The Agora will be coming in two flavors, a $299AU ($200US) basic model and a more upmarket $399AU ($266US) model. The main difference between the two is WIFI, GPS and a Camera.  Both models feature a 2.5 inch touch screen, 3G connectivity and a QWERTY keyboard. Oh, and no 2 year lock-in contract.

You can find out more information and pre-order one for yourself here.

[As one of our faithful readers said in the comments, the Agora can be ordered in the U.S. for an additional AU$60 shipping charge, which brings the total cost to just under US$300 for the Agora Pro.  -Michael]

NEXT: Android heading down under thanks to Kogan

Ballmer mocks Android in Australia: “blah-di-blah-di-blah” DoCoMo and KTF to make a new Android phone

Android is definitely working but we’re not sure how well just yet. You can watch a video of it after the jump.

If you’re feeling hardcore, go buy a Beagleboard, download the Android file system and let us know how you do.

[via ArsTechnica]

NEXT: Folders on the Android desktop, and how to rename them

Google posts Android timeline, 1.0 SDK still to come QuickOffice for Android ready – if we only had the phones…

Banshee media sync for the G1

The free open source media player Banshee has hit version 1.4 and now syncs your music and playlists to the G1. It’s all automatic and works much like iTunes does with the iPhone. It even imports all the songs you’ve purchased from Amazon. Banshee as a media app is very sweet indeed, doing all the cool things a music app should with absolutely no fuss. You can read a full review here.

There is a catch. Banshee is currently only available for Mac and Linux. The developers promise to have the Windows version running soon and judging by the rate of development, I’d have to believe them.

You can read all about Banshee and download it from their website.

[via ArsTechnica]

NEXT: Sony Ericsson hesitant about Android and Google

Home-grown G1 skin for the Android emulator T-Mobile G1 Google phone available in stores today

CompanionLink Software have released CompanionLink for Google Android which syncs Outlook, Goldmine, Act!, Notes, Groupwise or Palm Desktop with your Google account. After it’s in your Google account your Android device will sync automatically.

This is a godsend for those of us who aren’t already fully in the Google-sphere. Not only do you get your phone synced but you also get a backup of your life  – accessible from any web browser. While average users will be happy, we’re having trouble envisaging the enterprise sector jumping for joy just yet. How many businesses out there are going to risk having all their sensitive emails and contacts duplicated on Google’s servers?  It’s all a bit of a shame because by the look of CompanionLinks’s supported email client list, enterprise is exactly who they’re targeting.

P.S If you just need to sync your Outlook contacts and calendar (no email) with Google then take a look at KiGoo. It’s free.

[Via Talkandroid]

NEXT: Wrike and Intermedia sponsor Exchange contact sync for Android

You don’t need to sync Android. Ever. Google creating an iTunes-like Android software store?

Here are some of Mr Ballmer’s choice quotes when questioned about Android;

“They (Google) can hire smart guys, hire smart people, blah-di-blah-di-blah.”

“I don’t really understand their strategy … if I went to my shareholder meetings and my analyst meeting and said, ‘Hey, we just launched a new product that has no revenue model – yeah, cheer for me!’ I’m not sure my investors would take that very well, but that’s what Google’s telling their investors about Android.”

And our favorite;

“I don’t get the business model.”

No kidding.

The point Steve has clearly missed is that Android isn’t all about Google. Google simply started the open source snowball rolling; Where it ends up from here is anyone’s guess. Google profits from the millions of extra eyeballs that get access to the web because it’s mobile and (since Android) cheap.

Mr Ballmer also mocked Apple’s iPhone when it debuted. The iPhone now outsells all Windows Mobile devices combined. No wonder he’s jumping around on stage.

You can watch the full video of Mr Ballmer’s Aussie presentation here.

NEXT: Google posts Android timeline, 1.0 SDK still to come

Google to demo Android at Mobile Content World in Sydney QuickOffice for Android ready – if we only had the phones…

We think It’s a brilliant idea but we can’t help but wonder about the amount of quality control the device will undergo with Christmas being only 7 weeks away. So far the device doesn’t even have a name.

Kogan Technologies is a bit of an upstart in the Australian electronics market, undercutting everybody by selling Kogan-branded Chinese goods (usually LCD TVs) direct to customers via their website. Kogan products have a reputation for being hampered by silly user-interfaces so making a phone based on the open source Android is a smart move.

Kogan won’t be the first to offer a deal like this, certainly if it’s as easy to do as he clearly seems to think.

[via Androidguys]

NEXT: HTC Dream / G1 heading to Asia in first half of 2009?

Google posts Android timeline, 1.0 SDK still to come QuickOffice for Android ready – if we only had the phones…

Photo courtesy http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp

The guys over at Japanese site Tech-On have discovered what makes a G1 tick, shake, and connect by taking one to pieces. Inside they found a pair of vibration motors, a sneaky antenna, and the same trackball that is used in RIM’s BlackBerries.

The engineers were impressed by the construction of the keyboard, and the creative placement of the antenna but were concerned about the strength of the plastic that connects the screen to the main unit.

Opening the G1 was very difficult, involving a team of engineers and threaded screws so please don’t try this one at home. We’ve put some of the gory photos below for you to check out.  The full gallery is available at the Tech-On website.

[Via AndroidCommunity]

NEXT: T-Mobile G1 Google phone available in stores today

T-Mobile G1 in-depth review First Google Android phone bent? Wireframe of HTC G1 for T-Mobile says so

The UK version of the device comes free with a £40 per month contract and is available in black or white as opposed to the USA’s bronze, white, or black. We have no idea why the UK gets different colors, but there you go. Oh, they also get a 2gig memory card too.

NEXT: T-Mobile G1 to be available in black, white, and….brown?

Official: T-Mobile Android phone launches September 23rd at 10:30am in New York City Reuters sources claim T-Mobile G1 to launch in September

OpenMoko is famous for developing completely open smartphones. The phones have been recieved to mixed criticism due to software glitches and changes of direction in their Linux-based software platform. Android could really help OpenMoko by providing access to the much larger pool of Android developers and apps as well as unifying their software platform. Android also fits perfectly into OpenMoko’s staunchly open-source philosophy. Everybody wins.

[via AndroidGuys]

NEXT: Google’s (semi-)open source plans for Android drawing criticism

Android to face open source competition from Symbian Android OS source code now available

Both of the games are available for $7.99 from www.eamobile.com. Tetris is also available from Handango for $9.95 and from Handmark for $7.99, though both of the sites had been charging an absurd $14.95 for it originally.

Hopefully, EA will move to the Android Market once Google permits the purchasing of applications in Q1 next year.

NEXT: Handmark opens Android software store

Handango launching Android app store on Oct 22 Google posts Android timeline, 1.0 SDK still to come