Australia Home to Second Android Device. Looks Very Windows Mobile-ish

[Rocco Augusto]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.itwire.com/content/view/22082/1168/' target='_blank'>http://www.itwire.com/content/view/22082/1168/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"We'll be totally honest -- we pretty much blew Ruslan Kogan off when he proclaimed that he was about to push out a $199 Android phone by the year's end. And truthfully, the guy still hasn't totally delivered, but you won't find us kvetching about more Googlephones, regardless of MSRP. The Agora (AU$299; US$192) and Agora Pro (AU$399; US$256) are available for pre-order as we speak, though neither one is scheduled to ship out until the end of January. For those unfamiliar with Kogan, it's an online-only enterprise that has wares built specifically to its dimensions in China, and so far as we can tell, it's as legit as they come. As for specs, the Agora packs a 2.5-inch touchscreen (320 x 240), 3G networking, a backlit QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth 2.0 and a microSD card slot; the Pro adds in GPS, 2-megapixel camera and WiFi. So, with unsubsidized prices this low, are you willing to take a chance?"</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/zt/auto/1228414522.usr8.jpg" /><br /><br />I know this isn't Windows Mobile news but I thought it was incredibly interesting to see a company get ready to roll out an Android device that looks more like a Windows Mobile Standard handset instead of yet another Apple iPhone inspired touch screen device. With the lack of Windows Mobile Standard releases lately, I have feared that we would start to see the demise in QWERTY devices such as this. It is refreshing to see a company come out on the verge of releasing one that looks as slick as this device. I could easily see this being a Windows Mobile device in the future since the hardware is similar to that of current Windows Mobile Standard handsets we have today. Hopefully Kogan will be kind enough to release one of these bad boys in a flavor of our liking in the future.</p>

[Darius Wey]

It is refreshing to see a company come out on the verge of releasing one that looks as slick as this device.

It's worth noting that Kogan (the company, not the owner) is a relative no-namer around here, so I'm pretty impressed that it's stayed true to its word in delivering unlocked Android handsets so soon and for those prices.

[Rocco Augusto]

It's worth noting that Kogan (the company, not the owner) is a relative no-namer around here, so I'm pretty impressed that it's stayed true to its word in delivering unlocked Android handsets so soon and for those prices.

Are you going to pick one up Darius? If you do, I want pictures. That device looks really nice. :)

[Darius Wey]

Are you going to pick one up Darius? If you do, I want pictures. That device looks really nice. :)

I'm tempted to - just for development purposes. I doubt I would make it my primary device.

Specs, for anyone interested:

Agora: quad-band GSM/EDGE, tri-band UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100MHz), 624MHz processor, 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, a backlit QWERTY keyboard, a 2.5" 262K-colour, QVGA touch screen, a microSD slot, and a 1300mAh battery.
Agora Pro: All of the above, plus 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, GPS, and a 2.0-megapixel camera.

[Stinger]

The specs are obviously very good for the price. However, it looks very cheap and nasty.

I'm worried that Android will encourage the kind of companies that produce PCs in horrible plastic cases to make phones.

[egads]

Off topic Android question here.
Will these Android phones sync with OutLook or just with Googles GMail service?

At that price I'd pick one up if it sync'd with OutLook...

[Rocco Augusto]

Off topic Android question here.
Will these Android phones sync with OutLook or just with Googles GMail service?

At that price I'd pick one up if it sync'd with OutLook...


It does not sync with Outlook directly but there are a ton of plugins for Outlook out there, free and paid versions, that will allow you to sync Outlook with Google Calendar and Contacts. There are also two different Exchange syncing applications available through the Android Market

[egads]

It does not sync with Outlook directly but there are a ton of plugins for Outlook out there, free and paid versions, that will allow you to sync Outlook with Google Calendar and Contacts. There are also two different Exchange syncing applications available through the Android Market

Thanks for the info Rocco!

[Torque]

It does not sync with Outlook directly but there are a ton of plugins for Outlook out there, free and paid versions, that will allow you to sync Outlook with Google Calendar and Contacts. There are also two different Exchange syncing applications available through the Android Market

Well if it can successfully synch with Outlook using third party apps, that's good enough for me. The picture looks good, but I'd like to hear a review from someone once they get one and use it for a while. I'm in no rush to replace a Blackjack that still works and I'm not due for my 2 year AT&T upgrade till August 2009. Anyone who gets one, report on it here please and get Rocco some high rez pics!!