Cosmo Communicator: More phone than the Gemini, more pocket computer than phone London-based Planet Computers has said its Cosmo Communicator, a folding phone with a physical keyboard evocative of '90s Psion clamshell palmtops, has finally made its way into production. There is a family connection when it comes to the Psion scion. Technical designer Martin Riddiford worked on both the Psion 3 and 5 …
I’m a Gemini user, use one almost every day when away from full size devices. Absolutely love it, it has filled a big usefulness gap and I would be without it. However, I chose not to back Cosmo because for my use, the only benefit over Gemini is the backlit keyboard. the negative is the Cosmo isn’t supported by Jolla for Sailfish. I dumped Android as soon as it was possible and I’m using paid license for Sailfish with the over the air updates, which for me is the big selling point of Gemini.
Me smugly flog my Gemini too. Note taking is my killer app and Dropbox now has a text editor built in. Wake up in the night, bang down my magic insight, and next morning there it is on my office desktop. Used to have to connect the old Psion via RS232, humbug!
Backlit keyboard and better phone functionality are not enough for me to justify the price and weight of Cosmo. Gemini already has perfectly adequate eSim/LTE/Bluetooth/quad boot.
Not sure why so many plump for sailfish, as it is a touchscreen UI par excellence but Gemini's USP is the gorgeous keyboard. Maybe just 'cause when it comes to SF it's been Gemini or nothing?
Still, if you are the kind of guy who shells out 800 goodies for "better than" and finds the Cosmo a tad less awkward on the ear/ego than a giant phablet, go for it I say!
Sailfish touch and keyboard combination is the best of both worlds. I use the touch for the os operation, the equivalent of a desktop mouse, then the keyboard for extended text input. If either were missing then it wouldn’t be a real productivity tool for me.
Sailfish is best supported on Sony phones, where it is able to run Android apps, but of course there is no keyboard. I have all the apps I need on Sailfish and I avoid google like the plague so Gemini is the only existing device that fits my requirement,
It would be nice to have an alternative to Android. I did hope that Microsoft would make good but they put more effort in taking down Nokia than actually pushing their own mobile OS.
£799 does not sound excessive for a phone if you consider how much they can cost now. How much does one pay for Samsung's finest? The first couple of Note 10s I see on Google are £869. Samsung says the S10 is £799, the S10+ is £899 and the S10+5G (probably not a fair comparison) is £1,099.
It's more than the Oneplus7t or the P30 but they may not be aimed at the same markets.
If this device is offering functionality that people need, or want, the price may not be too bad.
Sounds like the Decoy Effect ( Trick that-makes you overspend ) or similar kicking in - Phones are only this dear because big manufacturers can get away charging you that for them
Looks interesting - chunky as hell though, and I like large phones. The 2" screen is a great idea if it extends battery life.
However, I'm going for the FxTec Pro 1. A phone, as opposed to a PDA, should be able to be operated one handed (without the keyboard) and I don't see this doing that.
I was an early back for both so have had the Gemini for a fair while now. It works well enough as standard smartphone, the main irritant being websites and apps that can't cope with landscape properly and I don't really notice the size or weight but then again it lives in my handbag when I'm not using it. The keyboard is an absolute dream to use, I'd got really fed up of constructing messages aroudn the lest number of words rather than saying what I wanted to because I find on screen keyboards an absolute PITA to work with. Touch typing means I can say what I actually want to say or witter on at superfluous length, depending on your perspective.
I backed the Cosmo mainly for the backlit keyboard and because they're a small company doing something a bit different. THe external screen and camera aren't tht important to me, at least until the thing arrives then they'll probably become an invaluable feature that I'll wonder how I ever coped without. Or something.
Do we get a proper Reg demolishes review on this one?
Rosie
Does it have a suite of fully-integrated, extremely user-friendly and intuitive software?
Otherwise it's doomed to failure as a expensive, throwback to a more design-diverse era hamstrung by touch oriented apps.
Was recently casting round for something that wasn't a PitA to lug around when doing vacation-> work trip (or vice-versa) without going home but there really isn't much out there that fits the bill.
Unfortunately, the software is the Achilles heel of Planet's offerings. The hardware Gremlins have been resolved but firmware updates are few and far between and long-standing bugs just haven't been fixed. The device itself is immensely practical. You really need a table to use it properly but it does then let you do a lot of stuff: I was able to demonstrate PyDroid on it recently, albeit without using the native HDMI out, which for some reason refused to work. USB-C on one side is charging only, on the other output only. Sound is tinny but bearable. I only got a replacement Germay keyboard after Andrew Orlowski intervened. This is all okay for a device that you can always takes with you and works.
But the software side is poor:
Basically, looks like Gemini users have been frozen out so that the Cosmo can happen. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up, but still disappointing to see the after-sales service fail so badly.
As a Gemini owner I can't say I've experienced any of these problems, though I have noticed a serious drop in battery life since the 8.1 upgrade. Also, occasionally the youtube app crashes the phone when switching away/back to it, which is to put it bluntly a bit of a pisser.
It's the lack of support from MediaTek that's the problem. They don't properly support their hardware with drivers kept up to date with the latest Linux kernel. You're dumped on ancient releases and no bug fixes, even the Android 8.1 update was a bit of a miracle.
"Does it have a suite of fully-integrated, extremely user-friendly and intuitive software?"
Depends what you think of Android, or of losing half the functionality with a different OS.
It also has a bunch of "remember the Psion S5" Android apps put together by Planet. TBH I use/d my S5/Gemini more for Internet and creativity than personal productivity, so I haven't really got into them. Opinions seem to be mixed.
