Smartphone davanti, e-reader dietro: ecco YotaPhone con dual-display LCD/e-ink
L'idea è indubbiamente originale, e anche per questo accattivante: in barba alle perplessità sugli smartphone col vetro fronte/retro, come il Nexus 4 o i prossimi Sony Yuga/Odin (almeno così sembra), perché non sfruttare a questo punto anche la parte posteriore del telefono per metterci un vero display, magari un parsimonioso e-ink, che non incida in modo significativo sull'autonomia complessiva?
È questa l'idea di Yota Devices, che ha svelato al mondo il suo YotaPhone, smartphone così avveniristico che non dovremmo vederlo in commercio prima dell'ultimo trimestre del 2013. La ragione dietro il doppio display, a parte ovviamente stupire il pubblico, sta nel garantire un flusso continuo di informazioni dal telefono: nella parte posteriore è infatti possibile scegliere quali notizie visualizzare, oppure dedicarla ai social media, o agli appuntamenti dal calendario e altro ancora. I dati si aggiornano costantemente e sono sempre disponibili, senza la necessità di sbloccare il telefono. Se siete un agente di borsa che deve tenere costantemente d'occhio delle azioni, o un giornalista a caccia di notizie, potreste senz'altro gradire la praticità di uno schermo che mostri sempre le informazioni di vostro interesse senza alcuna interazione.
Ma lasciamo stare i modi d'uso, e veniamo alle mere specifiche tecniche:
- Display anteriore da 4,3" LCD a 1280x720 (~340ppi)
- Display posteriore da 4,3" e-ink
- Processore a 1, 5GHz dual-core
- Memoria interna da 32 o 64GB
- Fotocamera posteriore da 12 megapixel
- Fotocamera anteriore HD
- Batteria da 2.100 mAh
- Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Tra le note curiose, segnaliamo il fatto che il pulsante di accensione, se eiettato, nasconde anche lo slot per la SIM, soluzione senz'altro originale (ma saremmo curiosi di sapere quanto efficace). Per conoscere meglio lo YotaPhone, oltre ad una piccola galleria di immagini, vi lasciamo anche le slide della presentazione dello smartphone e il comunicato stampa originale, con la promessa di maggiori dettagli all'MWC di Barcellona. Incuriositi e interessati, o soltanto la prima?
New Archetype in Smartphones Unveiled Today
The YotaPhone with two displays will change the way
people use their smartphones for notifications,
reading experience, personalization and communicationsMoscow, Russia. 12 December 2012. A new archetype in smartphones with two displays will help consumers enjoy life’s virtual side without missing the real one, explains the phone’s creator, Moscow-based Yota Devices.
YotaPhone is a powerful Android-based phone. It is the first time a smartphone integrates a full-color LCD on one side and an electronic paper display (EPD) on the other side. The two displays are linked together to open a new world of unlimited user experiences.
The EPD is the user’s personal space for receiving notifications, linking to social media, reading news as it happens or simply displaying favorite pictures. The LCD and EPD are both 4.3 inches.
“This will be the first time that people will be able to personalize the information they want to receive on their phones in an effortless way,” said Yota Devices CEO Vlad Martynov. “You tell YotaPhone what information you want and when you want it. It becomes your personal assistant reminding you of what’s important to you.”
“Today if you want to check your email, calendar or social media page, you have to pick up your phone, turn it on, open the application and only then can you receive the information.
With YotaPhone, this information will appear on the electronic paper display effortlessly, continuously and updated in real time,” Martynov explained.
The two displays have different functions and different purposes. YotaPhone lets users watch videos, play games and perform other functions best suited on the LCD, but adds an electronic paper display for content that requires longer reading time, like reading a book or magazine. It also keeps important information visible without draining the battery. Boarding passes, maps, tickets and other important information are displayed even if the battery dies.
“Technology is setting the tone of our lives rather than the other way around. We at Yota Devices aim to rebalance the relationship with our smartphone. YotaPhone takes all the best components of this great lifestyle product and amplifies them. At the same time, we address some of the ways smartphones interfere with us being truly social beings. YotaPhone is always connected, but in a smarter, less stressful way,” said Martynov.
Yota Devices has been working on YotaPhone for more than two years. The first model was shown to then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in September 2010 at a meeting on the country’s modernization program. Yota Devices has filed a number of patents, copyrights and design rights associated with YotaPhone.
YotaPhone uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM 8960 platform, one of the most advanced processors integrated into a single chip, and the latest release of the Google Android operating system. The API developed by Yota Devices will allow the developer community to create innovative ways to use and benefit from the phone’s two displays. Yota Devices has created a number of applications for YotaPhone to allow users to take full advantage of the EPD.
“YotaPhone is elegant, slim and sleek. It’s as gorgeous outside as it is inside, featuring two Corning Gorilla Glass screens, which are exceptionally resistant to damage,” Martynov said.
This is the first time Corning’s 3D Gorilla Glass is being used on a smartphone.
YotaPhone will be available for sale worldwide in the second half of 2013. It is a multi-band, LTE phone that will work anywhere in the world. Exciting new details about YotaPhone and its innovations will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on 25-28 February 2013.