14 DAY TRIAL // Kyocera Echo, the dual touchscreen mobile phone that Sprint added to its Android lineup several weeks ago, is now available for purchase of only $99 upon the signing of a contract agreement with the wireless carrier, half of what it was initially made available at (namely $199). The mobile phone can be seen on Sprint's website here, with the said $99.99 price attached to it on two-year deals, and priced at $449.99 if purchased contract free.
Based on Google's Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, the new mobile phone sports two 3.5-inch touchscreens, which can be used separately or as one, for enhanced usability.
“The Kyocera Echo is the nation's first dual-touchscreen Android smartphone. Its unique pivot hinge design offers a pocket-friendly single-screen size when closed and expands to two adjacent 3.5-inch touchscreens, with 4.7-inches of combined space, when opened,” Sprint notes.
“Until now, a single screen on a smartphone could only be used to complete one task at a time, even with the limited multitasking capabilities available on some devices.
“The Echo's second screen lets you do two things simultaneously and get more done – send an email on one screen while surfing the Web on the other, watch a video on one screen while texting on the other, comparison shop online with one web site on each screen and so much more.”
The mobile phone also includes a fast application processor, along with a 5-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with auto focus, flash and video recording capabilities.
The 1GHz Qualcomm QSD8650 (Snapdragon) is complemented by 512MB of RAM and 1GB of ROM. A microSD memory card slot with support for up to 32 GB of additional storage space was included into the mix as well.
The Kyocera Echo features support for Sprint's CDMA network, as well as for Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) connectivity, and comes with Stereo Bluetooth 2.1 (+ EDR) capabilities. It offers Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities as well.
Not to mention that it could easily prove a great device for all users interested in the corporate (Exchange ActiveSync) and personal (POP & IMAP) e-mail, while also offering IM (Google Talk) and text messaging.
It would provide support for various Google Mobile Services as well, such as Search, Maps, YouTube, or Gmail, and for a great deal of applications available for download via the Android Market.
The Kyocera Echo is available for purchase from Sprint's website here.
