Official JCB mobile phone vehicle/car charger

It has taken some considerable time to come to market but if you are the owner of a JCB mobile phone then this new accessory will finally allow you to easily charge your mobile in a vehicle.

It is an official JCB vehicle charger, that works with toughened phones that require extra long microUSB connector.

There is a glowing LED power indicator that illuminates when connected to power and a coiled cable that extends to 2.5m.

For more information and to obtain one of these, just CLICK HERE.

If you are also looking for a replacement or additional USB cable for a JCB phone, then we do too have these available HERE.

Competition 9– WINNERS – Using your mobile devices for DIY & construction #clove20

For competition 9 of our #clove20 giveaway we asked you to share with us your DIY & construction stories that involved using your mobile device.

Yet again there were a range of entries that showed just how diversely mobile technology could be used.  It seems the camera and torch are widely used.

The winner is: Lynne Pope

They have won a JCB Sitemaster2 and a JCB Mug, Pen and Keyring.

The Sitemaster2 from JCB is a phone capable of surviving in harsh environments and in many DIY & construction projects.  This is particularly popular in the trade due to the following features:

  • Water / Dust resistant
  • Certified to IP67
  • Military Specification
  • One Ton Pressure Tested
  • 2m Drop Tested
  • 2MP Camera
  • MicroSD memory card slot
  • Bluetooth
  • FM Radio
  • Torch
  • 2 Year Warranty

Well done to Lynne

There are also 2 runners up who have each won themselves a pack of 6 x NFC Hang Tags courtesy of RapidNFC.

  • Sam Woodley
  • Mike Paterson (we know we used this as an example but it was just vey good)

Well done to all who took part.  Please email your names and address to sales@clove.co.uk so that we can send your prizes out.

JCB Toughphone concrete test

JCB Toughphone Marketing Director Jason Kemp finds another inventive way to put the JCB Sitemaster 2 through its paces.

When we launched the original Toughphone in 2007 one of the tests was to put the phone in a cement mixer. Celebrity Toughphone tester Peter Jones (who outside of Dragons’ Den owns the company that makes the JCB Toughphone) put five Toughphones in a cement mixer. We left them in the rotating drum for a couple of minutes with sand and gravel. All survived.

So we thought we’d take that challenge further. We got one bag of quick drying concrete and a Sitemaster 2, mixed the concrete and put the phone in to set (while we went off and strapped a Pro-Smart to a couple of rockets).

A couple of hours later and the concrete had set hard – now here’s the tough bit, can the phone survive being smashed out of concrete with screen intact and still be able to function. Have a look and see for yourself…

JCB Toughphone Pro-Smart vs A Rocket

Last month we had a look with Jason Kemp, Marketing Director for JCB Toughphone, to see how the JCB Sitemaster 2 could cope with being flushed down the toilet (video after the cut). Jason is back again, but this time he has a JCB Pro-Smart and some rockets (his idea, not ours!). Let’s see how this test for the JCB Toughhone Range panned out:

How do you come up with the next challenge for a JCB Toughphone? Let’s face it, there’s loads of footage of phones being dropped and run over, so it’s about finding something new. And remember, I’m looking to show what the phone can survive, not a destruction test (there is no such thing as an unbreakable phone).

So I’m chatting with my friend James (who looks after PR for the JCB Toughphone). We came up with the idea of firing the phone into the air, strapped to a rocket. Why? Mainly because we thought it would look cool and also it’s the only way to drop something from several hundred feet (except from a parachute!)

So off we go to the firework shop in Stoke-on-Trent and explain our plan. We end up with four massive rockets which cost us £20 each. The guy in the shop recommended we strap all four together for the test, but that seemed excessive and would only give us one take. So James and I decided we knew better and strapped just two rockets together! We debated wind speed, balance, trajectory but in the end realised it was best to just light the fuse, leg it far away and start the camera rolling…

 

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JCB Toughphone vs Toilet

The inside view from Jason Kemp, Marketing Director for JCB Toughphone

At JCB Toughphone we make waterproof and water resistant phones. Marketing types like me imagine our phones being used in extreme environments by the emergency services, sportspeople, builders and so on. Facing the elements head on, we know our the JCB Toughphone range can take the worst of the British summer with ease.

