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Sprint details Q4 CDMA Direct Connect launch plans and handsets, quietly waves goodbye to iDEN
We're guessing that this isn't the riveting Q4 announcement that Dan Hesse promised us last week at Sprint's Kansas headquarters, but it's a shock to the system nonetheless. The outfit's legacy iDEN network is still kicking around (and in turn, eating up valuable resources to run it), and while we're told that those push-to-talk users are some of the most loyal, it looks as if 2012 will be the year they're forced to try something new. The company's CDMA-based Direct Connect alternative is officially slated to launch this winter, with those who buy in treated to triple the square miles of the company's current push-to-talk coverage area, broadband capabilities and a smattering of new devices. The Kyocera DuraMax and DuraCore will be joined by an unannounced Motorola smartphone, all of which should be rugged enough to handle the expected field work. Furthermore, Sprint will be adding international push-to-talk (alongside "additional capabilities") in early 2012, and users should see a marked improvement in in-building coverage. Finally, we're told that voice and data capacity is expected to increase significantly as Sprint leverages its spectrum holdings in 800MHz, 1.9GHz, and -- through its relationship with Clearwire -- 2.5GHz. And with that, we'd say your iDEN handset stash just became quite the collector's item. Full details are tucked away in the PR just past the break.
How would you change the Kyocera Echo?
We get the impression that Kyocera's design team had been hacking away at the Echo for years -- largely due to the blocky corners that remained, despite the current market's affinity for curvation -- and in a way, we're actually relieved that Sprint took a chance with it. We've seen what's to come when looking at dual-screen handsets, and if executed properly, the future seems bright. The Echo itself surprised us with its flexibility, and while it's obviously a niche device, we're certain a few of you have ponied up for one. So, here's your chance to tell us all what you'd do differently the next time around. Would you change the form factor in any way? How's about that slider / locking mechanism? Was Android 2.2 the right choice? Do you wish it were available on a different carrier? Go on and get creative in comments below!
Leaked Sprint roadmap outs LG Optimus Slider and BlackBerry Torch 2, among others
Leaked carrier roadmaps are the closest thing we have to a crystal ball and can offer precious insight into upcoming devices and launches. Stumbling upon these lists isn't a common occurrence, and they can't be fully relied on since carriers tend to change their minds frequently, but the one shown here got our full attention. Among the highlights: the BlackBerry Torch 9850 Monaco, which is possibly a CDMA version of the Torch 9810 we previewed last week, is listed as a TBD release; the BlackBerry Bold Touch 9930 appears to be Sprint-bound on August 21; and the phone we've heard the least about thus far is the LG Optimus Slider LS700 (Gelato Q), most likely the successor to the Optimus S, prepping for a September launch. Several handsets are listed alongside dates for release, but we wouldn't take a lot of stock in the launch dates. Anything could happen in the coming months, and it's quite likely these are tentative dates the company hopes to hit so long as there aren't any hiccups along the way. Keep in mind that screen shots like this one can easily be faked, but the accurate prediction of the Motorola XPRT launch does make it slightly more believable. Scope out another shot after the break.
KDDI haptic smartphone prototype promises up to seven layers of touch, only shows off two
Ah, another possibly vaporous, yet intriguing addition to a long line of haptic patents and prototypes. Today's offering: a KDDI smartphone mockup (utilizing Kyocera display technology) promising to render sensation through multiple layers of applied touchscreen pressure. Imagine depressing a camera shutter on a touchscreen, and you've got the idea. KDDI only had a screen sporting two haptic layers on hand when they demoed the prototype at Wireless Japan this week, but Kyocera reportedly told Akihabara News that the technology is capable of up to seven layers of tantalizing touch. Neat. Maybe we'll get a few authentic haptic touchscreens on the market and do away with all the vibrational fakery we've been seeing.
Screen Grabs: Kyocera Echo goes back to the alternate-reality future in Fringe
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. We liked the Kyocera Echo quite a bit, but perhaps the dual-screen tabletphone concept is a mite ahead of its time -- here it is fifteen years from now, helping the Fringe team pull up security blueprints for an opera house. Or perhaps Astrid has become a vintage technology connoisseur? We have to admit it's a step up from the Streak seismograph, but we can't help but frown -- we wouldn't be caught dead running Froyo in the year 2026, after all. [Thanks, Prince C.]
