agora

It appears the Kogan Agora still has a pulse, albeit no release date at this time. Ruslan Kogan has made it known that his previous Android attempt, the Agora, had screen compatibility issues, preventing mass production and release of a $200 unlocked Android phone as a second entrant into the Android world. We all held our breath and hoped, and now it appears our hoping is not in vain.

We originally reported on the striking similarity (downright copied) between the Kogan Agora and this "shining" phone available on alibaba. We had our suspicions about the device, its availability, its power to run Android, its quality etc. but apparently Kogan had no idea about this device. Huh!?

Could this be the Second Coming of the Kogan Agora phone that was mothballed before it even saw the light of day? This "shining" phone has popped up on alibaba.com and, if you are willing to buy a lot of 100 @ $240.00 a piece, this new Android vaporware phone can be yours!

If you are Down Under and are anxious to get your Android groove on, you won't have to wait too much longer. Online retailer Kogan will be selling the Android-based "Agora" on January 29, 2009 and is accepting pre-orders NOW right here. There are two versions: the basic model costs $299, while the Pro version (which includes Wi-Fi, a camera and GPS) is $399.