By 
Here’s an interesting one to continue the day. Rumor has it that Kyocera is Sprint’s guest of honor as they – along with magician David Blaine – promise to unveil something, tonight, that will show you “the impossible is possible.” As BGR quips, Kyocera isn’t the first manufacturer we thought of when thinking about magic, but considering Huawei’s latest developments – known to be a company who makes cheap handsets but surprised us with a series of high-powered devices at CES – we’ll give anyone a chance to impress. We should know more by tonight as Kevin and Rob will be bussing to New York to check it all out live. [Bloomberg]
[Update]: Acording to Wall Street Journal, it’ll be a dual-screen device called the Echo. From their report:
Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to unveil a smartphone late Monday that includes a twin set of touch screens that give the device a pseudo-tablet design, according to a person familiar with the device.
The device, called the Echo and made by Kyocera Corp. of Japan, features two 3.5-inch touch screens that can be stacked side by side.
If it’s a Kyocera, I hope David Blaine makes it disappear because that would just be a sad and disappointing announcement Sprint! Step your game up or you’re going to get left behind.
Dual 3.5″ screens? Could be interesting… I don’t know if I trust Kyocera w/ Android though … but if XDA embraces the phone, could be sweet:
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110207-707149.html
@Greg. I cant agree more! Im shocked that Kyocera even still exists!
i don’t understand why Sprint can’t have more than 2 hot devices a year when ALL the competition gets a lot more. no wonder they can’t keep subscribers =/
sprint needs more power!
danboy – seriously, all I want is a true successor to the EVO, something like the Thunderbolt. Sprint, do that and I’ll upgrade my Hero and stick w/ you for another 2 years…
The industry’s first kyocera android dumbphone!
Hey you two kiddos up there, Kyocera is a great and huge company, and one of the biggest solar panels manufacturers out there, so I don’t see any restriction for them to try a little on the mobile marketing, perhaps, who knows, they are coming with a super efficient solar cell phone or who knows, something better… Is too sad to hear statements such as “shocked still even exist” you two both know nuttin!!!
Wow. really Sprint? Kyocera? Hopefully Blaine can turn this piece of crap into a HTC or LG.. now that would be a trick worthy of a presser
After all this time as a carrier, Kyocera is the best Sprint can come up with. I love my Epic, even though I want Gingerbread on it. And I love my service, I’ve had them for over 10 years. But Sprint needs to step up to the plate. They always seem to be 3 steps behind Verizon.
If Sprint does not invest in an amzing Android line up, they will be relegated to users over they age of 90. Sprint must look to the future and invest whatever amount is necessary to make their future as a premiere wireless carrier viable. I mean, have you seen their commercials? Me neither. But everyone can remember the latest Apple or Verizon commerical.
Maybe Blaine will make Kyocera as a whole disappear into the ether and be replaced by Samsung, Motorola, LG, and HTC power-house phones running Gingerbread. Maybe.
Sprint industry first:
Sprint will pay you to take a piece of #!$& Kyocera off their hands.
Hahaha… Oh Ya!
Tonight is my make or break moment on whether US Cellular or Sprint is getting my business for the next two years.
Seriously, whether or not i stay with Sprint rests on tonight’s event, Sprint better blow me away.
Just saw a wsj article saying it’s going to be a dual 3.5″ screen so you can use it like a tablet by Kyocera. If that’s all this is, it’s going to be a flop!
Bye Bye Sprint … Hello Verizon!!
I will keep and open mind on this.. Weeks ago I had hoped for something HTC RELATED which in my world is ALL THAT MATTERS.. But the fact that they invited android Bloggers and Various organizations that let’s me know that this device might just show up with GINGERBREAD ON BOARD AS WELL AS BEING 4G CAPABLE.. I applaud sprint for THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX and opening doors for other manufacturers to produce handsets for our wimax network. I am a VERY PROUD HTC EVO 4G OWNER AND SPRINT CUSTOMER and will wait for my beloved htc evo 2 4g to be announced at CTIA IN MARCH 2011 and all signs point to that with the just announced Droid Incredible 2 and the Htc pyramid making it’s way to tmobile soon. The Summer of 2011 will be SO MUCH FUN. Sprint adding to there 4g stable I support that and welcome it openly.
yikes. come on sprint . do you need to hire people who can help you stay current or what. dual screens. yeah ds phone. why . i hope this is wrong otherwise big red will be getting a lot of sprint users this year.
Sprint needs to stop with their big announcements…they seem to always fail…sprint id and now a cheapo Kyocera…what next?
