This slim-and-light 3G clamshell boasts streaming video, full-track music downloads, and groovy LEDs on the front flip that'll perform multi-colored light shows when your buddies call. Might make for a cool stocking stuffer.

Available from Sprint for $99 with a two-year service agreement, the Katana Eclipse X is relatively slim for a flip phone (just 0.7 inches thick), and at 3.3 ounces it feels pretty light, especially when it's flipped open. During my brief test drive, it was easy to forget that the svelte Eclipse was sitting in my jeans pocket. 

Flipping open the Eclipse X (available in pink and black flavors), you'll find the boxy, roomy keys that are characteristic of the various Katana models, as well as a four-way navigational keypad, Talk and End keys, a dedicated camera key (another one's on the left side of the phone, and a Back button—all standard stuff.

The internal two-inch color display looks relatively sharp (if not quite eye-popping) for a mid-range phone, and Sprint's sleek new "One Click" phone interface—complete with customizable "carousel" icons and widget-like "bubbles"—is present and accounted for. (A previous version of the phone, minus One Click, was released over the summer.)

Clap the phone closed, and you'll see the one-inch external display—not the tightest resolution, but good for watching streaming video and viewing album art when the handset's closed. (You can also play, pause and skip tunes with the trio of buttons that sit below the display.)

Not bad, but here's where the Eclipse gets its distinctive dash of style—the twin LED stripes that run down either side the outside flip, flanking the external display. The stripes glow in multiple colors (red, green, blue, yellow, purple, or orange), and they can blink, pulse, or perform cool little light shows (with names like "lemon lime," "orange crush," "Miami nights," and "citrus burst") whenever you press a key, get a call or a text message; you can also set specific lights and colors for your various contacts. Nice. (Of course, you can turn the LEDs off completely if you wish.)

Ready for more eye and ear candy? The 3G-enabled Eclipse X supports Sprint's streaming TV service and music store, and you can store your tunes on a microSD card (a 256MB card comes in the box, and the slot's conveniently located on the right spine of the phone) and listen over a stereo Bluetooth headset. That's the good news; the bad news is that there's only a 2.5mm headset jack, meaning you'll need an adapter for standard 3.5mm headsets, and there's no wired headset in the box. Ugh.

Call quality was pretty solid—testing it in Manhattan, callers sounded loud and clear, and I didn't run into any dropped calls. The speakerphone was loud enough to compete with New York traffic, although it's (typically) tinny.

Other features on the Eclipse X: a 1.3-megapixel camera (mediocre picture quality), GPS plus turn-by-turn directions (via Sprint's TeleNav-powered navigation app), an e-mail client compatible with popular Web mail services and POP/IMAP accounts, SMS and picture messaging, and a standard WAP browser.

Overall, not bad for a mid-range flip, and the flashing LEDs make for a nice touch—indeed, it could be just the ticket for style-conscious clamshell fans looking for some modest multimedia. And if you're buying for the holidays, consider waiting until after Thanksgiving; the time may be ripe for a price drop.

Any questions on the Eclipse X? Post 'em right here.

Related:
Product page [Sprint]