home › blog › 2009 › jan › 7 › photos-and-videos-agora
7 JAN 2009
Hi everyone,
Here are some photos and videos of the Kogan Agora. The model you see here is a pre-production model, so the silver bezel around the LCD will actually be black in the phone you will receive.
You can click on these images below to open them up in a new window.
http://www.kogan.com.au/media/uploads/Agora1.jpg
http://www.kogan.com.au/media/uploads/Agora2.jpg
http://www.kogan.com.au/media/uploads/Agora3.jpg
http://www.kogan.com.au/media/uploads/Agora4.jpg
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Comments
Hear what our customer's have to say.
Brian says...
Awesome!
Posted at 4:15 p.m. on January 7, 2009
Xander says...
Looks good.
So glad to read in the other post that the silver bit is just on the prototypes. Apart from that, it came out looking a lot like the original mock-ups, albeit a bit blockier looking.
I'm a little worried that the MENU button is in a potentially hard-to-reach and inconvenient spot... Is this not an important button in Android? Won't we press it accidentally when going for the spacebar or the shift key?
Posted at 4:43 p.m. on January 7, 2009
eugeny says...
second pic link broken
Posted at 4:46 p.m. on January 7, 2009
NJ, USA says...
I'm so relieved to see it looks just like advertised. Awesome! Hope it showcases at CES 2009 for some great media exposure. Will it ship with the android "cupcake" release? When does the Agora FAQ support page get published? I would like to know what happened to the hot-swap microSD card slot on the right edge, or if you went with an 3.5mm audio jack instead of a USB port.
Posted at 4:52 p.m. on January 7, 2009
Ganny says...
Although I would have hoped for the silver to be screen, I guess I'll settle for black.
Although I do hope that the "Cupcake" update is supported...
Posted at 6:24 p.m. on January 7, 2009
JayC3 says...
Is the screen a resistive or capacitive one? It seems that is a resistive touchscreen. Can anyone confirm?
Posted at 7:46 p.m. on January 7, 2009
Saman says...
Does it support mini usb for charging? I hear that the charger doesnt work?
Posted at 9:30 p.m. on January 7, 2009
Simone says...
Will be there a pen inside Agora package?
What about earphone provided within?
Will be available other optional accessories (are there any info about third-party bluetooth compatibile earphone) ?
Posted at 10:35 p.m. on January 7, 2009
Simone says...
Will be there a pen inside Agora package?
What about earphone provided within?
Will be available other optional accessories (are there any info about third-party bluetooth compatibile earphone) ?
Posted at 10:38 p.m. on January 7, 2009
Phonepersonality says...
Simone, I don't work for Kogan, but I can answer a few of your questions, I think.
The Android OS doesn't require a stylus pen. Its designed with grubby little finger use in mind :)
If the phone doesn't have a standard 3.5mm jack it will come with a headset. In fact, even if it does come with a standard jack, it will still come with a headset. Its pretty much standard fare for all media phones these days.
And for your last question, bluetooth has reached pretty much universal status. The last company that made a proprietary bluetooth headset that would only work with their device was Nokia in the year 2000 and they regretted that decision for a long time. Its a long story.
So basically, all 3rd party bluetooth headsets are 'compatible' with most phones for at least making/recieving calls.
Bluetooth phones without A2DP or Stereo features may not be compatible for bluetooth music playback though.
Posted at 12:57 a.m. on January 8, 2009
Jeffrey says...
It has great possibilities--a relatively thin Android phone with keyboard is just what some of us really want (TMobile's G1 is too big and clumsy) BUT without the 1700MHz band it can't be used on TMobile's USA network.
Posted at 2:41 a.m. on January 8, 2009
Milton H. says...
Ruslan, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!! I have one question, I am a T-mobile customer and I keep hearing that this phone will not work on T-mobile's 3g system. Will it or wiil it not work. From everything I have investigated, it will work. Please,someone confirm that my pre-ordered phone will indeed work with T-mobile.
Posted at 3:31 a.m. on January 8, 2009
Black93300ZX says...
It will not work on T-Mobile USA's 3G, it will work on T-Mobile in the UK. T-Mo USA requires UMTS 1700/2100mhz, this phone has 850/1900/2100mhz. It will work on AT&T 3G, most Australian networks (I believe there is one that uses 900mhz but I might be wrong, others use 850/2100mhz if I recall correctly), and most European 3G networks. I'm also curious about the resistive/capacitive screen question, I emailed that question and was told to wait for the FAQ's page which still hasn't come a week or 2 later.
