The AngularJS team recommends using Protractor as it's going to replace angular scenario runner:
Angular Scenario Runner is in maintenance mode - If you're starting a new Angular project, consider using Protractor.
quoted from AngularJs documentation.
The tutorial angular-phonecat was developed a long time ago (in 2011 mainly) and has not yet been updated to use some Angular new features like Protractor.
EDIT
In the Protractor Docs - FAQ:
Why both Karma and Protractor? When do I use which?
Karma is a great tool for unit testing, and Protractor is intended for
end to end or integration testing. This means that small tests for the
logic of your individual controllers, directives, and services should
be run using Karma. Big tests in which you have a running instance of
your entire application should be run using Protractor. Protractor is
intended to run tests from a user's point of view - if your test could
be written down as instructions for a human interacting with your
application, it should be an end to end test written with Protractor.
Here's a great blog post with more info.
