Why bother unless they use mil std 810. I had an iPhone 4 with no case that was dropped at least a dozen times on asphalt and concrete and nothing but minor chips. One drop on a gravel road and the screen looked like it was hit by a bullet. I bet that same fall with this phone ends the same.
It's actually really difficult for non-American companies to get MIL-810G certification. Ask Lenovo.
Bullitt Group, who CAT whores their trademark too, is British.
But in the end it means nothing. A MILSTD-810G certified Elitebook 840 is fairly equal to a non-MILSTD-810G certified Thinkpad T440. Lenovo tactfully certifies their equipment as MIL-SPEC, a made up acronym with testing models based on the MIL STD tests. But they can't legally call them MIL STD. None the less, they do call them MIL-SPEC 810G, and they get away with it, and lets face it, it's all the same shit.
I dropped my metal phone on a gravel road when I was stupidly changing cases in the open. The aluminum back got badly scratched and the front glass has a tiny chip where a rock hit the top part of the screen. The phone fell on its side though, if it had fallen on the front the screen would've been toast.
I don't think any Gorilla Glass screen can stand a face down drop on to gravel. A tempered glass screen protector could help as a sacrificial layer.
How unbelievably narcissistic. Only a sociopath would draw a correlation between intelligence and motor skills.
As someone with a disability it is especially offensive. I dropped and crack the screen on a phone for the first time in August getting ice cream with my daughter. I certainly didn’t lack the intelligence to order a kit on iFixit and repair it myself.
Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone is clumsy sometimes. Everyone is busy sometimes. And everyone is good at something.
"The accumulator can be used to charge other devices due to Cat’s special Battery Share feature. The enforced enclosure as well as a high-capacity battery (for a 5” phone) naturally affected weight and dimensions of the device: it weighs 218 grams and is 12.95 mm thick."
Sorry, more questions: What's "the accumulator", what's so special about "Cat’s special Battery Share feature", and what's an "enforced enclosure"? Please, explain.
Accumulator is a word used in context as an alternative to repeatedly writing the word battery. It's reasonable usage of the term though it seems a bit archaic to refer to a battery that way when talking about a modern handset. I do sympathize. When writing, repeating the same word over and over again is something most of us try to avoid so we have to pull out the thesaurus once in a while and this is the result.
Looks like the special CAT cable combines an OTG cable with a male micro-USB plug. Old Nokia Symbian^3 phones could charge other phones by using an OTG adapter and a normal USB cable.
It's more about extreme temperatures which negatively affect batteries, but also water and spray around touch screens can make them work hard to separate false input from real.
Sure, but sunny outdoors conditions are hardly extreme. I can see the extreme cold weather argument (with the phone rated down to -25°C), but even as extreme environments go, I'd still call that rather unusual.
Not this either. (Hint: it's a marketing gimmick to get you to pay $449 for a $200 phone)
The issue that 'Caterpillar' is having is that they can't charge a premium for their phones, because the regular smartphone market catches up within 3-6 months. Since they've learned that, they have switched to attempting to create a 'premium' low end phone. The issue I have with this is that most of the features are smoke and mirrors with little innovation.
While CAT might be pushing the 'EXTREMENESS' of their phones a bit too much; their phones will survive and operate as before in quite extreme conditions that would destroy or at least damage most other phones.
What people like you seem to forget is that there are people who do work in extreme environments who need such devices. In those cases, almost any device is better than no device.
I'd also argue that it materially costs more to ruggedise a phone than it does to add most of the features other phones get.
First, don't reply to yourself with a further rant.
As to your question? Nowhere in the article does it say or even imply that water, salt-spray, dirt, etc. are extreme environments. Now, they can be, but to infer that is your fault.
Extreme environments usually refers to extremes in temperature. These absolutely do affect battery life. In cold environments especially, battery life can be much, much lower.
Of course, you could have searched for this information yourself. Take that bee out of your bonnet already.
Maybe those who trash this thing don't use their phones in the outdoors constantly, as on a boat, by the beach or on a farm in all weather conditions. Even a farmer uses a mobile computer when out and about.
I've got a chunky case on my phone with rubber grommets covering all ports and I still can't use it in the rain. This CAT phone can be used in rain and snow with gloves on, unlike 99% of smartphones out there. The drop protection is similar to third party cases but the weatherproofing and touch sensitivity make it unique. Too bad about that horrible Mediatek chip though.