Kyocera Echo available right now for Sprint Premier customers, tests your patience
If you're a Sprint Premier customer and are planning to purchase the company's eccentric dual-screen Android smartphone, listen up. Yes, it's due to launch in just three days, but the wireless company is now offering its loyal customers a chance to order the Echo right now. If you decide to jump the gun, you'll be happy to know that Sprint is waiving upgrade fees and will ship you the device for zero bucks. So, if this offer sounds tempting -- and you qualify -- hit the source link to get a 72-hour advantage on everyone else. [Thanks, Eric]
Kyocera Echo review
It's not exactly difficult to put into words what the Kyocera Echo is -- it's a dual-screened Android phone, after all -- but it's a wee bit more challenging to wrap your head around who exactly it's for. The hardcore gaming contingent already has Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play, and those obsessed with screen real estate have options spanning the gamut -- everything from Dell's 5-inch Streak to a veritable cornucopia of choices in the 4- to 4.3-inch range. So, where exactly does this oddball fit in? Quite frankly, we get the impression that it's doing its darnedest to carve out a market of its own, a thought that's reinforced by Kyocera's dedicated app development space and two-faced Simul-Task mode. Early critics (read: us) railed on the fact that double the screens meant double the trouble in terms of battery life, and there's no question that a second cell was included with our test unit. But are the advantages of having a second 3.5-inch WVGA touchpanel enough to overshadow the obvious pitfalls? Join us as we do a little soul-searching in our full review, hosted up just past the break. %Gallery-120864%
Kyocera Katsura 'gaming tablet' blurs for the camera
This one's about as mysterious as you'd expect from the image above but, according to Android Community, that black slab you see is Kyocera's new Katsura "gaming tablet." Not many other details at the moment, but it is apparently Android-based, and it has what appears to be a rubbery matte black back adorned with a stylized design of some sort. A bit of an oddity, to be sure, but stranger things have come out of Kyocera recently. Hit up the link below for a few more pics, and look for the tablet to make a more official appearance "soon" if Android Community's tipster is to be believed.
Sprint begins Kyocera Echo reservations, challenges you to a 'dual'
Surely you remember the Kyocera Echo, that dual-screen Android 2.2 phone that Sprint unveiled way back in February. Well, if it managed to pique your interest, then you'll be glad to know that Sprint's thrown up quite the unique reservation page that will let you reserve the phone now for $200 (after a $100 mail-in rebate) to ensure you'll have it on its April 17th release date. The company warns that there'll be limited quantities, so if you want to be the only one in town rocking a dual-screen smartphone, hit the source link and punch in your info -- and don't forget to try your hand at a game of Bottle Bustin' Bandits while you're there for a chance to win one of these phones.
Kyocera pictures a world of deeply understanding phones
You know what just doesn't understand true feelings enough? Our phones, that's what. But it doesn't always have to be like that if you ask Kyocera. Sure, the company had its dual-screened Echo on display at CTIA, but it also had an interesting exhibit of concept phones, including the ones pictured above, which can change shape based on human emotion. The premise is that since the majority of our communications comes through body language, these handsets would physically morph to express the mental state of your caller. Don't ask us why Kyocera's future just doesn't have better mobile video chatting solutions for that sort of thing, but as you could probably creatively imagine, the black slab on the left would represent a good mood while the one on the far right is clearly all worked up about something. Not zany enough for you? How about some phones that morph in your hand to adapt to how you're holding the device? Okay, that one actually seems pretty awesome, as does the one that looks like a spider web, but we'll let you wrap your heads around the rest of the concepts the company had on display by hitting the gallery below. [Thanks, Evan B.] %Gallery-119646%
Kyocera launches developer program for dual-screen Echo smartphone
Kyocera promised that an SDK for its dual-screen Echo smartphone would be coming soon when it announced it last month, and it's now delivered that and more. It's just kicked off a full-fledged Android Developer Program for the phone, which will give developers access to Kyocera's support team, additional promotion and co-marketing opportunities for their apps, and even loaner units, although it's not clear exactly who's eligible for the latter. Those interested in taking part can download the SDK and contact Kyocera for additional information at the link below.
