Screen size blunder halts launch of Android phone

 

Gallery

By Barry Collins

Posted on 16 Jan 2009 at 14:30

An Australian company has been forced to abort the release of a new Android handset just days before its launch - because the screen was too small.

Kogan's Agora handset was due to go on sale later this month, becoming only the second Android handset on the market, after T-Mobile's G1.

However, the company has pulled the plug because of a highly unusual flaw. "The Agora in its current form will limit its compatibility and interoperability in the near future," founder Ruslan Kogan explains on the company's website.

"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."

"In order to fully appreciate the feature-rich applications Android developers will be creating in coming months and years, the Agora must be redesigned," he adds.

The company has been forced to issue refunds to customers who'd pre-ordered the device, with no timescale given for the product's relaunch.

The Kogan Agora was on display at last week's Consumer Electronics Show, but according to our reporters in Las Vegas, the screen on the company's display model was switched off. Now we know why.