Sharp corners when Cosmo is open

[Robert]

Has anyone else noticed that the corners of the hinge are very sharp when the Cosmo is open?  I keep cutting my fingers on it, and it snags when it put it down on certain surfaces.

I've been thinking of filing the corners a bit to make them less sharp.  Does anyone have a better idea?

[Dickon Hood]

Mine's a marked improvement on the Gemini, which bit me on several occasions: getting the soft, fleshy parts of a finger trapped between the case and the cover when snapping the thing shut really *hurts*.

[Robert]

Mine's a marked improvement on the Gemini, which bit me on several occasions: getting the soft, fleshy parts of a finger trapped between the case and the cover when snapping the thing shut really *hurts*.

I've never had a Gemini.  With the Cosmo, the problem is mainly when I have to hold it in both hands because there's no place to put it down, or when I put it on a table with a tablecloth.

I got the Cosmo mainly for the keyboard, but I think I'd have preferred a slider approach.  <Ducks, runs....>

[shuntcap]

I got the Cosmo mainly for the keyboard, but I think I'd have preferred a slider approach.  <Ducks, runs....>

<Bumps into shuntcap> ... Check out the F(x)tec Pro1 at https://www.fxtec.com/.  That has a slider keyboard with a great deal more keys than the Gemini/Cosmo, but doesn't look quite as comfortable for touch typing on a table surface.  Think of an oversized QWERTY Motorola Droid or LG slider phone with a tilting display.  F(x)tec has had a number of production and shipping setbacks, but it looks like they're finally making progress in shipping devices.

[adfh]

After making a G Pay transaction the other night, I made the mistake of closing my Cosmo one handed with my left hand, and ended up pinching the skin between my middle two fingers... Owww...

[NormMonkey]

After making a G Pay transaction the other night, I made the mistake of closing my Cosmo one handed with my left hand, and ended up pinching the skin between my middle two fingers... Owww...

Were you able to make the GPay transaction?
I tried several times but I always get an error, "the phone moved away too fast" and "try holding the phone to the terminal for a longer time"
I tried tapping the phone to the terminal using several positions, and each time I was sure to keep it there and not move it away.
I think that the NFC sensor area is on the front cover, closer to the top near the camera, yes?

[Marc Laporte]

Has anyone else noticed that the corners of the hinge are very sharp when the Cosmo is open?

I concur. It's minor and I am getting used to it, but it's good feedback for Planet Computers.

[adfh]

Were you able to make the GPay transaction?
I tried several times but I always get an error, "the phone moved away too fast" and "try holding the phone to the terminal for a longer time"
I tried tapping the phone to the terminal using several positions, and each time I was sure to keep it there and not move it away.
I think that the NFC sensor area is on the front cover, closer to the top near the camera, yes?

Correct, the quickstart guide lists the NFC antenna as being located around the camera and flash.

Knowing where the antenna is on the phone, and on whatever device I'm trying to authenticate to, it'll work. Where it gets fun is where it's not entirely obvious where the antenna is on the payment terminal.
I flip the phone open, wake it up with Esc key if the shop person hasn't gotten the EMV reader ready in time, and then position the camera over the EMV reader, keeping it in place until I hear the EMV reader chime.

I have once had to reboot the phone to restore NFC, but besides that it's been pretty consistent.
I've also noticed sometimes that the Cosmo/G-Pay can be slow to respond to a scan on the Cosmo, but that the EMV reader captured the details fine.

I have added G-Pay to the list of apps that Duraspeed may not kill (may run in the background).

[Robert]

I got the Cosmo mainly for the keyboard, but I think I'd have preferred a slider approach.  <Ducks, runs....>

<Bumps into shuntcap> ... Check out the F(x)tec Pro1 at https://www.fxtec.com/.  That has a slider keyboard with a great deal more keys than the Gemini/Cosmo, but doesn't look quite as comfortable for touch typing on a table surface.  Think of an oversized QWERTY Motorola Droid or LG slider phone with a tilting display.  F(x)tec has had a number of production and shipping setbacks, but it looks like they're finally making progress in shipping devices.

I saw that back when I was deciding whether or not to buy (er, "back") the Cosmo.  It seemed to be farther from release and way more expensive at the time.

My real issue is not clamshell vs. slider as such, it's just when and where I can type.  The Cosmo is a bit difficult to handle when I don't have a surface to put it on.  It's hard to hold it and type on it at the same time.

Also, I wish it were smaller.  The longest dimension is quite long for me; if it were shorter it would be easier to hold and type (or thumb-type).   I'd take a smaller screen to get that (ducks, runs....)

[shuntcap]

Also, I wish it were smaller.  The longest dimension is quite long for me; if it were shorter it would be easier to hold and type (or thumb-type).   I'd take a smaller screen to get that (ducks, runs....)

<Bumps into shuntcap... again> I hear you. I'm still using my LG D520 (Optimus F3Q) qwerty slider. I have seven qwerty sliders from the 2011-2012 era. They're all much smaller than the Cosmo, Gemini, or Pro1.  I backed the Cosmo... it sits unopened.  I backed the Gemini... it sits in a window working as a backup LTE gateway (with flawless uptime, by the way). The Gemini was quite large but nice on a table, though the lack of a backlit keyboard was a big issue for me. That said, the Cosmo and Gemini have a huge advantage over other phones (including the Pro1 probably) in that they will not accidentally turn from accidental button presses while in your pocket or when you pull them out.

I can actually thumb-type on the Gemini (and on the Cosmo I would assume), but the lack of sticky keys makes shifting just about impossible if the device isn't on a table.  Let me clarify that: Android needs sticky modifier keys (Shift, Alt, Fn, Ctrl) that are designed to stick once when pressed, not the "sticky" repeating keys related to quality control errors on the Cosmo!