Kyocera Echo hits Sprint on April 17th for $200
Hey, that's just $100 per screen, right? Sprint has just announced that Kyocera's unusual dual-display Echo clamshell will be launching on April 17th for $199.99 on contract, though you'll be able to notch your interest early -- March 26th, to be exact -- via pre-order. As a refresher, the phone offers a 5 megapixel cam with 720p video capture, 1GB of onboard storage augmented with an in-box 8GB microSD card (expandable to 32GB), Android 2.2, and -- of course -- a pair of 3.5-inch WVGA displays that should set it apart from the crowd. We'd have liked a dual-core processor to go along with the trend here, but you can't have it all, can you? Follow the break for the full press release.
Kyocera Echo for Sprint doubles down with FCC approval
We don't have a launch date for Sprint's crazy double-screened Echo from Kyocera just yet, but this might be a bit of a clue: it just got FCC certification under its model number, M9300. The eternal optimist in us hoped for a last minute decision to throw WiMAX into the mix, but of course, no dice -- it's just a CDMA / EV-DO Rev. A radio along with 802.11b/g (no n, by the bye) and Bluetooth. The two screens is an interesting novelty, but we're dying to find out just how well that novelty translates into sales when it's finally on shelves.
Kyocera Echo: a dual-screen Android gaming phone with two launch games
Nintendo may not be making a smartphone, but if it did, it might look a bit like the Kyocera Echo. Coming to Sprint later this year, it's being touted as the world's first "dual-touchscreen smartphone." At a preview event today, we got to see the phone running The Sims 3, optimized to take advantage of both screens. Unsurprisingly, it looked a lot like the DS version, albeit with higher-resolution graphics. The phone is set to launch with one other game, although a Sprint representative wouldn't reveal what it was. Running on a custom Kyocera-skinned version of Android 2.2, the Echo augments the growing "fragmentation" problem that Google's mobile OS faces. Games must use Sprint's SDK to take advantage of both of the screens offered by the Echo. But, how many developers will flock to create games for a single device available on a single carrier? We're going to guess: not many. At least the phone will be able to play other Android games -- maybe even PlayStation Suite games, if the specs are up to snuff.%Gallery-115899%
Sprint's Kyocera Echo dual-screen Android phone announced, we go hands-on (update)
Sprint promised us an "industry first" at its event today, and it certainly delivered: check out the Kyocera Echo, the first dual-screen Android phone. That's right, dual-screen -- that's two 3.5-inch 480 x 800 displays which can be unfolded and used as a single 4.7-inch 960 x 800 surface. The screens are connected by a slick sliding liquid-metal hinge that Kyocera's filed several patents on -- the phone can be closed and used like a regular single-screen phone, unfolded all the way, or propped up into the faux-laptop configuration shown above. Under the hood there's a 1GHz second-gen Snapdragon running Android 2.2 -- we'll forgive the older software because Kyocera had to do extensive customization to add dual-screen support to seven core apps like the browser, email, and messaging. The seven optimized apps can be run on each screen individually so you can have the browser up top and email below, and several of them include useful full-dual-screen views as well. There's also a new dual-screen app manager, which is brought up by tapping the two screens simultaneously. Unfortunately, third party apps can't be run in any of the new modes and just fill the entire display for now -- Kyocera and Sprint say an SDK is coming shortly. Interestingly, the Echo doesn't really run the optimized apps simultaneously when you have two of them open -- it quickly switches them in and out of hibernation, even though they're both displayed on screen. That means you can't do things like watch a video while writing an email, for example -- it's an odd limitation, but it seems like it'll only be an issue in limited circumstances. As for battery life, Kyocera and Sprint aren't giving definite numbers, but we were told things would last about a day with heavy use of both screens -- and the Echo is being sold in a bundle with a second battery in an external charging case, so you should have plenty of juice on the go. Downsides? Well, it's not the most attractive phone we've ever seen, and we'd be remiss if we didn't point out that there's just a lone rear-facing 5 megapixel camera with 720p video capture and that the Echo is 3G-only -- there's no WiMAX, which is a bit odd for a Sprint halo device. Still, it's definitely one of the most intriguing Android handsets we've ever seen, and at $199 (after a $100 rebate) when