Kogan, the Australian company that has electronics custom manufactured in China to sell direct to Australians, has pulled off a cool scoop in the world’s second Android phone to launch and the very first in Australia, starting at AUD $299 and not locked to any network. Wow!
The world’s second Google Android gPhone is here, it’s called the Kogan “Agora”, and comes in two versions, the “standard” Agora for AUD $299, and the Kogan “Agora Pro” (click for pics) for AUD $399.Both go on “pre-sale” from today via Kogan’s website, and are being sold outright, with no contract and no network locking, meaning they’ll work on any network you choose, with delivery on January 29, 2009.
The standard Agora features a full QWERTY keyboard, central navigation key, 2.5” touchscreen, microSD slot, and 3G connectivity.The Agora Pro has the same form factor, but also adds a 2 MP camera, Wi-Fi, and GPS to the Agora’s impressive specifications.Kogan Technologies founder, Ruslan Kogan, said the Agora is proof that his company is achieving its goal of offering the latest technology at the best value prices.
“The Kogan team have been working very hard to bring out the exciting new phones powered by Google’s Android operating system at the right mix of price and specifications.“We’ve been listening to customers through our blog, http://www.kogan.com.au/blog/ and crammed in all the features we possibly could. The end result is the best value, fully-featured phone in the Australian market.
“We worked closely with manufacturers and vendors to develop drivers, software, and tweaks to make the Agora an intuitive and exciting experience for everyone.
“The design and features of the Kogan Agora makes the phone appeal to both consumers and business users.
“The Android operating system means the handset can capture and play music, photos and video, surf the web, play games, navigate, and organise your life with extremely powerful applications.”
Kogan says it “has been a long time supporter of open source and Android provides a real alternative to Apple’s proprietary operating system for the iPhone.”
Kogan continued: “Google is a key player in developing efficient and innovative online solutions for customers around the world. The open source nature of Android means the operating system will continually improve over time.”
So, what are the applications that are pre-loaded onto both Kogan Agoras, and what are the full specifications?
Some of the applications pre-loaded on the Kogan Agora are:
– Gmail
– Google Search
– Google Calender
– Google Maps
– Google Talk
– YouTube
HIGHLIGHTS:
– 2.5-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen
– Integrated QWERTY keyboard
– High-speed 3G network connection
– One-Touch Google Search
– Easy Web Browsing
– Easy-to-use email with attachment support for images, videos, music and documents
– Customisable Home Screen with instant Email, text message and IM notifications
– Instant access to mobile Internet services (Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Google Maps)
– Music Player
– microSD expansion slot for all your storage needs
– Wi-Fi network access (included with Kogan Agora Pro)
– GPS navigation capability (included with Kogan Agora Pro)
– 2.0 megapixel camera (included with Kogan Agora Pro)
Specification:
Operating System
Android Google Mobile Functions
Google Search, Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Talk, Google Calendar.
Display
2.5-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 262K QVGA (320 X 240 pixel) resolution
Device Control
Central Navigation Key
Keyboard
QWERTY keyboard
Keyboard backlighting
GPS
GPS navigation capability (included with Kogan Agora Pro)
Connectivity
Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate
Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11b/g (included with Kogan Agora Pro)
Camera
2.0 megapixel colour camera (included with Kogan Agora Pro)
Audio
Built-in microphone and speaker
Headphone jack
Ring tone formats:
– MIDI, MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, PCM
Video
Video formats supported:
– MPEG2 H263, H264, MPEG4, AVI
Mail attachment support
Viewable document types:
– JPEG, GIF, WBMP, MIDI, AMR, MP3, WAV
Dimensions (HxWxD)
108 mm x 64 mm x 14.8 mm
Weight
130g
Battery
Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery Capacity:
1300 mAh
Talk Time Up to approximately 400 minutes
Standby Time Up to approximately 300 hours
Processor MHz
624 MHz
Memory
ROM: 256 MB
RAM: 128 MB
microSD card expansion slot
Network
UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Source: ITWire