The Kyocera Echo and Me

[evilbean42]

Sorry for long post... Jump to 3rd paragraph to skip background information​

So let me start with a little background. I'm a long time Blackberry user but I like technology in general so I've always kept an eye on the other Smartphone Experts blogs. I first joined the Android Central forum about a year ago when I switched my mom and sister to Sprint from Verizon. I got a Blackberry Curve for my sister, but I chose a Samsung Moment for my Mom and was walked through updating the phone to Eclair by the Android Central Community. I also taught myself the details of Android OS using Android Central so that I could teach my Mom how to use it.

Fast forward to November when I was hired by Sprint. Suddenly I needed to know everything about Android and again the Android Central forums came to the rescue. After a few months at Sprint I decided having an Android phone of my own would help me learn Android even more so that I can better show my customers how to use their phones. I couldn't give up my Blackberry, but In the beginning of Feb I bought an LG Optimus V and started carrying both phones. My reasoning behind the pre-paid Optimus was that I wanted to be free to upgrade in a few months when a rumored 3d phone might be available. That said I LOVE it, and Android. I still couldn't give up my Blackberry for it, but luckily working for Sprint its pretty easy to rationalize having one of each.

Fast forward to yesterday, and the initial reason for this thread. I was informed I would be my stores Kyocera Echo expert. I thought I'd share my opinions and experiences with the device in one place. What makes this interesting is that right now my opinion of the Echo is probably similar to most of yours; I'm not really excited about it. I've been waiting for a 3D phone and was disappointed by the Echo announcement (though I'm hopeful for CTIA). I think the Echo is a neat gimmick that will probably sell ok, but probably won't be a great device for a smartphone junkie like most smartphone expert family regulars. Honestly I'm already a little nervous about the fact that I'll be replacing my Optimus with this. I love the Optimus, I think it will be hard to love a phone as quirky as the Echo... That said, right now I only know what you guys know. I have the same preconceived ideas about it (such as Kyocera? Really?). Soon I'll have trainings on it and I'll get one a few weeks ahead of launch. At that time I'll let you know more. Since I'm going to have to carry this phone for a few months, I'm hoping we're all wrong. Maybe Kyocera can make a premium product, maybe developers will embrace the SDK and make some apps that really take advantage of the extra screen, maybe I won't have to change batteries before lunch. Only time will tell, stay tuned for more adventures of The Kyocera Echo and Me.

 

[evilbean42]

Just to give you guys a snapshot of me as an Android user, here's some of the apps on my Optimus now. Feel free to recommend ones I should add.

Beautiful Widgets (for weather)
Widgetsoid (for toggle, including hotspot, thanks for teaching me that AC)
Process Monitor
Astro File Manager
TiKL Touch to Talk
Skyfire
Stumble Upon
Google Voice
Twidroyd
Facebook
Bump
Barcode Scanner
Google Goggels
Smart Metronome
Gstrings Tuner
Google Translator
Jcalculator
GTunes
Slacker
Sirius XM
TuneIn
Shazam
SoundHound
Foursquare
Rom Gripper
Tiger NES
Tiger Genesis
SpeedX 3D
PewPew
Words with Friends
Paper Toss
and Of Course... Angry Birds

 

[Maestro1#AC]

Well the phone was not designed for people like you and me, as a former sprint rep, i always had to rememeber to draw the line, and sell the customer a phone that that fits their needs and not mine.

On its own i think the Echo is a cool neat device, honestly i think most of the flack it has gotten was that the event was overyhyped. Im thinking it will be a phone that might intrest the younger crowds tweens and such, but not sure i could be wrong.

it's a cool device, gives you whole new look on multitasking, and you can look at it as a poor mans tablet.

 

[evilbean42]

I definitely agree that I have to sell to the customers needs and not mine. Thats how I wound up with an Android device... I love Blackberry but most of my customers want Androids. That said I'm honest with my customers about quality. As far as Android and Sprint go, I sell the Evo, Evo Shift, Epic, and Optimus. I'm curious to see if this phone will make my approved list. I do think a lot of the problem was overhyping the device. If the Echo had a normal announcement maybe we'd all say "sounds cool" instead of, "what about dual core 3d". I hope it functions as a poor mans tablet, but i think the bezel running through the center of the screen is going to ruin that. As a Blackberry guy I feel lie its going to be a "Storm". All the former Blackberry users will understand that: Cool Concept, Released before it was ready. Perhaps I'm a bit too pessimistic though. As much as I don't think Kyocera has it in them to knock this out of the park, I never thought I'd see a car as cool as the Genesis from Hyundai either.

 

[maryinredding]

My husband and I are older folk, and we are interested in the Echo so I will watch this thread closely after you get yours. We both have iPads, and Palm Pres but are a little disalusioned with HPalm on their offerings or lack there of for Sprint. We like the Palm OS but it is lacking in some things and would like to try Android. We just recently purchased a very inexpensive android tablet to see what Android had to offer and it looks very promising to us. We will probably go into the store on April 17th when the Echo is released just to see how the phone behaves and if it would work for us. We don't use our phones for work much so entertainment and texting is our main goal in a new phone.

