The next gPhone has arrived, and surprisingly, it looks pretty nice. Although we were all very excited about China’s Sciphone (not really), the Kogan Agora and its upgraded twin, the Agora Pro, are probably a much better bet.
It looks rather like a Blackjack, but it fits all the capabilities of a G1 or iPhone into that thinner form factor. I’m a bit jealous, although I think I’ll much prefer the keyboard on my handset. It’s being sold for 300 and 400 Australian dollars for the Agora and Pro respectively, which translates to about $200 or $260 in American dollars. You’d want to go with the pro, since it includes GPS, Wi-Fi, and a camera, although both have a microSD slot, full QWERTY as you can see, and yes, that 320×240 screen is touchable.
We’ll have to wait until we get one to evaluate, of course, but it looks like a solid piece of work.
[via ITWire]
I already have emailed to company to see if there is going to be a US shipping option. As of right now there is no option on their site for international shipping. It looks like a real winner and I am willing to bet my $300 bucks on it.
What about this?
http://www.kogan.com.au/international/agora-pro/
That is Great, I really want an Android phone that is not the G1
I’d hold off – as Michael notes below, it’s going to be a limited run and since it’s not a big manufacturer it could be a dangerous investment.
This phone will only be in limited supply and I am willing to bet minimal support as its created by a guy in a small shop out of Melbourne mashing parts together in China.
His info from an Australian paper:
“Ruslan Kogan runs a small consumer electronics manufacturing and retail operation from Melbourne, where he also sells TV sets, GPS systems and DVD players, as he orders his products directly from the factories in China, which build the gadgets exactly to his specifications.”
,Michael Martin
http://www.googleandblog.com/
I’ve heard it comes unlocked as well. I think they shouldn’t seprate the feature offerings though. An extra $100 Australian bucks for cam, wifi and gps?
I think it looks great and the price is amazing, I will definitely get one of these as soon as they are available in the states.
will it be gsm or cdma?
Are you a moron or do you just play one on the internet? http://www.kogan.com.au/shop/android-powered-kogan-agora-3G-mobile-phone/#tab-specifications
oh my! how harsh! you boys play nice!
Look under Specifications:
UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
tempted to get one. looks good
looks like shit to me. major android phone you said?
I agree with Micheal that this phone when released is going to be in limited supply in the US and hence will affect the distribution all over the world. Why do u think this piece of equipment was “created”. I strongly believe it is to enable the common working individual to use it. But it may be released in “unlimited” supply in aus and newzealand. I really want to try it out one time or the other and i think it will be possible only when makers of the android-phone tie up with some established marketing agency which will naturally be in US.
Agora in Portuguese means “now” and in old Greek meant “meeting place”
The australian community already seems to decry the disappointing changes made to the kogen phone since it was first publicized. At any rate, the more android phones, the better, as I see the mobile and android app market. There is an interesting related article here.
international shipping is available from their website.
does anyone know if this is going to be GSM or CDMA?