One last post from this week's Sprint Kyocera Echo event now that you've read our initial impressions and gallery from the event -- and it's video of the presentation itself. We'll say at the outset that this really is a phone you have to try before dismissing. And as cool as the giant replica was on stage, it got a tad confusing during the presentation. But you can check it out after the break and see for yourself.
Youtube link for mobile viewing
Mikey47 says:
I still don't get it. Who wants a black stripe across the middle of their tablet? Ask a Galaxy Tab user to take a piece of blank electrical tape and place it across their screen and see how much it interrupts them.
While this is innovative, I think it has a long way to go before more people will be accepting of it.
Gameboy70 says:
Who wants a black stripe across the middle of their tablet?
This.
si_sedan07#ac says:
Thank you! unless it was to show something completely different (like the email app) I can see how this can work. But to browse or do playback, its just lame.
mhmmdy123 says:
I`ll be one jump on this phone, seem to be very useful to me.
slayerpsp says:
If it had 4g and a duel core chip set and a 1gb of ram i would check it out but with pretty much the same specs as my evo minus 4g 8mp back cam and no fc.no sell
Coolaaron88 says:
Must....resist.....hating....
eirrom says:
I'll reserve final judgment until I try it out but based on the Kyocera name & their "quality" build on some of their previous phones, it does seem to be a failure before launch.
kdarling#wp says:
The more you sugarcoat this phone, the more it's gonna taste like crap. Plain and simple, this phone is a blasphemy.
05 TypeS DC5 says:
lol agree with you there.
kdarling#wp says:
Should've been called the Kyocera Nutcracker
HAAS599 says:
Im glad I have a choice to buy or not to buy a device like this. Android is awesome. If you don't like it, take a chill pill, there are many different devices to choose from and I'm sure there is a phone out there that fits your needs.
Syphor says:
Whoa! Kyocera is still around? I thought they were dead and gone ages ago.... Hmph, learn something new every day. BTW this phone looks like hot garbage.
vinny#AC says:
Great idea, Tablet size device you can carry n your pocket and make calls with. Only problem it lacks horse power. Needs HSPA+ or 4G, larger memory, ram and other stuff it could have added before going public. It could have been a super phone now it is just a very ordinary phone with a big screen. It will not sell due to much better specs in newer phones that are going to flood the market very soon..
deparson says:
Faaaaaaaa, Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, FAIL!!!!!
bobaka says:
Time to change leadership at the top at Sprint
Failure after Failure after Failure
rexdeaz says:
It seems the reason folks are so easy to dismiss this phone is in part the fault of this very website. Every day you guys post stories and throw in adjectives on how "Phone X is blazing fast" and "Phone B has killer specs". Then you guys go and write about the Echo, and it includes virtually none of the "crush-worthy" specs that the other phones you write about have and you get snippy with us when we rail on it. Unfair? Maybe. But until you guys start exalting the praises of other phones with mid-range specs with these wild adjectives, how are we supposed to react to what is essentially (at first glance) the same as those phones, just "glued together"?
(Not to mention, the phones' sluggish performance during the video demonstration did the Echo no favors.)
Gameboy70 says:
You actually believe the negative reaction has to do with the specs? Um, maybe you missed the bezel in the middle of the screen.
turdbogls says:
this is going to be a HUGE flop....worse than the Kin. that at least had SOME cool stuff.
this thing looks like a brick, no one will really find the extra screen usable, imagine the battery life, sorry, but this thing just looks terrible all around. keep the duel screen phones on hold until a flexible LED/LCD is feasable.
quixoticelixer says:
I think AC keeps posting this phone to piss you guys off!
Axe says:
At this point, Sprint could at least show a sense of humor. They don't execute their other options very well. They should've named this phone the Sprint Flop...it flops open and flops closed.
fabirey21 says:
Now that I've gotten to see the videos for this device it is more clear to me that Sprint enjoys taking on new projects and making temselves the focal point of the cell phone industry. Unfortunately they have not been able to focus on finishing these projects to their fullest capabilities. This phone could have the potential of being a game changer in not only Sprint's phone lineup but every phone maker and cell phone provider. It is a shame that they couldnt make this phone as "seamless" as they claim it is when the presenter has to swipe multiple times just to get the screens to moth back and forth. Perhaps one day they the will take the time and finish and product or idea and really make head turn and jaws drop. Until then make good on the rumored Feb. 21st Epic 2.2 upgrade!!!!!!!
