For those considering of purchasing a Cosmo, below are some first impressions. I don't cover negatives or what could be improved. I will post negatives and potential improvements in a future post. I am a former owner/user of a Palm Pre and Nokia n900. My current phone is a Blackberry Priv. Thus, I am a fan of physical keyboards. I purchased the Cosmo because of the keyboard and potential to install SailfishOS/Debian on it.
First LooksWhen the Cosmo first arrived, I did not turn it on. Instead, I took it to work and showed it to others to get their impressions of the Cosmo. Everyone who saw the Cosmo was impressed with its build quality and weight. The weight give the device a nice feel. Many gave the Cosmo a thumbs up for its sleek look. I say sleek because nobody said that it looked thick. It is definitely thinner than what I was expecting. The black and dark gray go well and the Cosmo looks sophisticated IMHO. Of course, others are free to disagree. The metal body helps to make the device feel solid and high quality. Opening the Cosmo takes force, but nobody said it was too much force. Everyone was curious what the Cosmo is like when turned on.
Note: The Cosmo I received did not have scratches on the front or back.First ImpressionAfter I got the Cosmo set up with my Google account and imported my data (files, music, photos) from my previous phone, I was left with getting to know the Cosmo. At first, the Cosmo did feel strange to use because I was not used to such a large keyboard and holding a phone horizontally. The last time I used a horizontal phone was a Nokia n900 (ugh, I loved that phone!), which was approximately 6+ years ago. Although using the Cosmo keyboard is not required, I could not use the same swipes I use on my Priv with the Cosmo because (a) Blackberry customized the Android home screen with unique gestures that I learned and used every day and (2) going to a horizontal screen felt more foreign than I was expecting where the usability of the Priv did not transfer to the Cosmo. Besides, the keyboard is so large on the Cosmo, it is a waste not to use it.
Thus, I spent quite a bit of time learning as much of the Cosmo keyboard features/functions I could. The keyboard is not quite big enough to comfortably touch type with all four/five fingers with two hands like I do on a normal keyboard. The Cosmo is small enough that holding the Cosmo and typing with two thumbs is not an issue (i.e., doable/comfortable). When setting the Cosmo down and typing with two hands, typing with two or three fingers and a thumb is comfortable.
For me, the biggest reason I do not type fast on the Cosmo keyboard is due to not knowing all of the locations of the letters, punctuation marks, etc. The Cosmo keyboard is small enough to put a few keys in unfamiliar places (e.g., comma). I am confident I will become faster typing on the Cosmo as I get used to it.
Despite not being fast typing on the Cosmo, I am liking it quite a lot already. Planet Computers has put a lot of functionality into it. Using the keyboard makes me feel like touching the screen is unnecessary for many things. For example, I love pressing the Fn+A key followed by the Tab and Del keys to close out open applications. Things I prefer to do using the keyboard compared to touching the screen include:
- Closing out open apps (used most often)
- Displaying the Home screen
- Launching the Phone/dialing app
- Launching the Settings app
Initially, the Front Panel Display (FPD) is a very screen but the functionality of the FPD was underwhelming. This was because I was using the FPD mostly to unlock the Cosmo. It was not until I left the house for the first time and made a call with the FPD. Wow! How convenient it is to use the FPD to make a call. Planet Computers has worked hard to make it easy for users to find a number and call it. The glass on the FPD feels very smooth and solid. The FPD does not feels high quality. I am very impressed with the FPD precision (i.e., distinguish between small text) it can respond to an input. I am no expert in this matter, so my thoughts are not based on facts, just impression by a lay person.
My initial impression of Android 9 was not a 'Wow' due to (a) being unfamiliar with Android 9 and ( lack of customized home screen and the Planet Computers App Bar. After I installed my favorite apps and configured the Home screen and App Bar to my liking, the Cosmo really feels like a device that will be useful to me.
What I Like so far- The keyboard!
- The build quality!
- Making calls with the front panel display
- The Notes App - sorting by most recently updated and searching are fantastic!
- The Agenda App - what a great looking and highly functional app!
SummaryMy first impression unexpected and positive. I am glad to have backed this project.
First Look - "
This device looks cool!"
First Impression of Usability - "
I need to learn how to use the keyboard and front panel display to maximize its potential (I like learning new things!)"
Initial Impression - "
This device is cool and I think I am going to like using it!"
Thanks Planet Computers for making this device. It is a good effort and I hope you continue to support the Cosmo post launch with software updates and other software enhancements.
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