The Kyocera Echo, The First Dual-Touchscreen Android Smartphone
by Jason Norment
Feb 8, 2011 1:38 PM –
Kyocera Echo. Android technology has just taken a leap forward in it’s capability with the introduction of Kyocera’s newest Android smartphone, the Echo, exclusive to Sprint. This new device sports two 3.5 inch WVGA touchscreen displays connected by a “pivot hinge” that allows the phone to operate in four different modes:
Single Screen Mode:
Operates just like any other Android smartphone with a single display. Utilize any app of your choosing from the Android Market on the 3.5 inch high resolution screen up front.
Simul-Task Mode:
Use any of the Echo’s seven core apps (including VueQue™) on either display at the same time. For example, reading an email on one display while watching a video on the other.
Optimized Mode:
Using both screens to display a customized app specifically for the Echo that utilizes and enhances the experience such as viewing a image on one screen while browsing the thumbnails of the gallery on the other. This also includes VueQue™, which allows a user to watch a YouTube video on one screen while browsing, queuing and buffering additional YouTube videos on the other display.
Tablet Mode:
Use both screens together to form a single 4.7 inch display that would be ideal for multimedia, maps, websites, etc.
The Kyocera Echo specs:
- Pre-installed with Android 2.2 (Froyo)
- 3G (EVDO Rev. A) network with Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
- Hotspot capability, support up to five decies
- 5MP camera w/ flash, autofocus, digital zoom
- Stereo Bluetooth 2.1
- 1GHZ Snapdragon processor
- 720p HD camcorder
- 1GB of onboard memory, 8GB microSD card included (support up to 32GB)
- 1370 mAh spare battery included w/ charging cradle that allows the spare battery to be tethered as an external power supply
Pre-registration for the Echo is available now at www.sprint.com/echo. See the phone in action at www.echobykyocera.com. Kyocera Echo will be available this spring for $199.99 with a new two-year service agreement or eligible upgrade and after a $100 mail-in rebate.
ATTENTION DEVELOPERS:
If you’re looking to take advantage of developing applications with the dual-touchscreen platform, Sprint has launched a Software Developer Kit and guide on their website. To learn more about the Sprint Application Developer Program, visit their site at http://developer.sprint.com/
Source: Business Wire