Australian online-only electronics endeavor Kogan will actually make good on its claim to bring the world’s second Android-powered handset to market. Who? Exactly. Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of the company headed by Ruslan Kogan; if you live outside of Australia there was hardly a reason to. We’ll bring you up to speed in three sentences: Kogan is a small Australian startup. Last month it gained a bit of notoriety when Ruslan Kogan claimed he would develop, manufacture and begin selling the world’s second Android-powered smartphone for less than US$200 before year-end. Pretty much no one believed him. Now that you’re up to speed, the Kogan Agora and Agora Pro are indeed about to become a reality and Kogan will very nearly make good on his claim. The handsets won’t be out by year-end unfortunately, but that doesn’t make this feat by a relatively small firm any less impressive. Both models feature a 2.5″ touchscreen, 3G and some pretty respectable specs. In fact, these puppies match up pretty well against the G1, though we obviously won’t see them gaining much ground here in the US any time soon. Both handsets are now available for pre-order and will begin shipping in just over a month on January 29th, with the Agora coming in at AU$299 (US$192) and the Agora Pro coming in at AU$399 (US$256). Those prices by the way, are without carrier subsidies.
[Via Engadget]
