Sprint announced on Tuesday that it will deploy its CDMA-based push-to-talk network on October 2nd. “Our customers are asking for broadband and push-to-talk,” president-Sprint Business Paget Alves said. “We’ve seen steadily increasing demand for faster data speeds, better and broader coverage, and more applications on push-to-talk devices. Sprint Direct Connect is designed to solve for all three.” The new service supports Group Connect and TeamDC for connecting with up to 20 or 200 o...

Sprint announced the LG Marquee on Wednesday, a budget-friendly $99 Android smartphone that will be available on October 2nd, and we had a chance to get up close with it last night during a press event in New York City. The backside of the Marquee looks nearly identical to the back of the Samsung Focus on AT&T; its rear panel has nearly the same topography but has a nicer faux chrome finish. The Marquee powered through Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) with ease thanks to its 1GHz processor, but the real star of ...

Sprint announced on Thursday that it will launch the Kyocera Milano next week for $49.99 with a new two-year contract. The Milano is a very basic Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) handset with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It comes equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera, 512MB of memory, a 2GB microSD card and Wi-Fi hotspot capability. It also has a 3-inch display with a relatively low 320 x 240-pixel resolution. The Milano will launch on September 9th in tandem with the Kyocera Brio, a basic feature phone that wil...

Sprint will have a busy third quarter as it preps a number of new handsets. According to Thisismynext, the carrier will launch the Samsung Epic 2, the BlackBerry Bold 9930, and a new “full touch 4G” device from Samsung. The Epic 2 will sport a 1.2GHz processor, a 4-inch display, and an 8-megapixel camera. Given Samsung’s recent introduction of the Infuse 4G on AT&T and DROID Charge on Verizon, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Epic 2 offer the same Super AMOLED Plus display as th...

Sprint’s Kyocera Echo and U.S. Cellular’s LG Genesis are currently the only dual-screen smartphones available in the U.S., but the Echo and Genesis may soon be joined by a third such device. Pocket-Lint has gotten its hands on several photos of a new dual-screen Android handset made by LG that’s possibly headed to T-Mobile in the U.K. The secondary display doesn’t look like it’s as versatile as the Echo’s — instead it appears limited to offering quick access to shortcut...

Sprint’s Kyocera Echo is a brand new concept in the mobile space. It’s innovative, and it’s bold. Using two displays that connect together to form one large touch surface, you’re able to interact with your handset in a way that’s never been possible before. You can use Twitter on the top screen while scrolling through your photos on the lower display until you pick just the right one you want to upload to TwitPic — or you can use the email app with both screens, one letting you...

Sprint’s new dual-screen Kyocera Echo is now available for pre-order from RadioShack. The Echo sports two different displays for a total 4.7-inches of touchscreen real estate. The Echo’s second screen can be used to run two applications at once, as a full QWERTY keyboard, or to enhance gameplay. The Android 2.2 (Froyo) powered smartphone is also capable of creating a Wi-Fi hotspot, which allows you to share the Echo’s 3G connection with other Wi-Fi enabled devices. The Echo — which costs $...

The Kyocera Echo, Sprint’s new Android 2.2 (Froyo) smartphone — with two displays stacked on top of one another, Nintendo DS style — is now available for pre-order. Interested customers can reserve the Echo for $199.99, after a $100 mail-in rebate, for delivery on April 17th. We went up close with the Echo during CTIA last week, and we enjoyed the device’s second screen — which can double as a large touchscreen keyboard, enhance game-play, and more. Sprint says “quantities are limited,...

We stopped by Kyocera’s CTIA booth to get a second tour of the dual-screen Echo from Sprint. The device, which will be available on April 17th for $199.99 with a 2-year agreement, really does have some innovative features. Applications and games that are optimized for the echo can leverage the second screen to display an enormous, thumb-friendly keyboard, provide more on-screen information, and enhance game-play. Kyocera assured us that the hinge on the device is ready for battle, and should stand up to...

In a press release today, Sprint announced the availability of the Kyocera Echo — a dual-screen Android smartphone the company debuted last month. Sprint will offer pre-orders of the innovative device beginning on March 16th, with general availability starting on April 17th. As a quick recap, the device has two 3.5-inch WVGA displays for a full 4.7-inches of screen viewing (on the diagonal), 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with 720p video recording, Wi-Fi b/g with hotspot capabilities, Bluetooth 2.1 +ER...

We had a chance to spend time with Sprint, Kyocera, and the Echo earlier in the day, and while there were mumblings about what to expect, we have to say we were completely shocked — literally speechless with all smiles. The Kyocera Echo is unlike any other device we have ever seen, and it’s truly innovative. Let’s first recap the specifications of the handset:Dual 3.5-inch LCD WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) capacitive touchscreens (4.7 inches diagonally and 800 x 960 pixels when opened)Android 2.2 ...

Some of the mystery and allure surrounding Sprint’s event this evening has likely been squashed. First, it was revealed that the device set to be unveiled today is the Android-powered Kyocera Echo. Then The Wall Street Journal spoiled Sprint’s surprise even further when it reported that the Echo will feature a unique dual-display form factor. Sprint appears to have quite the show in store for us tonight, however, including a presentation from CEO Dan Hesse and an appearance by none other than il...

Just hours ahead of its planned media event, Sprint has accidentally outed the big announcement. According to the company’s website, Sprint will be launching the dual-screen Kyocera Echo smartphone — the same device that we were hearing rumors about this morning. The short blurb notes that the Echo will provide users with a combined 4.7-inches of screen real-estate and “the space needed to run the apps that connect you to the people and information you need every day.” The two screens...

Sprint will unveil the industry’s first dual-display Android phone at a press event in New York City on Monday, The Wall Street Journal reports. Reports from earlier this morning stated that Sprint plans to reveal the Kyocera Echo at tonight’s press conference, but details about the device were unavailable at that time. The Journal is now chiming in with preliminary details, however, claiming that the device will be a dual-display Android phone. The Echo will supposedly feature two 3.5-inch touchs...