Kyocera Echo = The first dual-touchscreen smartphone

US network Sprint reveals the Kyocera Echo – “the first dual-touchscreen smartphone”

Two screens! And it runs Android 2.2. The Kyocera Echo has the unique ability to combine its two 3.5″ screens into one workspace, creating a weird 4.7″ combo screen when folded open into tablet format.

Or the two screens can run independently, so it’ll be possible to have two apps running at the same time. Wow, eh? Just like having two widgets on the same screen. So not actually much different at all.

Mad phone. No idea if it’ll ever hit Europe. We’d guess probably not, judging by the state of it. You wouldn’t, would you? Here’s the full press release and spec sheet, plus there’s more on Sprint’s site :

Dual-Touchscreens with Endless Possibilities

Exclusively from Sprint, Kyocera Echo™ revolutionizes the mobile experience as the first dual-touchscreen smartphone. Kyocera Echo’s patent-pending “pivot hinge” design enables a compact pocket-friendly single-screen position when closed, and exposes two adjacent 3.5- inch high-resolution touchscreens when opened. Kyocera Echo offers customized apps that are optimized for the dual-screen experience, including VueQue™, an app pre-loaded by Kyocera, which lets users watch a video in one display, while browsing, queuing and buffering additional videos in the other. The easy-to-use device offers four modes of interaction:

· Single-Screen Mode with all the functionality of a single-display touchscreen smartphone
· Simul-Task™ Mode with two of the phone’s seven core apps running concurrently but independently on the device’s dual displays
· Optimized Mode with both displays supporting a single, optimized app with complementary functionality and enhanced usability
· Tablet Mode with one application spread across both screens for a full 4.7-inch viewing area

 

PRODUCTIVITY

· Dual 3.5-inch LCD WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) capacitive touchscreens (4.7 inches diagonally and 800 x 960 pixels when opened)
· Android 2.2 with access to more than 100,000 apps
· Wi-Fi hotspot capability (supports up to 5 devices)*
· VueQue™, a pre-loaded app that lets users watch a YouTube™ video in one display, while browsing, queuing and buffering additional YouTube videos on the other
· GoogleTM mobile services including Google SearchTM, Google MapsTM, Google TalkTM instant message, GmailTM, YouTubeTM, and synchronization with Google CalendarTM
· Full HTML Web browser with Google search, optimized for dual-screen experience
· Sprint Zone™ one-stop wireless account access, phone tips, news and more
· Access to Telenav GPS Navigator and Sprint TV & Movies®
· Corporate (MS Exchange ActiveSync) and personal (POP & IMAP) email access
· Messaging – personal and business email, Google TalkTM instant message and text messaging
· Network – 3G data speeds (EVDO Rev A) – peak download speeds of 3.1 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds 600 kbps – 1.4 Mbps
· Wi-Fi: (802.11 b/g)

ENTERTAINMENT

· 5MP camera with flash, autofocus and 2x digital zoom and 720p HD camcorder
· High-quality video streaming and downloads at 3G speeds
· Media player with 3.5mm stereo headset jack
· Stereo Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR
· Digital compass, accelerometer, proximity sensor, light sensor, GPS
· Expandable memory: 8GB microSD card included; supports cards up to 32GB

SPECIFICATIONS

· 1GHz Snapdragon processor (QSD 8650 Android)
· Dimensions: 115.0 x 56.5 x 17.2mm, Weight: 193g (6.8 oz.)
· Main display: Dual 3.5-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreens (800 x 480 pixels or
800 x 960 pixels when opened)
· Removable 1370mAh battery; includes spare battery (1370 mAh) with portable charger that can also tether to the phone as an external power supply
· Memory: 1GB/512MB; 8GB microSD™ included

* Additional fee applies