Sprint has dual-screen phone

NEW YORK – Sprint is unveiling a smartphone that has two screens, one stacked on top of the other. When you slide out the screen on top and lay the two side by side, you get a phone with screen space that rivals a tablet computer.

The phone, called the Echo, is made by Kyocera Corp. and has screens that are each the size of an iPhone’s display. Put together, they create a larger space for typing e-mails, playing games and watching videos.

Like other smartphones, the Echo runs Google Inc.’s Android software. Adding an extra screen is Sprint Nextel Corp.’s way of making the phone stand out from others that run Android.

The phone will go on sale in the spring and cost $199 with a two-year contract.

Associated Press