Posted at 5:01 a.m. on January 8, 2009
miriam says...
I wonder if the silver buttons will remain? The mock-ups had a more sedate look to the keyboard. Am getting worried now, would love to pre order but...so tricky with only pics of a prototype.
Posted at 5:09 a.m. on January 8, 2009
Brian Sayatovic says...
Any ideas on a good protective case and/or screen protector for this?
Posted at 5:59 a.m. on January 8, 2009
MIlton H. says...
Thank you Black93300zx, your info was very helpful. I guess it is too much for me to ask Mr. Kogan if there is a chance that they can add 1700/2100mhz so that this phone can go head to head with the G1. My reason for being so enthused about this phone is that I hated the design of the G1, and was looking to get an alternative before 2nd or 3rd quarter 2009. Now it seems I must either leave t-mobile or wait until t-mobile comes out with another phone. Unfortunately, I have been so tied up in urging Kogan to come out with a suitable product, that I overlooked the most important fact, will it work on my network. Well, I will postpone my decision for maybe a week, then I will start the task of requesting a refund, Sorry Ruslan. I really do love this phone, but in order to compete with the G1 this phone needs to work on the t-mobile network in the US..
Posted at 9:46 a.m. on January 8, 2009
Graham says...
I am joining Milton H.'s direction to request a refund if it doesn't work with T-Mobile.
Posted at 11:15 a.m. on January 8, 2009
Aussie Bruce says...
Ummmmm.....
Would you like some phone with that bezel?
Posted at 12:30 p.m. on January 8, 2009
Phonepersonality says...
Yeah, I second (third?) that emotion.
I'm a T-mobile USA customer also.
If this won't work on 3G here, then I'll be requesting my money back also.
Sorry! :^(
Posted at 12:31 p.m. on January 8, 2009
f3nr15 says...
Well done, Ruslan, this looks GREAT! An integrated keyboard AND touchscreen is really the best of all worlds, I am sure that people are not going to appreciate the terrific practicality of this arrangement until they have it in their hands, but hopefully it will come through in the reviews. I'm going to place my pre-order within the next week. As for all the naysayers nitpicking on screen size, silver bezel, blah blah blah, I dare you to show me a similarly spec'd phone within this price point! Seriously! I have a feeling that Kogan has got a real winner on their hands with this release.
Posted at 1:39 p.m. on January 8, 2009
Shockzor says...
f3nr15 has hit the nail solidly on the head. For all your pissing and moaning about this or that why can't you just enjoy that fact that there is an open source phone on the market that has ALL the features of phones offered to consumers in the $800 price range for half of that price. Personally, I'm not willing to pay the extra $400 for a logo, a slightly smaller bezel, or whatever else you can think up. I've got my phone on pre-order and I'm going to use it until it dies of old age or until Kogan drops a flashier Android phone in my lap.
Posted at 5:25 p.m. on January 8, 2009
D says...
I guess for those who wants all those extra features can buy them by purchasing another brand phone. please note in Australia at least old smart phone ie. HTC touch and Tytn II start around 500 and climb up to 800 or 1k for brand new smart phone such as Iphone and Sony experia.
We should all know by now the phone industry comes out with new flashy toys all the time, but kogan price for features allow phones to be what they should be, disposable, in effect considering any phone you buy now is a piece of junk 1 year later compared to what ever comes out it serve very little purpose to drop 1k every year on new phone.
I guess some ppl are glass half empty types and others are half full and there are those who think it just right.
Posted at 6:55 p.m. on January 8, 2009
NJ, USA says...
1. Kogan Agora uses resistive touch technology, see link below:
http://www.mobiletechaddicts.com/2008/12/04/kogan-agora-a...
2. T-mobile users (me included) may be out of luck, according to this quote (full article link below):
"T-mobile offers HSDPA (technically 3.5g part of the UMTS specification) using 1700MHz for uplink and 2100MHz downlink."
http://www.breakitdownblog.com/3g-iphone-may-not-work-on-...
Can anyone clarify if up/down 3G data flow will work on just the 2100 band only?
