Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/703077
I DA U N I V E R S A L J u l y -Au g u s t 2 0 1 6 25 NUTS & BOLTS continued from page 23 While "the construction industry smartphone market is getting interesting" isn't exactly a phrase I thought I'd be typing a few years ago, that's exactly where we fi nd ourselves today. In the last two years, Cat has released a new smartphone nearly every six months. e latest even has a built-in FLIR thermal camera – through its partnership with UK design group, Bullitt – and now another name well known to those in construction is entering the market with an Android device of its own. DeWalt has unveiled the MD501 (also referred to simply as the DeWalt Phone), a device that not only meets the rugged standard Cat's phones have achieved, but in a few instances, actually exceeds those specifi cations. For starters, at fi ve inches, the MD501 boasts a slightly larger display than any of the Cat phones released to date. In terms of resolution and toughness, the DeWalt display appears to be the same as those found on Cat's phones: Gorilla Glass, usable with gloves and likely not all that sharp, with a resolution lower than 1080p. (We've scheduled a talk with DeWalt and will be sure to get the offi cial resolution, as well as an answer on whether the display can be used when wet, as Cat's phones can.) e MD501 is compat- ible with 4G networks and, unlike any phones we've seen yet in this market, supports dual SIM cards. Dual SIM is a pretty ni y feature that not only allows you to make and receive calls from both a work number and personal number, but also allows for the use of two separate networks – handy on any jobsite where one carrier's reception is better than another's. Another nice thing about this phone is that it supports both CDMA carriers, like Verizon and Sprint, and GSM carriers, like AT&T and T-Mobile. A lot of phones in this space have either been CDMA- or GSM-only, which would have made the dual-SIM feature of loading up, say Verizon and AT&T SIMs, impossible. In terms of rugged specs, the phone is rated IP68-dust proof and waterproof up to 30 minutes in up to two meters of water and MIL810G,able to withstand extreme tempera- tures and drops onto concrete from up to two meters. e DeWalt Phone also appears to be fairly thin for a rugged phone, though no exact measure- ments have yet been given. Plus, it features Qi wireless charging. is phone also features the largest battery of any rugged construc- tion phone we've seen: 3,950 mAh. at's more than double the battery size of the iPhone 6s and should get you through a full work day with ease, and likely well into another. Android 5.1 Lollipop serves as the MD501's operating system, and the phone is powered by a 1.3 GHz processor and a healthy two gigabytes of RAM. DeWalt unveils the MD501: A rugged phone for construction going head-to-head with Cat Internal storage is 16 GB, but is expandable up to 64 with a microSD card. Other features include NFC, low-power Bluetooth 4.0, MP3 and over- the-air radio. e phone will launch fi rst in the UK later this month, DeWalt says, with a U.S. ● launch coming later this year. www.equipmentworld.com, 4/16 Nuts & Bolts continued on page 45