Ruslan Kogan, the 25 year old entrepreneur and head of Kogan Technologies, today announced that Australians will soon be able to get their hands on the first Google Android based phone in that country.
Dubbed the Kogan Agora, the device has a form-factor similar to a Blackberry or Samsung Blackjack with a 2.5-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive (320 X 240 pixel) screen positioned above a blacklit QWERTY keyboard. The device will be sold without a contract for $299 AUD, and $399 AUD for a "Pro" version.
Additional features include:
- 3G over UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
- GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
- Bluetooth 2.0
- microSD slot
- 624 MHz processor
- ROM: 256 MB
- RAM: 128 MB
- Dimensions (HxWxD) 108 mm x 64 mm x 14.8 mm
- WiFi*
- GPS*
- 2.0 megapixel camera*
* "Pro" version only
Originally the phone was to sell for $199 AUD. Kogan explained on the company"s blog that "the price has changed a little -- the impact of the global financial crisis on currencies means that $199 is simply impossible."
The first phone to use Android, the T-Mobile G1, was launched in the United States in September 2008.