RUSLAN, PLEASE RESOLVE THIS ISSUE BEFORE PRODUCT RELEASE! By the posts on this site alone, its clear a significant portion of your USA customer base are T-Mobile users.
Posted at 6:59 p.m. on January 8, 2009
BuddhaMatrix says...
Now the tough part is to wait till 29th Jan...
Posted at 9:01 p.m. on January 8, 2009
Imitation says...
No the tough part is waiting for a review so we can figure out if it's actually any good or not :)
Posted at 9:23 p.m. on January 8, 2009
Simone says...
What about the CPU, is this an atom processor?
Posted at 12:51 a.m. on January 9, 2009
NJ, USA (T-Mobile User) says...
Spoke with T-Mobile today. Tier 3 Technical Support told me that T-Mobile indeed operates 3G uni-directionally on UMTS/HSDPA 1700/2100 Mhz bands (separate uplink and downlink). So you should be able to use the Agora on the T-mobile network but you will only achieve the GSM (2G) speeds through GPRS and EDGE, not the UMTS/HSDPA (3G) speeds. You still have WiFi of course, but i'm truly disappointed I won't be able to use T-Mo's 3G network. I wish I had done my homework before ordering. I assumed that you only needed either the 1700 Mhz or 2100 Mhz band alone. AT&T customers should be fine.
*sigh*
Posted at 1:54 a.m. on January 9, 2009
E1 says...
@Simone: I'm absolutely sure, this is NO atom processor. The atom processor starts with 800MHz and is not suitable for mobile phones. I assume it's a Qualcomm like the one used in T-Mobile G1, but with more power.
Posted at 2:46 a.m. on January 9, 2009
TurboMeTroy says...
This sucks! I'm a TMO customer, avid TMO News reader and have been adamantly searching for a phone with all the specs the Agora has...but the Sh!t won't work!?? WTF...
I'm getting sick of looking. It's annoying.
Anybody have any incite on the LG KS20??? Seems to be the only reasonable alternative/option ...within a reasonable price window.
Anyone? Other suggestions? This is really frustrating. TMO - you are just wasting and ruining business by not acting on the smartphone demand of customers. Seriously - Get it together or I'm (along with several others) are going to GTFO!
te
troyeavo@yahoo.com
Posted at 2:47 a.m. on January 9, 2009
Tmobile NJ user says...
I also live in NJ and using Tmobile. I requested and received a refund because the Agora Pro won't work with TMobile's 3G network.
But here is something to consider. 3G kills the battery on the Android Dev 1 (exactly the same as the G1 but the bootloader and phone is unlocked) faster then if I turned 3G off and just use regular EDGE. It won't kill the battery on the Agora as fast because the battery on has a slightly higher capacity. A lot of people I know turned off 3G anyway to conserve battery. So if many of you think you will do this long run because you want the phone to go on longer then you might as well keep the Agora. For me, I like the option of going 3G when I want to. It's more a personal preference then anything. I just want to give all of you something to think about.
Posted at 4:37 a.m. on January 9, 2009
Fabian says...
Any Info if this will have standard accreditations like "CE" for europe so i can resell it?
Posted at 6:05 a.m. on January 9, 2009
Steve says...
Hi Ruslan -- is there any chance you could make another video, longer this time looking at some of the apps like maps with streetview, email etc and find a camera that will actually focus on the screen? If you can do this then I will seriously consider placing an order (as will others, I suspect). Looking good from what I see though. Thanks.
Posted at 7:08 a.m. on January 9, 2009
Motionxxusxx says...
Rusland said he would most likely be at CES with a agora pro. Does anyone know if he showed up and gave some demo's?
Posted at 8:18 a.m. on January 9, 2009
doug2243 says...
For those of you who are disappointed about the lack of T-Mobile USA 3G compatibility: I'm not a TM-basher by any means (I was a very happy customer of theirs for many years), but you do realize that the 3G 1700/2100 split upstream/downstream thing is totally and completely unique to T-Mobile USA, right? The "good old days" of taking any quad-band unlocked phone GSM phone and sticking a SIM card in it all went out the window for T-Mobile customers for 3G when they came up with that unique frequency thing. T-Mobile should have done 3G the same way the rest of the GSM world is doing it. Basically, unless a phone manufacturer specifically is going for the T-Mobile USA 3G crowd, don't expect any random 3G phone to work. In the case of the Agora, heck, this product is coming out from an Australian company. When you consider the world-wide market for this phone, the handful of US T-Mobile people who wanted a non-G1 Android handset probably wasn't worth the extra expense of supporting another set of freqs.
