Comparing niche devices before I collect the whole set :O

[silversolver 849]

I looked on eBay, on a whim, to see if there were any cheap Cosmo Communicators out there.....I liked the idea of a pocket PC, and may come to the point where I can afford to have two nice devices. To my surprise, there were tons of them used, and everyone wanted $750-1100 for them. The manufacturer is selling them new for around $750, and is offering the Kana/QWERTY version for just over $500 right now. This tells me that this is a product that many people tried and regretted, especially since there is exactly ONE Pro1 I could find on eBay, asking nearly $1100. I see Cosmo's main drawback as the fact that you pretty much HAVE to put it on a table to use it. It is not really a phone; if you understand that going in, and actually want a UMPC with phone functionality, which is really what it is, it seems like a slick device. It doesn't look like it has official Lineage support, though I did see where it appears there are some unofficial ROMs for it. Mostly what tamps my interest right now is that my life is such that I use several phones, mostly on the road, and a desktop computer, and I don't really see where a UMPC would help with anything I do right now beyond being interesting. I can afford tools that help me, but I don't have that kind of money for "interesting" yet.

Then there's the Pro1X, which would be nice to have for sure, but I can't convince myself that it would be better for what I do than the Pro1 I already have. Assuming I don't destroy my Pro1 when I change the screen, I don't see why it couldn't serve its purpose for the foreseeable future, but then again, what if something happens to it? Having a Pro1X on tap would be very nice. I've only just gotten back to the Pro1 from the PRIV and I like it so much better. Unlike the Cosmo and friends, our beloved Klacks are NOT easy to get on a moment's notice. I almost think it would be smart to get a spare, and of course every unit sold helps to solidify the future of the company we all love so much.

I'm mostly just up past bedtime, but if anyone has any thoughts that might be interesting or helpful to my thought processes, please share them. I'll read them after sleeping. :)

[EskeRahn 5,460]

Though I perked for a Pro1X, I doubt that it will be much of an improvement for daily usage, except the more stanardised QWERTY.

But I think there is a good chance for more (security) updates on the Pro1X, so that might prolong its life time. As I expect it might be many years before we see a new alternative.

On the Cosmo, you should rather have a look at their successor the Astro, it seems an overall improvement. The sliding (like most previous sliders except the Nokias) will require a balanced push to open, but should not posse a serious problem. The larger keys might making typing easier, but it also means fewer keys, so all beyond a-z is a bit harder to get at, as further from standard keyboard. Wether one is more important than the other is a matter of usage pattern and finger thickness.

For me in Denmark I would really miss the keys for the national letters that are very commonly used. And I think the same will go for many other languages.

[jsreed5 31]

I don't own the Cosmo Communicator, but I do own its predecessor, the Gemini PDA. The 4G model of the Gemini can be  used as a phone, but it's really not designed to be a phone--it has no outer screen and is essentially built around its keyboard.

I bought the WiFi-only model of the Gemini PDA knowing that I had no intention to use it as a phone; I always intended to buy the Pro1 / Pro1 X or a device like it to use as an actual phone. To that end, I installed Debian Linux on the Gemini and use it as a full Linunx UMPC.

The Gemini is now 5 years old and is definitely showing its age. It doesn't get updates anymore and its processor can't handle very strenuous tasks of any kind. But it's more than usable as a daily driver for things like light coding and everyday Internet tasks. I even took it and a full-size laptop on a business trip a few years ago, and I ended up using the Gemini over the full-size laptop exclusively. The keyboard is surprisingly comfortable for being so small, and with some tweaks and customizations, it works just as well as any Linux desktop.

From skimming the OESF forums, it appears the Cosmo can also run Debian. If I were to buy one, I'd keep the Pro1 as my Android device and use the Cosmo as a full UMPC.