Kogan says the Agora phone, which was previously set to launch Down Under on January 29, must be redesigned.
(Credit: Kogan Technologies)Australia's first smartphone to run on Google's Android, the Kogan Agora Pro, has been delayed indefinitely, with its distributor citing its low-resolution display as the reason for not shipping the handset in its current form.
"It now seems certain (that) the current Agora specifications will limit its compatibility or interoperability in the near future," Kogan founder Ruslan Kogan said in a statement.
"Since the design of the Agora, the Android community has been growing quickly," Kogan said. "I now believe that in order to access all (that) the Android platform has to offer, the Agora must be redesigned."
The Kogan Agora and Agora Pro smartphones feature a 2.5-inch QVGA (240x320-pixel) resolution display. The only other commercially available Android phone to date, the HTC Dream, features a 3.2-inch display with a 320x480-pixel resolution.
Google's Android operating system is an open-source platform allowing software developers to freely create new applications and make them available to download from the Android Marketplace. As the Dream is the only Android handset on the market, developers will have been developing for screens with a resolution similar to its display.
Kogan will refund all money raised through the presale of the Agora handsets. A new Android phone from the company is in development.
Joseph Hanlon of ZDNet Australia reported from Sydney.
The much-hyped Google Android phone operating system will hit Australia on January 29, in the form of the Kogan Agora and Agora Pro.
As apparently the first handset provider to bring the Android platform to Australia, Kogan Technologies is cleverly piggybacking on existing hype about Google's open-source mobile phone platform.
The Android platform is currently available in the U.S. in the form of the T-Mobile G1. Much like the G1, the Kogan Agora phones pack a QWERTY keyboard--though no touch screen.
The Agora will apparently be the first Android phone Down Under.
(Credit: Kogan Technologies)Unlike the G1, there will two models from Kogan, the Agora and the Agora Pro. For the extra 100 Australian dollars (about $66), the Pro offers Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, GPS, and a 2-megapixel camera. The GPS will enable integrated Google Maps.
By giving the OS away for free, Google has promised that the Android platform will bring down the price of handsets. With the price of the Agora handsets this looks to be true. For smartphones, both Agora phones are ridiculously cheap. At 299 Australian dollars for the Agora and 399 Australian dollars for the Agora Pro, these smartphones are about half the price of the cheapest smartphone we can think of, the Nokia E71.
With a 624MHz processor, the Agora phones also look like it will be a zippy smartphone. Storage is provided by the standard 128MB RAM and 256MB ROM combo, along with a microSD card slot.
Following the open-source ethos, the Agora handsets will come completely unlocked. Just pop your existing SIM and microSD cards, put your old phone on eBay, and off you go.
Alex Serpo of ZDNet Australia reported from Sydney.
The Agora phone is set to launch Down Under on January 29.
(Credit: Kogan Technologies)The first mobile phone running Google's Android operating system will hit Australia next month, with a company called Kogan Technologies announcing the imminent release of an Android-based handset it calls the "Agora."
The phone, which can be ordered from Kogan's Web site, will be shipped to Australian and international customers on January 29. The price to buy the standard handset has been set at 299 Australian dollars ($193.90), with a more featured version called the Agora Pro going for 399 Australian dollars.
Standard features of the Agora include a full QWERTY keyboard with a central navigation key, a 2.5-inch touch screen, a microSD slot, and 3G connectivity. The Pro adds a 2MP camera, Wi-Fi connectivity, and GPS navigation.
There has been no news yet as to when the other Android phone, the HTC Dream, also known as the G1, will reach Australia.
Suzanne Tindal of ZDNet Australia reported from Sydney.
- prev
- 1
- next
