Kyocera Echo needs App Developers

Just looking at the sweet dual screen design of the Kyocera Echo, it’s easy to see the potential. More real estate means more capability for apps. And being a dual, split screen can also mean more specific development that needs to be done on Android apps it will use. Kyocera knows it, so they’re enacting a program to entice more app developers to create content for the dual screen platform. Developers will have access to the Echo Software Development Kit and other tools which will enable them to optimize their apps for the dual screen platform.

Kyocera already has received strong support from many well-known members of the Android developer community. The developers are creating and/or optimizing applications and features spanning across multiple popular categories including gaming, social networking, location-based services (LBS), mobile entertainment and productivity.

Out of the box, the Echo comes with a handful of apps that are specifically geared to take advantage of dual screen use. YouTube’s application, for example, has been reworked so that users can watch a video on one screen, while searching on another. And while all Android Apps are supported by the Echo, Sprint and Kyocera are hoping that developers will create custom apps which showcase the Echo’s dual screen capability. I can already hope that someone will create an app to rival the iMovie iPhone app, but that will take advantage of those dual screens. And since the Echo’s dual screens can be used either together, or independently, there’s plenty opportunity for what Kyocera is calling “Simul-tasking™” or even game play options that are currently not being used.

The Kyocera Echo is being marketed as the world’s first dual screen Android handset. It’s dual 3.5 inch WVGA screens are connected by a three dimensional pivot hinge, and can be worked independently, or combined for a 4.7-inch (diagonal) integrated display. It is powered by a single-core 1GHz Snapdragon processor and will be running Android 2.2 (Froyo) out of the box. It has a 5 MP rear facing camera capable of shooting 720p HD video with autofocus and digital zoom and with it’s external microSD card it can handle storage up to 32 GB. The Echo will be available through Sprint starting in April for $199 on a two year contract.

Kyocera Launches Android Developer Program, Attracts Leading Application Developers to Support the New Dual-Touchscreen Kyocera Echo Smartphone

First Dual-Touchscreen Smartphone to Debut at Sprint on April 17 with Optimized Applications Available from Industry Leaders Including EA, Gameloft, Namco Bandai, MobiTV, Jibe Mobile, Telenav and More
CTIA WIRELESS 2011

ORLANDO, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kyocera Communications Inc. today announced the formal launch of the Kyocera Android Developer Program at the CTIA Wireless 2011 trade show. The announcement follows last month’s introduction of the Kyocera Echo™, the first dual-touchscreen smartphone, which will launch exclusively at Sprint (NYSE:S) on April 17. The Developer Program, hosted at www.echobykyocera.com/developers, includes a software development kit (SDK) and additional materials to support the creation of Android™ applications optimized for Echo’s dual-touchscreen platform.

“Echo supports virtually all applications available from Android Market, yet we’re excited to see so many developers embracing the new format and optimizing existing and new applications for the dual displays.”

Kyocera already has received strong support from many well-known members of the Android developer community. The developers are creating and/or optimizing applications and features spanning across multiple popular categories including gaming, social networking, location-based services (LBS), mobile entertainment and productivity.

* Gaming – Kyocera Echo’s dual touchscreens are ideally suited for action-packed mobile gaming. Game play can span the top 3.5-inch display with controls accessible through the bottom display or a game can expand over both displays in “Tablet Mode” for double the fun. Kyocera is working with some of the industry’s most popular companies to create unique gaming experiences, including:
o The Sims™ 3 from Electronic Arts: Bringing the worldwide popularity of The Sims™ franchise to the Kyocera Echo gives consumers instant access to the award-winning The Sims 3 from Electronic Arts. The Sims 3 is preloaded on the Kyocera Echo allowing players to bring their Sim instantly to life with a customized personality that can be neurotic, funny or shy along with personalized appearances, clothing and accessories. Players decide their Sim’s character making them flirtations or solitary, friendly or rude, helpful or unaccommodating. Players fulfill their Sim’s essential needs such as eating and sleeping to increase the amount of activities they can do around town. Optimized for the dual screens by using one display for game action and the other for controls, The Sims 3 players lead their Sim through life with over 70 goals and wishes to help each Sim reach their full potential. Long live The Sims!
o Gameloft: A preloaded icon links to a Gameloft download site, which will, over the course of the launch period, feature six games optimized for the dual touchscreens: Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD, Assassins Creed™ Altaïr’s Chronicles HD, N.O.V.A.- Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance HD, Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus, Spider-Man: Total Mayhem and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction.
o NAMCO BANDAI™ Games America: A preloaded icon links to Namco’s digital marketplace, which will initially feature four games optimized for Echo’s dual displays: PAC-MAN, Pool Pro Online 3, More Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima and Crush the Castle.

