An otherwise simple slider, the Katalyst features Wi-Fi and will work on T-Mobile's HotSpot @Home network.
There isn't much to say about the Samsung Katalyst, except that it performs one very impressive trick that only three other devices on a U.S. carrier can do. The Katalyst uses Wi-Fi to work on T-Mobile's @Home UMA service. It's a fairly complicated system, you can read all about it in our hands-on review. Basically, though, once you sign up and buy a compatible phone, you can start making Wi-Fi calls, and any call that starts as a Wi-Fi call is free. We like @Home because we think it will cut down on phone bills, and solve the spotty reception problems of plenty of folks we know.
The Samsung Katalyst features a pleasing, if not rich, feature set, including a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth and speaker-independent voice dialing. Some instant messaging clients will be packed in, as well as a music player, which can play tracks off of a microSD card.
So, the Katalyst may not be an impressive phone, or even the most impressive HotSpot @Home device. That title remains in the hands of the BlackBerry Curve. Still, it beats the original pair of UMA phones, including Samsung's own T407.
The Samsung SGH-T739 Katalyst is available now from T-Mobile for $80 with a contract agreement. The T-Mobile HotSpot @Home service is not included, and costs a fee in addition to your normal plan.
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