Remember the Kyocera Echo? Well, the wacky dual-screened Android phone that Sprint announced last month just passed through the FCC, so we should see the handset debut in the near future.
The Echo is quite a spin on the traditional smartphone archetype, and while it may be a bit unconventional, it really should appeal those of you who like to do more than one task at a time. The Echo sports multiple “modes” to use it in, so chances are you won’t have to worry about getting bored with this handset. That said, while the concept of having two screens on a handset is rather intriguing, will customers “get” it? The hype surrounding the Echo at launch might be met with the clamor of customers asking themselves if they actually need another screen on their handsets.
With 4G and dual-core processors being all the rage right now, the Echo, which is lacking in both departments, may not appeal to the spec geeks out there looking for a truly powerful phone, no matter how many things you can do with it at a time. However, if the Echo was indeed sporting some sort of dual-core processing unit and 4G, not only would the battery life likely be bad, but it would probably translate to a much higher price than the $199.99 it will sell for.
Before we could suggest such a handset to anyone, we’d definitely need to put it through its paces. Having two displays is a very interesting idea, but if not implemented well, the Echo could sink to the bottom of the list for users looking to grab a smartphone this year. Still, the intrigued might yet go ahead and grab the the handset due to its novelty factor alone. (Did we mention it has two screens?)
Feel free to hit up the FCC filing for the handset, which gives the Echo a model number of M9300.
Happy digging!
[Via: FCC]