By 
Caterpillar is taking their knowledge of the construction industry into completely new territory with the CAT B10. Rugged mobile devices have long been associated with the trade and the B10 is no different, picking up IP67 certification for its resistance to scratches, dust, and water. While the CAT B10 looks as powerful as a bulldozer, its internal specs leave something to be desired. The 3.2-inch handset carries an 800MHz processor, 5MP camera with front-facing camera, and runs Android 2.3.5. We get the feeling the phone’s demographic won’t mind the lack of power. It’s pretty hard to play full 3D games while operating a construction crane.
The release is a testament to the prevalence of Android and smartphones — a nontraditional company trying their hand at mobile devices. The Caterpillar CAT B10 will be launching worldwide in late May and should be priced right around $500 off contract.
[via The Verge]
A call button. Man I remember those…
I think these will do what Casio has failed to do.
Sometimes a call button would be nice to have. When my wife was picking up her GNex the VZW rep said he had just sold 50 G’ZOne’s to a construction company.
gzones are great phones i had one as a compnay phone and it never failed me working in a landfill,
You know, as enthusiasts we want something high end and specs-spectacular. But I have a friend that this would be perfect for. I offered to give him my old HTC Desire and although he gazed longingly at it he declined because he said it wouldn’t last a day in his line of work – he would drop it or otherwise destroy it just through his routine as a trucker. He bought a new-from-the-box Samsung running something other than Android which a rep sold him. It was build like a tank and it was describe to him as a military type issue device for heavy duty use. The CAT phone would have been perfect for him
This will never be even a blip on any best seller list but it just fit a niche market for people people that need something durable.
Otterbox basically turns any android phone into this. Although “pimp” has it in that you would need to re-introduce buttons for construction.
No, they won’t. They don’t provide the dust/water resistance this phone has. Given the last two otterbox cases I’ve gone though, they probably wouldn’t provide the drop resistance either.
Interesting because I noticed some construction related apps while searching the Market (oops I mean Play) the other day.
Is there a reason they can’t make them at least mid range, if they can’t make them high end? If the Razr is super thin but not rugged, why not make something similar, then add all the extra things needed to make it tough like that? It wouldn’t have to be a brick!
That looks a lot like the Casio G-Zone.
I doubt CAT would build their own phone so it probably is.
At this point in time technology wise, there is a significant difference in high-end and mid-range devices in terms of lag. Lag significantly deters from the utility of a mobile device. Hopefully, it has a loud earpiece and an extra bright backlight. As for the call/end buttons, every Android should have these.
will it blend???
Once again, it’s a tool not your girlfriend.
Actual real buttons to answer and hang up, what a concept. I think there is a niche for something like this. The question is if CAT does their homework and fills it properly. Just because CAT knows the construction business doesn’t mean they can build a smartphone for it. That is a pretty long distance from anything they have done before.
Makes sense, physical buttons are important if you’re wearing gloves.
I was being sarcastic. I simply cannot believe that actual buttons for call and hang up are more the exception than the rule these days. It’s a phone first and foremost. Something just about all the manufacturers seem to forget in their drive to make them cheaper and and less prone to mechanical failure.
I think Cat has worked hard and built a reputable name they don’t try to glide on like other companies. I believe if they put their name on it, they have researched the phone manufacturer and laid down strict guidelines for it to deserve and hold the Cat name. Otherwise Cat should know that if they glide on the name their reputation will go down the crapper like “Craftsman” and they will lose business.. Just a view.
Any idea who the OEM is? The side buttons and the shape above the earpiece make it look like something from Sonim (think Land Rover-branded phones).
Also, there is no Home button. I’m assuming the Call (green) button opens the dialpad and the End (red) button doubles as the Home button.