Sanyo SCP-6600 Katana in Cherry Blossom Pink...because a sword is sexier than a razor! (MOTORAZR)
Written: Dec 12 '06 (Updated Dec 13 '06)
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Pros: Pretty pink, sexy looking, slim profile, bluetooth
Cons: Not a Mega Pixel Camera, Internal Antenna can make holding it tricky...
The Bottom Line: Form, Fashion and Function! Love the Katana!!!
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| marytara's Full Review: Sanyo Katana® II Cell Phone |
Finally after 2 years of use my time to upgrade my phone, a Sanyo PM-8200, and Sprint contract without receiving a penalty came along. I pretty much knew which phone I wanted, and I admit that I put form before function. I'd previously seen the Sanyo Katana in its pretty Cherry Blossom Pink color and wanted it! I'd seen the pink Razr phones from Motorola but didn't care for the hot pink (magenta) or the true "pink" one that to me looks like pepto bismol or baby puke. The Cherry Blossom Pink Katana is much more subtle. The phone retails for $279 but after instant rebates and since I was upgrading it was only $50 for me.
About the Sanyo Katana
I got the pink (Cherry Blossom Pink) one, but this phone also comes in Blue Sapphire, Mystic Black, and Polar White (sold exclusively at RadioShack). I love the pink color of this phone its a pale pale pink and very girly. Ok, its Hello Kitty pink - there I said it. I'm all about pink accessories and even push a pink stroller. So, my husband wasn't surprised that I wanted the pink phone too. Yes, I also have a pink bluetooth also.
Out of the box the Sanyo Katana comes with the following: a standard 820 mAh Li-Ion Battery, Headset Adapter, AC Travel Charger, and a User Manual. You'll need to purchase separately a bluetooth headset (if you want to use the bluetooth functions), and a car-charger. I found out that it took the same charger that my previous Sanyo phone did, so I didn't need to get a new charger for my car. I did at first do a "hrmm" because I couldn't figure out where to plug in the charger! I'm used to phones where the charging port is on the bottom. Well, on the Katana its on the side and hidden under a rubber guard. This seems a touch awkward, especially if you are using the phone while its charging.
This phone has a really slim design, way slimmer than the phone I was previously using. The dimensions are: 3.88" x 2.02" x 0.58" and it weighs just 3.4 oz. There's no antenna on the outside, it has an internal antenna that is in the lower portion of the phone. The instructions show the wrong and right way to hold the phone so as not to obstruct the antenna. It gets a little bit of getting used to. On the outside, this phone looks alot like the MOTO Razor phone - its slightly longer and slightly squarer.
Like the RAZR phone it also has the camera on the front and a small display screen on the outside of the flip (a much larger main display screen on the inside). I did a little research and found out that the Katana's display screen is better than the RAZR's. For those who need to know the techie details its 320X240 - as opposed to the 176X220 of the RAZR.
The camera on the Katana is not a mega pixel camera (RAZR's in the same boat). My husband opted for a different phone because he wanted the Megapixel camera. Both Katana and RAZR have the VGA camera. My former Sanyo had a VGA as well and the Katana performs similarly. You can select different picture quality (I usually stick with medium) and they are ok, a little grainy but I'm using it for snapshots of the kids and not things I plan on printing out (I'll use my digicam for that). On the maxium setting it should hold 33 pictures according to the instructions. I like to take a bunch of pictures and upload them to my sprint picture mail acount and sort them into albums to share with friends or email them to my husband. I also was able to download some old pictures that I had from my former phone (which I'd uploaded to sprint) onto my new phone so I could set one as a screensaver and have a few favorites for slideshow viewing. Unlike my husbands phone (he has a different model from Samsung) I can't attach the camera to my computer via a cable to transfer the photos. I need to either email them or upload them and then save them to my computer that way. It would have been nice to have a way to directly transfer them, but no biggie. I was surprised that the Katana doesn't have a flash on the camera like my previous Sanyo phone did, however. I understand that the RAZR doesn't have a flash on it either.
The Katana has a great menu on it and its very easy to use. I have mine set to icons but you can switch it to Text if that is your preference. You can store up to 500 contacts each with multiple numbers (a max of 700 numbers), their email address, as well as a photo identifier. I've added in all my contacts and am in the process of setting up certain people to ring me distinctly or hear call tones. Speaking of ringers, there aren't a lot that come on the phone - as usual. Sprint would like you to download them (at approx $2 each for 90 days) using their Vision internet browsing. For the techies - this phone doesn't have EV-DO nor is it on the Sprint "Power Vision" network. (FYI - no MP3 player either). You can program voice dials for up to 30 numbers on the Katana. One thing on the interface of the phone that I use a lot is the "favorites" menu. You can always access your favorites and your contacts with just a touch of one button (left or right soft key). So, for applications or settings that you go to often in the menu you can set them as a favorite and they all show up in a list.
Web browsing on the Katana goes very smooth. Its around $15 for unlimited PCS vision a month, otherwise the minute by minute rate is pretty high. Its nice to be able to hop online to check email or surf the web. I understand that the Katana outperforms the RAZR on java applications..it is faster. I downloaded the FREE opera mini web browsing application from www.operamini.com and it is --WAY BETTER-- than the web browser that comes on the Katana called "Access NetFront". I also downloaded a GPS program called TELENAV. My Katana acts as a GPS now for me in my car and talks to me and everything. I love it and its just $10 a month. There's tons of digital content that you can download to your Katana on Sprint's digital lounge and downloading it is so easy. These extras can add up in price though, so I'm not going too crazy.
When I got my Katana I also got a Jabra Bluetooth headset (purchased separately). My husband set up the Bluetooth capabilities and I really like the hand and cord free communication. No more illegal cell phone driving for me!
Calls on the Katana are very clear as long as the internal antenna is not obstructed. Using the handset you can put the volume up pretty loud or there is also a speakerphone on it. I find the speakerphone (which has a dedicated button) to be a little on the quiet side. However, now that I have the bluetooth I'll probably use that more than speakerphone, anyways.
Talktime on the Katana is 3 hours and the battery life is 7 days in standby mode.
Overall
If you are looking for a pink phone that is great looking, performs well, and has decent functions (like bluetooth) the Sanyo Katana is it! If you absolutely must have an MP3 player, power vision browsing or a mega pixel camera then you'll need to turn elsewhere. For me, I want a phone to be a phone first and foremost so while I'd love a slightly better camera or the MP3 capability I'm very content good looking pink phone that I can have a clear conversation on. The snapshots on the camera, the GPS, the text messages and the web browsing are all a bonus to me! This is one great phone.
Other Cell Phone reviews
Sanyo PM-8200
Sanyo SCP-5400 (RL2500)
Samsung SPH-N400
Samsung SCH 3500
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 50
Recommended for: Stylish Trendsetters - Hip and Trendy
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marytara
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Member: MT
Location: Jersey Shore
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