Messages

1

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Booting into an alternative OS

« on: February 15, 2021, 01:28:51 am »

I should apologise for bringing this up. I've had a Cosmo Communicatototr for some time, now, but have not paid much attention to the other booting options. I did install the alternatives in the earlier days, but found that I spent all my tine in Android. I've decided that I ought to broaden my scope by using more of the device's offeringgs. But for the life of me, I cannot get it to boot into anything other than Android. After much searchings, I came across the instruction  to turn on the device and hold down the Volume Up key ((Function V). But this has no effect and the thing just boots, as normal into Android. can anyone give me a nudge into the proper way of doing this?

2

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Remote File Location

« on: June 30, 2020, 09:56:18 am »

The particular point is that since on creating a database, the user is given no choice as to where and what is the file that is holding the data. Even Windows (At leastwhen I did actually use Windows, a good few years ago) offered to locate the saved files in a directory (folder) of your choice. If Planet Data had this facility, it could be located remotely, such that any Android device which could access for read and write, could use a single data set. As it stands, you have to have identical databases on every device that you want to use, with no way of syncronising any of them. So a single exta piece of data has to be entered by hand on every device. Which is totally unworkable.
I did create  a test database, both on an Android phone, and on the Cosmo, and then searched for where the data file might be. I did, eventually find a file structure in >Android>data>com.prpla.gemini.data.file, bu it only records an empty folder. I even ran (on the Cosmo) as rooted Android but that too showed an empty folder. Always assuming that the machine was actually running rooted, since there seems no obvious way of establishing the fact. I am aware that the user functions in Android are quite capable of telling you that a directory is empty, when in fact it does hold files. But I would have expected them to show in the rooted version.
The import of database using .CSV (Comma Separated Values), does not work either. .CSV does not actually import a database, it simply imports the data. To use it, you have to creatte a new, empty database on the new device, with the same field structure. Then use the import facility to populate the database. But this does not work, either. It is quite legitimate to have a database with empty fields. Perhaps for that item the field does not apply, or that item of data is not known. But what does happen on import, is that the data which should be entered in the next field, is, in fact, put in the field which should be empty. Then all subsequent data in that entry is in the wrong place. On my Psion netBook, I have seventeen databases, some of them I'd love to have on the Cosmo, Even if they were nowhere else, but the required multiple correction make it not worth the effort. particularly since they cannot easily be kept in sync

3

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Remote File Location

« on: June 29, 2020, 10:40:01 am »

From what I'm able to gather, there is no way to make e.g. windows file shares (Samba mounts) visible in Android as a storage directly to apps (just like internal storage is). If there is a method to that, someone can point that out.

However, you *can* mount samba file shares in general.

So what I think you can do is:

  - Root your phone
  - Mount your samba share
  - Do a bind-mount or symlink (As root) from the application's data storage directory to your network drive mount point

Haven't tested.

Obvious solution is of course just use Google drive...

Actually, there is such a facility. to use remote files in an app.VLC has the facility to load video from devices on the LAN, in addition to files held in local storage. But this does noy get round the problem of not knowing where, in the present case, the files are stored, nor the name of the file. If that was known, there is a possibility that the the file could be a link to a remote file

4

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Remote File Location

« on: June 29, 2020, 02:37:30 am »

I thought I made the cas e clear. However, let me put it another way. if I create a new database in Data. The device , whatever it is, will store that database as a file. We're not told what the file will be called, or where it's stored. Now a database is a store of knowledge, generally about data which is not a part of the device. it might be, say a database of a book collection, distributed about the house. The database will, perhaps tell me the Title, the Author, the Genre, the location of the bookcase and the shelf the book is on. All this data is relevant to things held external to the device, but the data is only local to that device. If I want to see this data on another device, I can copy it from the one to the other. But that gives me two databases, which are not linked to each other. If I add more book titles to one, I have to carry out the same exercise on the other. It makes sense to have the database source file held centrally, on a server, which the app on all devices can access. Since this is in Android, then theoretically (and hopefully, practically), this data can be accessed from any Android device. On my Linux machines, I have Calibre as my books database, and I can read any book therein whilst attached to the LAN. Now, Calibre is a physical database, it holds the actual book file, whereas Data is a knowledge database which holds only information on the book, and not the book itself.
In the days of yore (not very lonhg ago, you probably only had one device, and a database on that device was sufficient, but now, with most of us having a number of similar devices, phones, tablets desktop machines it makes sense to have central storage and access.