Posted at 2 p.m. on January 9, 2009
j says...
I weighed in on this on the other post, but I'll sum up my circumstance/thoughts on the TMo 3G: I'm around WiFi networks 23 hours of the day on weekdays, and 24 hours on weekends. My original plan was never to get a wireless data plan anyway, only use WiFi. Considering that this is an Australian phone designed for a world market, and $320USD shipped (that's up $20 from a month ago), I am really not seeing a reason to get this phone. Plus, I'm expecting to get another Android phone in 9-12 months anyway.
Posted at 4:13 p.m. on January 9, 2009
tyson says...
Dear Agora Phone,
I'm at CES...where are you?
love,
tyson
Posted at 4:34 p.m. on January 9, 2009
Thibault says...
I'm so happy to have pre-ordered it when AUD-EUR exchange rate was so low ! 223 EUR for such a lovely phone, that's incredible ! So hard to wait until the end of the month now...
Posted at 9:01 p.m. on January 9, 2009
NJ, USA (T-Mobile User) says...
Still no news from CES 2009 blogs about the Agora. The CES show floor directory didn't list a Kogan booth, so I assume it'll just be Ruslan showcasing the Agora on a "one on one" basis with tech bloggers roaming the floor and the like. Still waiting for blogs to post opinions on the proto.
Posted at 3:21 p.m. on January 10, 2009
steve says...
to all those 'TMO' guys,.. umm didn't you read the specs?
It's a great phone at a great price. I'm looking forward to Jan 29th!
Posted at 4:12 p.m. on January 10, 2009
vojtas says...
What if Ruslan is not even at CES? I mean, do we have any evidence, that he indeed IS gonna present Agora at the conference?
Posted at 12:35 a.m. on January 11, 2009
Sean says...
I think it is clear the Agora was not at CES, as none of the bloggers who have been there have so much as given it a mention....after all it is one of the most hyped phones of the time.
Posted at 4:10 a.m. on January 11, 2009
perth guy says...
Cmon man,
get us some proper reviews, and at least post the full specification, if you have the actual pre-production model then it should be mostly finalised
get your act together!
Posted at 1:13 p.m. on January 11, 2009
anton says...
i was very optimistic about the release of the real phone at ces. It would have been a free publicity gold mine, with the phone being as hyped as it is. But when people get their hopes up they tend to remember. The name Kogan will stick in their heads for a long time.
Posted at 2:15 p.m. on January 11, 2009
W says...
I was planning to pre-order a Kogan Agora after some positive blogger reviews at CES. Now I'll wait for the phone being officially released. Guess there will be videos all over the net in february.
Some pic's and a video from the person who SELLS the thing, it just doesn't work like that anymore.
Posted at 9:48 p.m. on January 11, 2009
Perth guy says...
The pic and vidoe would work if they werent so blury are had large amounts of glare in video. He required to do a proper demo of his own unit, such as showing web browsing would be like or emailing ect ect. if the phone look like it handled well some of us would hav more confident
Posted at 10:11 p.m. on January 11, 2009
Mik says...
I am so very tempted to order this device, but like so many that have commented before me, buying a device without the research and reviews is too dangerous for my wallet. Why I am sure that in Feb everything will push me to order, and it will take a long time to get in because of the demand.. I cannot trust my instincts alone anymore.
Please help us out.
I am sure that there are plenty of tech sites gagging for a demo model to play with.
Posted at 10:35 p.m. on January 11, 2009
Malaysian says...
This is a joke. The phone wasn't even at ces,I doubt if it exists at alll. Think the blurry video is a sham, mediaplayer playing recordings of android os. Help us believe dude!
Posted at 9:41 a.m. on January 12, 2009
Mr Shankly says...
I've ordered mine, but looking at these comments I'm getting a bit worried that there won't be enough custom for this to be profitable for Kogan. Only 50 comments so far? And most of them nervous US T-mobile customers who can't use it on their network?
If it functions as a basic PDA that I can write my own little doodads for, I'd be content at this price. Doubling as a phone will be great for me. 3G Internet, wifi, bluetooth on top, and I'm a very happy camper.
