Kyocera Echo Dual-Screen Smartphone Now Available

The Kyocera Echo, an Android OS smartphone with an innovative design featuring dual touchscreens, can now be ordered exclusively from Sprint.

This newly-released device has a pair of 3.5-inch displays that can be arranged into a number of different configurations depending on what the user is doing, including a tablet shape with a 4.7-inch, 960 x 800 viewing area. ANother option looks a bit like a clamshell, with one of the screens acting as the keyboard. Applications can be spread across both displays, or two apps can run at once.

The Echo runs Google's Android OS 2.2 on a 1Ghz processor, and it has 8 GB of capacity for storing files. It comes with  software for work and play, including audio and video players as well as a viewer for Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF). In addition, this smartphone comes with a very capable web browser and email software for corporate and personal accounts.

This Kyocera model can connect to Sprint's 3G network, but it doesn't have 4G support. It does, however, offer W-Fi b/g and Bluetooth, as well as GPS, and a mobile hotspot app. Other features include a 5-megapixel camera with flash and video sspport and a 3.5mm stereo headset jack.

As its two displays are going to require an unusual amount of power, Kyocera is including two 1370 mAh batteries (one to use and one to charge) plus an external battery charger.

Price and Availability
The Kyocera Echo is available now, exclusively from Sprint. It can be ordered from sprint.com. 

This smartphone has the standard price for a high-end smartphone: $200 with a two-year service contract. Without a contract it is $450.