flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Field tested: Caterpillar’s Cat B15 rugged smartphone

Field tested: Caterpillar’s Cat B15 rugged smartphone

The B15 is billed by Cat as “the most progressive, durable and rugged device available on the market today.” 


By BD+C Staff | March 10, 2014
Caterpillars Cat B15 rugged smartphone
Caterpillars Cat B15 rugged smartphone

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

| Oct 19, 2014

White House Visitor Center reopens in Washington, D.C.

Designed by SmithGroupJJR and Gallagher & Associates, renovated center shows public its unique role as office, stage, museum, park, and home.

| Oct 16, 2014

Must see: Illustrator interprets iconic windows concocted by renowned architects

Graphic designer Federico Babina has made a name for himself when it comes to art inspired by architecture, or more accurately, art inspired by architecture that's inspired by other forms of art. 

| Oct 16, 2014

Henning Larsen Architects to design train station for planned Danish town

Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects won Frederikssung municipality’s architecture competition for a regional train station in the planned city of Vinge—Denmark’s largest urban development.

| Oct 16, 2014

Report: How to keep public libraries relevant in a digital age

Public libraries will avoid being relegated to the scrap heap of history in a digital age as long as they continue to serve as platforms for learning, creativity, and innovation that strengthen their communities, according to a new Aspen Institute report.

Sponsored | | Oct 16, 2014

Drilling deeper: The booming Bakken Shale region

The Bakken Shale region, which spans from central North Dakota to the northeastern corner of Montana, is rapidly growing as a result of the oil and gas boom. SPONSORED CONTENT

| Oct 16, 2014

Germany to commemorate Berlin Wall anniversary with 10-mile LED 'balloon' installation

The project, named Lichtgrenze (or Border of Light), makes for a colossal art installation dividing Berlin back to East and West. Eight thousand LED light-filled balloons, each 11 feet high, will line the path.

| Oct 16, 2014

Perkins+Will white paper examines alternatives to flame retardant building materials

The white paper includes a list of 193 flame retardants, including 29 discovered in building and household products, 50 found in the indoor environment, and 33 in human blood, milk, and tissues.

Sponsored | | Oct 16, 2014

Mill Brook Elementary School colors outside the lines with creative fire-rated framing solution

Among the building elements contributing to the success of the elementary school’s public learning areas is a fire-rated stairwell that supports the school’s vision for collaboration. HMFH Architects designed the stairwell to be bright and open, reflecting the playful energy of students. SPONSORED CONTENT

| Oct 15, 2014

Drones may soon assist code inspectors for construction in the UAE

The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Labour announced that they will start using drones to help inspectors record when construction sites are breaking laws.

| Oct 15, 2014

Harvard launches ‘design-centric’ center for green buildings and cities

The impetus behind Harvard's Center for Green Buildings and Cities is what the design school’s dean, Mohsen Mostafavi, describes as a “rapidly urbanizing global economy,” in which cities are building new structures “on a massive scale.” 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Codes and Standards

New FEMA rules include climate change impacts

FEMA’s new rules governing rebuilding after disasters will take into account the impacts of climate change on future flood risk. For decades, the agency has followed a 100-year floodplain standard—an area that has a 1% chance of flooding in a given year.


Construction Costs

Data center construction costs for 2024

Gordian’s data features more than 100 building models, including computer data centers. These localized models allow architects, engineers, and other preconstruction professionals to quickly and accurately create conceptual estimates for future builds. This table shows a five-year view of costs per square foot for one-story computer data centers. 


Sustainability

Grimshaw launches free online tool to help accelerate decarbonization of buildings

Minoro, an online platform to help accelerate the decarbonization of buildings, was recently launched by architecture firm Grimshaw, in collaboration with more than 20 supporting organizations including World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), RIBA, Architecture 2030, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and several national Green Building Councils from across the globe.


halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021