Posted at 10:54 a.m. on January 12, 2009
kyle says...
this is becoming frustrating, great concept but the thing wasn't even at CES. We need a review before we take the plunge, we don't have any idea how this performs in real life. All we have is a blurry video and a sheet of the specs. Could you PLEASE give someone reputable a prototype to test so that i can go ahead and but it :P
Posted at 11:57 a.m. on January 12, 2009
Macca says...
Hi impatient posters,
Wanting Ruslan to post more reviews/videos of the hardware aren't going to speed up it's development. He has said it will finish baking in late January. Today is Monday 12th January. That means you'll probably have to wait another two weeks before getting any meaningful 'final version' info on the phone.
It's no use just continually pleading for Ruslan to work faster - he's obviously already going as fast as he can.
Posted at 12:06 p.m. on January 12, 2009
Perth Guy says...
I think your incorrect Macca, The unit should be finalised by now, because you must account for time to manufacture and deploy, The aim is to be shipped out to individual who pre-ordered on 29th, Surely it most take at least one week to produce the order Kogan has made, I'm Assuming somewhere between 5000 units ? Then again I dont know the size of the manufacturing facility it could be significantly smaller or larger, but note machine need to be configured for the specified device being produced at that time. Don't forget shipping, of course if it came on air frieght it be alot faster but boat shipping is cheaper.
So being roughly 2 and a bit weeks left. I imagine the unit should be finalised and the order should be made to come to his Australian warehouse. Maybe you can say it takes at least 1 week to produce 5k unit and air frieght it to Aus, on a really ambitious production schedule.
I understand that these factories can turn out units like a monster in China but please also understand that this is not a dedicated Kogan factory, they have other goods to produces and Kogan possibly lack of economies of scale compared to dedicated factories that operate for Sony or Apple ect ect.
These are all assumptions but doesnt change the fact getting a nice video walk through on the prototype with explicit commentary in video noting possible changes wouldnt be appreciated specialy to those who have pre-ordered.
As other people have suggested taking full payments for pre-ordering customers for a device that is not finalised is not common business practices specialy if information is not being return to thsoe eagerly waiting for their preorded units.
My guess is Kogan lacks the working capital or the current funds to pay for it R&D and kogan agora stocks.
Posted at 12:21 p.m. on January 12, 2009
Alex says...
I know this phone has the Android operating system, but will it come with all of the applications that the G1 comes with?
I am especially concerned about applications such as the Android Market and Amazon MP3.
The screenshots that are on the Kogan webpage for the phone show the exact same main menu that I see when I use the Android SDK, and the SDK does not include the Android Market or Amazon MP3.
I am very interested in this device, and having this question clarified will make my final decision on the purchase.
-Thanks
Posted at 2:08 p.m. on January 12, 2009
Phonepersonality says...
I think it comes down to trust. And trust has to be earned.
We've held up our end of the bargain by paying for a device that we know very little about.
Inquiring minds need to know.
Posted at 2:23 p.m. on January 12, 2009
the illusive AJ p says...
hrmmmm yes.....
SDK.... Most likely what u have seen young paddowyn.
Don't be deceived.... use the fore it will guide you
Posted at 5:12 p.m. on January 12, 2009
the german unknown says...
hi,
i' ve already pre-ordered my copy...
maybe more detalis about the cam? autofocus integrated?
i'm going to use it with the german o2 network (which does not support 3G :() damn uk stuff :( )
hope it will fullfill my requests (actual phone is a htc touch running on win mob 6)
sure, that the combination of touchscreen and keyboard will do so...
but...
btw. faqs already started?
Posted at 10:45 p.m. on January 12, 2009
James Sharpe says...
Turns out Kogan was at CES...
see below
http://apcmag.com/why_agora_beat_other_android_phones_to_...
Posted at 11:36 p.m. on January 12, 2009
Dean says...
Hello, fellow German here (suprised to see another one tbh).
Here are a few things I got out of the customer support by annoying them a lot.
The mobile phone uses Mini-USB for charging.
There is 256 MB On-board + 128 MB Flash memory.
The Headset connectivity is also via Mini-USB.
A stylus will not be included.
The package will include the phone and Charger - The full contents
have not yet been finalized and it is likely that more accessories
will be included.
