Available in four colors and set for release in July, the stylish handset boasts a VGA camera, Bluetooth, wireless backup, and more.
Slated to arrive next month in Sprint's handset lineup, the Katana clamshell phone has the same slim-and-trim profile of Motorola's RAZR handsets and the Samsung MM-A900 "Blade," although it's lacking their 3G abilities.
We had a chance to check out the Katana at Gotham's Digital Experience show, and we came away impressed by how light and comfortable the phone felt in our hands, although at 3.9 by 2.0 by 0.6 inches and 3.5 ounces, the Katana has about the same size and heft as the RAZR and the Blade. Zipping around the various menus, the phone seemed reasonably responsive, and the internal 65,000-color LCD looked reasonably good given its cut-rate STN pedigree.
While the Katana's design is certainly striking, it falls short in the feature department. Saddled with 2.5G 1xRTT support – as opposed to the 3G EV-DO speeds of the Blade and the CDMA RAZRs – the Katana can't download music tracks or stream video like its wafer-thin competitors, and its VGA camera pales compared to the 1.3-megapixel cameras built into the Motorola and Samsung phones. Still, the Katana packs in Bluetooth (including hands-free, vCard transfer and dial-up networking profiles), Sprint's wireless backup service (which lets you preserve your contacts online), voice dialing and memos, and a speakerphone.
Specifications
VGA camera
Bluetooth
Wireless backup support
1xRTT data
Dual 65,000-color LCDs
Voice dialing and memos
Speakerphone
More thin clamshell phones
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Samsung MM-A900
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When: November 2005 Worth: $100 - $350 Carrier: Sprint
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Tactile and audible tactics signify Samsung's new MM-A900 and MM-A920 clamshells as they debut on Sprint's network - both setting Motorola's RAZR V3c squarely in their sights.
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