Wireless News

Sprint and Kyocera Sanyo Telecom, Inc. have finally announced the release of the Katana Eclipse X with award-winning One Click user interface.  Aside from the addition of the One Click interface this phone s most noticeable featurea are the very unique lighting effects that differ from the previous Katana models.

One Click gives the Katana Eclipse X by Sanyo gives users access to most of the phones features in a single step, making the interface convenient for users. One Click allows for users to personalize the home screen bringing many options to their fingertips, users can set different features such as text messaging, Google search, Sprint Navigation, email, favorite Web sites, music and call log. As you scroll through One Click’s customizable menu you are provided with information directly related to that particular option.

The Katana Eclipse by Sanyo offers a lot of other features such as support for up to 8GB microSD storage, built in speakerphone and stereo Bluetooth technology.  The external music keys make for easy navigation while listening to music. The falling point is 1.3 megapixel camera with 12x zoom and a video camcorder. The Katana Eclipse X by Sanyo is now available at all retail Sprint locations, you can also order online or over the phone. Users who purchase this phone with a 2-year agreement will get it for $99 and $50 mail-in rebate. There are two colors to choose from, Nightlife Black and Hypnotic Pink.

The Katana LX comes as an upgrade to the very successful Katana family of phones. This phone is the update to the original series of Katana phones, not the higher end Katana family member, the Katana DLX. The Katana LX is a significant departure from the original look and feel of the Katana line.

As the image tells, the Katana LX will be coming in three colors, at least initially. The blue, pink, and grey/dark follows the traditional color scheme of the Katana, but there are quite a few differences. Aesthetically, it has cut some fat. It is going to be sleeker than the original Katana line. Even though it looks like there is no external screen, it is just a trick Sanyo has pulled off. There is actually an OLED display beneath the trans reflective coating, that shows when activated. The Katana LX is GPS enabled, and has the ability to provide turn by turn directions.

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While it might be easy to forget Nextel in the face of overwhelming iPhone, Instinct and Vu shaped competition, there are still legions of users enjoying push-to-talk with the carrier. Since Sprint bought the company out, they’ve been promising to deliver QChat: an upgrade to PTT that uses EV-DO Rev.A rather than the iDEN Direct Connect system currently in place. At CTIA Wireless the carrier announced the Sanyo PRO 200 and PRO 700, two handsets (the latter being ruggedised) that promised to bridge iDEN and QChat.

Sprint has come in for some criticism for its handling of Nextel. Many of the carrier’s existing customers felt unsupported by the people behind their new bill, finding Sprint’s customer service lacking and feeling the network had been left to languish. Meanwhile, Sprint’s shareholders weren’t too keen on the big money laid out to buy Nextel in the first place; financially Sprint is still suffering.So the pressure is on QChat to persuade users to stick with Nextel (and maybe even encourage some more to join) while pushing the company back into profit and making Sprint’s plans for a unified network feasible. A WiFi-enabled BlackBerry is also promised for Nextel sometime this year.

Sanyo’s two new handsets for Sprint, the PRO-200 and PRO-700, got a bit swamped at CTIA Wireless, but it seems a shame not to give the Nextel Direct Connect compatible devices their moment in the sun. Both clamshells with EV-DO Rev.A, Bluetooth, GPS and QVGA displays, they’re the first Direct Connect handsets from the company to use the Sprint EV-DO network rather than iDEN for the Push-to-Talk that Nextel are known for.

Although the feature set for both phones is similar, the PRO-700 differentiates by being certified to Military Standard 810F for dust, shock, and vibration; Sprint are positioning it as ideal for outdoor or construction users. Each can be used as a tethered modem with a laptop, have a “one-touch answer and hold” external button which accepts an incoming call but keeps the caller on hold until you’re free to speak to them.

The Sanyo PRO-200 and PRO-700 will be available later on in April, priced at $49.99 and $69.99 respectively (after a $50 mail-in rebate) with a new two-year service agreement.

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The trickle of QChat-enabled handsets for Sprint’s Direct Connect push-to-talk service is in the process of turning into a flood now that manufacturers don’t have to worry about dealing with Moto’s proprietary iDEN network, and Sanyo is the latest to join the party with a pair of models named SCP-PRO200 and SCP-PRO700. As the names and ID label renderings imply, these will likely be ruggedized models targeted squarely at the same audience that currently snaps up iDEN equipment, so go ahead and get ready to drop these things, splash them with mud, and generally treat them like poo. Both are equipped with Bluetooth and EV-DO, so they’ll be able to hold their own with the remainder of Sprint’s midrange whenever they get around to launching.