The Agora also does not have A-GPS, so we can actually hope for it being a usefull satnav device.
@ Alex, the reason why the pics of the Agora has the same pictures as those of the SDK is because frankly, they were just rendered into the rendering of the Kogan Agora Model. So those aren't actual real Pictures but 100% rendered. We will have to wait for "proper " Pictures of the Kogan Agora (Pro) to surface.
Posted at 2:50 a.m. on January 13, 2009
the unknown german says...
sounds not good... hoped for a normal 3,5 mm headset.
btw: the agora pro will come with us keyboard only. there won't be a german layout :(
(maybe Rusland can load up some actual pics to avoid disappointment or refunds and stop all this suspicions ;)
i'm still excited
Posted at 6:30 a.m. on January 13, 2009
the unknown german says...
sry for the "d" Ruslan ;)
i've just asked the Brodit guys if they planed to make a carholder for the agora pro...
let u know
Posted at 9:09 a.m. on January 13, 2009
Dean says...
Well it could be worse to be quite honest, getting used to the Z instead of the Y is not much of a issue. And to have to write ae and ue and so on isn't a big issue either, is quicker than pressing shift and than some other weird button. You could probably programm Android to automaticly replace ae etc with ä and so on.
Posted at 10:03 a.m. on January 13, 2009
the german unknown says...
@ Dean
hope so ;)
let's get it on
Posted at 6:12 p.m. on January 13, 2009
the german unknown says...
the answer from the brodit staff:
"Goodmorning Sir!
Thank you for the interest in our products.
For the moment we don’t have any plans for this."
Posted at 7:59 p.m. on January 13, 2009
James Sharpe says...
No worries " NJ, USA (T-Mobile User)"...
Am keen to get my hands on one.... Just hope that Kogan can stick to the end Jan ship date... am suffering with a $50 LG at the moment...after my Treo died on me [talk about dinosaurs!!!] HELP!!!
Posted at 12:05 a.m. on January 14, 2009
Brian Sayatovic says...
I hope mine arrives before I'm out of the country the 2nd week of February. I'd also like to have a case day 1 but I'm unsure of how to find one that fits.
Posted at 1:46 a.m. on January 14, 2009
Malaysian says...
He went to CES without the physical device...jeez, Ruslan please get your phone tested with CNET or one of the proper reviewers. Thank very much.
Posted at 11:22 a.m. on January 14, 2009
Kogan Agora says...
It seems like Kogan tested the waters with the video.
He was at CES with the device but did not whip it out due to the Spewy silver bezel.
Got scarred with all the railing going on engadget etc.
Chickened out and didnt let any journo touch/see it in person...
very suss
Posted at 12:09 p.m. on January 14, 2009
Macca says...
@Perth Guy said "...My guess is Kogan lacks the working capital or the current funds to pay for it R&D and kogan agora stocks..."
Completely agree - with a business the size of Kogan's it's much, much easier to pre-bill in order to recover R&D costs ASAP and then pay for manufacturing. There has been a lot of moaning about Kogan billing people before shipping the goods, but this should come as no surprise. He's basically a single-man enterprise and will only manufacture to order (or estimate as close as possible).
Also, I don't think anyone needs to worry that he's going to run off with their money. He's been around for a while and makes and effort to put a human face to his company (his own!). He's not some dodgy e-bay seller...
Posted at 12:20 p.m. on January 14, 2009
Me says...
While i agree he is not some dodgy ebay seller. I am starting to worry at the lack of updates on the phone.
I pre ordered but am starting to seriously think about asking for a refund.
Posted at 3:13 p.m. on January 14, 2009
Phonepersonality says...
Its called instilling confidence in your customer base.
And I'm sure he's got a world of problems on his plate right now....so close to release date and everything, but someone ought to let this man know that he may also be shooting himself in the foot here.
A very clever person once said "give the people what they want".
Ruslan had no problems with thumping his chest and letting the world know about the release of his new phone. He had no problems with taking 'pre-orders' (if that's what you wanna call it) for the Agora.
So for better or worse, he has to take the responsibility that comes along with taking money off people's hands in exchange for a good or service.
The phone isn't quite done cooking yet. We get that...we're not unreasonable people...but seriously, man, at this point you have got have more to show the world than some blurry photographs and a one minute video that gives rise to more questions than answers.
