Kyocera’s Echo phone brings dual-screens and “Simul-Tasking” to Sprint

Kyocera, a company mostly known for making printers and dumb phones (through its Sanyo brand), isn’t usually associated with innovative smartphones. But last night, with the reveal of its dual-screen Android Echo phone, it proved it’s ready to compete in a new market.

Unveiled at a Sprint press event in New York, the Echo features two 3.5-inch screens which together offer a tablet-like 4.7 inches of screen real estate. In addition to using the two … Continue Reading

Livescribe signs a $39M funding deal for its smartpens

Smartpens are looking like a smart move at Livescribe. The company announced it has raised $39 million in a third round of funding to further build the market for its Echo and Pulse smartpens, which have tiny computers inside them.

First launched in 2008, Livescribe’s smartpens have sold more than 500,000 units. They allow students and professionals to be more efficient, recording lectures and linking the playback of those lectures to written text. If you … Continue Reading

Livescribe's Echo is a creative new take on the smartpen

Livescribe has popularized the art of putting a computer in a pen, and today it’s launching its new “smartpen,” the Echo. The pen is targeted at serious note takers, business professionals and students.

This device has a number of improvements over the company’s previous Pulse smartpen, which sold more than 400,000 units and introduced the idea of packing lots of cool technology and uses into what would otherwise be an ordinary ballpoint pen.

Byron Connell, … Continue Reading