FatalErrorz says:
dayumm...that's like 5 articles in 2 days on this revolutionary POS.
DAS says:
The only mistake Sprint made, and I am a loyal Sprint customer for over 7 years now, is that they made too big a deal about the phone.
When I needed a new Blackberry back in November, I went into the Sprint store and learned that they had just released the new Blackberry Style. I immediately purchased the device because it was new, different, and virtually unheard of because it didn't come with a lot of fanfare. Even though it was only Blackberry, at the time, besides the Torch that was running the new BB OS6.
Unfortunately, I had to return "The BB Style" because the "flip" feature just was not working for me, and so I grabbed Evo 4G instead. Btw, what a great phone the Evo has proven to be!!!
My point is that Sprint should have just released this phone into its lineup. Sprint customers would have had the chance to play with it, and some would probably actually like it. They also could have announced the new phone to its own customers via email or on Sprint.com. By introducing the Echo in this manner they oversold the announcement as an "Earth Shattering" event, and it just didn't live up to that.
Maybe the thinking, albeit inaccurate, was that this device would lure people away from their current carrier over to Sprint. That's the only reason I can see why they made this a major public event? Unfortunately, a Kyocera product does not have the capability or brand star power to cause that level of change.
It's not a bad phone, it has some interesting features, definetely a unique device, and will be useful to some people.
The problem is that a phone of this nature does not require such a massive public announcement. It was simply oversold.
However, all the hating and name calling many of you are doing over this is really childish, and just reflects your own lack.
moonoverparma00 says:
Well said.
Smalls says:
Really guys? This is a great Android device. You make it look like it's the worst device ever. Has the little bar between DS screens affected the decision from DS players?
I'm interested in seeing new phones in different form factors.
moises1204 says:
faaaaaaaaaaail.
bladerunn3r says:
Successsssssss.
eyecon82 says:
AC, if you keep giving his phone positive praise, I am going to start mistrusting all of your reviews. 99.9% of the public sees this phone as FAIL....are you in Sprint's pocket to keep praising this POS phone?
This is starting to make me distrust your site more and more
JuniorWWT says:
Seriously? Do you think android forums represent 99.9% of the public? Sorry to disappoint you, but there is a much larger market that does not include us. The people that will buy this phone have probably never heard of android central and they will love it. I wish Sprint well with this phone as I do see its potential. And by the way, have you not noticed Sprint advertisement all over this website? They have to be in Sprint's pocket. Sprint is paying the bills.
bladerunn3r says:
I'm skeptical of this deluge of hate and hysteria. For the love of god, it's just a phone. With this type of reaction, you'd think it was trying to take away our right to NOT have healthcare.
JuniorWWT says:
You guys are missing the point. This is not a tablet. The 4.7 inch full screen is a secondary function. The primary goal is the "simultasking". Sure they could put a little more inside and each screen could be a half inch bigger, but this is pretty cool. I definitely see an advantage to running apps simultaneously. I've had dual monitors at work now for a few years and I don't know how I ever got along with out it. I know this phone is lacking, but it has huge potential. I may not buy this, but I'll be anxiously waiting for the Echo 2.
eyecon82 says:
You have missed the point my friend...you can't actually run 2 apps at once...yes you can surf the web and open up an email, but you can't play angry birds on one screen, while playing raging thunder on another screen......
JuniorWWT says:
Not yet. I fully understand the difference between potential and current capabilities and how quickly technology advances. Be patient "my friend". If you desire to play angry birds and raging thunder simultaneously, then this is a step in that direction. I personally am happy with having facebook on one screen and my browser on the other. "Rome was not built in a day."
eyecon82 says:
and this is no Rome...do you think developers will even waste their time to take advantage of the new APK's for this phone? This phone will struggle to sell even a 100k units.
Developers will focus on the more popular phones like the Droid, Motorola, HTC, etc...
This will be the last phone built with 2 screens..mark my words....the trend is going for bigger tablet sized screens...no one wants moving parts anymore due to durability issues
energizer1389 says:
With the exclusion of:
*Honeycomb, heck even Gingerbread
*Dual Core Processor
*Front facing camera
*Wimax
This thing doesn't make sense.
Although, the fact that you could potentially have the browser or whatever app in landscape and have the keyboard in the bottom screen sounds very interesting.
energizer1389 says:
Did Sprint just pulled a Lebron James?
Are they bringing their talents to the echo?
They are getting the same reaction Lebron did for sure...
ps. The Sprint flop? That's hilarious.
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