it launches sometime in the coming months, it's bound to pique some serious interest. Check a short hands-on video after the break. Update: So the simultaneous apps thing appears to somewhat complex -- we weren't able to run a video and email when we played with the phone during our briefing, but Sprint's Fared Adib was able to do it when we ran into him during the launch event. We'll post that video soon -- and of course we'll dig deep into this when we get a review unit. One more thing we noticed: none of the devices we saw in action had pinch-to-zoom enabled anywhere, which is obviously very strange. We were told that the software is still early, so we'll have to see if it makes it into shipping product. Update 2: It's attack of the press materials! New images, video, and release can be found below! %Gallery-115874% %Gallery-115891%
Kyocera Echo leaks on Sprint's site
We still don't know whether this'll be the "industry first" shown off at Sprint's event later today, but in light of the WSJ's information, we certainly wouldn't be surprised. A quick check of Sprint's site currently shows a hit for the Kyocera Echo, described as "the first dual-touchscreen smartphone" that offers a "pivot hinge" design with a maximum of 4.7 inches of combined screen real estate while still being "pocket-friendly." No other details are offered -- and the link to the Echo product page is dead right now -- but it's an interesting tidbit nonetheless. [Thanks, Leighton and Dave G.]
Sprint expected to introduce Kyocera Echo at event later today, HTC Arrive also indirectly corroborated
Businessweek has managed to track down an insider with information on the plans of both Sprint and Kyocera, and he (or she) has been talkative enough to confirm that a Kyocera Echo is all set for launch on the Now Network at an event later today. Sprint's tagline for said event was that it'll deliver an "industry first" that makes us believe "the impossible is possible," and with all due respect to Kyocera, neither of those really sounds like the company's upcoming Android handset. The first time we got wind of the Echo, however, it was accompanied by a tip about a Windows Phone 7-based HTC Arrive, a more likely candidate for that industrial innovation prize -- there are no CDMA WP7 devices quite yet. We could imagine the Arrive being a carrier-specific brand name for HTC's 7 Pro, which is already expected on Sprint and has even cleared the FCC in a CDMA flavor. But again, that doesn't fully satisfy the bluster about the impossible becoming possible, so maybe Sprint will have even more to show us -- we'll be attending its shindig tonight to make absolutely sure.
HTC Arrive and Kyocera Echo bow for Sprint?
Okay, armchair sleuths, this one's for you -- we've got two very legit-looking logos here, but not a lot of proof. Our tipster tells us that both of these high-quality vector graphics are the names of upcoming devices for Sprint, with the HTC Arrive (née Ruby) allegedly an upcoming Windows Phone 7 device, while Kyocera Echo is apparently the retail name for the phone internally known as the Sanyo Orange. It just so happens that the trademark for "HTC Arrive" was registered the very same day we received this logo, so we think we're onto something here, but the truth of the matter is that all of these codenames are falling on virgin ears. [Thanks, anonymous]
Sanyo Taho for Sprint will take a beating, won't deliver a beating to your wallet
If you were looking for Sprint's first fully submersible handset to sell for under $100 on contract... well, you've finally found it. What you're looking at here is the Sanyo Taho, a beefed-up clamshell that offers the usual suite of environmental resistance claims that come with mil-spec 810G compliance: water, dust, shock, and extreme temperature. It packs a 2 megapixel camera, microSD expansion up to 32GB, EV-DO, GPS, Bluetooth, 256MB of internal memory, and a 2-inch QVGA display; a Defy, it's not, but it looks like it should keep you entertained just about as well as any other dumbphone. It's available today for $99.99 on a two-year deal after a $50 mail-in rebate -- follow the break for the press release.
Kyocera Rio hits Cricket today for $130
Alright, we know what you're thinking, so let's just clear this up at the outset: it ain't Android. That being said, Kyocera's new Rio for regional carrier Cricket features a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen, 1.3 megapixel camera, microSD expansion up to 16GB, a 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo Bluetooth, and an optical trackpad -- a rather unusual touch for this market segment. Of course, Cricket likes to play the no-contract game, and sure enough, the $129.99 that the carrier is asking nets you the Rio without a commitment. It's available today; follow the break for the full press release.