But you know what? Our phones are more likely to be dropped down the loo than be caught in a storm on the North Sea! It’s no surprise that most water damage in mobile phones is due to people dropping them down the toilet. (I’d guess between the hours of 11pm and 3am but I haven’t got the stats to back that up).

So when we conducted a water resistance test on the Sitemaster 2 did we head to the Ocean, Sea Life Centre, Lake District? Nope, the downstairs loo at my house (obviously cleaned beforehand!). Who needs water damage cover on their phone insurance…

JCB Toughphone Sitemaster2–User guide/manual

The official User Guide for the JCB ToughPhone Sitemaster2. Click image below to open the user manual.

image

**CAUTION–word of warning**JCB Toughphone–Pro-Smart & Sitemaster charging cables

Update 30/11: YOU CAN BUY A REPLACEMENT USB CABLE, SUITABLE HERE

Update 14/02/2013: We do too now have a vehicle charger available HERE.

A little word of warning surrounding the JCB Toughphone including the Pro-Smart & Sitemaster.  There is no problem, but something you need to be aware of.

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JCB Pro-Smart Sample Images

Take a look at some of the images captured on the JCB Pro-Smart’s 5 megapixel camera.

IMG_20120419_102208_0IMG_20120419_102117_0IMG_20120419_102131_0IMG_20120419_102226_0IMG_20120419_102532_0

The following shows are a picture taken with no zoom and then taken from the same location with 4x zoom.

IMG_20120419_102139_0IMG_20120419_102153_0

JCB Pro-Smart vs Motorola Defy Plus

If you often find yourself in a challenging environment – perhaps you work outdoors, exposed to the elements or indoors in a dusty environment – you might always have considered today’s fragile smartphones a tad impractical.

Fortunately, manufacturers including Motorola and JCB have produced products with exactly you in mind. In this post we’ll compare two of the leading rugged smartphones on the market, the JCB Pro-Smart and Motorola DEFY Plus.

Screen Size

JCB Pro-Smart

3.2 Inches

Motorola Defy+

3.7 Inches

The Motorola Defy+ comes equipped with a 3.7” Corning ‘Gorilla Glass’ scratch resistant touchscreen compared to the 3.2” scratch resistant touchscreen found on the JCB Pro-Smart.

Processor

JCB Pro-Smart

800mHz

Motorola Defy+

1gHz

The Motorola Defy+ comes up trumps again with a 1GHz processor packed inside. While neither phone has been designed to run the latest graphically intense mobile games, both handsets will have more than enough grunt to perform the core smartphone tasks of calling, web browsing and checking email as well as being able to run the overwhelming majority of apps in the Google Play store without a problem.

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JCB Pro-Smart and Sitemaster2 now in stock

We are pleased to announce that we now have stock of JCB’s first ever Android smartphone, the Pro-Smart (below left), along with the JCB Sitemaster 2.

JCB got a taste of the Android action last year when it teamed up with Motorola to release a limited edition of the DEFY+. It has now taken ruggedised Android smartphones to the next level with the Pro-Smart, an IP67 rated device that has a huge casing. JCB has been making ruggedised phone for a while, but the Pro-Smart is the first to boast a smartphone OS, as well as such a strong level of protection.

Being IP67 rated, the Pro-Smart is scratch and dust resistant. It’s also got all the usual smartphone connectivity features, as well as a 2000mAh battery. With a screen size of 3.2”, this battery will keep the handset powered for long days, but still gives enough space to easily navigate the Android OS. We’ll have a review, videos and demo content going up on the Clove blog shortly, so check back later this week if you want to see a hands-on with the device.

The Sitemaster 2 also has an IP67 rating and meets military specifications. It’s more portable than the Pro-Smart thanks to its smaller screen and casing and also comes with an FM radio. Both handsets come with a 2 year warranty as well.