The current design looks a little dated in our eyes, as it has squared edges, and we know how much consumer’s love rounded edges now. It was a shock that Sprint took Kyocera up on the phone, but it did show that they were willing to offer their customers something a little different. Some will say that they love the form factor, whereas others believe that it needs to be changed. However, they must be on to something with a dual-screen, because Sony is to use it for their S2 device, which is AT&T bound.

It is of no surprise to us that sales have been a little lack lustier for the Echo, but we need to point out just how tough the handset is. First impressions would suggest that the phone would break easily, but you would be wrong, as the video explains below. We were shocked at just how much abuse this phone can take; we just hope that this robust design passes on to its predecessor?

Some Engadget readers say that the phone should never have been made in the first place, and that Kyocera shouldn’t even think of a new model. The carrier is another issue, saying that the handset might have better success if it was released on A&T or Verizon – well this not help the ill-fated Microsoft Kin One and Two did it? However, having a GSM version would have been a great advantage.

Kyocera needs to offer a next-gen Snapdragon processor, along with Gingerbread and an EVO style design. Both screens will need to be increased to make them worthwhile. By reducing the bezel and case you could have larger screens without making the phone larger itself – maybe even reducing it a little. However, by doing so you may lose some of that toughness.

The biggest issue is with the hinge, because the way it works you cannot maintain a constant touch from one screen to another, this will need to be rectified in the Kyocera Echo 2 – if it ever gets made. What would you change?

According to a recent article by Chris Ziegler over at engadget.com, the smartphone will be available for pre-order as from March 26th. The Kyocera Echo comes with two 3.5-inch WVGA touchscreen displays and a 5-megapixel camera that’s capable of capturing 720p video.

Both displays are connected by a three-dimensional ‘pivot hinge,’ which enables users to operate the two displays independently, side by side or combined together to make a larger 4.7-inch integrated display. The handset features Wi-Fi (b/g/n) and Sprint’s nationwide 3G network.

The Kyocera Echo, which has been receiving some rave reviews since it was first announced back in February, also features Wi-Fi hotspot capability that supports wireless connections for up to 5 different devices. The handset comes with 1GB internal memory and a 8GB microSD card.

You can view a video review of the Kyocera Echo in our previous article here. Will you be buying the dual-display smartphone?

We already know about that second screen, which will make it something like a Nintendo DS; but the handheld is up to the job, but it does not have to handle multitasking like the latest Sprint bound device will have to – where does this leave the handset then?

Ars Technica has picked up on an article covered by PC World, where they had some hands-on time with said device. It seems that the software is more than up to the job of keeping things running, but it is the single-core 1GHz Snapdragon processor that is not – the same used in the HTC Thunderbolt.

With the HTC handset the CPU only has to offer enough performance for one display, the Echo adds some strain to this because of having two. We would certainly like to know who’s decision it was to give the new handset from Kyocera just a single-core processor? We already know that Android 2.2 will be the OS of choice, but it could get a bump to 2.4. We already discussed the reason why some handsets will miss Google Android 2.3 altogether.

Sprint has said that Echo will be almost like at tablet, but PCMag is not convinced, as they believe that the bezel in the center will distract the user.

Do you think that the CPU is up to the task, and will you use the Kyocera Echo as a tablet?

These are all to do with different modes, and it is the first that is just like most other handsets on the market, “Single-Screen Mode.” This is its single screen, which will be used for standard function. The second is “Simul-Task Mode”, this allows you to choose from two of Echo’s 7 core apps, you can then run both at the same time on both screens.

The third is “Optimized Mode”. These apps have been optimized and when displayed together will work in unison; an example of this is having the email on one screen and the virtual keypad on the second. The final one is “Tablet Model” and allows you to use both screens and make a large 4.7-inch display. This mode is ideal for a number of multimedia uses. For more details on this visit the official Kyocera Echo website.

There is an interesting article over on OSM by Mike Smith, where he touches on the subject that this latest handset could become a game changer. He suggests that a dual-screen handset could become the norm over time – but I would not hold breath on that one. Can you see the Apple iPhone with two displays?

So there you have it, a new smartphone format, but are you convinced?

The two 3.5-inch screens can be mated together to create a large 4.7-inch display, which we have to say is very impressive. You can clearly see by the images from Engadget that there is no front-facing camera – which we do find very strange to say the least. However, that dual-screen more than makes up for this.

The benefit of this is being able to truly multitask, so you can have two browsers open at once on the same page, much like you do when running a PC or laptop. There are some issues with the Kyocera Echo though, the first is its size and the second is its weight; more than an HTC EVO 4G according to LaptopMag.

The other issue is with its single-core 1GHz Snapdragon processor, as other smartphones coming to the market are packing a dual-core CPU, such as the rumored HTC Pyramid. However, we have to remember that this lack of hardware is reflected in the price. There were hopes that this handset would be packing 4G technology, as Sprint has the tools for it; but sadly this feature has been left out.

We will take a closer look at some of its other features later, for now we hope that the video will be enough for you? What are your first impressions?