5

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Remote File Location

« on: June 27, 2020, 04:37:10 am »

This is a bit of a flyer. I'm a bit of a fan of databases, and have a good number on my old psion netBook.Unfortunately, I've not really succeeded in transfering these to the Cosmo. The files will transfer, (as .csv) but empty fields in the source do not get installed in the target, so all the data is mislocated across many fillds
However, there is another problem. With a number of Android devices, it is not very satisfactory to have, say a data file instlalled on mulitiple devices, since there's no real way of keeping them in sync. It would be better to have a central server, which holds a single copy, which can be accessed by a number of devices.  Taking Data as an example, we're not given the opportunity to locate the data file anywhere but where the app puts it, wherever that might be We don't have even the opportunity to locate the daa file in the SD card, if we have one. I've a reasonably large collection of video files on a NAS unit, which is accessible by almost every device I have. On the Cosmo, the CX File explorer allows me to stream the video content, with ease, from the NAS init.
Does anyone have any idea how the same facility can be obtained for files generated on individual devices? It would ertainly widen the scope of the Cosmo quite markedly.

6

Cosmo Communicator - Android / Cosmo cannot connect to telco Three Home Signal Unit

« on: March 10, 2020, 11:24:39 am »

The Home Signal unit functions as a filter, only registered phone numbers are accepted. The only factor that three require is the 'phones number, They already have that, since the SIM when fitted in the Gemini works. Putting the SIM in the Cosmo also works when in an area where there is a signal. VoWiFi also works. Setting up the connection also works, up to the point when the setup is complete. It would appear that the Cosmo does not like the Home Signal, or the Home signal does not like the Cosmo. Since the Home Signal likes the Gemini, it rather looks like the Cosmo has a problem. If the somewhat uninformative signal light on the Home Signal, is to be believed, there is traffic between Cosmo and the Home Signal unit while the setup is in progress
I've set up the VoWiFi on the Cosmo, and it works fine. The only snag, here, is that the Cosmo concludes that there is no phone connection and puts up a message that only emergency calls are permitted, despite the VoWiFi symbol being displayed next the the (empty) triangle of the phone signal strength, and phone calls work coming in or going out.
I'm quite happy with the VoWiFi, and since the house is stuffed with WiFi relays, the effective range of phone connection is better than that of the Home Signal unit which lamentably, is a bit short on power. At one time I had one of Vodafone's femto cell units, and that had a range of some 30 metres. Three's contribution struggles to manage 10 metres, probably since the house is better than 200 years old, with stone walls two feet thick.

Rod

7

Cosmo Communicator - Android / Cosmo cannot connect to telco Three Home Signal Unit

« on: March 08, 2020, 03:35:41 pm »

The femto cell is 3g. I don't think there are any other options. Going through the process again:-
Settings> network & Internet>Mobile network. both manual and auto selection indicate the three network.
The next step brings up the message "registering on 3 3g" and there's a longish wait. Then a message pops up "Cannot connect to this network at the moment. Try again later"

If I take the SIM out of the Cosmo and put it back into the Gemini, It works.
If I go out and find an area where there is a signal (and that is a fair distance away!), the phone will connect.

It's not really a serious problem, since the Cosmo has telephone connection through Wifi, and that does work. Having just installed the "linux for Cosmo" option, and having to start over with setting the thing up,I thought I'd give it another try on the Home Signal unit, before setting up the Wifi option

8

Cosmo Communicator - Android / Rooted Android install problems

« on: March 06, 2020, 08:47:57 pm »

...
The snag here, is that VOL+/VOL- (Fnc,Fnv) does nothing.
...

Are you pressing the fingerprint rocker (on the outside of the cosmo) for Vol+/Vol-? That's how I can scroll the menu.

Blow me, it worked!!! But why not the keyboard way? You have to key ESCAPE to select.

