Caterpillar rugged Android phone

Cat® Phones | B15 Smartphone

It ain't a ToughPhone, but if you need that ruggedness beyond the 'water-resistant' Sony Xperia... this one has a screen that works with wet fingers too.

 

I like this phone and the price is not that bad @ $349.99

http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/cat-b15/4505-6452_7-35618535.html

 

Misses the boat by not having an externial antenna. As do most phones of today.

 

I use a Durrocomm lm801 one and my father is with JCB toughphone pro-talk tp851... I love toughphones

 

Must be nice to be in Canada eh?

 

Only if we don't need stuff shipped across the border.
US 48? Oh, free! Canada? $50. gah.

 

I have a co-worker who has this Cat B15 (simultaneous active Dual-SIM, but only one SIM in 3G mode); my mom has one too
It's a sturdy IP67, light for its size, has a recent Android version, and I can confirm it supports wet finger touch, albeit not as smooth as dry .
It has good signal, on both networks, and makes a very practical Personal WiFI Hotspot, which you can place anywhere outside, in the rain, sun, etc.
shortcomings:
- rather low earphone volume (pretty unusual for its target;
a CAT phone, if used near a Caterpillar bulldozer should be loud enough to hear the other party properly (my Sonim XP5300 does have loud enough volume and very loud speakerphone).
- a bit too reflective display, and with (rather) low brightness - again not what you would expect from this type of phone.
- no LED for camera, or flashlight - how could they miss on that ??? the lower end candy-bar version (B25) does have it.
- the (big) battery cover is locked by a sliding tab - which doesn't prevent the battery popping out if dropped in certain conditions - a screw lock would be far better here.

All in all, it's a pretty decent attempt at a rugged smartphone - not sure if it has serious competition on that, yet.

But I eagerly await Version 2.0 - I might just buy it then, to replace my Sonim.

 

You bet it does, even better when you live as close to the USA border as I do...see it from my front deck :thumbsup:

 

I do have a fortis for almost a year now. Its doing fine and the only problem is the battery will not last long. It has a dual sim card and with an Android OS. I cannot remember how many times I dropped it and sometimes I put in on the cutting table with running water, Lol..

ohlip

 

Of course it misses the boat....CATs hate water........
MEOW:hi2:

 

It would have to be a hell of a rugged phone to replace the Sonim! I used an XP3 on my last overseas contract and it was a brick!

But for weak signal conditions, the areas that these phone were designed for, NOTHING beats an externial antenna! Of course Sonim did away with that on the XP2 to satifiy all the Walter Mitty weekend comandos, that "needed" a rugged phone to impress their mates in the next cubical come Monday.

 

You might also check out the Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro.
It meets U.S. military spec 810G for dust, humidity, rain, shock, and temperature,
Is water resistant to 3 ft for 30 minutes, and has a faster processor.
I like mine.

Bob

Amazon.com: Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro (AT&T): Cell Phones & Accessories

 

Bob, have you had the Rugby Pro very long...my battery was shot in 6 months and the OEM cost big bucks.

 

Not quite a year and the battery is holding up very well