The Kyocera Echo is the strangest phone I’ve ever seen. Inside, it’s just mundane—but on the outside, it’s a batshit bizarre, morphing, dual screen stab at DS form with iPad function. It fails at both. It’s freakishly bad. More »
Sprint promised us an “industry first” at its event today, and it certainly delivered: check out the Kyocera Echo, the first dual-screen Android phone. That’s right, dual-screen — that’s two 3.5-inch 480 x 800 displays which can be unfolded and used as a single 4.7-inch 960 x 800 surface. The screens are connected by a slick sliding liquid-metal hinge that Kyocera’s filed several patents on — the phone can be closed and used like a regular single-screen phone, unfolded all the way, or propped up into the faux-laptop configuration shown above. Under the hood there’s a 1GHz second-gen Snapdragon running Android 2.2 — we’ll forgive the older software because Kyocera had to do extensive customization to add dual-screen support to seven core apps like the browser, email, and messaging. The seven optimized apps can be run on each screen individually so you can have the browser up top and email below, and several of them include useful full-dual-screen views as well. There’s also a new dual-screen app manager, which is brought up by tapping the two screens simultaneously. Unfortunately, third party apps can’t be run in any of the new modes and just fill the entire display for now — Kyocera and Sprint say an SDK is coming shortly.
Interestingly, the Echo doesn’t really run the optimized apps simultaneously when you have two of them open — it quickly switches them in and out of hibernation, even though they’re both displayed on screen. That means you can’t do things like watch a video while writing an email, for example — it’s an odd limitation, but it seems like it’ll only be an issue in limited circumstances. As for battery life, Kyocera and Sprint aren’t giving definite numbers, but we were told things would last about a day with heavy use of both screens — and the Echo is being sold in a bundle with a second battery in an external charging case, so you should have plenty of juice on the go. Downsides? Well, it’s not the most attractive phone we’ve ever seen, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that there’s just a lone rear-facing 5 megapixel camera with 720p video capture and that the Echo is 3G-only — there’s no WiMAX, which is a bit odd for a Sprint halo device. Still, it’s definitely one of the most intriguing Android handsets we’ve ever seen, and at $199 (after a $100 rebate) when it launches sometime in the coming months, it’s bound to pique some serious interest. Check a short hands-on video after the break.
Update: So the simultaneous apps thing appears to somewhat complex — we weren’t able to run a video and email when we played with the phone during our briefing, but Sprint’s Fared Adib was able to do it when we ran into him during the launch event. We’ll post that video soon — and of course we’ll dig deep into this when we get a review unit. One more thing we noticed: none of the devices we saw in action had pinch-to-zoom enabled anywhere, which is obviously very strange. We were told that the software is still early, so we’ll have to see if it makes it into shipping product.
Update 2: It’s attack of the press materials! New images, video, and release can be found below!
Gallery: Kyocera Echo hands-on
Gallery: Kyocera Echo press photos
Continue reading Sprint’s Kyocera Echo dual-screen Android phone announced, we go hands-on (update)
Sprint’s Kyocera Echo dual-screen Android phone announced, we go hands-on (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’re not exactly sure what kind of rabbit Sprint CEO Dan Hesse is planning to pull out of his hat here in New York tonight, but Sprint says it’ll be an “industry first” and David Blaine is scheduled to appear, so we’re definitely curious — and hey, snacks. So what’s it going to be? Unlimited multi-device data plans? That dualscreen Kyocera Echo which leaked a bit last night? David Blaine revealing Dan Hesse is actually a murderous robot from the future? We’ll find out when things kick off at 6PM ET.
Live from Sprint’s ‘Industry First’ event with Dan Hesse and… David Blaine originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We still don’t know whether this’ll be the “industry first” shown off at Sprint’s event later today, but in light of the WSJ‘s information, we certainly wouldn’t be surprised. A quick check of Sprint’s site currently shows a hit for the Kyocera Echo, described as “the first dual-touchscreen smartphone” that offers a “pivot hinge” design with a maximum of 4.7 inches of combined screen real estate while still being “pocket-friendly.” No other details are offered — and the link to the Echo product page is dead right now — but it’s an interesting tidbit nonetheless.
[Thanks, Leighton and Dave G.]
Kyocera Echo leaks on Sprint’s site originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 15:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Businessweek has managed to track down an insider with information on the plans of both Sprint and Kyocera, and he (or she) has been talkative enough to confirm that a Kyocera Echo is all set for launch on the Now Network at an event later today. Sprint’s tagline for said event was that it’ll deliver an “industry first” that makes us believe “the impossible is possible,” and with all due respect to Kyocera, neither of those really sounds like the company’s upcoming Android handset. The first time we got wind of the Echo, however, it was accompanied by a tip about a Windows Phone 7-based HTC Arrive, a more likely candidate for that industrial innovation prize — there are no CDMA WP7 devices quite yet. We could imagine the Arrive being a carrier-specific brand name for HTC’s 7 Pro, which is already expected on Sprint and has even cleared the FCC in a CDMA flavor. But again, that doesn’t fully satisfy the bluster about the impossible becoming possible, so maybe Sprint will have even more to show us — we’ll be attending its shindig tonight to make absolutely sure.
