Messages

1

Cosmo Communicator - Android / Cosmo Communicator running on Google Fi

« on: November 10, 2019, 12:20:40 pm »

Alright.  I have about 48 hours now of getting acquainted with my new Cosmo and sorting out the ends and bits of using it as an unsupported device on Google Fi.

Top line?  Works - so long as you DO NOT INSTALL THE GOOGLE FI APP.  Doing so means that if you ever want to receive an SMS message again you're looking at a factory reset AND getting stuck in a never ending loop of failed device registration.

I shut down my old Google Fi phone, pulled the SIM, put it and a 400GB Sandisk card into the Cosmo, powered on and it worked.  Then I installed the Google Fi app, merrily went about installing dozens of other things - then figured out that my SMS sends were not making it through.

Trouble shooting on a long road...  I went through four factory resets, trying different methods and twists of installing the Google Fi app.  Voice, data, SMS work before installing the Google Fi app.  After, Voice and Data still work, SMS receive works, but SMS send dies and the app fails to register the device properly - which throws it into a never ending fail to register loop - which eats battery..

Other than not being able to run the Google Fi application itself, it seems to be working quite well.  Every time I restart, the device prompts me to install the Google Fi application so that it is fully registered.  So, I have to select 'later' every time.

When I log into the Google Fi application via web browser, it has the Planet Cosmo Communicator listed as one of my devices and with my proper phone number assigned to it.

Will this device ever be fully supported by Google Fi and it's application?  Well, I doubt Google Fi is going to even blink unless they have a few thousand of these showing up on their network.

Is anyone else trying to use the Cosmo on Google Fi?  Have you had any better/worse/different results than I have?

2

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Scam?

« on: November 10, 2019, 12:06:39 pm »

Definitely not a scam.  My Gemini is now in a close friends hand, and the cosmo was delivered to me today, a generally excellent upgrade all around.  Don't let your imagination run wild in the absence of information.  Especially when your theories require extraordinary proof and you lack any trace of it.

Congratulations!

I too have physical proof that this is not a scam sitting on the desk next to me in the form of a Planet Computers Cosmo Communicator.  So, for the FUD spreaders, consider this information double sourced.

3

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Latest updates on Indiegogo

« on: November 07, 2019, 07:02:50 pm »

Received UPS tracking number. According to that my Cosmo in transit from Chek Lap Kok, HK with delivery due by end of day tomorrow...

428 from November 5th, 2018 locked, so may get by first anniversary...

SNi

Same here.  Order 7xx.  They seem to be moving right through the orders now.

And mine is already showing up as being in Anchorage Alaska.  Tomorrow evening arrival might be a real possibility.

4

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Latest updates on Indiegogo

« on: November 07, 2019, 03:13:13 pm »

Received UPS tracking number. According to that my Cosmo in transit from Chek Lap Kok, HK with delivery due by end of day tomorrow...

428 from November 5th, 2018 locked, so may get by first anniversary...

SNi

Same here.  Order 7xx.  They seem to be moving right through the orders now.

5

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Scam?

« on: October 24, 2019, 03:04:23 pm »

I backed the Gemini and it shipped. It's sitting on my desk next to me.

I too use my Planet Computers Gemini daily and have had no problems whatsoever with it.  I consider the Gemini to be a great example of a crowdfunding success.

No, the Cosmo is not a scam.

Whoever wrote that 'article' clearly has character assassination, not information, on their mind.  Whoever is posting links to it is either the author or a witting or unwitting puppet to help spread this misinformation and FUD.

6

Gemini PDA - Android / OXI on Gemini

« on: February 26, 2019, 02:20:50 pm »

I would love to see PD. Being able to charge my Mac from the same port I am using for network and hdmi is great.

On a Mediatek device that would be, "Pump Express".  It all depends on the CPU & device manufacturer and their licensed proprietary method they own or license.
https://www.androidauthority.com/fast-charg...plained-889780/

USB IF licensee = Power Delivery  (Google Pixel, some Apple products)

Otherwise it appears to be SoC manufacturer dependent.
Mediatek = Pump Express
Qualcomm = Quick Charge
Huawei = Super Charge
OnePlus = WarpCharge
Motorola = TurboPower

Yes, it would be nice if the manufacturers could all use the USB C port in a standardized way.  If their option is to pay a license fee for the 'standard' vs spending half as much to include their own standard...  I suspect, though, that as long as Planet Computers uses the Mediatek SoCs, they are likely going to be tied to using Mediatek's Pump Express instead of licensing Power Delivery from USB IF.

