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Will Pogo sell, or stick in pockets?

After long delays and much anticipation, the astonishingly-shaped "lozenge" mobile browser from Pogo Technology will soon arrive in Carphone Warehouse shops.

Pogo "aims to equip the new mobile generation with affordable, complete web services on the move, without the wait for 3G," according to the company's blurb.

Product will arrive in stores from March 1st, it now says. The company also reminded us that its distinct design has been described by the British Design Council as "a compelling product solution."

Samples of the device, pre-launch, have been virtually unobtainable. What nobody knows, therefore, is whether the design is practical.

The manufacturer will now have to stand by its claim that it has unique data compression technology, allowing users to view complex displays even over the slow-download system of GSM phone technology. But even more, it will have to show that people can use it.

It's all very well the Design Council saying that it: "will appeal to discerning buyers, who value the contribution of design in this new era of consumer electronics," - what we need to know is whether you can pull the thing out of your pocket.

Pogo may have "succeeded in arousing keen interest and encouraging a desire for ownership," but there are sticky burrs which have survived in the wild because of their Pogo-like shape.

There's also the usability issue. The device has buttons on those corners; until we have a chance to try the thing out, we won't know how often those buttons press themselves.

Full details of the Pogo and an offer to buy it from the manufacturer are available.