1. #1
    Bostonman
    Bostonman is offline
    Junior Member
    Bostonman's Avatar

    Posts
    21 - liked 1 times
    Saw it in a Radio Shack yesterday, FINALLY. And now it's on Sprint's website too.

    I didn't get it. It was cheap enough and whatnot but still.... I'm going to be stuck with it for 2 years + and I still love my old phone - SCP6000 (check it out, it glows GREEN! Ooo!).

    I have been contemplating switching over to Verizon cause a lot of my friends are on that - plus the phones are somewhat cooler ( I think?) BUT I like the reception Sprint has where I go - work, home etc. I have Verizon on my work's Blackberry and it's HORRIBLE for making calls. I always have like 2-3 bars MAYBE and it's just ugh. Do I stick with Sprint, get the Katana, or do I jump ship, get some other phone on Verizon?

    Anyone know if the SLVR is available for Verizon?!


    See More: The Katana is out -




  2. #2
    Brad729
    Brad729 is offline
    Phone Expert
    Brad729's Avatar

    Location
    Jacksonville, FL
    Posts
    2,317 - liked 117 times

    Re: The Katana is out -

    I have looked and looked at the Katana, and it's a really cool looking phone, 240x320 large display and the phone itself is still smaller than Verizon's Razr. That's about where it ends for me. I think it's a really cool looking phone, but I think they designed it for looks and left out some of the better features, like a megapixel camera, expandable memory, etc.

    Still, you might not need 20 ringtones, or you might not use the camera and internet as much as I do (which is all the time!). If you just want a 'phone' that's nice looking with a rather large screen, the Katana might be for you. Sanyos usually have good reception among Sprint models, but I still think the Samsung A900 is a better pick than the Katana for what I'd be using it for.

    I'm trying to hold out for Sprint to release a phone with all the features I want in one phone (hasn't happened yet) but if I were to break my phone tomorrow, I'd likely be making a decision between the following 4 phones, with the Katana thrown in for the sake of comparison.

    Compare Phones (Phone Scoop) <~ What's the Katana got that the A900 doesn't?



  3. #3
    jeaniesing
    jeaniesing is offline
    Momerator
    jeaniesing's Avatar

    Cell Phone
    Motorola W755
    Carrier
    Verizon Wireless
    Location
    only within the confines of imagination
    Posts
    2,968 - liked 55 times

    Re: The Katana is out -

    ...the Katana has a whole 5MB of memory... that's, errrrmmm, 1 song and 8 pictures?!?

    Brad and I went shopping t'other day and were amazed... other top end phones in Sprint's offering have 50MB!! I have a removable card in my VZW e815 that's 256MB!



  4. #4
    Bostonman
    Bostonman is offline
    Junior Member
    Bostonman's Avatar

    Posts
    21 - liked 1 times

    Re: The Katana is out -

    Well said. I understand the MM900 is a superior phone. I am a sucker for a pretty face, what can I say? That's why I've been stuck with my SCP6000 for years now - it's slim and cool and I like it.
    I don't like the way the MM900 looks. It looks like it's trying to rip off the razr which I hear it does quite nicely but still.... But thanks for the comparison chart. That's a nice site for that I gotta do that more often.

    I am leaning towards jumping ship to Verizon and getting the Razr anyhow. My friends are on Verizon (free calls from Verizon to Verizon) and it has that very excellent GPS driving utility which I have used a lot on my friends phone and it truly is excellent for driving directions etc.

    I think I'm gonna do it. I hate to tell ya Sprint but you're gonna lose a lifelong customer because your phones are GARBAGE!



  5. #5
    Bostonman
    Bostonman is offline
    Junior Member
    Bostonman's Avatar

    Posts
    21 - liked 1 times

    Re: The Katana is out -

    I've been looking at the phone compare thing, and narrowed it down (thanks for that link Brad729).
    The Katana is Craptana. Yah it looks cool and Sanyo is good on Sprint but I don't see why anyone would get it. It's on an older data transfer thing (RTT?) has low internal mem, low res cam, no upgradable memory. It's just kinda weak for features.
    The A900 is a strong contender: It's the smallest (of the 3 I narrowed down here), has the biggest internal mem (but no expandable mem), has GPS, EV-DO, a 1 meg cam, best display, and has Java capability and a headset jack. If I stick with Sprint I'd get this.
    The Razr V3M is what I am leaning towards. It's on Verizon, which most of my friends have, so calling them would be free. It has GPS, which on Verizon works with that direction thing - I dunno what it's called but it's a strong app - works very well. This phone has EV-DO, and is the only one with expandable memory slot - mini SD slot. Also has a 1 meg cam. I also like the looks most of all.

