Published: February 07, 2011
Kyocera Echo, Exclusively from Sprint, Revolutionizes the Android Experience as the First Dual-Touchscreen Smartphone
NEW YORK - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Sprint
(NYSE: S) and Kyocera
Communications Inc. today announced the first dual-touchscreen
Android smartphone, Kyocera Echo , exclusively from Sprint. This
Android-powered device features two high-resolution 3.5-inch 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 an oversized 4.7-inch (diagonally) integrated display.
Kyocera Echo(TM), exclusively from Sprint, shown in Simul-Task(TM) Mode (Photo: Business Wire)
Until now, a single screen on a smartphone could only be used to
complete one task at a time, even with limited multitasking capabilities
available on some smartphones. Kyocera Echo's second screen provides the
ability to do two things at the same time 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.
Images and video of Kyocera Echo's dynamic design in action are
available now at www.echobykyocera.com.
Pre-registration begins today at www.sprint.com/echo.
In its closed position, Kyocera Echo is a pocket-friendly,
single-display smartphone. When opened, Kyocera Echo reveals a
revolutionary new platform for wireless multitasking and gives customers
a new level of versatility in Android. Its innovative hardware and
optimized software enables consumers to use the touchscreens in four
unique ways:
-
Single-Screen Mode with all the
functionality of a single-display, touch-screen smartphone.
-
Simul-Task Mode with two of the
phone's seven core apps (messaging, e-mail, Web browsing, phone,
gallery, contacts and VueQue ) running concurrently but independently
on the dual displays - e.g., reading e-mail on one screen and opening
a text message on the other; checking Facebook via the browser on one
screen while looking through a photo gallery on the other; or even
searching the Web on one screen and checking email on the other.
-
Optimized Mode with both displays
supporting a single, optimized app with complementary functionality
and enhanced usability - e.g., composing e-mail on one screen with a
touchscreen keyboard on the other; watching a YouTube video on one
display while browsing and queuing additional YouTube videos on the
other (with a preloaded Kyocera app called VueQue ); or viewing
gallery images on one display while browsing image thumbnails on the
other.
-
Tablet Mode with one application
spread across both displays for a full 4.7-inch viewing area. Tablet
Mode is ideal for viewing maps, videos, websites, detailed documents,
and long lists on-the-go.
"Sprint is proud to boast the most powerful Android portfolio available
today and Echo adds to that legacy with industry-leading technology that
will change the way our customers use smartphones," said Sprint CEO Dan
Hesse. "Today's busy schedules often demand that we do at least two
things at once. Kyocera Echo is the first device that allows us to do a
different task on each of two screens while also providing a
tablet-like, larger screen experience that easily fits in a pocket when
closed."
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 in all Sprint retail channels, including the Web (www.sprint.com)
and Telesales (1-800-Sprint1). Pricing excludes surcharges and taxes.
"For years Kyocera has provided handsets to Sprint's Prepaid Group and
MVNOs, as well as to Sprint under the Sanyo brand," said Eiichi
Toriyama, president of Kyocera Communications Inc. "We value greatly our
relationship with Sprint and we are thrilled that they have chosen Echo
as the standout product with which to reintroduce its customers to the
Kyocera brand. With Kyocera Echo, we are proud to give Sprint an iconic,
industry-changing device that delivers an entirely new experience for
smartphone users."
Kyocera Echo also includes customized apps optimized for the dual-screen
Optimized Mode experience including VueQue , which lets users watch a
YouTube video on one display while browsing, queuing and buffering
additional YouTube videos on the other display. Additional applications
optimized for the dual-screen experience include:
-
Messaging and e-mail: Users can turn the device horizontally
and use the top display to view the e-mail/message application while
using the lower display as a full-sized virtual keyboard.
-
Browser: Takes the browser experience of a standard 3.5-inch
smartphone and enhances it, allowing users to view two websites
simultaneously.
-
Gallery: Users can scroll through thumbnail images on one
screen while viewing an enlarged image on the other.
-
Contacts/phone: Users can view more of the phone's contact
directory or an expanded virtual dial pad.
Beyond the dual touchscreen innovation, Kyocera Echo operates on the
Android 2.2 system and has access to more than 100,000 apps in Android
Market - everything from Facebook to Angry Birds. Additional key
features include:
-
Sprint's nationwide 3G network and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)*
-
Wi-Fi hotspot capability, which supports wireless connections for up
to five devices
-
5-megapixel camera with flash, autofocus and digital zoom
-
720p HD camcorder to quickly capture those on-the-go memorable moments
-
Corporate (Exchange ActiveSync) and personal (POP & IMAP)
e-mail, IM (Google Talk ), text messaging
-
Media player with a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack
-
Stereo Bluetooth 2.1 (+ EDR)
-
Full HTML Web browser with Google Search
-
1GHz Snapdragon processor (QSD 8650 Android)
-
1 gigabyte (GB) of onboard memory and an 8GB microSD card for the
external memory card slot supporting cards up to 32GB
-
Voice and text prompts in both English and Spanish
Kyocera Echo comes packaged with a spare battery (1370 mAh) and a
low-profile charging cradle. Along with charging the spare battery
independently of the phone, the charging cradle also can tether the
spare to Kyocera Echo as an external power supply.
Additional Google features include Google Maps , Google Talk , Gmail ,
synchronization with Google Calendar , and access to Google Goggles to
search with pictures instead of words. With Sprint, Kyocera Echo users
have access to Sprint Zone , providing one-stop wireless account access,
phone tips, news, a list of top apps plus TeleNav GPS Navigator, Sprint
TV and Movies and more.
