cosmo
Latest
Planet Computers' clamshell phone can dual-boot Android and Linux
Planet Computers' laptop-like Cosmo Communicator phone just became that much more useful to its audience of very particular power users. The Cosmo now supports a promised multi-boot function, letting you run Android (both regular and rooted), Debian Linux and TWRP on the same device without one replacing the other. You'll have to partition your storage and know your way around a boot menu, but this will give you a way to run Linux apps or otherwise experiment with your phone.
Anki is closing the doors on its toy robot business
Anki, the startup responsible for adorable robotics, is closing its doors and will terminate nearly 200 employees Wednesday. CEO Boris Sofman broke the news to staff today, Recode reports. In a statement provided to Engadget, the company said, "A significant financial deal at a late stage fell through with a strategic investor and we were not able to reach an agreement."
The Gemini PDA's follow-up is a clamshell communicator phone
Planet Computers' Gemini could serve as a phone if you really wanted, but it was ultimately a PDA first and foremost. It's keenly aware of that limitation, however -- the company has launched a crowdfunding project for the Cosmo Communicator, another clamshell QWERTY keyboard device that's intended to serve as a phone, not just a pocketable productivity machine. You'll still find a 6-inch display and camera on the inside, but the outside now includes a 2-inch screen, a 24-megapixel camera and a two-orientation microphone and speaker combo. You can take a call without answering blindly, and snap photos beyond selfies. It's closer to a hybrid phone like Nokia's E90 Communicator than PDAs like Psion's lineup.
Cosmo's bike helmet light will alert others when you fall
Cycling can be dangerous, especially if you ride at night or in busy metropolitan areas. To help, a startup called Cosmo Connected is working on a smart light that clips onto the back of your helmet. Eight LEDs -- four red, four yellow -- are positioned in an oval shape. By default, they're set to an "always-on" position so that you're clearly visible in the dark. An accelerometer inside will know when you're braking, however, and warn fellow cyclists, drivers and pedestrians with a more intense light.
Meet guys at the Apple Store
I believe that a good percentage of our staff here at TUAW is married, female, or both, so being the bachelor that I am, I'll be the one to post the news that Apple Stores are a great place to meet single men, sent to us by reader Naveed (and I do believe this might be the first and hopefully the last time that TUAW has ever linked to Cosmo). Yes, Cosmopolitan ranks the Apple Store as the number one place for women to meet guys (although it is on the same long list as political rallies and steakhouses, so maybe Cosmo has no idea what it's talking about).But hey, the single male bloggers of TUAW can't help but agree that yes, if you're going hunting for us, there's no better place to go than your local Apple retailer. Not only are us male Mac-heads intelligent, green, and playful, but when you single ladies want to know how to share your iTunes media, or hook up your new Time Capsule, we'll be right there with the answer.
Cosmo isn't down with the Wii
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Cosmopolitan_magazine_doesn_t_like_the_Wii'; We mentioned this yesterday, and now look! There's a helpful scan to illustrate our point. While some female-oriented publications are all about Nintendo's new console, it looks like the good folks at Cosmopolitan aren't quite convinced.Cosmo's take on the Wii craze? Guys assume girls might want one, because the guy really loves the Wii. That's some deep psychologizin' they've got going on there. And in referring to the Wii as the "wrong gift," Cosmo is insinuating that the modern woman just isn't interested. Are they wrong? With all the stories and videos of nongamers embracing the hands-on experience that Wii provides, we're not sure that Cosmo's on the right side of the fence with this one. Can't the modern woman want to decode weird male behavior, agonize over not-so-harmless habits,* and then play a game of tennis after work?The Wii is perfectly poised to help gamers break down some of these walls that we've created to keep the interests of men and women separate. The DS broke some of that ground, but the Wii brings the fun and ease of gaming into the open, making it a social experience that anyone can get into, even if you have to kick off your stylish shoes first.*Actual stories in the same issue.
HTC Excalibur / O2 Xda Cosmo reviewed
If the Boy Genius' soiled-trow, hands-on of the HTC Excalibur had you gasping for more, then peep the full review of the O2 Xda Cosmo just posted at the::unwired. Their unit from O2 Germany came ready to go with Windows Mobile 5.0 and AKU3 which, besides some low-level tweaks, brought a new Internet Sharing application in replacement of HTCs Wireless Modem app. The reviewer who admittedly comes from a more traditional GSM phone background (read: no real experience with a QWERTY/Z Smartphones or BlackBerrys) found the keyboard confusing for "regular phone stuff" like entering a phone number or searching for contacts -- apparently preferring T9-style input instead. Still, he was stoked by this quad-band GSM phones WiFi, GPRS, and EDGE data connectivity options and "satisfied" by performance under normal usage or while watching live, Slingboxed TV. However, the reviewer then goes on to worry unnecessarily about the OMAP 850 processor getting overloaded if say, using it for GPS, watching live TV, and listening to audio over Bluetooth all at the same time. Hell, why not agonize over the risk posed by it getting lodged in your skull when used near certain supermodels? Geesh. Bottom line: if you're looking for a WinMo device with keyboard and "all the latest and greatest technologies" (well, almost all) then the Cosmo is a "great device."
HTC Excalibur / O2 Xda cosmo caught in the wild
You know it, you need it, and now you can finally loose your wild-eyed gaze upon these non-blurry pics of the HTC Excalibur. Or more appropriately, the Xda cosmo as this fully-functional, pre-release device from O2 Germany has been re-dubbed. Yeah, Germany, which explains the Z and Y switcheroo on zee handy's QWERTY QWERTZ keyboard. Still, with an expected September/October European release (coming to The States a few months later), we'd expect the specs and cosmetics of this quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WiFi, Bluetooth, and 1.3 megapixel cam WinMo 5.0 Smartphone to push through to production with few, if any changes. Click-on for a few more hi-res shots courtesy of the::unwired. [Thanks, Martin]
O2 Xda Cosmo among the first of HTC's Excaliburs
By now we're all pretty well versed in what we can expect from HTC's Excalibur in the many incarnations it's due to begin taking, but it looks like O2 Germany will be among the first to have the honor. Dubbed the Xda Cosmo, this slim if bulbous looking portable doesn't yet appear to have a date affixed to O2's intentions for release in Deutschland. It does look like the marketing materials are well underway though, so we hope it shouldn't be too much longer before you'll pull this sword from the stone.
