You're a rough, tough [insert manly occupational title here], so what are ya doing using a delicate smartphone designed for latte-sippin' yuppies? If your answer is "Good question," then you might be interested in the new B100 phone from Cat ... and yes, that's as in "Caterpillar."
Some of the phone's rugged features include dust-proofing, drop-proofing to 1.8 meters (almost 6 ft), waterproofing to one meter (3 ft) for 30 minutes, and the ability to operate in temperatures ranging from -25ºC to 55°C (-13°F to 131°F) – although that wouldn't be sufficient for some places in the US that are currently experiencing the Polar Vortex! By contrast, the iPhone 5 is rated at 0°C to 35°C (32°F to 95°F).
Its physical number pad is designed so it can be operated by gloved fingers, plus the phone features a noise-canceling microphone. This means that people on the other end of the line will be able to make out what the caller is saying (and vice-versa), over top of the background chain saws/engines/howitzers or whatnot.
You can see all of the specs on the product page, but some of the basics include ...
- Platform: MTK NUCLEUS (version 2.1)
- Processor: Media Tek MT6276W
- ROM Flash: 128 MB (expandable with MicroSD card)
- RAM: 64 MB
- Camera: 3 MP
- Display: 2.2-inch QVGA 240X320 TFT
- Battery: 1,150 mAh removable lithium-ion
- Talk time: Up to 10 hours
So yeah, it's not exactly going to out-spec your neighbor's Galaxy, but it might give it a wedgie in the schoolyard.
It will be available in Europe immediately, priced at €120 (about US$160). It should be coming to other markets later in the first half of the year, although there is currently no word on price. If it seems like your kind of thing, you might also be interested in the Runbo X3.
Source: Cat via Pocket-lint
