Yesterday Melbourne-based KoganTechnologies revealed their version of a phone running the open source Google Android operating system however a search of small phone retailers in Sydney's Broadway reveals that at least three retailers were already selling Google Android based phones sourced from China.
Kogan's phones are to be sold outright with no contract via the Internet and according to Kogan will work on any Australian network, once users acquire a SIM card.
But price of the phones, ordered from generic Chinese manufacturers, has jumped 50 percent since Kogan first announced them several months ago, while delivery once promised before Christmas has been delayed to the end of January.
By that time Taiwanese maker HTC may be openly marketing its G1 Android phones, in this country: an executive hinted at an early 2009 release at a Sydney briefing for the HTC Touch 3G last month (CDN, Nov. 19).
The Kogan Agora ($299, pictured) will feature a qwerty keyboard, central navigation key, 2.5-inch touchscreen, microSD slot, and 3G connectivity, Melbourne importer/promoter Ruslan Kogan said yesterday. He did not explain why the price had risen from the earlier announced $199.