[Robert]

Also, I wish it were smaller.  The longest dimension is quite long for me; if it were shorter it would be easier to hold and type (or thumb-type).   I'd take a smaller screen to get that (ducks, runs....)

<Bumps into shuntcap... again> I hear you. I'm still using my LG D520 (Optimus F3Q) qwerty slider. I have seven qwerty sliders from the 2011-2012 era. They're all much smaller than the Cosmo, Gemini, or Pro1.  I backed the Cosmo... it sits unopened.  I backed the Gemini... it sits in a window working as a backup LTE gateway (with flawless uptime, by the way). The Gemini was quite large but nice on a table, though the lack of a backlit keyboard was a big issue for me. That said, the Cosmo and Gemini have a huge advantage over other phones (including the Pro1 probably) in that they will not accidentally turn from accidental button presses while in your pocket or when you pull them out.

I can actually thumb-type on the Gemini (and on the Cosmo I would assume), but the lack of sticky keys makes shifting just about impossible if the device isn't on a table.  Let me clarify that: Android needs sticky modifier keys (Shift, Alt, Fn, Ctrl) that are designed to stick once when pressed, not the "sticky" repeating keys related to quality control errors on the Cosmo!

I completely agree.  I was also using an FQ3 for many years (and a Droid3 before that).  Trouble is, the phone functions of the F3Q weren't working so well, some apps stopped working (probably a library upgrade not compatible with the now-very-old Android version, but that's just a guess.  Then, a few weeks before my Cosmo arrived, my F3Q failed completely -- endless rebooting but never actually finishing the boot process and becoming usable.  (Fortunately, this happened a few hours after I ran a backup!)

If I could have had the outer physical features of the F3Q and the inner workings of the Cosmo, that would be great.

[gidds]

Judging from a quick Google (and from memories of briefly using an N900), a device like the F3Q or Pro1 would be pretty useless to me.

I can sit in a meeting and take notes with my Gemini (as I did with my Psion 5mx before it); it's a bit cramped, but you can just about touch-type, not too far off full laptop speeds.  Similarly, many of my posts on this very site are composed on the Gemini.  (Not to mention use of vim, ssh, etc.)

A mini keyboard like those other devices just isn't suited to that sort of use: the keys are too close together, and the action and travel aren't up to it.  It may be a lot better than an on-screen virtual keyboard, but still a lot slower and more fiddly than a Cosmo-style keyboard.

Of course, everyone's needs are different, and there's no One True Device.  But for me, the Gemini/Cosmo form factor is far better.

[NormMonkey]

Of course, everyone's needs are different, and there's no One True Device.  But for me, the Gemini/Cosmo form factor is far better.

The keyboard on this thing is fantastic.  As you say, I can almost touch-type.  The most frustrating thing is slowing down to do Fn- punctuations like quotes and colons and whatnot that I don't yet have muscle memory for, and to me that's a good thing to be frustrated by.

I had an HTC Dream back in the day and I loved the slide-out keyboard, but those little chicklet buttons are not in the same league as this proper keyboard.  I'm sure the FxTec Pro1 will feel like buttons instead of keyboard keys.

If the Cosmo were less wide it might be easier to thumb-type but I feel like it is already at the limit of smallness for touch-typing on a tabletop.

I have no problem with shifting while thumb-typing since there's a Shift on either side.  Fn / Ctrl / Alt combos are a bit challenging, I have to slow down and use the left thumb to hold the mod-key while reaching with the other, but it's do-able - Even Fn-A.  Fortunately the Fn-key combos for most punctuation marks are on the right so they're more easily thumb-typed.  I feel like this is not just a happy accident.

Sticky-modifier would be a nice-to-have (especially if we can choose to "sticky" Shift or not).  Maybe even customize the RGB LED to indicate which modifier key is toggled.  Right now it's only red for Shift or blue for power-on, I think?



When I first got the Cosmo I found that some of the keys were a bit stiff and would bind a bit, but it is a pleasant surprise to find that the keyboard is breaking in nicely and these issues are going away.  I imagine edges and surfaces that were rough from manufacturing that are starting to smoothen and polish up.

[Daniel W]

Has anyone else noticed that the corners of the hinge are very sharp when the Cosmo is open?  I keep cutting my fingers on it, and it snags when it put it down on certain surfaces.
I've been thinking of filing the corners a bit to make them less sharp. Does anyone have a better idea?

On my Cosmo, those corners are pointy, but I haven't found a spot sharp enough to cut myself or snag something, so maybe yours weren't treated quite right at the factory, and might need a tad of rounding off.

Or maybe I'm just weird. When I don't have a flat surface nearby, I tend to hold my Cosmo by those corners, usually with my left thumb on one of them and my left middle finger on the other. That leaves my left ring finger and pinky to support the bottom half of the device, while my index finger ends up somewhere on the back of the lid. The grip reminds a bit of when a waiter supports a plate on the tips of their fingers on one hand, except my thumb and middle finger actually holds on to the corners. This gives me a fairly secure one-handed grip of my Cosmo, leaving my right hand free to tap and type.

I used to do something similar with my Gemini, but there I had to be a bit careful not to dislodge the metal plate from the back of the device. Since the metal is thicker and sturdier on my Cosmo and there are actual corners, not just edges, to grip, I feel a bit more confident when holding the Cosmo that way, than I used to with the Gemini.

Some of the three-finger combinations, such as typing Å on my keyboard, was a bit weird to manage with just one hand at first, but with my right thumb on the Fn key and my right pinky on the right Shift key, my right ring finger hits P (which gives an Å) fairly easily.