I agree with logicalbud. Before the EVO 4G hit the scene, HTC wasn’t to much of nothing as a cell phone company. If any company can bring a new fresh idea to the table, then so be it. I have the EVO, and I would get a new one if it offered 3D (no glasses of course, LOL), DLNA, better processer, more internal memory, a little better display….a little. And the biggest thing of all, if HTC made a spare battery for the EVO like the Instinct had, WOW. I would be a Sprint customer for another 10 years.I’m not just limiting myself to HTC, Samsung, Motorola or LG.
1. HTC = All the phones are starting to be “cookie
cutter” EVO clones. The EVO is great but it’s time for
something better. (see above)
2. Samsung = No updates. Phones outdated from the 1st
month on the market.
3. Motorola = HTC wanna be. Always one step behind.
4. LG = Boring and out dated.
I’ve been waiting so loong for a damn Kyocera, WTF ? Come Oooooon Sprint, don’t let me dish u…Please give us a sneak peak of a new htc evo, motorola or something after the SUPER MAGICAL KYOCERA ANNOUNCEMENT….Just just ruin my day.
Sprint industry first:
Sprint will pay customers to take a piece of #$!& Kyocera phone.
Hahaha. OH Ya. We waited for this day for nothing.!
Sorry, can’t help but comment again. At this point Sprint is really close enough in pricing that T-Mobile is becoming an option. They still may be less expensive but with T-Mobile looking to use LTE, me getting lied to about my premiumn $10 data charge (“not a 4G charge”), lack of compelling hadsets, and T-Mobiles HSPA+ actually being faster than Wimax..Sprint if you need some advice on what is hot holla at ya boy!!!! If I say its official its a lock
Hello two screens, Bye bye battery life….
come on, kyocera makes sanyo….not so bad.
@Feech… Hold your horses man… don’t bash on sprint.. the htc evo 2 4g will be announced at CTIA IN MARCH 2011 and will be the best Smartphone device of 2011 just like the current beloved evo.. Tmobile is misleading people with there 3.5 technology don’t be scammed… do yourself a favor walk into a tmobile store ask to see the tmobile mytouch 4g and tmobile g2 and go look at those device you will instantly know those handsets are not true 4g device… A true evo owner would know the difference instantly… i dare you to do that then you will be happy to stay on sprint and wait for the HTC EVO 2 4G
Crap
My ultimate wish for this event would be the following announcement from Sprint.
The new device will be the new HTC EVO 4G 2.
1. Operates on WIMAX & LTE
2. DLNA
3. SUPER LCD (super amoled to dark)
4. Gorilla Glass
5. Extra battery with charging case (ala Instinct)
6. Android 2.3
7. More internal memory
8. easier SD card access without removing the battery
9. Two speakers on the back
10 Skype, Fring, Tango or QIK that works better.
Now this would be a device to move Sprint to the front of the pack before the year is out.
Kyocera is such a shitty company. I have Sprint service and if this is their big press announcement this is laughable. Who would ever invite all these bloggers and sites to announce a TABLET. Who cares if it’s dual screen. Oh boy. Sprint is gonna go bankrupt unless they announce a killer phone tonight. Not some stupid dual screen tablet.
@ logicalbud….. Wwtf do solar panels have to do with anything? your logic is as far fetched as kyocera making a quality device. Your defense of one of the lamest manufacturers is appalling. Do you also support never has been brands in other fields? Lemme guess, you drive a Saab or Daewoo or some other garbage brand like that….
@Richard I won’t bash your Sprint or take any sides, but you do know that WiMax has been nearing bankruptcy for quite some time and Sprint is the real reason they are even afloat still. Just last quarter this was mention:
“Based on our current projections, we do not expect our available cash and short-term investments as of September 30, 2010 to be sufficient to cover our estimated liquidity needs for the next 12 months. We also do not expect our operations to generate positive cash flows during the next 12 months. Without additional financing sources, we forecast that our cash and short-term investments would be depleted as early as the middle of 2011.
So you are right about something Richard…”The Summer of 2011 will be SO MUCH FUN.”
This crappy looking thing better be good or Moto Atrix with the laptop is looking really promising for what I use the phone. I usually upgrade every year so coming up on my year.
Does a phone a that unfolds into a tablet, with an unlimited battery sound impossible?
It COULD be possible.
Check this out
http://www.oled-info.com/kyocera-shows-folding-phone-concept-flexible-oled
http://www.loopygadgets.com/2009/04/kyocera-flexible-oled-folding-phone-concept/
people give kyocera a break, this could be their breakout device! don’t you remember htc used to be an unknown manufacturer and that all carriers had to rebrand their htc phones. now they are doing so well because they started doing smartphones. why are some people so obsessed with certain brands…
I dont find this that supprising i’m pretty sure kyocera makes the sanyo branded phones they all say sanyo by kyocera on them and sanyo phones are all sprint exclusive that is probably howb they kept this so secret but from the leaked render it looks pretty cool to me but only time will tell when they release the specs tonight. Hopefully they are good.
