Ogo a go in Germany with CT-17 for 1&1

IXI Mobile has made good on its MacArthur-like promise to return to the mobile messaging arena, with the launch of the CT-17 in Germany. As previously reported, the handheld will be selling for about $60, with monthly plans, marketed through 1&1 as the Pocket Web service, starting at about $12. Unlike IXI's original effort, the text-centric AT&T Ogo (which IXI still markets in some countries), the CT-17 has broad support for a range of services, including web access and voice features (via an external headset). Voice and web functions were among the reasons for the original Ogo's failure to catch on (that and the fact that AT&T sort of lost interest in it amid the company's acquisition by Cingular). PocketWeb is being positioned as a lower-cost competitor to products like the Sidekick and BlackBerry, and with the new features and attractive pricing, the Ogo may just be a go this time around.

[Thanks, Jerry]

[Korey @ Apr 27th 2006 2:07PM]

I miss ogo so badly and now with all these new features im sayin Cingular should hop on this like a cheap a horny school boy and a cheap hooker

[TheWeb20Dev @ Apr 27th 2006 2:13PM]

Hmmm..interesting.

[karmaghost @ Apr 27th 2006 2:14PM]

The grey menu scheme looks a little Windows 3.1.

[TheWeb20Dev @ Apr 27th 2006 2:15PM]

^^ I agree.

[joe @ Apr 27th 2006 2:22PM]

i used to own an ogo back when at&t were still selling em and i absolutely loved it. its keyboard is faster and has beter tactile feedback than the sidekick's rubber keys.

i would definitely get one of these should someone sell it in the US.

[setonioboy @ Apr 27th 2006 2:29PM]

too bad it looks like a toy

[Robert Preseau @ Apr 27th 2006 2:40PM]

Oh, guess who pops in to comment on this one? Yup...

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

That's quite possibly the best Engadget post I have ever seen. Now I just need to move to Germany.

[Justin Young @ Apr 27th 2006 2:55PM]

Wow, the Ogo is just like my ex-girlfriend, just when you thought it went down for the last time, you find it with another.

[Tim - Hamburg,Germany @ Apr 27th 2006 3:25PM]

I had it in my hands at their (1&1) CeBit stand last March. it just felt/looked cheap and was pretty slow. It has an interessting priceplan. The next best thing costs 50�/Month (~62$), but still it just did not feel good in my hands.

[Zafar @ Apr 27th 2006 3:26PM]

Looks like a pretty good tool, does it really cost $60??

[Tyler Morgan @ Apr 27th 2006 3:43PM]

I've still got my origional OGO, by AT&T - they're awesome little devices, I rely on it every day.. if this was to come to the US, I'm sure many of us would upgrade.

[OctaneZ @ Apr 27th 2006 3:57PM]

At least they finally added IMAP support, that's what kept me away from the OGO that AT&T was pushing.

[mug @ Apr 27th 2006 4:13PM]

Needs Wifi.

[Zafar @ Apr 27th 2006 5:35PM]

Actually it is available in US by ATT Wireless ($129 initial and $17+ monthly).

[Bobby @ Apr 27th 2006 7:05PM]

I owned an ogo since its launch in Septenber 2004. When the device was released, it was $50 base and then $17 a month for everything. The only way to go over was to use more then one portal, but the MAXIMUM bill for this thing was $25. There was NO way to go over $25. It had no phone, no camera, no web. It was IM and SMS only. I loved it. I broke 4, lost 2, and still liked it. They are not cheap, they are sturdy and well built. Their battery life is amazing. The thing is tiny, I have a deactivated one in my hands right now. Cingular stopped selling them Janurary last year, and the Ogo Activation server went down in Janurary this year. Now you can not change your ogo information or it will never work again. It was an amazing little device, I hope the C-17 gets adopted in america.

[OGO user still @ Apr 27th 2006 9:23PM]

Zafar proof pls. Where is your source? Link?

[CountZer0 @ Apr 28th 2006 1:34AM]

I still have my Ogo and use it every day ... with the IM bot and SMS bots, you can use it to get all kinds of information not to mention chat with friends and send and receive email. I have had mine for about 1.5 years here in the US. It is no longer supported but as long as i make my payments :) I am grandfathered in.

[Derek @ Apr 28th 2006 10:58AM]

I still say they should make Wi-fi versions of these devices and try marketing them to home consumers.

[Jimmy @ May 6th 2006 11:00AM]

I am a spammer: [e-mail]

[evilsaywhat @ Sep 11th 2006 5:35PM]

Ya, if there was any way to make my old OGO wifi, I'd love to have it for AIM/EMAIL around the house.

[wayne @ Sep 18th 2006 5:39PM]

I was wondering if I order new OGO from Germany, will it work on US soil? If so, I would order it. I still have my old OGO and still working anywhere except little problem with send emails. Otherwise, it work fine.