“The folks at Kogan are pretty good when it comes to Linux” said reader Paul when tipping us off to Australian (and UK) technology outfit Kogan’s latest laptop.
Available for ordering, but not shipping until late May, the new ‘Agora Pro’ ultra-portable comes with the latest and greatest version of Ubuntu so far – Ubuntu 11.04 – but is it a fitting shell for an operating system so, well, natty?
Kind of.
For its price point – a reasonable AU$389/£269 but available for as low as £219 – the Agora Pro undercuts many of its competitors – such as the similarly spec’d 12″ MSI Wind 230 at £331.
Innards
The dual-core 1.2Ghz Celeron SU2300 ULV processor boasts a relatively low TDW of 10w and “blow[s] the Intel Atom away” performance wise. .
2GB of DDR2 RAM is a fair, if not exemplary, memory allowance. Space is provided by a 500GB – RPM not specified – HDD.
The graphics grunt is provided by an integrated Intel GS40 express chipset with 256MB shared memory, displaying on a ‘11.6″ WXGA Widescreen HD LED Display’.
All of the above is more than capable of handling Ubuntu 11.04 with ease so there’s no need to worry about needing to run Ubutu Classic or Unity 2-D if ordering.With Kogan shipping Ubuntu as default on the device WiFi, Bluetooth, webcam and card-reader are all likely to work out-of-the-box, too.
The usual set of features round it out: 1.3MP webcam, bluetooth, 802.11 b/g/n wifi, card-reader, HDMI and VGA out, integrated microphone, etc.
Sadly the meagre 4 Cell battery marks the Agora down. The curved lid is a stylish addition to an otherwise perfunctory looking case.
Whilst the Agora isn’t billed as a ‘lightweight laptop’ rather simply ‘ultra portable’ – semantics mean it’s not quite the same difference – it weighs a comparatively featherweight 1.52kg gross. Which is pretty netbook-esque for such a larger device.
The Agora Pro sits at a comfortable price point for those needing something a bit bigger and a bit more capable than a standard 10.1″ Netbook. For the style concious there are better and far, far slimmer options available elsewhere.
Agora Pro 12″ is available to buy @ kogan.com.au/shop/agora-pro-12-ultra-portable-laptop-computer and www.kogan.co.uk/shop/agora-pro-12-ultra-portable-laptop-computer/
Source: Kogan.com.au via Tipform