    Now, is Verizon a real jerk about their phones - like am I gonna have big issues bluetoothing this thing to my laptop to transfer photos etc? Does Verizon want me to use their software + accessories etc? That's my main concern now. I don't want to be locked into their stuff. But it might be worth the sacrifice cause I like the Razr and directional GPS thing.



  6. #6
    Brad729
    Brad729 is offline
    Phone Expert
    Brad729's Avatar

    Location
    Jacksonville, FL
    Posts
    2,317 - liked 117 times

    Re: The Katana is out -

    Quote Originally Posted by Bostonman
    Now, is Verizon a real jerk about their phones - like am I gonna have big issues bluetoothing this thing to my laptop to transfer photos etc? Does Verizon want me to use their software + accessories etc? That's my main concern now. I don't want to be locked into their stuff. But it might be worth the sacrifice cause I like the Razr and directional GPS thing.
    Jerks, why yes. They have disabled all bluetooth features except wireless headset and car mode. You can re-enable those features if you know how to do it but I wouldn't suggest messing with a "seem edit" unless you really knew what you were doing. Also, all US-released phones now have GPS built-in for e-911, but you can also download apps to many phones, regardless of carrier, for your personal GPS needs. A few I've heard of would be Garmin, Telenav, NAV4ALL. Many Sprint models are compatible with these services, so I hope you don't think you're stuck with Verizon just because they spend more money on advertising. The Razr has a 176x222 screen, the A900 has 240x320, which I imagine would make a difference in whether or not you had to squint to see maps on the screen.
    Last edited by Brad729; 07-17-2006 at 02:19 PM.



  7. #7
    Bostonman
    Bostonman is offline
    Junior Member
    Bostonman's Avatar

    Posts
    21 - liked 1 times

    Re: The Katana is out -

    Yeah I heard about Verizon disabling the GPS stuff. I was reading about how to re-enable it and I could swing it I'm sure. I don't know the other services such as Garmin and Telenav etc.

    Dang. I'm all conflicted.



  8. #8
    Brad729
    Brad729 is offline
    Phone Expert
    Brad729's Avatar

    Location
    Jacksonville, FL
    Posts
    2,317 - liked 117 times

    Re: The Katana is out -

    Sorry to throw a wrench in your search for the perfect phone. Verizon does have nice phones and they're a good carrier, I also wish Sprint had more phones to choose from. The fact is they have provided me consistent coverage as long as I've had them, even in places where I know Verizon has really poor coverage, or none at all. I was also confused by Verizon apparently having different plans with different coverage? I think the "different coverage" is the ability to roam... Anyway. I'm not going to badmouth Verizon but make sure you are going to get equivalent OR better coverage with them, you can always take advantage of a trial period before you cut your old company loose.

    Oh, how long did you say you've been with Sprint? I'm not sure you did say, but if it's longer than 4 years, you can call them and sort of demand a 25% loyalty discount, insist someone you know got one and they will give you some kind of discounts and credits if you are serious about it. You are entitled to the loyalty discount if you ask for one, it's not like they want to go around advertising 15-25% discounts which would be like giving money away to thousands of people, but if you are out of contract or within a few months to the end, and demand your loyalty discount you will get at least 15% but should get 20%. They do give 25% discounts to some people, but I think it's mostly government workers and military, and it's actually something more like 23%.
    Last edited by Brad729; 08-06-2006 at 12:01 AM. Reason: typo



  9. #9
    Moridin
    Moridin is offline
    Junior Member

    Posts
    12

    Re: The Katana is out -

    Verizon essentially eliminates any free functionality a cellphone could have.



  10. #10
    heartk0re
    heartk0re is offline
    Newbie

    Posts
    4

    Re: The Katana is out -

    I bought the pink katana the 1st day it came out, I returned it 3 days later, the camera in mine froze and I had to send it back. It is over priced for the features, wont use acc/mp3 ringers, has sloooowww internet conection. low memory, the camera is low quality as well..
    It must have "katana" on the small lcd screen when opened, the colors are bland. I really didn't like this phone at all.

    low end phone for high end price.



  • Phones Discussed Above

    Sanyo Katana Mystic Black More Sanyo Katana Mystic Black topics Sanyo Forum Reviews
  • Similar Threads

    1. alt.cellular.verizon
    2. alt.cellular.verizon
    3. alt.cellular.verizon






  • Quick Reply Quick Reply

    If you are already a member, please login above.