I'd warrant that most of the people who made the pre-orders are relatively tech savvy.
Tech savvy people in the information age are all about information.
You just can't STARVE us of information like this. Its a really bad move.
Quick game analogy for you: Its the 4th quarter, you're down 27 points and you have no more time-outs. Its time to start dropping some 3-pointers, my man!
Posted at 5:14 p.m. on January 14, 2009
the unknown german says...
Kogan stuff has answered:
"I still do not have information regarding the Autofocus.
I would think that the Apps on the Android Market would be compatible
with our phone but this will depend on the specific program.
More information should be available shortly that will answer your questions."
for all the criticals: pls do not start to corrupt the Agora Pro. Even the less given informations sounding better than any HTC or RIM device that's still out on the market. Especially the price and the combination of touch inteface and keyboard.
tbh
Sure there are a few things i've been missing, like accelerators, an atom processor or other liitle things...
just check this link
http://apcmag.com/australias_android_phone_vs_iphone_bold...
still can't wait to have it in my hands...
Posted at 6:08 p.m. on January 14, 2009
Hannes (Austria) says...
I hope and pray.
Posted at 10:28 p.m. on January 14, 2009
Daniel spain says...
What does Kogan have to say about this article:
http://jiipe.com/kogans-agora-may-not-be-worth-buying/
i was thinking on preorder one, but after googling about opinions i'm not sure now.
Sorry about "corrupting", but i found this interesting.
Posted at 10:29 p.m. on January 14, 2009
James Sharpe says...
Given the expected broad appeal of Android devices I think developers would be shooting themselves in their preverbial feet if they only developed for resolutions above qvga... I wouldn't take one (admittedly spoilt) developers word as gospel... If Android is going to have mass appeal, it's apps are going to need multi resolution compatibility... If the market exists, developers will develop.
Posted at 11:49 p.m. on January 14, 2009
the german unknown says...
btw:
the HTC Touch also has a qvga resolution only (on 2,8" screen)!!! and i'm really satisfied with that. The Agora even has a "2.5-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 262K QVGA (320 X 240 pixel) resolution", means the same resolution on a smaller screen.
Posted at 1:43 a.m. on January 15, 2009
Brian Sayatovic says...
I'm mildly disappointed that the Agora doesn't have a higher resolution screen (let alone, size) but the phone as a complete package was compelling enough at its price for of to order one. But if Android applications don't work on QVGA I'll be very angry at the Android community for its myopia and at Kogan for such a gross oversight. I find it hard to believe this could actually be the case.
Posted at 2:15 a.m. on January 15, 2009
Dean says...
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/13/compulab-unveils-the-e...
New Android mobile announced, VGA resolution and full keyboard like the Kogan. And a bunch of other totally useless things.
Posted at 3:58 a.m. on January 15, 2009
Italian customer says...
I pre-ordered a Kogan today, and I was wondering about custom duties: do we need to pay some extra money to have the product imported in our country? If yes, does anybody of you know how much (maybe 'cause he already had this kind of purchases made)?
TNX!
Posted at 5:05 a.m. on January 15, 2009
the unknown german says...
only for germany:
since january 1st you don't have to pay taxes till a price of 450€
Posted at 6:42 a.m. on January 15, 2009
Dean says...
haha, you wish.
150€ that is, not 450€.
Bumped from 22 € to 150 €.
Posted at 6:52 a.m. on January 15, 2009
the unknown german says...
" Dean says...
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/13/compulab-unveils-the-e... New Android mobile announced, VGA resolution and full keyboard like the Kogan. And a bunch of other totally useless things."
what a wicked ****... a touchpad that's acting like mouse, a touchscreen and a qwerty keyboard... nothing more??? and a design that's shouting for scrap...
i already like my Agora
Posted at 6:56 a.m. on January 15, 2009
the unknown german says...
really? thought i heard about the new law... seems that concerns travellers by ship or plane only... nothing written about shipping :(
so we really have to pay taxes for that kogan stuff?
Posted at 7:07 a.m. on January 15, 2009
Dean says...
Yes, more than likely we will have to pay taxes once it comes into the country. Unless you get the Kogan guys to fake the bill and make it worth less than 150 Euros. Or if you get an australian to repackage your mobile marked as gift and putting a bill there in that would make it tax free.