Cheers, lokomoko

9

Cosmo Communicator - Android / Cosmo cannot connect to telco Three Home Signal Unit

« on: March 06, 2020, 06:59:47 pm »

I live in an area which has no mobile phone signal. Three, my Telephone Services Supplier, have supplied me with one of their Home Signal units. Commonly referred to as a booster, It is, in fact a complete micro power signal mast in it's own right. A femto  signal station. This is arranged to only accept calls to and from a registered series of numbers. The unit connects by ethernet cable to my router and handles calls over the internet. It works with any number of 'phones, even with a pre-breakup Nokia 700. It works with my, earlier Gemini, with no problems at all.. However, the Cosmo refuses totally to connect to the unit, even though all else is fine. The SIM from the Gemini now sits in the Cosmo. Moving it from the one to the other. Works in the Gemini, does not in the Cosmo. Fortunately, the Cosmo has voice over wifi facilities, so I can, and have used that. Away from the house, where a 3g signal is available (about two miles away!), connection is fine, so it's not a phone function problem
Any ideas, anyone?

Rod Goslin

10

Cosmo Communicator - Android / Rooted Android install problems

« on: March 06, 2020, 03:03:12 pm »

I've finally bitten the bullet and installed the rooted version of Android, in line with the recent instruction set (Linux for Cosmo). It was a bit of a wrench to watch  the carefully set-up and arranged screens of apps disappear down the tubes. Hey Ho.
Despite a few trepidation's, the install appeared to go well. At least, the re-boot did display the options. However, it's at this stage where the problems arose. Try as I might, I cannot invoke any of the options. The instructions are plain. "Press VOL+/VOL- to move up/down. Press ESCAPE to select". The snag here, is that VOL+/VOL- (Fnc,Fnv) does nothing. The command, when booted works perfectly in raising and dropping the speaker volume, but not in the options menu. Too, in many occasions when re-booting from a normal shut down (Long press on ESCAPE), the options menu is NOT presented. But if closed down by selecting to re-start, in the close down menu, the options are always displayed. Something I find rather annoying, is the 5 seconds before an automatic default boot begins. 5 Seconds!!!! It takes more than five seconds to read and assimilate the list of options, never mind the two key Fn command to pick an option. If such an action were actually possible.
I'm a bit reluctant to go through the process of loading in all the apps I want, setting up Contacts and the phone system, if there's a chance that I'll have to go through the install process again.

11

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Audible indication of dialling

« on: January 24, 2020, 07:01:02 pm »

Ah, found it! Apparently it's under 'Call Volume' in the settings, which, by default is set to inaudible for a new installation. Not that the absolute maximum is particularly loud, but is adequate in a not particularly noisy area.

12

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Audible indication of dialling

« on: January 24, 2020, 05:04:45 pm »

I'm not sure whether this is me, and I'm missing some setting. On all Android phones I've used, when calling a number, when the call is going through, the dialling tone to the called number is repeated in the calling phone, thereby indicating that all is going as it should. However, with my Cosmo, on dialling a number, there is total silence until the called phone is picked up, or the call ends, or, presumably, whatever else might happen, like going to voice mail, etc. Silence may be golden, but not in this instance.

13

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Clearing the phone history

« on: January 24, 2020, 05:02:50 pm »

Thanks for the replies. On further checking, I find that this is an Android thing. I'd not noticed it on an ordinary phone. It's just that the cover display on the Cosmo being minimalistic, and quite nicely so, it does make a deal of finger work scrolling to the required recent entry. Clearing old call history is usually not something you do piecemeal, so multiple delete of selected entries would be nice, instead of the tedious one at a time thing. Looks like I'm going to have to trawl thro' Play store for a more versatile dialler

14

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Clearing the phone history

« on: January 21, 2020, 06:52:56 pm »

Maybe I'm missing something, but is there anyway of deleting individual item of phone history. There is an option for deleting all history, which does not differentiate between incoming and outgoing, but this is a bit of a sledgehammer. I'm a bit reluctant to experiment, since this often invokes the Law of Unintended Consequences. As in trying to delete an unsolicited call, there's a high risk of actually making the call to the spam caller. Definitely not a good idea. On What's App, as an example, I can delete messages singly, in groups, and entirely, with reasonable ease.

15

Gemini PDA - Android / Android 8.1 for the Gemini to be available later this week

« on: May 15, 2019, 06:28:32 am »

Flashing is going to be the next step. having done a factory settings reset, there's nothing on the machine, now, to lose.