7

Cosmo Communicator - Hardware / USB-C

« on: February 25, 2019, 02:03:47 pm »

Don't get me wrong.  Charging through both ports is going to be way easier when connecting it up for the night on the bedside table.  No longer will we have to figure out which side the hinge is on, orient the device then make sure we're plugging into the left hand side.

However, I'm still a bit concerned as to whether they have taken on and fixed the Gemini's face palm USB C issue.

Gemini
Right port is able to:
  -USB C direct to device - cannot run a hub - not good to charge through (no fast charging).
  -HDMI adapter for external monitor

Left port is able to:
  -Fast Charge via the included USB C power adapter
  -USB C hub to devices (Keyboard, mouse)

The problem is that the left port is an OR.  Despite the Planet Computers hub having a USB C power inlet on the hub - that power is only usable by the client devices connected to the hub.  It is incapable of charging or powering the Gemini back through the hub.  So, with the two ports and their caveats it winds up being a case of:

Gemini Pick Two Conundrum:
-supply power to the Gemini
-connect keyboard & mouse
-connect to an external monitor

To operate as a 'desktop replacement', the Cosmo is going to have to do (at minimum) those three things - at the same time.

8

Gemini PDA - Android / OXI on Gemini

« on: February 25, 2019, 01:52:03 pm »

OXI subscription?  So - some monthly charge to be able to have more than one Android application on a window on the screen at once when using the HDMI dongle...?  No thanks.

It almost sounds like they're cloud virtualizing this - running the apps video output to a cloud server then sending the resulting 'image' for the external display back to the Gemini?  Sounds like a big waste of bandwidth.

If the Gemini (with or without OXI) is going to see any advertising as a 'desktop replacement', then they really must figure out a way to charge it while connected to the HDMI output AND a USB hub (Keyboard & mouse) - all at the same time.   I understand that there is an effort underway to fix this omission on the Cosmo such that it might be able to charge while connected to it's own hub?

9

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / Some useful hints to get started for all who have received their Gemini

« on: February 20, 2019, 01:15:04 pm »

Useful shortcuts
• Press and hold a key to display international characters

And if you don't actually want it to do this - how can I turn this feature -off-?

Frankly, I want to be able to press and hold WASD for in-game navigation.  This international character display pop-up is getting in the way.

I got it sorted.

I had been foolishly looking through the Android settings menus.  This feature is configurable through the Planet Computers "Gemini Keyboard" management app, most likely sitting in your pop up menu bar form your home screen (though you might have to go searching through the apps bucket to find it).

Turning that off makes gaming better.

10

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / Some useful hints to get started for all who have received their Gemini

« on: February 20, 2019, 01:05:41 pm »

Useful shortcuts
• Press and hold a key to display international characters

And if you don't actually want it to do this - how can I turn this feature -off-?

Frankly, I want to be able to press and hold WASD for in-game navigation.  This international character display pop-up is getting in the way.

11

Gemini PDA - Android / Neverwinter Nights Enhanced Edition for Android

« on: February 16, 2019, 05:17:43 pm »

Wow - I had not really expected the negative reaction to this.

The game itself is different from most Android games.  It is an Android port of a game that plays native under Windows, Mac and X86 Linux.  It is HIGHLY keyboard bound.  When it was ported to Android by BeamDog, there was a lot of questions of, "Well, OK but why?  It can't play properly on a phone or even a tablet without a keyboard?"

There are still (tens of?) thousands of people who play this game regularly on persistent worlds.  Those worlds often require a 'check in' of sorts where if you don't log in periodically you can loose things like housing (the PWs can get VERY involved).  In order to interact with the game, the keyboard is used heavily - not something that is workable on pop-up keyboards that cover graphics.

There is currently NO other device than the Gemini that can play this game properly and still fit in a normal pocket.  When I figured this out, I had an "oh wow!" moment and thought it should be shared here - that this one really DOES work with the Gemini - and works very well.  The Gemini does get warm while playing it - and it's likely a battery hog.

If you're not into gaming, fine.  But this was not meant as an advertisement.  I have no financial interests in this.  But - if even a handful of people wind up buying Gemini phones based on it's ability to play this game, that is all for the better, right?  So, if anything, I'm promoting the Gemini (again, no financial gains for me).

