<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Gigaom]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[http://gigaom.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Kevin C. Tofel]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[http://search.gigaom.com/author/kevintofel/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Double vision: YotaPhone 2 with e-ink rear screen coming to US]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>Although the <a href="https://yotaphone.com/us-en/">unique YotaPhone 2</a>, with its front and back displays, can work with AT&amp;T and T-Mobile&#8217;s networks, you can&#8217;t buy the phone in the U.S. just yet. That&#8217;s changing soon but don&#8217;t expect to see the handset with e-ink rear screen in a carrier store anytime soon. Instead, the company is taking to Indiegogo to <a href="http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=15434">sell the phone for around $600 off-contract, according to PhoneScoop</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://gigaom2.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/16f0f74ff377a54cf80188e682ba6cab.png"><img  src="https://gigaom2.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/16f0f74ff377a54cf80188e682ba6cab.png?w=804" alt="YotaPhone 2 front and back"   class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-918428" /></a></p>
<p>Availability news came out of the Mobile World Congress where company announced the Indiegogo campaign. You can&#8217;t purchase the phone at the moment but you can <a href="https://yotaphone.com/us-en/#">provide an email address for updates in anticipation of April sales</a>. YotaPhone says it will provide early-bird pricing for the Android 4.4 phone &#8212; which will get <a href="https://search.gigaom.com/company/google/">Google</a> Android 5.0 in the near future &#8212; and plans to bring it to retailers such as Best Buy in the U.S. as well.</p>
<p>This is the second iteration of YotaPhone&#8217;s handset with a traditional front screen coupled with lower resolution e-ink screen on the back. And this second time around gave the company another chance to show how a secondary screen can add to the phone experience. <a href="http://www.androidcentral.com/yotaphone-2-hands">This hands-on Yotaphone 2 video from Android Central</a> shows how the e-ink screen is better integrated into standard phone features in a way that doesn&#8217;t hit the battery too hard.</p>
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='604' height='370' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/w6ZCVdbJbZk?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen='true'></iframe></span>
<p>Key to the approach are new configurable panels, or screens, where you can choose what&#8217;s displayed on the e-ink screen: Think of notifications, boarding passes, email, books and more. Compared to the newer flagship phones recently announced at Mobile World Congress, the YotaPhone 2 is a step behind, using last year&#8217;s <a href="https://search.gigaom.com/company/qualcomm/">Qualcomm</a> Snapdragon 801 chip, for example. The addition of that second, low-power screen could offset such a compromise for some users, and the phone does have otherwise solid specs, including a 5-inch 1080p display, 2GB of memory, wireless charging support and a large 2500 mAh battery.</p>
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