I doubt Ruslan Kogan is smiling today.
Those of us that were eagerly hoping and waiting for the launch of the Kogan Agora (and Agora Pro) are saddened by the news that has come out just recently. It looks like development on what would be a new Android-powered headset has been delayed due to the fast pace of developments within the Android community.
Founder of Kogan, Ruslan Kogan had the following to say:
“Since the design of the Agora, the Android community has been growing quickly. I now believe that in order to access all (that) the Android platform has to offer, the Agora must be redesigned.
I am sorry for this delay, but in the interest of doing things right by the Kogan brand promise, and you, the customers, I cannot disappoint you by supplying a product that I am aware will shortly have significant limitations.”
The folks at Kogan had already began accepting pre-orders of the Agora and Agora Pro. The company has confirmed that they will be refunding all pre-orders in full. Thank goodness.
A melancholy day for the folks in Australia, and around the world in the Android community. The Kogan device(s) could have been the 2nd Android-powered handsets, but it looks like we’re going to have to wait a while now for Kogan to play ‘catch up’. Good things come to those that wait. I heard that somewhere. You can read the full letter to the Android community from founder Ruslan Kogan after the jump.
Hi everyone,
I’m disappointed to have to tell you that the Kogan Agora has to be delayed indefinitely.
This delay comes due to potential future interoperability issues.
The Agora did reach a very late stage of development. Manufacturing had commenced and it was a matter of days from being shipped to you. However, it now seems certain the Agora in it’s current form will limit its compatibility and interoperability in the near future.
One of the potential issues is the screen size and resolution. It seems developers will be creating applications that are a higher resolution than the Agora is currently capable of handling.
I am sorry for this delay, but in the interest of doing things right by the Kogan brand promise, and you, the customers, I cannot disappoint you by supplying a product that I am aware will shortly have significant limitations.
In order to fully appreciate the feature-rich applications Android developers will be creating in coming months and years, the Agora must be redesigned.
All customers who pre-ordered the Agora will receive a full refund. All refunds will be processed within 7 days.
I will continue to blog about the Agora as we look to develop and release a new phone as soon as possible.
Stay tuned over the coming months for many exciting new products as well as a new version of the Agora.
Thank you for your support and loyalty to the Kogan brand.
Cheers,
Ruslan