 

[Ronindan]

I definitely agree that I have to sell to the customers needs and not mine. Thats how I wound up with an Android device... I love Blackberry but most of my customers want Androids. That said I'm honest with my customers about quality. As far as Android and Sprint go, I sell the Evo, Evo Shift, Epic, and Optimus. I'm curious to see if this phone will make my approved list. I do think a lot of the problem was overhyping the device. If the Echo had a normal announcement maybe we'd all say "sounds cool" instead of, "what about dual core 3d". I hope it functions as a poor mans tablet, but i think the bezel running through the center of the screen is going to ruin that. As a Blackberry guy I feel lie its going to be a "Storm". All the former Blackberry users will understand that: Cool Concept, Released before it was ready. Perhaps I'm a bit too pessimistic though. As much as I don't think Kyocera has it in them to knock this out of the park, I never thought I'd see a car as cool as the Genesis from Hyundai either.

The line in the middle of the "supposed" 4.7 inch screen will dictate if a potential user will buy the echo or not. To me it does not matter if the person is a tecno geek or average user, it really depends of they could overlook that line.

 

[dorelse]

I'm a 40 yo Sys Administrator for a Fortune 500. So...while I used to be really into gadgets, now I'm to the point where I just want something that works, and works well.

I currently have a Palm Treo Pro, I know, ancient... (I used to have a Pre & Pixi.) I love the Pro b/c for the most part, it just always works. Battery life is really good, and its still snappy. I like the thumboard, wifi, and I have quite a bit of software that make the Treo very usable.

I'm very interested and will be pre-ordering the Echo. I cannot tell you all the times I can use the larger flip-out screen...E-mails (my office will sync email's to Android, iPhone & Blackberry), Web browsing while I wait for my daughters turn at a swim meet, for my son's race at track, and just messing around, etc. I doubt I'll use the 2 screens running 2 apps at the same time though...simultask, but who knows.

I see the iPad crowd with their fancy covers, all stressing its going to get stolen and while 'I get it', I'm waiting on my tablet purchase. I would like to buy an HP TouchPad, but gonna need to see that first, the Playbook and the iPad.

Personally, I love the idea of having a mini-tablet when I need it, and a phone for all the times I don't.

As for the middle line, I have a real world example...we watch movies outside on the house using a projector & sound system...the house is sided, and after about 5 mins, your brain will 'remove' the siding lines and turn it into one solid flat picture. I expect the same effect to happen with the Echo, just need to get used to it.

Personally, I think its a winner. Sprint messed up big time by over hyping this as the 'next big thing' when really, its a cool concept, albeit, niche market phone. It is not everyone's cup of tea though, and I'll buy it knowing full well that developers will likely not support its special SDK.

 

[igotsanevo4g]

That's pretty cool, I look forward to reading your impressions when you get your hands on the echo. I'm not expecting anything great here, so you can't really let me down haha.

On a different note, I'm looking to get a job at sprint. Any tips? ( off topic I know but hey, I figured you might know haha)

Thanks man

 

[evilbean42]

One of my coworkers got to see the Echo the other day and came away very impressed. He said it felt solid and well built, and didn't find the hinge distracting. He also said pinch to zoom was working. As far as working for Sprint, apply online. They update their job listings regularly, apply to tons of positions. I had been applying to dozens of jobs for months before I got hired. Its worth it though, its an awesome place to work.

 

[evilbean42]

The Echo is here! It hasn't been activated yet but I'll give my initial hardware reactions this weekend. I probably won't get to fire it up till Monday or so. For now I'll just tell you that while the hinge does have some play in laptop position it locks solidly in tablet position and does not feel at all fragile. Also the box is cool it unfolds like a book, kind of mimicking the unique form factor of the phone. I also have scheduled trainings on it next week so hopefully that will bring more interesting info too. Anybody have any specific questions?

 

[evilbean42]

Wound up activating it yesterday. I couldn't wait. I don't have too much to say about it yet, I'm still exploring. The keyboard on a full screen is Awesome. Thus far the bar between screens hasn't bothered me. I love the being able to have 2 windows open at once, or watch a video while surfing. I do have some bad news, there is no pinch to zoom on the device right now. Overall, I really like the Echo a lot so far.

 

[igotsanevo4g]

Sweet dude, would you be able to post any pictures of it + the packaging or maybe a short walk through video? That would be awesome

 

[mjrei]

Getting the Echo... More early impressions please!

Hey, I'm new to the Android forums and am a defector of sorts from HP/Palm and webOS. I have been a huge fan and defender of webOS and Palm but find myself all of the following: Bored; Annoyed; Bored; Annoyed... Get my drift?

After loving and appreciating webOS as a stellar OS, I've been lured away from webOS specifically because of the form factor of the upcoming Kyocera Echo. I actually tried an EVO 4g for two weeks last fall and went back to a Pre Plus with webOS. That said, the two screen multi-form factor Echo is so different and promising that I'm going back to Android period. Love Sprint and love the idea of having the option of three form factors in one (normal, laptop-like, tablet-like) of the Echo. I'm getting it launch day for sure.

