Tough Tablet

by Nick Drew | Sun 22 Feb 2015

Tough Tablet

During last year’s Xmas shutdown I was delighted to “test drive” something a bit different from the normal stuff I get to grips with. Something that in the modern world is equally as important as the plant and machinery itself.

The device in question was the Toughshield T700 Rugged Tablet from a new but rapidly expanding company in the mobile phone and tablet sector KAZAM. Founded in 2013 and initially launching in Germany, France, Spain and Poland the firm now has a presence in over 15 countries and offer an impressive range of products including this tablet, which has been designed and aimed at the construction industry and other extreme working environments.

Having spent many years with Apple products I was not sure what to expect, but the unit arrived in a stylish black box and upon removing it from the packaging I was immediately impressed with its rugged looking design. I think it’s fair to to say its not look the most attractive unit, but then again it’s not meant to. It has been designed to cope with tough conditions out on site and for that application it certainly is spot on. The 7” touch screen tablet weighs in at 610g and features a chunky & practical style rubber cladding which can give the user excellent grip of the device even when wearing gloves.

The device operates on the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean open platform and has dual SIM functionality which makes it ideal for when working on sites in remote locations, offering you the option to switch networks to achieve a better signal. In actual fact this device is a mobile smartphone on steroids, as you can do just about anything you can with a modern phone only on a much larger and more workmanlike platform. When making and receiving calls you need to use headphones with a microphone or when in a machine or car you can pair the device using the Bluetooth feature.

The device is rated at the IP68 standard (Ingress Protection) and meets the MIL810G military grade requirements, which means that the unit can survive immersed in water to a depth of 1.2m for up to 40 minutes. I have to confess I did not try this out but it’s reassuring to know that if you were climbing out of the cab and it dropped in to a water filled trench, there is a good chance the unit will survive. It also offers total protection against dust and micro particles, an all too common problem on building sites. KAZAM also claim that the device can withstand falls onto concrete from a height of 1m, but once again I did not put that to the test! The unit also features a toughened glass screen which KAZAM offer a screen replacement policy for, which gives added reassurance in line with their terms and conditions.

For the tech-heads out there the T700 is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, backed up with 1GB RAM which makes the unit very fast and powerful. It features 16GB ROM on board storage, but I boosted this to 32GB by inserting a micro SD memory card. For me one of the most impressive things was the unit’s battery life, which is of particular importance when working out in the field away from any power source. The T700 is fitted with massive 6000 mAh Li-lon battery which just keeps going all day and night with moderate use. KAZAM say that the Toughshield offers 320 hours of standby time and 17 hours of talk time which is impressive going. I mounted the unit in the cab of my mini excavator for a few days using the supplied suction mounting and really started to see the benefits the unit can offer. I was a bit daunted to start with as I am not used to the Android system, but after a bit of perseverance, I was soon firing on all cylinders and navigating my way around very easily. It was great to be able to check out my usual online suspects, Digger Man Blog, Facebook and Twitter, but of course the unit has so much more to offer, in fact I would say it’s only limited by the end users imagination or lack of it!

This tablet can be used to look at technical drawings, drainage layouts, foundation plans and a whole host of on-site data making it a great and cutting edge alternative to the paper based drawings that always end up getting wet and torn, then in turn end up cluttering the cab. Also using it’s built in 8MP camera you can document the jobs you are on, a vital tool when it comes to getting paid for extras in many instances today, or for shooting photos of any problems you wish to report to the machines manufacturer for warranty or repair work.

I see a massive market for these unique rugged tablets within the construction industry, especially amongst the forward thinking and computer savvy workforce today. The unit can do the work of a laptop in a small and extremely tough package, an ideal fit for the modern progressive construction industry.

The magazine for owners + operators

Digger Man Blog

Tough Tablet

Loads more

Harford Attachments Ltd Achieves a King’s Award fo...

Xwatch leads the way – Hitachi Construction Machin...

Postcards from Intermat 2024 (Part Two)

Subscribe to Earthmovers