Observations regarding the mechanical construction

[suhrm]

Hi All.

Just got my Cosmo last week and overall I find it to be good device with solid mechanical construction. However, I do have a couple of observations that I like to discuss and hear whether other user have the same experience.

1) keyboard-wobble/lack of stabilization. I have found the keys to be quite wobbly is this also the case for other people as well? (not that this is big problem it just make harder to get use to the keyboard)
2) hinge not closing completely if the amount of force applied is low. In some cases where I close the lid gently I have to manually press on the lid to completely close it.

Regards.

Rasmus

[NormMonkey]

Just got my Cosmo last week and overall I find it to be good device with solid mechanical construction. However, I do have a couple of observations that I like to discuss and hear whether other user have the same experience.

1) keyboard-wobble/lack of stabilization. I have found the keys to be quite wobbly is this also the case for other people as well? (not that this is big problem it just make harder to get use to the keyboard)
2) hinge not closing completely if the amount of force applied is low. In some cases where I close the lid gently I have to manually press on the lid to completely close it.

For (1), I don't feel like the keys are wobbly, but they are a bit harder to press than I expected.  Could be that they are a bit tough because the unit is new and the plastic bits haven't polished against each other yet and are still a bit rough.
For (2), I get this also.  Keep in mind that when you close the lid all the way, all the keys are pressed down.  I also seem to recall someone saying that there are magnets to keep it closed?  So that final snap shut is due to the extra bit of force to push the keys down.

Personally I kind of like this quirk.  I am trying to be quite gentle and caring of my Cosmo, seeing as how it's not easily replaceable if I damage or mistreat it.  I like that it doesn't snap fully shut all at once if I am gentle about closing it.

[adfh]

I'm noticing some relaxing of the hinge - it's got a bit more of a wobble in it now when I type. You can break skin if you make the mistake of closing your phone and you have a bit of your palm between the halves of the phone, near the hinge end.
The metal that makes up the kickstand/outer-hinge is a bit rough on the ends, and I'd hate to get pinched by it.

Yeah, I see what you mean about the "two stage close" .

I do miss having hardware volume buttons outside of the phone! The external display is a nice idea, but the responsiveness is just not there.

[vldmr]

I dropped my cosmo on carpeted floor today. Not a dangerous drop, any phone would stand it. What makes this episode worth mentioning is that the drop lead to back cover popped separate from the body exposing battery. It happened in public place and I was completely unprepared not even remebering which way it was fit (it is assymetrical by the way). All ended well, I clipped it back right way (after I forced it wrong way and it fell apart again). But now I feel I should treat this device like a snowflake. You probably should too...

[gymbo]

But now I feel I should treat this device like a snowflake. You probably should too...

You mean that you now put it in a freezer?? And that every Cosmo is unique...  

On a more serious note; I would rather have it loose the cover-plates than breaking something. It has happened quite a few times on my Gemini, and the phone seems to be fine. It has got a few "dings" in the cover-plates (back and hinge, but for some reason not on the front...), which I assume would have resulted in it being broken/shattered if it had been glass...

[NormMonkey]

I treat mine like a delicate snowflake.  It's definitely not water resistant.  There are flex cables exposed to environment behind the hinge while cover is open.  The little plastic clippies on the hinge come off easily.

Mostly because it would be a great pain to replace if something broke.

I'd much rather have the metal covers pop off from a fall than suffer permanent damage.

[gidds]

One recommendation I'd make is to close it not fast with a ‘snap’, but more gently: smoothly, with both hands, stopping when the keyboard touches the screen and then pressing it closed.

Similarly, it's worth taking care when opening it to avoid forcing the hinge open further than it's comfortable.

Long experience with similar devices (mainly Psion 3s and 5s) taught me the hard way that the hinge is always the most vulnerable part of these devices.  (Borne out by reports and photos of broken Gemini hinges on this very site!)  And opening and closing puts the most stress on the device.

The Cosmo and Gemini aren't overly fragile.  I don't keep mine in a case, for example.  (Loose in a trouser pocket works fine for me.)  But it makes sense not to mistreat them if you want them to last, and a little care when opening and closing will go a long way!

[Dickon Hood]

Seconded.  The hinge did for my Nokia 9500; the E90 was much, much more robust (and Microsoft's shutting down of the licence servers did for that; Maps became functionally useless).  The Gemini / Cosmo hinges are much more like the 9500's than the E90's, unfortunately.

[steeph]

I too have to push to close the lid completely sometimes. I assume it rests on the keys when closed slowly, and pushes the keys down when it's closed completely and held down by magnets. I don't mind that at all. But often, when opening the lid, a key is still pressed when the lid is open enough for keypresses to be recognised. So if it's still unlocked when I open it, the currently open app gets unintentional input (usually an 8, sometimes a 5 or a different number).

I am a bit worried the hinge will fail like the Gemini's did. So far it seems good and solid. But so did the Gemini's hinge when it was new. You definitely should be careful with it if you want it to last a long time.

Does anybody else have the problem that the lid doesn't close evenly? My left side has a very noticeable gap. I think I've read that from somebody else, possibly here. I don't think I've bent something and I think it's always been like that. But I only noticed it after about a week.

[Daniel W]

1) keyboard-wobble/lack of stabilization. I have found the keys to be quite wobbly is this also the case for other people as well? (not that this is big problem it just make harder to get use to the keyboard)
2) hinge not closing completely if the amount of force applied is low. In some cases where I close the lid gently I have to manually press on the lid to completely close it.

1) If you are used to a scissor-type mechanism (common in flat keyboards, such as in laptops), which basically supports all four corners of each key, such that they will depress evenly no matter where there are pushed, the "center post" (I don't the formal term) type used in the Psion, Gemini, Cosmo (and many other devices) may feel more wobbly by comparison.

2) That is expected and normal. To make the closed device a tad thinner, the screen glass pushes down all the keys when the lid closes. If the lid is closed carefully (which I recommend) you may reach a state where the lid rests on the keys. When you push it a tad harder, a set of opposing magnets will come close enough to pull and keep the lid shut. Personally, I find that last, discreet, yet firm, little "snap" quite satisfactory.