Sprint Unveils Dual-Screen Smartphone

The Overland Park, Kan.-based carrier said when closed, the Echo works like a conventional smartphone. A pivoting hinge opens to reveal dual 3.5-inch displays for a side-by-side tablet-like layout. Users can use one or both screens, together or separately, to drag and drop items from one to the other.

For example, one screen could check messages on Facebook, while the second screen shows a photo gallery. Each can also run separate apps.

The Echo runs on Google's Android 2.2 software and a 1-gigahertz chip. It also comes with a 5.0-megapixel auto-focus camera with high-definition video recording and Wi-Fi capabilities with support for up to five additional devices.

Sprint said the Echo will be released in the spring for $200 with a two-year contract.

"The Echo is the first device that allows us to do a different task on each of two screens", said Dan Hesse, Sprint's chief executive. "It also provides a tablet-like, larger screen experience that easily fits in a pocket when closed".

Sprint is looking for new products to take over its aging line-up of flagship phones. Taking a page from Apple's playbook, it announced the Echo at an event in Manhattan, sending out invitations for a "magical" night with magician David Blaine.

"Extreme multitasking can be magical", Hesse added.

Struggling to retain customers, Sprint's heavy bet on 4G services has been rapidly evaporating as rivals such as Verizon and AT&T roll out their speedier services, in addition to selling the hugely-popular iPhone. T-Mobile, also touting its 4G network, has been aggressively pushing lower-cost Android devices.

Sprint, meanwhile, is banking on Research in Motion's new PlayBook 4G to give it a leg up on the competition. The company's only other high-end device, the HTC Evo Shift 4G, was released last month. The Echo is a 3G-only device.