Sarah Crab, there are no plans for the B15 to support LTE (4G) data connections.”
Read CE’s full report. For more on the B15, visit Catphones.com/phones/b15-smartphone.aspx.
Related Stories
Architects | Jan 24, 2018
Danish design firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects joins Perkins+Will
Partnership expands Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s capacity for international growth; complements Perkins+Will’s design philosophy and strengthens the firm’s cultural practice.
Hotel Facilities | Jan 24, 2018
U.S. hotel markets with the largest construction pipelines
Dallas, Houston, and New York lead the way, with more than 460 hotel projects in the works.
Architects | Jan 24, 2018
Strong finish for architecture billings in 2017
The Architecture Billings Index concluded the year in positive terrain, with the December reading capping off three straight months of growth in design billings.
Architects | Jan 19, 2018
CTBUH announces global finalist projects for annual awards program
The Lotte World Tower, in Seoul, and 150 N. Riverside, in Chicago, are among the finalists.
Architects | Jan 10, 2018
NELSON and FRCH Design Worldwide are merging
Their chief executives will manage the company jointly, by region.
Architects | Jan 10, 2018
7 steps to ending a low growth cycle
Here are the top 10 marketing techniques as rated by high-growth firms and how they compare to their no-growth counterparts.
Architects | Jan 8, 2018
ZGF Founding Partner Robert Frasca, 84, passes away
Frasca was a driving force in transforming the architectural firm from its early beginnings as a regional office into one of the nation’s largest practices, with 600 design professionals across six offices in the U.S. and Canada.
Architects | Jan 8, 2018
Catherine Selby joins Dattner Architects’ partners group
Selby joins Principals Paul Bauer AIA; Richard Dattner FAIA; Jeff Dugan AIA; Beth Greenberg AIA; Daniel Heuberger AIA, LEED AP; Kirsten Sibilia Assoc. AIA; William Stein FAIA; and John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP in leading the 115-person firm.
Big Data | Jan 5, 2018
In the age of data-driven design, has POE’s time finally come?
At a time when research- and data-based methods are playing a larger role in architecture, there remains a surprisingly scant amount of post-occupancy research. But that’s starting to change.