Agora Android phone gets curtailed by Kogan

Promising prospective early adopters refunds on their pre-orders, Australia-based Kogan today imposed an indefinite delay on the Android-enabled Agora phone, citing issues around interoperability, screen size, and resolution.

Manufacturing had already started on the Agora when Kogan made the move to temporarily pull the plug on production, said Ruslan Kogan, the company's founder and CEO, in a letter to customers.

On its planned shipped date of January 29, the Agora was slated to become the world's second Android phone, following the release last fall of HTC's G1 phone for T-Mobile USA.

In December, Kogan started to accept pre-orders for the unlocked Agora smartphone on its Web site from users around the world, with pricing at US equivalents of around $225 for the Agora and $295 for an Agora Pro model, plus shipping.

Kogan told Agora customers in his letter today that the device "was a matter of days from being shipped to you" when Kogan faced the fact that "the Agora in its current form will limit its compatibility and interoperability in the near future."

Elaborating on the screen size and resolution issues, he noted, "It seems developers will be creating applications that are a higher resolution than the Agora is currently capable of handling."

Rumors are now circulating that the Australian company reached the decision about the delay after a recent meeting with Google at its offices in the US.

Whether or not those tales are true, Kogan apologized to customers in his letter today and explained that the phone will now be overhauled.

"In order to fully appreciate the feature-rich applications Android developers will be creating in coming months and years, the Agora must be redesigned," according to the CEO.

All customers who pre-ordered the Agora will receive full refunds within seven days, Kogan said.

Before meeting its temporary demise, the Agora featured a QWERTY keyboard; 2.5-inch, 320-by-240 touch screen; FM radio; Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate; a microSD slot for memory expansion; and a customizable home screen with e-mail, text message, and IM notifications. The then-envisioned Agora Pro model added Wi-Fi, GPS, and a 2 Mp camera.