Their website background video makes a case for their phone, however I have to argue that many of the uses shown seem quite reckless. What struck me as a bit of a odd clip was the dockyard user who had their phone nestled in a bit of rope, which made me wonder if the S41 will float if dropped in water? Hey, the phone survives you throwing it on the floor, great. What about taking a picture of that fish you caught on the lake, when the fish twitches and you drop your phone in 30ft of water?
This reminds me of the G-Shock phone, and probably markets to a similar group of people. I would argue most here would be better served by something more along the lines of a Galaxy S? Active, meaning good performance, fair durability, rather than Cat's fair performance, good durability.
It seems like many ruggedized devices use plastic screens with poor optical properties, and resistive touch, while this device is using Gorrila Glass 5 (which is still plastic, I know) and seemingly combined resistive/capacitive touch? It should work more like a normal smartphone, than some purpose built 'tool' with a crap screen, so that's nice.
I do have to ask.. why don't they make a $599 version with flagships specs? I wouldn't mind having an AMOLED-screened, S835 phone with a 5000mAh battery that looks so ugly nobody'll want to steal it.
I'll be honest here, all I really care about is the 5000mAh battery. If you gave me a regular non-rugged flagship with that big a battery, I'd be just as happy :P
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tech6 - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
This is sheer marketing genius.Every guy with a jacked up truck or wrangler will finally be able to accessorize it with a suitably manly phone.
will5400 - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
Why bother unless they use mil std 810. I had an iPhone 4 with no case that was dropped at least a dozen times on asphalt and concrete and nothing but minor chips. One drop on a gravel road and the screen looked like it was hit by a bullet. I bet that same fall with this phone ends the same.Samus - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
It's actually really difficult for non-American companies to get MIL-810G certification. Ask Lenovo.Bullitt Group, who CAT whores their trademark too, is British.
But in the end it means nothing. A MILSTD-810G certified Elitebook 840 is fairly equal to a non-MILSTD-810G certified Thinkpad T440. Lenovo tactfully certifies their equipment as MIL-SPEC, a made up acronym with testing models based on the MIL STD tests. But they can't legally call them MIL STD. None the less, they do call them MIL-SPEC 810G, and they get away with it, and lets face it, it's all the same shit.
serendip - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
I dropped my metal phone on a gravel road when I was stupidly changing cases in the open. The aluminum back got badly scratched and the front glass has a tiny chip where a rock hit the top part of the screen. The phone fell on its side though, if it had fallen on the front the screen would've been toast.I don't think any Gorilla Glass screen can stand a face down drop on to gravel. A tempered glass screen protector could help as a sacrificial layer.
Lolimaster - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
Intelligent people shouldn't be dropping their phones in the 1st place, I don't remember to ever dropped a phone.BrokenCrayons - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
High intelligence doesn't imply high manual dexterity nor does it rule out unforseen mishaps caused by uncontrollable circumstances.Samus - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
How unbelievably narcissistic. Only a sociopath would draw a correlation between intelligence and motor skills.As someone with a disability it is especially offensive. I dropped and crack the screen on a phone for the first time in August getting ice cream with my daughter. I certainly didn’t lack the intelligence to order a kit on iFixit and repair it myself.
Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone is clumsy sometimes. Everyone is busy sometimes. And everyone is good at something.
lmcd - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
It'd be interesting to see how a modern resistive screen would hold up versus capacitive.chaos215bar2 - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
"Operation in extreme environments usually taxes a handsets battery life, so the Cat S41 comes with a 5000 mAh battery."Why would exposure to to water, salt spray, dirt, etc. tax a phone's battery life?
chaos215bar2 - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
"The accumulator can be used to charge other devices due to Cat’s special Battery Share feature. The enforced enclosure as well as a high-capacity battery (for a 5” phone) naturally affected weight and dimensions of the device: it weighs 218 grams and is 12.95 mm thick."Sorry, more questions: What's "the accumulator", what's so special about "Cat’s special Battery Share feature", and what's an "enforced enclosure"? Please, explain.
