T-Mobile has just started offering the Katalyst mobile phone, manufactured by Samsung (News - Alert), according to an announcement today. Katalyst works with T-Mobile’s HotSpot @Home WiFi service.

 

With built-in WiFi technology, the Katalyst was specifically designed for T-Mobile (News - Alert) HotSpot @Home, which was launched earlier this year. It can switch subscribers back and forth, between cell phone calls and calls made over Wi-Fi, and it costs an extra $20 per month.

 

"Since launching T-Mobile HotSpot @Home in June, we've worked closely with companies like Samsung to expand our selection of HotSpot phones,” said T-Mobile’s director of marketing Saj Sahay. “The Samsung Katalyst strikes a great balance of style and features with an affordable price, and gives customers who want the calling benefits of HotSpot @Home a great new handset choice.”

 

The Katalyst comes with a music player, Bluetooth, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and instant-messaging capabilities. It also comes with a microSD memory card slot and expandable memory.

 

In addition to home-based networks, subscribers will be able to make phone calls using about 8,500 T-Mobile Wi-Fi hotspots across the United States at locations like the ever-present Starbucks.

 

T-Mobile is still building out its 3G HSDPA network, which is why the Katalyst supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and therefore may offer slower cellular data speeds than some other phones. The Katalyst costs $80 with a mail-in rebate and a two-year T-Mobile subscription.