Kogan Technologies states its much-hyped Android phone is a dud, and is now being pulled due to what Kogan is describing as interoperability issues. That means it does not work. It was slightly cobbled together device to begin with and, as explained in these columns, made in China. Not designed in Australia.

This column was chided elsewhere for running the story.

Kogan Technologies sells the “best value LCD TVs in Australia” according to its Web site. It claimed it would have the first Google Android phone in Australia. There were orders and even deposits for the phone which was due to go on sale on Jan. 29.

Now Kogan said it has pulled the launch of the Kogan Agora, saying the handset needed to be redesigned.

Kogan does not explain why they announced the new phone and took orders when it appears they had not tested the viability of the proposed new handset or detected interoperability issues prior to announcing the product.

According to SmartHouse, Kogan Technologies founder Ruslan Kogan said the phone will undergo a significant redesign in order to ensure its compatibility with all future Android applications.

He said, ‘The Agora reached a very late stage of development, manufacturing had commenced and we were within days of shipping the product to customers. But it now seems certain the current Agora specifications will limit its compatibility or interoperability in the near future.

Kogan said, “I am sorry for this delay, but in the interests of proving the best possible product at the best possible price, I cannot disappoint my customers by supplying a product that I am aware will shortly have significant limitations.” Or, to put it more crudely, it was more hype than reality.

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Entry was posted on Friday, January 16th, 2009 at 5:55 am under Cell phones.

Read more entries by Gareth Powell.
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