BrokenCrayons - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
Accumulator is a word used in context as an alternative to repeatedly writing the word battery. It's reasonable usage of the term though it seems a bit archaic to refer to a battery that way when talking about a modern handset. I do sympathize. When writing, repeating the same word over and over again is something most of us try to avoid so we have to pull out the thesaurus once in a while and this is the result.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accumulator_(energy)
serendip - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
Looks like the special CAT cable combines an OTG cable with a male micro-USB plug. Old Nokia Symbian^3 phones could charge other phones by using an OTG adapter and a normal USB cable.futrtrubl - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
It's more about extreme temperatures which negatively affect batteries, but also water and spray around touch screens can make them work hard to separate false input from real.eek2121 - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
No, not really.protomech - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
It's probably more that extended operation outdoors will require the brightness to be pumped up.chaos215bar2 - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
Sure, but sunny outdoors conditions are hardly extreme. I can see the extreme cold weather argument (with the phone rated down to -25°C), but even as extreme environments go, I'd still call that rather unusual.eek2121 - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
Not this either. (Hint: it's a marketing gimmick to get you to pay $449 for a $200 phone)The issue that 'Caterpillar' is having is that they can't charge a premium for their phones, because the regular smartphone market catches up within 3-6 months. Since they've learned that, they have switched to attempting to create a 'premium' low end phone. The issue I have with this is that most of the features are smoke and mirrors with little innovation.
Tams80 - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
While CAT might be pushing the 'EXTREMENESS' of their phones a bit too much; their phones will survive and operate as before in quite extreme conditions that would destroy or at least damage most other phones.What people like you seem to forget is that there are people who do work in extreme environments who need such devices. In those cases, almost any device is better than no device.
I'd also argue that it materially costs more to ruggedise a phone than it does to add most of the features other phones get.
will5400 - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
The temperature extremes might cause shorter battery life.Tams80 - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
First, don't reply to yourself with a further rant.As to your question? Nowhere in the article does it say or even imply that water, salt-spray, dirt, etc. are extreme environments. Now, they can be, but to infer that is your fault.
Extreme environments usually refers to extremes in temperature. These absolutely do affect battery life. In cold environments especially, battery life can be much, much lower.
Of course, you could have searched for this information yourself. Take that bee out of your bonnet already.
Wolfpup - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
I want this, but running iOS!Damned lightning port is FRAGILE.
negusp - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
ewwww iOSleo_sk - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
The chipset is the weakest link. Mediatek for some reason always has shorter battery life than the battery capacity should warrantserendip - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
Maybe those who trash this thing don't use their phones in the outdoors constantly, as on a boat, by the beach or on a farm in all weather conditions. Even a farmer uses a mobile computer when out and about.I've got a chunky case on my phone with rubber grommets covering all ports and I still can't use it in the rain. This CAT phone can be used in rain and snow with gloves on, unlike 99% of smartphones out there. The drop protection is similar to third party cases but the weatherproofing and touch sensitivity make it unique. Too bad about that horrible Mediatek chip though.
peevee - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
Would be perfect if the CPU included 1 fast core and it had USB-C instead of Micro USB.802,11ac would not hurt either.
peevee - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
Oh yeah, and Oreo too.c4v3man - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
Their website background video makes a case for their phone, however I have to argue that many of the uses shown seem quite reckless. What struck me as a bit of a odd clip was the dockyard user who had their phone nestled in a bit of rope, which made me wonder if the S41 will float if dropped in water? Hey, the phone survives you throwing it on the floor, great. What about taking a picture of that fish you caught on the lake, when the fish twitches and you drop your phone in 30ft of water?This reminds me of the G-Shock phone, and probably markets to a similar group of people. I would argue most here would be better served by something more along the lines of a Galaxy S? Active, meaning good performance, fair durability, rather than Cat's fair performance, good durability.
It seems like many ruggedized devices use plastic screens with poor optical properties, and resistive touch, while this device is using Gorrila Glass 5 (which is still plastic, I know) and seemingly combined resistive/capacitive touch? It should work more like a normal smartphone, than some purpose built 'tool' with a crap screen, so that's nice.
ZeDestructor - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
I do have to ask.. why don't they make a $599 version with flagships specs? I wouldn't mind having an AMOLED-screened, S835 phone with a 5000mAh battery that looks so ugly nobody'll want to steal it.peevee - Wednesday, November 1, 2017 - link
Businesses buying these for their construction workers might not like the extra expense.And it is not for playing 3D games.
ZeDestructor - Saturday, November 4, 2017 - link
I'll be honest here, all I really care about is the 5000mAh battery. If you gave me a regular non-rugged flagship with that big a battery, I'd be just as happy :PHarry_Wild - Thursday, November 2, 2017 - link
Wi-Fi is only 802.11n. No current 802.11ac standard.