Anyway,its a thing about luck. Even after tax its still a cheap mobile.
Posted at 10:29 a.m. on January 15, 2009
Zack Morris says...
As far as supporting "Cupcake:" given Androids open platform, I don't see how the phone COULDN'T be compatible. Once the "Cupcake" revision is released it should be scalable to any Android based handset.
Brian Sayatovic has concerns about the size of the Agora. Well, I can't make any guarantees and I can't speak for a company I have no affiliation with: however, seeing as how there is currently only ONE commercially available Android phone developers will obviously have to alter their applications to fit:
A.) the multitude of screens
B.) the different input options (though touch seems like it will be the most common)
C.) hardware variables
and lastly
D.) Network capabilities
S60 (40 & 80, to a lesser extent) had to over overcome this challenge and is now one of the most flexible operating systems in existence.
Blackberry OS SUCKS at this. There are three different versions for the most popular apps
81xx
83xx
88xx
and now with the 9xxx and 89xx series of handsets vendors will need to once again adapt their software.
Obviously though, Blackberry isn't a failing company.
It may take time but ultimately applications will need to scale easily and preferably without the developers needing to make too many alterations. Essentially: I wouldn't be too worried about it.
Personally my only concern is the hardware. Before I put my money down for this device I need to know how the processor performs and if the memory is sufficient enough for a mid-power user’s usage. I love the look of this phone and I think the idea is great (though I’m no fan of supporting Chinese infrastructure over Australian or American.) Once this device gets into more hands I'll decide whether or not I’ll be plunking down my cash.
Posted at 11:41 a.m. on January 15, 2009
checker says...
posting to check if the comments are verified before posted
Posted at 1:13 p.m. on January 15, 2009
Phonepersonality says...
I like this Zack Morris guy :)
Posted at 3:30 p.m. on January 15, 2009
Casey says...
With respect to to the screen size, the android SDK has always had emulator skins for a phone with the QVGA-L resolution and form factor similar to the Agora. Frankly, developing applications for a specific screen resolution is poor practice (with some exception). It was/is poor practice when people use absolute positioning and sizes developing Visual Basic applications for Windows and is poor practice developing for android.
With that said, given the only android device on the market has a different screen resolution, developers may not have tested their apps at other resolutions to work out any unforseen quirks. For example, I've noticed that accessing some of the menus in the google maps application doesn't seem to work at this resolution.
I expect that most quirks that do exist (at least in the core applications) will be remedied in the coming months and available as updates to Agora users. The key phone features (at least from testing with the emulator) seem to be fine (for some definitions of "key phone features" :-).
Posted at 4:09 a.m. on January 16, 2009
Italian customer says...
I think that taxes will be aruond 30% of the price when it will come to Europe, so we're gonna pay more than 300€ at the end. It's still cheap compared to iphone and blackberries, I only hope it will have the same attractiveness.
Posted at 5:03 a.m. on January 16, 2009
the unknown german says...
in germany you'll have to pay 19% taxes only... 30%??? tell me pls
Posted at 6:14 a.m. on January 16, 2009
dj_arnost says...
The tax in the WHOLE European union is 19%... No more, no less
Posted at 6:40 a.m. on January 16, 2009
Malaysian says...
Guys and Gals worried about taxes, one way we have found around it is to declare the device as a "sample" and of "no commercial value". The invoice and receipts can be send by separate mail or email. If you are ordering 1-2 devices this should work as duty of goods valued at 0=0. Thanks and hope this helps.
Posted at 1:46 p.m. on January 16, 2009
Shubbar says...
Bad pictures of a nice device.
But you canceled this product.
Posted at 5:20 p.m. on January 20, 2009
Francis says...
Lets just hope that Kogan would not change the price when they release it again. I pre-ordered one and initially was disappointed on the cancellation. What we need to realize is the reason for Kogan cancelling, which is improving the features of the phone. It was explained that android apps are being developed at higher resolutions, so there may be a chance for a bigger, wider screen and higher res model. In the end we the consumers win, all we need to do is wait.
Posted at 1:54 p.m. on January 21, 2009
Davo says...
kinda weird when the camera zoomed out when a little error symbol came on screen around the 0:58 mark.. makes ya wonder.
Posted at 12:36 p.m. on April 9, 2009
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Posted at 3:49 p.m. on July 3, 2009
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