Sprint expected to introduce Kyocera Echo at event later today, HTC Arrive also indirectly corroborated originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 02:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
If you were to prepare a list of most under-served smartphone form factors, portrait QWERTY ranks high on the list; few manufacturers have dared to dabble in it so far, despite the fact that there would seem to be a treasure trove of potential users in the BlackBerry realm who live and die by the Bold / Curve layout. Motorola has given it the most high-publicity shot so far with entries like the Droid Pro, Charm, and Flipout, and it looks like Samsung might be prepping a head-on Droid Pro competitor for Sprint thanks to some shots that have emerged on PocketNow today. We have precisely zero details on the hardware specs, the possible launch time frame, or really anything else at this point, but we’ll keep an eye out.
[Thanks, Theodore L.]
Samsung prepping portrait QWERTY Android phone for Sprint? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 23:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We woke up this morning in Dallas to 20 degree temperatures and a parking lot covered in ice. Not exactly the kind of weather the NFL was hoping for when it selected the new Cowboys Stadium to host Super Bowl XLV, but it didn’t stop both teams and media from making their way — however slowly — to Arlington for Super Bowl Media Day. Naturally, the likes of ESPN were there in full force, but rather than picking apart defensive schemes and seeing who could outgun Troy Polamalu for the longest mane in North Texas, we spent our time asking about mobile OS preferences and soaking up knowledge from Cowboys CIO Pete Walsh. With a price tag well north of $1 billion on the new Cowboys Stadium, the home to the world’s largest HD display is certainly one of the most technologically advanced in the world. It’s packing 884 wireless access points throughout (not to mention an internal network operations center that constantly monitors activity on each one), 260 miles of fiber optic cabling, capacity to handle over 100,000 simultaneous wireless connections, over 3,100 IPTVs and micro cell towers for each major carrier within — you know, so that kickoff video that just can’t wait actually sees its way onto YouTube prior to the start of the second half.
Head on past the break to catch of a video of us talking smartphone platforms with Green Bay Packers center Scott Wells, as well as a lengthy (and insightful) interview with the Chief Information Officer of the Dallas Cowboys. Everything from the Cowboys’ rejection of FanVision to their hopes to blanket the stadium with gratis WiFi is covered, and we’re even given a hint that contactless payments and mobile food ordering systems could be just a season or so away.
Super Bowl XLV Media Day: Packers split on iOS / Android, Cowboys CIO talks mobility originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The one last barrier for you using Google Voice full time—number porting—just got knocked down. But should you use Google Voice? Almost certainly yes. More »
After initiating the first on-contract Galaxy Tab price cascade back in December that quickly led Sprint to respond, T-Mobile may chop subsidy prices again today for the 7-inch tablet to just under $250 (after a pesky $50 mail-in rebate). Together, that’s only $62 more than the bargain bin CherryPad, which should infuriate early adopters who paid double that only a few months ago, not to mention sober up Samsung. However, when you consider that pseudo-4G tablets like the Dell Streak 7 and LG G-Slate will join Magenta’s lineup soon, it is a viable strategy for extending the Tab’s consumer appeal in this viciously competitive Android tablet world we live in. Then again, if the dual-core processors teased for the Tab’s successor actually pan out, we doubt Samsung will need any assistance getting back to its smug position on top of the Android heap. We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled on T-Mobile’s site today and be sure to update should the price change actually materialize.
Update: A recent peek at T-Mobile’s site shows the price drop is now official. If you’re in the UK and prefer buying the Tab unsubsidized, Amazon and Tesco have also chopped their prices to a palatable £341.24 ($542) and £359.20 ($571), respectively. Thanks, Raphael and Rupert!
T-Mobile expected to cut Galaxy Tab pricing to $249.99 (update: drop is official!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Okay, armchair sleuths, this one’s for you — we’ve got two very legit-looking logos here, but not a lot of proof. Our tipster tells us that both of these high-quality vector graphics are the names of upcoming devices for Sprint, with the HTC Arrive (née Ruby) allegedly an upcoming Windows Phone 7 device, while Kyocera Echo is apparently the retail name for the phone internally known as the Sanyo Orange. It just so happens that the trademark for “HTC Arrive” was registered the very same day we received this logo, so we think we’re onto something here, but the truth of the matter is that all of these codenames are falling on virgin ears.
[Thanks, anonymous]
HTC Arrive and Kyocera Echo bow for Sprint? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 22:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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