* Social Networking – Kyocera Echo’s dual touchscreens mean maximum posting, sharing and tweeting space! The device, preloaded with the Jibe 2.0 Social Messenger app by Jibe Mobile, brings together social media and instant messaging to simplify mobile conversations and facilitate sharing across multiple social media networks including Facebook®, MySpace, Twitter™, Google Talk™, YouTube™, Flickr® and Picasa™. The Jibe solution provides customized news feeds and media channels with interactive sharing, allowing users to read, post and share messages and information with just one application. News junkies can post messages or add comments to multiple SNS (social network services) feeds with a single action and view friends’ messages from various services on one application filtered by time, person or service.
* Mobile Entertainment – An optimized version of Sprint TV®, powered by MobiTV, Inc.’s technology platform, gives users access to live and VOD content from ESPN, NBC, ABC and more, using one display as a viewer and the other display for controls. mSpot® provides Sprint Radio, preloaded on Kyocera Echo, rounding out the entertainment experience on the handset. Additional mobile entertainment customized for the dual screens will be available post-launch.

* Location-Based Services (LBS) – The first mobile device preloaded with the “Sparkle”™ platform from Location Labs, Kyocera Echo will give users on-demand location access to family finder, social gaming, fraud detection, phone detection, mobile marketing and more. Additionally, TeleNav GPS Navigator™ takes advantage of the device’s dual screens, allowing users to display maps and traffic on one screen while accessing search or other controls on the other display. Alternatively, users can simply extend navigation over both screens for maximum viewing space.
* Productivity – Swype™, the ‘superfast’ text entry technology, allows users to input text at more than 40 words per minute with one continuous finger motion and has been customized for Kyocera Echo, giving users a supersized touchscreen keypad spanning an entire 3.5-inch display.

“Kyocera Echo’s unique design gives third-party developers a new opportunity to enhance and showcase the full functionality of their applications, without being restricted by screen space,” said Yasuhiro Ohishi, vice president of sales and marketing at Kyocera Communications Inc. “Echo supports virtually all applications available from Android Market, yet we’re excited to see so many developers embracing the new format and optimizing existing and new applications for the dual displays.”

Kyocera Echo – first dual-touchscreen Android™ smartphone

With innovative hardware and optimized software Echo provides 4-in-1 versatility to maximize the Android experience. When closed, Echo operates in Single-Screen Mode for full smartphone functionality; Simul-Task™ Mode allows for two of the phone’s seven core apps (messaging, e-mail, Web browsing, phone, gallery, contacts and VueQue™) to run concurrently but independently on the dual displays; Optimized Mode lets both displays support a single, optimized app with complementary functionality and enhanced usability; and Tablet Mode expands an application across both displays for a full 4.7-inch viewing area (diagonally).

Kyocera Echo is available on April 17, exclusively from Sprint, for $199* with a new two-year service agreement or eligible upgrade in all Sprint retail channels, including the Web (www.sprint.com) and Telesales (1-800-Sprint1). Beginning March 26, consumers can visit www.sprint.com/echo to “Reserve Now” and be among of the first to get their hands on Echo. Additional information about the product is available at www.echobykyocera.com.

About Kyocera Communications Inc.

Kyocera Communications Inc. (KCI) is the headquarters for Kyocera- and Sanyo-branded wireless products and accessories in the Americas. The company’s devices are driving the convergence of telecommunications, broadband and multimedia. KCI was formed in April 2009 through the combination of Kyocera Wireless Corp. and Kyocera Sanyo Telecommunications Inc., two wholly owned subsidiaries of Kyocera International Inc. The former was created when Kyocera purchased QUALCOMM Incorporated’s consumer wireless phone business in 2000, while the latter was formed when Kyocera purchased the wireless phone business of Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. in 2008. Based in San Diego, KCI leverages Japan’s history of creating advanced consumer technologies around humanism and respect for the environment and blending them with a Western entrepreneurialism and style, resulting in a unique design language and a natural, user-friendly interface. For more information, please visit http://www.kyocera-wireless.com or follow the company on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kyoceramobilephones.

Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO) (TOKYO:6971) (http://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as “advanced ceramics”). By combining these engineered materials with metals and plastics, and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of telecommunications equipment, office-document imaging equipment, solar power generating systems, semiconductor packages, electronic components, cutting tools and industrial ceramics. During the year ended March 31, 2010, the company’s net sales totaled 1.07 trillion yen (approximately US $11.5 billion). Kyocera marked its 50th anniversary in 2009, and the 40th anniversary of its U.S. operations. It is ranked #554 on Forbes magazine’s 2010 “Global 2000” listing of the world’s largest publicly traded companies.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Please visit toolkit.kyocera-wireless.com or www.sprint.com/newsroom for the product fact sheet and downloadable images.

*Requires a two-year service agreement or eligible upgrade (or new line activation) on an Everything plan with data plus $10/month Premium Data add-on. Pricing excludes surcharges and taxes.

© 2011 Kyocera. All rights reserved. Kyocera and Echo are registered trademarks of Kyocera Corporation. Android and Android Market are trademarks of Google Inc.; use of these trademarks is subject to Google Permissions. Electronic Arts, EA and The Sims are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Gameloft is a trademark of Gameloft. TeleNav GPS Navigator™ is a registered trademark TeleNav, Inc. Swype is a registered trademark Swype, Inc. All other marks are properties of their respective owners.
Contacts

Kyocera Communications Inc.
John Chier, (858) 882-3543
john.chier@kyocera.com
or
LPI Communications for Kyocera Communications Inc.
Melody Parrette, (858) 361-9731
melody@lpicommunications.com

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