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Monday, May 9, 2011

Kyocera Echo Android Phone Sprint

Kyocera Echo Android Phone (Sprint)Kyocera Echo Android Phone SprintKyocera Echo Android Phone (Sprint) by Kyocera.
This review is from: Kyocera Echo Android Phone (Sprint) (Wireless Phone)
3.5 Stars-
Firstly, let me admit that I have not had a ton of time to explore this phone. However, this phone is devoid of reviews so I am I going to tell you some of the things that jumped out to me that you might not realize before you order it. I will try to update this review as I uncover interesting aspects of the phone over time as well.

THE GOOD Kyocera Echo Android Phone Sprint:
Dual Screen Kyocera Echo Android Phone Sprint:
The duel screens are obviously the main "gimmick" of the phone. The "tablet mode" (with both screens in use), provides a neat look when browsing through phone menu's, games, and "simultasking" mode. The latter is a nifty feature that lets you do two separate applications- one in each screen, at the same time. This is handy if you are having a text conversation and also want to navigate the web simultaneously to check for movies times, phone numbers and anything else that may arise. The screens themselves are responsive as well as nice and bright.

Software Kyocera Echo Android Phone Sprint:
The phone comes with Android 2.2 (Froyo), which is relatively quick when coupled with the 1 GHz processor (However, in tablet mode the phone can feel occasionally sluggish). The phone has almost no added Sprint software (yay!).

Hardware Kyocera Echo Android Phone Sprint:
The phone itself is attractive in my opinion. The sleek black goes well with the silver accents at the top and bottom and combine for a unique style. I found that flipping the screens around is quite enjoyable. The hardware feels sturdy and the hinge, the part that seems to take the brunt of the force when transforming the phone, is metal and feels fairly strong.

Texting Kyocera Echo Android Phone Sprint:
Probably my favorite feature of the phone. You can set the phone up to look almost like a very small laptop with your keyboard at the bottom in full landscape with the top screen acting as your monitor to view your typing. I would imagine many heavy-texters would find this phone enjoyable for this feature alone. The phone also includes Swype which is useful when you writing or texting in the single screen mode.

THE BAD Kyocera Echo Android Phone Sprint:
Battery life:
Now in the interest of disclosure, I will admit that new phones tend to get played with more frequently so my reference point is not exactly a matter of science, especially for real world application. However, the battery seems to die quite quickly when using both screens, especially when watching media like Youtube or Sprint TV. Kyocera includes an extra battery and cool charging station for it. This would be all well and good, if the battery was not such a hassle to get out of the phone (and who really wants to cart the extra battery plus the charging dock).


No 4G:
Really? Yup. A brand new phone selling in retail locations for $199 and it does not support the latest Wimax technology.

Fingerprints:
You will have them all over both screens. It's hard to avoid when you are switching between screens. Though this IS a TOUCH-screen phone, its hard to get too upset about this one.

The Dual Screens:
These babies are a double-edged sword. They make the phone rather bulky, heavy, and are presumably the reason the battery dies so quickly. Also, the bezel in between the two screens when in tablet mode is rather annoying (at least for me) when swiping across the screens. This is simply due to the phone losing input from your finger as you hit the plastic in between the screens.

Button location:
If you are familiar with Android phones you know there is normally a home, menu, back and search button on the phone hardware. On this phone they actually "move" around depending how you are holding the phone. This is something the end-user will probably get accustomed to over time, but it is initially troublesome.

Conclusion:
While I do strongly believe this phone will appeal to a certain niche group, it's not going to be the "next big thing". The innovation behind the phone is admirable, but the execution is lacking. My "daily driver" phone is the Evo 4G, and this unit did not tempt me away from it at all. While the phone is certainly a neat gadget, I don't see it being a competitive force against phones like the Evo, Epic and the new Evo 3D- rumored to be coming out in June- at the same $199 price point. All that aside for a moment, If you are coming from a phone like the LG Rumor or older Android phone and are prone to a lot of texting this phone might be right up your alley and certainly would be an upgrade from those units.

If you have any questions, want some pictures of the phone, or another request, leave me a comment and I'll try to respond as soon as I can.

feature Kyocera Echo Android Phone Sprint:
Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g) for accessing home and corporate networks as well as hotspots while on the go
Instant messaging via popular services including Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger
Full HTML Web browser with Flash 10.1 support that's optimized for dual screens
3G data speeds (EVDO Rev A.) (peak download speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds of 600 kbps-1.4 Mbps)
Adobe Flash technology ensures that rich Internet content, such as embedded video and animation, are displayed the way they are meant to be seen
Airplane mode allows you to listen to music while the cellular connectivity is turned off
GPS using Sprint Navigation for turn by turn directions, and points of interest searches
4.3-inch capacitive display with pinch-to-zoom and tactile feedback
Built-in mobile hotspot functionality allows up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices to share the 3G or 4G experience on the go with a laptop, camera, music player, game unit, video player, or any other Wi-Fi enabled device
Powered by the Android 2.2 operating system with deep integration of Google services and access to thousands of apps to customize your phone via the Android Market
Apps customized for Echo dual screen and larger real estate give optimum viewing quality
Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.1) includes profiles for communication headset, hands-free car kits, and the A2DP Bluetooth profile--enabling you to wirelessly stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones or speaker dock
Memory expansion via microSD card slot with support for optional cards up to 32 GB (8 GB card included)
Media Player with a 3.5mm stereo headset jack, so you can play video and music files you've downloaded
Google mobile services including Google Search, Google Maps, Google Talk, Gmail, YouTube , and syncing with Google Calendar
Access to Google Goggles to search with pictures instead of words. It works with everything from books, DVDs and barcodes to landmarks, logos, artwork and wine labels
Easily view Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files on the go to maximize your productivity
1 GHz Snapdragon processor speeds up everything--from playing games to watching shows to opening files from work
5-megapixel auto-focus camera with dual LED flash
Capture HD-quality video (720p)
Access to personal and corporate e-mail with Microsoft Direct Push Technology and HTML support. Send and receive email from multiple corporate and personal email accounts. Also, get wireless email access to popular commercial POP3 and IMAP accounts like AOL, Gmail, and Yahoo!
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