Screen
The 1.0-inch external display lets users monitor the Katana's status
and see who's calling without ever opening the phone. Basic information
includes time, signal strength, battery charge, Bluetooth, location, and
other phone settings.
Offering 65K-colors at 96 x 64 px in resolution, the external screen
is large and vibrant enough to use while calling previously dialed phone
numbers or as a camera viewfinder for self-portraits or group shots. To
protect against accidental usage, consumers need to press and hold the Volume
Keys to disable the Key Guard.
The internal screen uses a similar 65K-color display, but with a much
larger 2.5-inch size (240 x 320 px resolution), the LCD offers superior
surface area for outstanding imaging.
Both LCDs are built from TFT (Thin Film Transistor) technology. More
vibrant and luminous over competing LCD technologies such as STN (Super
Twisted Nematic) and OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode), TFT is also the
most power intensive, consuming more battery life.
 While
providing outstanding clarity indoors, unfortunately the Katana's screen
is a bit washed out in direct sunlight.
Audio
Without an MP3 player or FM radio, the Katana is fairly weak as an audio
device. Many music phones now not only play full tracks and radio stations,
but are also integrated with the carriers' online music stores. Even some
have technology to enhance music listen such as integrated Bluetooth stereo
music and FM transmitters to stream music wirelessly to a car radio or headphones.
With the Katana's limited internal memory, users will only be able to play
MP3 ringtones (or 72 chord polyphonic tunes).
Messaging
Illuminating the darkness with a faint blue glow, the Katana's keypad
lets users text message through SMS (Short Messaging Service), EMS (Enhanced
Messaging Service), and MMS (Multimedia Message Service) standards. Unfortunately
the design of the keypad hinders typing speed. Being flush with the phone,
the numeric keys lack the tactile feel protruding keys have.
Regardless, consumers can connect with friends and family by sending
photos via Picture Mail. Users can send and receive email on the road through
Sprint's PCS Mail, including several popular third party clients such as
AOL Email, MSN Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, and Earthlink.
Sprint also integrates popular instant messaging platforms on its devices.
Going past traditional SMS-based chat, the Katana integrates AOL, MSN, and
Yahoo! Messenger. Giving users real-time access to their buddies, conversations
no longer have to stop at the PC. Data charges for services may apply.
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