I have a Gemini. It's a nice device -- as delivered it's a cross between a Psion Series 5 and an Android phone. In this guise it works pretty well for most things, if you like Android, though the software could do with rather more regular updates.
However, it's not really what I wanted it to be. I didn't want to run Android, I wanted a full Linux workstation in my pocket. As I have limited pocket space I wanted that Linux device to double as my phone (you know, to make calls and stuff). The hardware could do that, but Planet haven't done as much as I'd hoped on the OS side. One can run Linux on it, but it's not capable of doing all the important things a "normal" smartphone does, so I have to carry two devices or leave the Gemini at home (which is what happens).
A shame, because it's a nice toy. The Cosmo looks nice, too, but I do wish planet had spent their limited time and money improving the software on the Gemini rather than improving the hardware (which was already good).
The whole Debian on the Gemini was a huge distraction for Planet for a few vocal users. Because the device uses a Mediatek SoC getting proper support on Linux was always going to be difficult. For those who want to go that route, Sailfish is the better option. But personally, I think Android with a good SSH client is sufficient for most sys admin work that I'm likely to want to do on the move.
I had a Nokia Communicator. In fact I had two but the older brick was definitely the better one for what I wanted. Being retired I no longer have the business use case for either the Gemini or the Cosmo and can't justify either to myself at the price. Unless, as an earlier comment said, there are a lot of cheap Gemini coming onto the market.
I am not even remotely interested in Android because it's a spyware/malware magnet, but I'd buy a PDA running real Linux in a heartbeat.
However, Planet Computers' misleading advertising of Linux support on the Gemini does not bode well this time round. Although it does technically boot Linux, the choice of a MediaTek SOC which only provides closed-source Android blobs and no useful developer documentation means much of the hardware either doesn't work outside of Android or performs so poorly it amounts to pretty much the same thing.
Heaven forfend that the manufacturers of a machine that costs the thick end of a grand might use a decent SOC that is more amenable to being properly supported in Linux instead of penny-pinching and using the cheapest one they could find.
Well, it's not there yet. Let's visit this when Linix support is actually there and then we'll see what they actually did.
There is no way I would be interested in closed source Android derivatives because that kinda misses the point completely - I might as well just buy an Android phone. If it's fully open source, however, I'd be interested, possibly even in volume.
Hi, I have the planet gemini (mediatek processor). I'm dual booting it with kali linux (also had debian on it) it works smoothly, it's easy to do whatever you like with it and Planet are very supportive. I am assuming the Planet Ethos will not change with the cosmo (I am an early backer), continuing with mediatek will allow a quicker turnaround getting linux's up and running. I don't find Planet's advertising misleading, you can do whatever you want with the hardware and load whatever software you wish, they are a small outfit and doing an awesome job with limited resources (and make all technical details available), join the community and help them.
Your assertion that the hardware is the "cheapest one they could find" and that it will "perform so poorly" is complete nonsense. The "bang for buck" is truly amazing for ealry indiegogo deals (gemini : £250 (4gb RAM), cosmo (6gb ram): £415) and linux performs much quicker than my previous x86 laptop (with 8gb RAM). Who are you comparing them against Apple, Samsung, Sony ?? no-one is giving a similar value proposition.
I would suggest you pick up a 2nd hand gemini (for £100-150 when cosmo upgraders get on ebay) and see the performance for yourself instead of spouting ill informed views.
It sort of reminds me of Motorola's efforts with its "Atrix" dock about 7-8 years ago. My first Android phone was a Moto, and when plugged into a display you could choose "desktop mode", which was a pretty credible effort to add productivity to that little phone. You didn't even need the pricey dock. Add a Bluetooth (or even a wired) keyboard and mouse and you had pretty much the same thing, albeit in not as slick of a package.
No it's not
The BlackBerry KeyOne / KeyTwo have a reasonably usable system by double-tapping the keyboard to enter edit mode, then move the cursor around with swipes.
Admittedly, cursor keys would maybe be nicer, but I feel "completely impossible" is overly hyperbolic
I thoroughly approve of the product tho, the HTC TyTn 2 was my favorite phone ever, I would kill for another phone in that form-factor
I have an unused Gemini, which I liked. But the keyboard <ENTER> key gave up. And it is useless as a phone. Oh - and the bluetooth was well dodgy. (Seriously: anyone want to buy it? For postage & a beer? Reply on this forum.)
I look forward to my Communicator (I'm an early backer) - as this I expect/hope will solve all of those issues. I loved the keyboard on the Gemini. Beautiful for emails/LinkedIn/etc.
I missed my Psion Mx 5 series terribly. The Gemini allowed me to once again access that wonderful keyboard (on a device smaller than the Psion) and with a very nice screen. No other instrument that small has allowed me the productivity the Gemini has. The only drawbacks were that the processor was a bit slow and that the keyboard was not backlit. Planet asked all of us backers what we would like to see on the Cosmo, and all 3 lead needs, a front screen, a usable camera, and a backlit keyboard (as well as a faster processor and Android 9) are included in the Cosmo.
I have now used the Cosmo as a productivity device (and backup phone) and the backlit keyboard is wonderful so that I can type now in complete darkness - a boon on planes and in dark lecture halls. I have not used the 24-MP camera yet. The faster processor is great. Planet is paying attention and have already flashed 2 firmware updates for managing the front display optimally. I think they have the potential to be a niche company in the phone/computer world if more people who miss their Psion just buy the device. It is a wonderful culmination of the Phone/PDA hybrid vision.
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