This week at CES, Kogan Technologies will showcase its just-announced Android-based smartphone, Kogan Angora.
The Australian company has just released a video and some actual photos (previously only renderings, apparaently, were displayed on the site).
Previously, T-Mobile released the first open-source Android phone, the G1 which is based on a touchscreen model from HTC. "PC World" gave that phone a positive review. Our own Mark Gibbs was initially enthusiastic but has recently tempered his assessment to such a degree that he's switching back to the iPhone on AT&T.
The Kogan video, surprisingly, is very blurred, but it gives a general idea of the size, and the touch-screen interface. The silver band around the screen will be black in the final production models, according to Kogan. (The video and all images here are from Kogan Technology.)
There are two models, with the Angora Pro version adding a 2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, and built-in GPS. The Pro is 4.25" x 2.52" x 0.58" and weighs 4.58 ounces.
Pricing for an unlocked phone is currently advertised as about $215 U.S. for the base model and about $287 U.S. for the Pro model. Kogan says both will be available on 29 January.
Features include:
- 2.5-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 262K QVGA (320 X 240 pixel) resolution
- QWERTY keyboard, with keyboard backlighting
- Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi adapter
- UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)and GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
- up to approximately 400 minutes of talk time; about 300 hours standby time
Endusers can download applications from the Android Market.
Some photographs show the Angora is very like several of the BlackBerry models, with their prominent full QWERTY keyboard:
It's a bit hard to tell from the blurry image, but the entire home screen doesn't seem to be visible onscreen. But on the left side of the screen in this image, it seems that the real estate may be decreased due because the user has been manipulating the display:
A number of users at Android Forums were enthusiastic about what they saw in the video. Opinions were more mixed at ModmyGphone. One commenter sees a strong similarity with the Samsung Epix, a Windows Mobile smarthphone.
by John Cox, senior editor
The Leader in Network Knowledge
It's actually the "Agora"
It's actually the "Agora" not "Angora". "Angora" is either a type of goat or a breed of cat. :)
Post new comment