Sprint has just announced the Kyocera Echo, the first dual-touchscreen Android smartphone. Having a form factor like the Nintendo DSi, the Echo comes with two 3.5-inch 800×48- WVGA touchscreen displays connected by a patent-pending “pivot hinge” that enables the two displays to operate independently, side-by-side or combined to form a large 4.7-inch integrated display.
Boosted by 1GHz Qualcomm SnapDragon QSD8650 processor, the Echo has 512MB of RAM and 1GB of internal storage. The dual-screen phone features a 5 Megapixel camera with auto focus, flash and 720p HD video recording; Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi connectivity, built-in GPS and digital compass and a microSD card slot supporting cards up to 32GB. The phone supports CDMA EVDO 3G network and includes WiFi hotspot capability for sharing 3G connection to up to 5 devices.
The Kyocera Echo runs Android 2.2 and comes with Google mobile services and the 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. 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.