A Software Development Kit (SDK) and developer guide for Kyocera Echo
will be available before the launch on the Sprint Application Developer
Program (ADP) website at http://developer.sprint.com/android. The
developer guide will provide details on developing for a dual-screen
handset and Android 2.2 device. It also will provide information on how
to take advantage of Kyocera Echo's unique hardware and software
capabilities on the Sprint Network. The Sprint ADP has been providing
tools for third-party developers since Sprint first launched the
Wireless Web on its phones in 2001.
Some competitors may offer lower prices, but Sprint customers get more
with unlimited data while on the Sprint Network with their monthly plan.
Sprint offers real simplicity, value and savings vs. competitors, making
it easy for customers to get the most out of their phones without using
a calculator to tally up costs or worrying about how much data they've
used.
Kyocera Echo requires activation on one of Sprint's Everything Data
plans plus required $10 Premium Data add-on charge for smartphones.
Sprint's Everything Data plan with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM
includes unlimited Web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in
America while on the Sprint network, starting at just $69.99 per month
plus required $10 Premium Data add-on charge - a savings of $39.99 per
month vs. Verizon's comparable plan with unlimited talk, text and Web,
and $35 per month vs. AT&T's comparable plan with unlimited talk, text
and just 2GB of data (excluding Verizon's Southern California
plan; pricing excludes surcharges and taxes.)
Sprint Everything Data plans qualify for automatic enrollment in the
Sprint PremierSM loyalty program1. Existing Sprint
customers can switch to an Everything Data plan without extending their
service agreement. New lines of service require a two-year service
agreement.
An optional charge of just $29.99 per month turns on Kyocera Echo's
mobile hotspot feature, connecting up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices,
such as laptops, gaming devices and digital cameras, at 3G speeds
anywhere on the Sprint 3G network (pricing excludes surcharges and
taxes).
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline
communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers,
businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 48.8
million customers at the end of the third quarter of 2010 and is widely
recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative
technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national
carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data
services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost
Mobile, Common Cents Mobile and Assurance Wireless; instant national and
international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet
backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in its 2010 Green
Rankings, listing it as one of the nation's greenest companies, the
highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit
Sprint at www.sprint.com
or www.facebook.com/sprint
and www.twitter.com/sprint.
About Kyocera Communications Inc.
Kyocera Communications Inc. (KCI) is the headquarters for Kyocera- and
Sanyo-branded wireless products and accessories in the Americas. The
company's devices are driving the convergence of telecommunications,
broadband and multimedia. KCI was formed in April 2009 through the
combination of Kyocera Wireless Corp. and Kyocera Sanyo
Telecommunications Inc., two wholly owned subsidiaries of Kyocera
International Inc. The former was created when Kyocera purchased
QUALCOMM Incorporated's consumer wireless phone business in 2000, while
the latter was formed when Kyocera purchased the wireless phone business
of Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. in 2008. Based in San Diego, KCI leverages
Japan's history of creating advanced consumer technologies around
humanism and respect for the environment and blending them with a
Western entrepreneurialism and style, resulting in a unique design
language and a natural, user-friendly interface. For more information,
please visit http://www.kyocera-wireless.com
or follow the company on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kyoceramobilephones.
Kyocera
Corporation (NYSE:KYO) (TOKYO:6971) (http://global.kyocera.com/),
the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in
1959 as a producer of fine
ceramics (also known as "advanced ceramics"). By combining these
engineered materials with metals and plastics, and integrating them with
other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of
telecommunications equipment, office-document imaging equipment, solar
power generating systems, semiconductor packages, electronic components,
cutting tools and industrial ceramics. During the year ended March 31,
2010, the company's net sales totaled 1.07 trillion yen (approximately
US $11.5 billion). Kyocera marked its 50th anniversary in 2009, and the
40th anniversary of its U.S. operations. It is ranked #554 on Forbes
magazine's 2010 "Global 2000" listing of the world's largest publicly
traded companies.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Please visit www.sprint.com/newsroom
for the product fact sheet and downloadable images.
1To qualify for Sprint Premier Silver customers must have a
3-month average monthly recurring charge (MRC) of individual plans of
$69.99 - $89.98
*Sprint's 3G network features peak download speeds of 3.1 Mbps and peak
upload speeds of 1.8 Mbps, average download speeds between 600 kpbs and
1.4 Mbps. No one has a more reliable network than Sprint based on a
recent 13-city 3G performance test. PC World's test included
Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile in 13 major cities in all regions of
the country during December 2009 and January 2010. In all, roughly 9,000
individual tests of Sprint's 3G service were conducted from 280 testing
locations in 13 cities. Testing sessions were one minute in duration per
location, and network performance can be highly variable from
neighborhood to neighborhood. In laptop-based tests, Sprint tied with
another carrier for first in 3G network reliability.
(c) 2011 Kyocera. All rights reserved. Kyocera, Simul-Task and VueQue
are registered trademarks of Kyocera Corporation. Exchange ActiveSync is
a registered trademark of Microsoft. Android, YouTube, Android Market,
Google Talk, Google, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google
Googles are trademarks of Google Inc.; use of these trademarks is
subject to Google
Permissions. Bluetooth mark is owned by the Bluetooth SIG
Inc. and any use of such mark is under license. microSD is a trademark
of SanDisk Corporation. Facebook is a registered trademark of
Facebook Inc. All other marks are properties of their respective owners.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6601680&lang=en
Sprint
Nichole Cappitelli, 949-748-3364
Nichole.Cappitelli@sprint.com
or
Kyocera
Communications Inc.
John Chier, 858-882-3543
john.chier@kyocera.com
or
for
Kyocera Communications
Melody Parrette, 858-361-9731
melody@lpicommunications.com
Copyright © 2012, Business Wire, Inc., All rights reserved.
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