My questions about the Echo are: 1) Is the 1ghz processor underpowered or is it just fine?; 2) Does it run/scale all Android 2.2 compatible apps on the two screens when using it in slate mode vs. the regular 3.5" screen mode? These are my only questions/concerns.

Any info and more impressions appreciated. - Thanks in advance.

 

[Bujin#IM]

Wound up activating it yesterday. I couldn't wait. I don't have too much to say about it yet, I'm still exploring. The keyboard on a full screen is Awesome. Thus far the bar between screens hasn't bothered me. I love the being able to have 2 windows open at once, or watch a video while surfing. I do have some bad news, there is no pinch to zoom on the device right now. Overall, I really like the Echo a lot so far.

My biggest question: if you watch a video with text or email on the other screen, and you reply, does the keyboard only take up part of the screen, allowing the video to continue? Nor does the keyboard and text then take up both screens, stopping the video?

 

[evilbean42]

to answer some questions,

The 1Ghz processor isn't enough to make it a total speed demon, but I can run a browser on one screen and a video on another and get significantly better performance than I'm used to on my Optimus S.

When you get the device there is a link on the home screen to download a tablet extension app from the market. You download that, install it, and set it to extend. It converts standard Android apps to expand across the dual screens in tablet mode. According to trainings there is potential for some apps to not be compatible. That said, I've downloaded a lot of apps, and I haven't found one that doesn't work.

If you are using the phone in Simul-Task mode (2 apps at once) and you want to type into one of them, the keyboard will replace the app that you are not typing into. As soon as you are done typing the original app will come back.

I'm a little leery about posting pictures or videos of the first pre-release device they've trusted me with, maybe next time.

 

[evilbean42]

Also now that I've had a lot of time with the Echo, I wanted to give another round of my thoughts on it. This phone has really won me over, its not just a gimmick it works really well. There is a link to Echo top apps, which I assume will be a place to find more optimized apps or Simul-task capable apps. Though theres nothing in it now I expect that they will start posting apps after launch. Even without more apps specifically designed for the phone its still awesome. I love watching TV on the dual screen (if you have it oriented so that the bezel between screens is vertical, and set it down, it will stand up on end). I love playing games in tablet mode. I really really love browsing 2 websites at once. I have always been a big fan of Swype but I don't use it on the Echo. In tablet mode Swype stays its usual size and the remainder of the screen is taken up by a giant logo. That said, the giant Android keyboard is amazing. As a Blackberry user I've always said I need a physical keyboard, but the Echo's keyboard is as good as any landscape physical keyboard I've tried. I can't say enough about the keyboard, its huge, its so easy to type faster than you can imagine. Its hard to judge battery life because I'm not using it as my exclusive phone yet, however it does seem to be better than I expected when I heard they were throwing in an extra battery. Obviously streaming TV shows to both screens is going to drain a lot of battery, but I think I'll be able to make it through the day without trading batteries, and its nice to know you have the spare if you need it. I'm really excited to see if it can win over the public the way it has won over me. I don't think it will be a phone that everybody wants, like the Evo, but I think theres a lot of people who would love this device. If they didn't give me one, I probably wouldn't have given it a chance, I hope other people are more open minded than I was.

 

[evilbean42]

One more thing about that tablet extension app. You don't have to do it every time, just when you first get the phone. Once the extension app is installed it automatically converts any android app to cover both screens as soon as you open the phone.

 

[dorelse]

I'm excited to try it out! Keep the updates & impressions coming!

 

[Bujin#IM]

I'm excited to try it out! Keep the updates & impressions coming!

Ditto!

(Although I'm a bit bummed that the keyboard replaces a screen in Simultask mode. I would have hoped that you could watch a video on one screen, and respond to a text/email on the other screen, particularly since you can obviously use a half-screen keyboard in single screen mode. To me, that's a major limitation on the ability to truly multitask.)

 

[mickie98]

I like the Echo

Some back ground. Aged 58 male using computers since the xt. Relatively new to android I had a Epic but really did not like it.
I use my phone very little, few calls in or out per week to me it is an entertainment device. Surfing, videos, music, eBooks. Got the Echo on Friday it is an excellent phone size is great its a bit heavy (about the same weight as my old touch pro which is also thicker) but it actually feels good in the hand as far as thickness my daughters Rant is thicker. Open the screens and hold it in landscape the hinge rests against the third and index fingers giving it a very natural and balanced feel. Screens are bright and very usable.... fingerprint magnets but whats unusual about that.
It looks stylish the circle shape trims are in black chrome not bright looks quite nice.
The UI is very fast and fluid as are the programs that i have loaded it all works very well.
The open screens are great the hinge seems very solid. Battery life seems reasonable but I am a new user it's working hard. Also I am in the middle of Dallas cannot get 4G go fiqure. 3G seems to be fine in fact all radios etc are working well.
For some reason it got a bad rep from day one we deride apple users as fanboys android users seem to be polarizing as well. If it isn't HTC, droid or 4.3 screen or 4G its trash. Seems a bit pointless to me.