Kyocera Echo Dual-Screen Android Smartphone Review
Introduction & Specifications
We've seen a number of hot smartphones hit the market recently, including the HTC Thunderbolt, Droid Charge, and others. Although each phone has its own appeal, there are also a lot of similarities among today's hottest smartphones—most have a 1GHz processor, at least 16GB of storage in one form or another, at least a 4-inch display, etc.
Sprint and Kyocera weren't content to simply offer more of the same in terms of smartphones. That's where the Kyocera Echo comes in to play. This smartphone features an innovative design with not one, but two, screens. The Echo is the first dual-touchscreen Android-based smartphone to hit the market, and it certainly brings a new experience to Android.
Similar to other sliding phones, the Kyocera Echo can be folded to hide the second screen and function as a smartphone with a traditional candy bar form factor. It's when you open the phone to dual-screen mode that things get interesting. When opened, you can view one application across both screens for a full 4.7-inch viewing area or you can choose to view two different apps at the same time, one on each screen.
The Echo certainly brings a unique feature set and experience to the Android platform. But does it live up to the hype or fall short? Find out in our hands-on review...
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| Processor and memory |
1GHz Snapdragon processor (QSD 8650 Android) 1GB of onboard memory preinstalled 8GB microSD card (support for up to 32GB) |
| Operating System |
Android 2.2 |
| Connectivity |
3G Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) Wi-Fi hotspot capability Bluetooth 2.1 (+ EDR) GPS microUSB |
| Display |
Dual 3.5-inch LCD WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) capacitive touchscreens (4.7 inches diagonally and 800 x 960 pixels when opened) |
| Size and weight |
4.5 x 2.2 x 0.7 inches 6.8 ounces |
| Cameras and multimedia |
5 megapixel camera with flash / 720p HD camcorder 3.5 mm stereo headset jack |
| Additional Features |
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 |
| Battery |
Removable 1370mAh battery; includes spare battery (1370 mAh) with portable charger that can also tether to the phone as an external power supply Talk time: Up to 7 hours |
| Carrier |
Sprint |
| In-Box Content |
2 Standard Li-Ion Battery (1370 mAh) AC Adapter (MicroUSB Data cable pluggable) SD Adapter Travel Charger microSD Card (8GB) |
