Sprint has just launched the Sanyo Katana II in order to replace the - surprise, surprise, Katana. Also known as the SCP-66650, the Katana II offers entry level features such as a basic VGA camera, a larger VGA display at 2", and a slightly different design. For those looking out for a 3G phone, you have better luck elsewhere. There is word of a high-end Katana phone known as the DLS that might be released later this year, although Sprint has not issued any official comment. The Katana II is available for $99.99 after rebates.

Just because a device comes in a classic design doesn't mean that it boasts ancient architecture either. The Classic Rotary Cellphone might look like your grandpappy's communications device, but you'll be pleasantly surprised to know that it features Bluetooth connectivity, enabling your mobile device to hook up to this phone. This allows you to dial and call anyone you want with your own cellphone, while speaking through a classic handset. Pretty much an exercise in futility and is nothing more than a glorious Bluetooth headset, but at the very least it is one effective attention grabber. Zero points for portability though.

HTC is attempting to do the impossible at this moment - merge both a cellphone and UMPC into a single device while running two operating systems. The X9500, also known as Shangri-La, will come with 128MB ROM that stores Windows Mobile 6.0 while a 40GB hard drive keeps Windows Vista. The design resembles that of a Shift notebook and phone hybrid, giving both sides access to 3G and Bluetooth connectivity, a miniSD memory card slot, and a GPS navigation system. Security is provided via a fingerprint reader. Will this be expensive when it is released? Most definitely. No doubt it is a nice idea, but chances are there are major niggling problems until the second or third generation of this device.

Motorola's Zante messaging phone will be given to Danger, and it comes with a slide-out display that exposes a keyboard not unlike that of the Sidekick, albeit in a sleeker package. Specifications aren't exactly something to shout about, with EDGE Internet, a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth connectivity, AAC, MP3, and WMA file format support, and a miniSD memory card slot (up to 2GB). Battery life has been rated at half a dozen hours for non-stop voice calls - pretty impressive! Word has it that the Zante will be available from T-Mobile for $269 with a contract. You can expect to see the Zante hit stores as early as this summer or October at worst.

The HTC Omni is set to replace the HTC Universal aka T-Mobile MDA Pro aka O2 XDA Exec when October rolls around, although there is no word on pricing. Powered by a Samsung SC244X 400MHz processor and aided by 256MB RAM and 128MB ROM, the Omni is one communications beast, featuring GSM/GPRS/UMTS/HSDPA in addition to Bluetooth 2.0 and WiFi connectivity. Additional features include TV and VGA out, GPS, a 4" WVGA display at 800 x 480 resolution, and a full QWERTY keyboard for convenient messaging. The HTC Omni will run on Windows Mobile 6.0 and looks set to be the next king of smartphones.