What is up with me finding news out of Australia lately?

Check this out, the Kogan Agora Pro Android phone:

Back at the beginning of November, Kogan had said that the phone was going to be AU$199 and ship by Christmas, but that has since changed.

According to Kogan:

The Agora will cost AU$299, and the Agora Pro will be AU$399. Both are on sale now and will ship to you on January 29th 2009.
The full specs can be found here.
I know the price has changed a little — the impact of the global financial crisis on currencies means that $199 is simply impossible. However, we’ve been working hard to get you two very affordable, but feature-packed handsets. I hope you’re as excited as we are!

Despite the bummers about it being late and more expensive than previously advertised, that’s one cool looking phone.  I totally dig the compact size versus the HTC G1 that T-Mobile has here in the US.  And as much as I think touch screens are cool, real keyboards are definitely better for typing out emails on the go.  I’ve got an iPod Touch and a Samsung Blackjack, and despite my best efforts, I can barely get over about 10 to 15 words per minute on the Touch, whereas on the Blackjack with the full keyboard I can steadily type out between 30 and 45 words per minute.

Filed under: Google, Mobile Web