And yes, I consider this to be a killer app for the Gemini - because it is the only device made that can do this game justice.  There is no competition to the Gemini for this niche of people who play this game and would like to be able to 'check in' from something that they can also use as a phone.

I had never thought that I would have to defend a post here for presenting an additional use case where the Gemini excels due to it's technical features.

12

Gemini PDA - Android / Neverwinter Nights Enhanced Edition for Android

« on: February 14, 2019, 12:30:00 pm »

It works.  In fact, it works pretty darn well actually.

Neverwinter Nights is seeing a pretty significant resurgence in popularity with the BeamDog Enhanced Edition updates and being present on the Steam store for PC/Mac/Linux.  However, hidden in all of that is a release through Google Play for NWNEE Android.

NWN is a keyboard heavy game.  It requires using WASD -and- arrow keys for navigation - you have to rotate the world and zoom in/out to see/do things.  AND on persistent worlds in particular, being able to communicate requires that keyboard.  I don't think of it as playable on a phone.  The Gemini changes that equation.

Not only is it playable, but it is enjoyable to play on the Gemini.  Last night I was logged in an playing on a NWN persistent world with ~90 other players on it.  I was able to navigate, communicate, etc.  Complex combat 'in game' for spellcasters might be a bit difficult - I haven't tried that yet.  For things like that you might still want to use a 'gaming rig'.  But for connecting and 'social interaction', it's a fantastic mobile solution.

13

Gemini PDA - Android / How likely is Android 8 really?

« on: August 10, 2018, 03:43:22 pm »

Has there been any word on the progress of Android 8, or Android P actually since that one is around the corner? I haven't ordered a Gemini yet and it worries me a little it's still stuck on Android 7, and all I've found on the internet is "well we would like to see Android 8 but have no estimate" - that seems worrisome for a completely new phone of this price range. I hope putting all those resources into Linux, the partitioner and other niche experiments won't distract the company too much from keeping Android up-to-date??

If Jolla gets Sailfish 3 working right on the Gemini with Android app support, then Android 8 becomes far less relevant.
https://blog.jolla.com/gemini/
According to that their plan is to have Sailfish 3 up for sale for the Gemini by the end of the year.

14

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / USA Phone & Data Networks

« on: July 30, 2018, 05:12:16 pm »

...

But the fact that connections are to varying degrees spotty (with the possible
exception of AT&T?) - reportedly more or less half the US frequencies seem to
be supported by the second-rate MediaTek chipset - appears to reflect a major
Gemini shortcoming for North American usage.

I wish a simple firmware reflash could improve the MediaTek performance.  :/

Is Planet Computing OK with writing off a 340-500 million potential North
American customers as things are now?   ...or do they have to be AT&T users?

Sure would be nice if Planet Computers would comment on all this.

Thanks,

PJS

There is nothing wrong with the Mediatek chipset.  It is primarily a GSM chipset for the European market.  In the US, the mobile phone networks are divided into two types of systems.  GSM and CDMA.  If you're on a CDMA, your phone will generally not travel with you to a GSM network.  Neither will a GSM phone typically travel with you to a CDMA network.

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407896,00.asp

I'm actually kind of shocked that the Gemini works on any CDMA networks at all.

15

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / USA Phone & Data Networks

« on: July 25, 2018, 05:00:30 pm »

AT&T
I put my SIM card into my Gemini, powered it on and it simply worked.

Keep in mind that Planet is a European company selling a Eurpean GSM phone.  Most Europeans have absolutely no clue what the USA's CDMA phone networks thing is all about.  Every network in Europe is GSM.  From a European perspective, everything is GSM and phones can move from carrier to carrier with a simple card exchange.  Planet's PR people quite possibly had no idea that CDMA existed.

Trying to use a European GSM phone on a US CDMA carrier doesn't work any better than trying to take a CDMA phone to a GSM network in Europe.  Incompatible standards.

You could always switch carriers?

Verizon, Sprint and US Cellular are all CDMA.  I had service with US Cellular once - they were fantastic.  Left them because they were CDMA and I wanted more fun devices.

T-Mobile and AT&T are GSM.  There are exceptions, but if you want the best general compatibility with European devices or networks, these are the US companies with the most similar phones & systems.