A few months back after returning from MWC 18, I was lucky enough to get hold of a true reborn icon in the form of the Gemini from Planet Computers. This was the companies entry product into the market and it was, on the whole, a well-received device. However, like any Gen 1 device, it had its problems. I have gone into the ins and out of this in my review which I encourage you to have a look at.
Here is a soundbite from my summary section of that review.
What would these changes for the Gemini V2 be? Well, first up I would stretch the screen to fill the full width of the unit. I would also install as slightly higher resolution screen to fit more content on. I would also add a backlit keyboard to allow work to be done under any conditions. Some potential improvements of the keyboard mapping would be beneficial as well – it was confusing at first but usable after some time.
The most important thing for me to switch to it as a daily driver would be the inclusion of an external display to allow it to be used as a proper phone when closed.
Now in the newly announced version the Cosmo Communicator, Planet have taken the feedback from its users and reviews and added some of the functionality that we had been asking for.
First things first we have got a small but useful front facing screen which will allow you to see what is happening on your device without having to open it up. Next up is the bigger internal display which has now grown to 6″ across.
Again on the inside, we see another change that was asked for, a backlit keyboard allowing you to use the keyboard in any environment. Around the exterior, we can also now find that there is a rear camera coming in at an impressive 24MP. Whilst this was not really important for me it will be desirable for others.
The important thing for me here is that the team at Planet have looked at what they made for the first device and developed it based on the customer’s feedback and ideas. Another company who have done that with great success is OnePlus and look how well they are now doing!
Here is a video introducing the Cosmo Communicator
It looks pretty swish in the video doesn’t it.
Here are the specs
| Cosmo Communicator (Initial Specification) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Network: | Wi-Fi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | |
| GSM | Yes | ||
| CDMA | Yes | ||
| WCDMA | Yes | ||
| LTE | World-wide modem (Cat.7 DL / Cat. 13 UL ) | ||
| VoLTE | Compatible | ||
| ViLTE | Compatible | ||
| VoWi-Fi | Compatible | ||
| Dual SIM operation | Dual 4G Modem | ||
| Body: | Form Factor | Wide clamshell | |
| Dimensions | 17.14(W) x 7.93cm(D) x 1.6(H)cm | ||
| Weight | Approx 320g | ||
| SIM | Dual-SIM / 1 x eSIM | ||
| Main Display: | Type | Colour FHD+ (18:9) | |
| Size | 5.99 inch | ||
| Resolution | 2160×1080, 403 ppi | ||
| Multi Touch | Yes | ||
| Protection | Scratch resistant glass | ||
| External Display: | Type | Colour AMOLED | |
| Size | 2 inch | ||
| Resolution | 570 x 240, 300 ppi | ||
| Multi Touch | Yes | ||
| Protection | Scratch resistant glass | ||
| Platform: | OS | Android 9 OS (Pie), Linux OS compatible | |
| Chipset | Mediatek P70 (8-Core) | ||
| CPU | 4x Cortex A73 @2.0GHz 4x Cortex A53 @2.0GHz |
||
| GPU | ARM Mali G72 MP3 @800MHz | ||
| APU | Dual-core mobile AI processors | ||
| Memory: | RAM
Card Slot |
6 GB
microSD |
|
| Internal | 128 GB | ||
| Camera: | External Camera | 24MP | |
| Internal Camera | 5MP | ||
| Sound: | Speakers | Stereo Speakers | |
| Microphone | Integrated ambient Microphone | ||
| 3.5mm Jack | Yes | ||
| Comms: | WLAN | Wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | |
| Bluetooth | v4.2 | ||
| GPS | Yes plus AGPS | ||
| NFC | Yes | ||
| FM Radio | Yes | ||
| USB | 2x USB Type C, OTG support, HDMI out (via adapter cable) | ||
| Features: | Keyboard | Mechanical full keyboard | |
| Voice Assistance | Dedicated button for voice commands | ||
| Sensors | Accelerometer, compass, light sensor, gyro, magneto-sensor | ||
| Fingerprint / Call Answer Buttons |
Call answer toggle button with fingerprint sensor | ||
| Battery: | Li-Ion 4220mAh battery | ||
| Misc: | Colour | Space Grey Metal, Gold-plated (limited edition) |
As you can see from the video above this is another Indiegogo campaign and as such if you are interested you will need to check it out there to back the project. Delivery is on the cards for May next year