The second Google Android-powered phone is on the way in January 2009. T-Mobile’s G1 was the first, and it’s expected that there will be a load of Android phones on the market by the end of next year, but Australia’s Kogan Technologies, an internet-only manufacturer/retailer, will be next. The company will make two Android phone’s available in January–the AU$299 Kogan Agora and the AU$399 Kogan Agora Pro.
The Kogan Agora, which looks a helluva lot better than the G1, will sport dimensions of 108 x 64 x 14.8 millimeters and weigh 130 grams. With support for UMTS/HSDPA 850, 1900, 2100 MHz and GSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz, the Agora should work on most networks in the world, with the exception of that strange 1700 MHz band that T-Mobile uses. It also has a 2.5-inch, 320 x 240 pixel TFT LCD touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard with backlighting, Bluetooth 2.0, a speedy 624 MHz processor, and 256 MB on-board, 128 MB Flash memory plus a microSD card slot. The Agora also has a wide variety of business and multimedia features and access to Google services, but I’ll let you check out the full range of specs on Kogan’s website.
The Agora Pro adds in GPS navigation, Wi-Fi, and a built-in camera, but otherwise the specs are almost identical.
It definitely is cool to see a no-name manufacturer roll out the second Android phone–one that looks impressive as well. But the real story behind the Kogan Agora is summed up well by Adam Ostrow from Mashable. He argues that the Agora is the first real example of the vision behind Android. The operating system was built so virtually anyone can have a handset manufactured and install Android on it, opening up the mobile playing field dominated by a select few manufacturers and wireless carriers.
The Agora was manufactured in China for next to nothing, is carrier agnostic, and offers the smartphone functionality that the bigger carriers lock customers into with the ubiquitous 2- or 3-year contract. Not only does Android allow the Kogan’s of the world to develop high-end mobile devices, but over time it’ll result in more choice and flexibility for end consumers. Not to mention the interesting location-based applications we’ll see developed as more Android devices roll out.
You can pre-order the Koran Agora and Agora Pro now. They’re expected to ship January 29, 2009.
