Sprint Nextel turned rumors into reality with the announcement of dual screen Android-based smartphone from Kyocera. Sprint hopes that consumers seeking an innovative twist on the usual smartphone screen will find Kyocera Echo a fresh whiff of breeze.
The Kyocera Echo has a patent-pending pivot hinge, which the company says will enable the smartphone’s dual displays to operate independently, side-by-side or combined to form a 4.7-inch integrated display.
Kyocera Echo The will run Android 2.2 aka Froyo and supports Wi-Fi. Interestingly, it will operate over Sprint’s CDMA EV-DO network.
The Kyocera Echo offers customized pre-loaded apps, optimized for the dual-screen. For instance, VueQue, allows users watch a video in single display, while browsing, queuing and buffering additional videos in the other.
The device also offers four viewing modes:
- Single-Screen Mode, which acts like a single-display touchscreen smartphone;
- Simul-Task Mode, which displays two of the phone’s seven core apps running concurrently but independently on dual displays;
- Optimized Mode, which allows both displays to support a single, optimized app; and
- Tablet Mode, which allows one application to be spread across both screens for a full 4.7-inch viewing area.
Kyocera Echo, will be available this spring and retail for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate.
