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NEC's bizarre Medias W N-05E dual-screen smartphone (pictures)

Examine NEC's peculiar folding mobile from every angle in our slideshow.

Luke Westaway
Luke Westaway is a senior editor at CNET and writer/ presenter of Adventures in Tech, a thrilling gadget show produced in our London office. Luke's focus is on keeping you in the loop with a mix of video, features, expert opinion and analysis.
Luke Westaway
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1 of 9 Luke Westaway/CNET
Two screens means two home screens, and twice the widgets! Each screen measures 4.3 inches on the diagonal, for a combined diagonal width of 5.6 inches. This phone is running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
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The second screen doesn't feel too flimsy, but you'll definitely want to be careful not to snap it off.
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3 of 9 Luke Westaway/CNET
When folded flat, the NEC Medias W N-05E measures a mere 12.2mm thick, which isn't bad for a phone with two screens.
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4 of 9 Luke Westaway/CNET
Twice the space for Maps! Impressively, multitouch works across both screens, meaning you can pinch or zoom anywhere. Note the 8-megapixel camera on the front.
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More typing space? Don't mind if we do. The dual screens will affect battery life of course, so you won't want to use both displays all the time.
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The second panel locks into dual-screen mode with a snap.
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7 of 9 Luke Westaway/CNET
In the gallery, thumbnails are arranged on the left screen, with a bigger view on the right. Drag a thumbnail across to the other screen and you can upload it straight to Facebook, or e-mail it to a pal.
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There's nothing glamorous about the back of the phone when the second screen is folded out.
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You can set video to play on both displays at the same time. That won't come in handy very often, but could save your bacon if you're sat opposite a friend on the train, for example. The Medias W N-05E is coming to Japan in April -- fingers crossed it arrives in other countries, too.

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