14 DAY TRIAL // Bell Mobility, the second largest mobile carrier in Canada, now offers its subscribers a new entry-level phone, the Sanyo Katana LK, which comes as a successor of the old Sanyo Katana, released by Bell back in 2006.
Already available in the US, via Sprint, the new Sanyo is a clamshell phone that will appeal to Canadian users who don't need too many advanced features in their handset.
Katana LX features a 2.0 inch TFT main screen with 65K colors and 128 x 160 pixels, an external, hidden display for quickly viewing info like missed or incoming calls, A-GPS to help you find your way when traveling, Bluetooth, Web and email capabilities, personalized menu, voice-activated dialing, speakerphone, a VGA camera to take occasional (and not too great) snapshots, picture caller ID, T9 predictive text input, calendar, scheduler and so on.
The new Katana clamshell measures 94 x 48 x 17.8 millimeters (when closed), weighs 96 grams and packs an 800 mAh battery capable of offering a maximum of 4.8 hours in talk-time mode.
Although Katana LX cannot be found yet on Bell's official site, the handset is available via several online retailers (here, for example) and it can probably also be found in Bell's shops across Canada. The phone's retail price is $249.95, but those who also want a contract with Bell can buy it for a lot less: $199 with a one-year contract, $99 for two years and $49 for three years. All the prices are in Canadian dollars, of course, but they have about the same value as the US ones.
Users will be able to get the Katana LX in three color versions (black, pink and brown) that, added to the fashionable design of the phone, make it look quite nice, although it's just an entry-level device.