I went over to sprint website and did a search for the Kyocera Echo and this is what its says about it…….
“The Kyocera Echo smashes the last barrier between you and the ultimate mobile experience. Its unique dual-touchscreen, pivot hinge design gives you all the space you need to run the apps that connect you to the people and information you need every day. Spread your work across all 4.7 inches of combined display or use each smaller display independently to run multiple apps. Closed, the Kyocera Echo is a pocket-friendly smartphone. Open it and expand your world.”
Omfg what a waste of anticipation. Sprint needs to get real. I would never buy this, not in a million years. This is going to flop FOR SURE. I mean Kyocera? Kyo fucking cera!!?? They still exist? They’re garbage! What a joke! I hope to God this is not what Sprint’s surprise was. I hope they’re going to show the EVO2 or some badass dual core gingerbread super phone. But probably not. God, I’m going to be so let down.
They have until CTIA in March to show me a dual core phone or else I’m heading to elsewhere for one…contract be damned. I would gladly take tmo HSPA+ or vzw LTE because THEY ARE AVAILABLE IN DETROIT unlike wimax.
@Richard if you think that is bashing you have no ideas..Speed is speed. When my T-Mobile carrying friends can speed test at 6-7Mps and my Wimax is struggling to get to 5Mbps..and besides the EVO what else have they had worthwhile? Samsungs? please we know the story there, they (Samsung) won’t even update the hardware to try to pump sales. And you didn’t address the Premium Fee Sprint jacked onto all the EVO’s when it dropped and told us it had nothing to do with 4G
I have been with Sprint for years and years..In fact never had another provider, but they are starting to slip again. Maybe they are starting to smell themselves like my mom would say. have a little success and it seems you forget that at one time you were losing a million subs per quarter
Just so you all no version iPhone you can’t multitasking with. Cdma can’t do it. But Sprint still blows. I have a evo and my battery lasts 3 hours. Hello iPhone and ATT
I waited forever for the Hero, which was eventually defaced for the U.S. and then starved of updates until they were no longer effective. I’ve been waiting forever for an upgrade. The Evo or the Epic are basically the only upgrades worth while, but either one will raise my plan by at least $30/mo.
I thought this announcement would be for some sweet third option, but instead, Kyocera.
Virtually the only thing keeping me from switching to Verizon is their price combined with throttling.
I’m probably going to end up getting a tablet and a frickin’ plain-Jane flip phone because the mobile game has lost it’s damn mind.
Is there no webcast or TV coverage for this event? I’d like to see / hear the fireworks or FLOP in HD. Please share the info if you know. Thanks!
Kyocera???? Really Sprint???? I have a feeling this event is gonna be a FAIL. We want phones, not tablets. Might as well bring out Sanyo too. TAH-DAA!
If they don’t get the Playstation Phone, or Xperia Play, whatever it is they’re gonna call it… I’m definitely going to be in the market for a new cell phone company.
Wow, see you later sprint. Was nice, but I am sick of having crappy phone choices and this new Kyocera???? What a joke. 2 Screens… Wow, you can watch 4 youtube videos at once while the others are streaming!!! Even better….. NO 4G!!!! Try loading anything that data intensive on 3g…. Virgin Mobile, here I come….. $25 a month….
Sprint, the behind network.
Sprint I was really hoping for something big tonight but instead you bring me this? I have been waiting for my next phone since November. I’m not holding on to my Hero ’till June so I can get an EVO 2, so I guess it’s the EVO or the Samsung Galaxy S for me. Seriously Sprint I am disappoint.
@halworth HOLY COW MAN!!! perhaps i spoke too soon… interesting…. interesting indeed…
Seriously? You thought they’d release another Evo when the one we’ve got is still flying off the shelf? Why make something newer and better if the one they’ve got is doing just fine? Sure, those of us that grabbed that EVO on day one are ready for something new but even premier status customers aren’t ready til June so why release a better EVO before then?
HTC isn’t the only player in the game. And whoever liked LG in comments previous needs to do a little reading on the phone called the Optimus and see all the overheating issues that thing has. LG can’t make a solid smartphone, my friend! Now, can Kyocera? Who freaking knows! The Sanyo Zio isn’t the best phone ever but heck its like 2 oz, theres no room for the processor in it.
The dual battery is a flag though – everyone thought Sprint had learned their lesson with the Samsung Instinct M800 but I guess Kyocera thinks they can do it better…
A dual-core processor would’ve topped this bad boy off. Dual screens and a dual processor — but I guess that’s too much to ask :-)