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Take a look at the Cat B15Q (pictures)

The Cat B15Q is a rugged smartphone from a company better known for construction vehicles; let's take a closer look.

Nate Ralph
Associate Editor Nate Ralph is an aspiring wordsmith, covering mobile software and hardware for CNET Reviews. His hobbies include dismantling gadgets, waxing poetic about obscure ASCII games, and wandering through airports.
Nate Ralph
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The Cat B15Q

The Cat B15Q is a rugged smartphone , built to take a beating. But it's far less bulky than other phones in its class, and looks good to boot. It's available from places like Home Depot for $349 (£249.99) -- I reviewed a dual SIM model, available for $359.

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Caterpillar's take on the rugged smartphone is just shy of 3 inches wide, and has a 4-inch display.

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At just under 6 ounces, this phone isn't exactly light. But it cuts a slim figure for a device that's meant to take a beating.

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On the right side of the phone, you'll find the volume controls (in Caterpillar yellow) and a dedicated camera button: tap it twice to fire up the camera.

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There's the power button, adjacent to the flap that protects the headphone jack.

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The 5-megapixel camera on the rear can take some satisfactory shots if the conditions are just right. But it generally produces images that are full of image noise, with washed-out colors.

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This lock keeps the backplate secure. Slide it to the left to unlock it, then pry the backplate off.

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The 2,000mAh battery is rated at 16 hours of talk time. It blocks the SIM cards and the microSD card slot, so you'll need to remove it from time to time.

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When properly sealed, the phone can sit in up to a meter of water, for up to 30 minutes; occasional splashes are no problem.

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