A Russian Smartphone Has to Overcome Rivals and Jokes About Its Origin - NYTimes.com
▻http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/world/europe/a-russian-smartphone-has-to-overcome-rivals-and-jokes-about-origin.html
Vladislav Martynov, the chief executive of Yota Devices, with the latest version of its phone.
Credit James Hill for The New York Times
The #YotaPhone prototype introduced in 2012 wowed international tech conferences with its novel two-screen design, with one face acting like a standard smartphone and the other like an e-reader.
The second screen supports various functions without draining the battery, such as keeping a boarding pass handy or tracking every ripple in the dollar-ruble exchange rate — a local fixation.
In late April, Mr. Martynov presided over a packed news conference to introduce a white version of the YotaPhone 2, hoping through that simple stroke to create the kind of cachet — and sales — that has so far proved elusive, even in Russia.
[…]
Young technology buffs in Moscow gave the latest YotaPhone mixed reviews. They called the white version expensive at about $800, not much less than an iPhone 6, and not cutting-edge given its older Android operating system. They were skeptical that the dual screen was more than a gimmick.
Mr. Martynov defended the cost and the technology, emphasizing the effort that went into creating the second screen, extending the battery life and making the whole thing easy to use.