Apparently, Android app developers could produce programs that needed a higher screen resolution than what the Agora was destined to have. That meant back to the drawing board for the Kogan team—unless they wanted apps to not work on their phone.

Anyone who pre-ordered an Agora will have their money refunded in full. Hopefully for all our friends down under, it won't take too long for Kogan to find a solution to this regrettable problem. [Gizmodo Australia]

Kogan Agora to be delayed

Melbourne, AUSTRALIA, 16th January 2009 - Kogan Technologies' Agora phone will be delayed indefinitely due to potential future interoperability issues.

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

"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," Ruslan Kogan said.

"One potential issue is that developers may create applications for the Android operating system at a higher resolution and screen size than the Agora provides in its current form.

"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.

"My priority is to release a phone that will do justice to the Kogan brand and offer great value to our customers. Since the design of the Agora, the Android community has been growing quickly, with new developers setting out their objectives to create a host of feature-rich applications. I now believe that in order to access all the Android platform has to offer, the Agora must be redesigned.

"The Kogan team is already hard at work designing a new phone that will be better suited to the needs of Android application developers and our customers."

All customers who pre-ordered the Agora will receive a full refund.

Ruslan Kogan will continue to blog about and discuss the redevelopment of the Agora at www.kogan.com.au/blog

Final worthwhile bits: Spring is the worldwide ship date, and a weird mention that the "Google Phone...could blow open this model by providing easy access to the Internet at PC-type speeds." Juicy, pertinent info or random hypothetical? We'll know soon. [USA Today]

Helpful chart the WSJ whipped up, no? Other possibilities include easier sharing of music, photos and video with friends across carrier networks, as well as better internet access and utilization—you need it for the ads, after all.

The wild, wonderful world of millions of innovative, useful apps on millions of open devices that we're tantalized with for three-quarters of the piece gets doused with a nice, healthy dose of cold water at the end, however, by the hard reality that developers will still have to conform to carriers' rules "if they want them to work seamlessly on the most popular networks." So we're probably looking at baby steps in the industry rather than full-on ¡revolución! But hey, it's a start. [WSJ]