The Cosmo Communicator brought the PDA phone dream back to CES 2019

Last year’s Gemini gets revamped with a new processor, backlit keyboard, rear camera and a fingerprint sensor.

Scott Stein Editor at Large

I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.

Expertise VR and AR, gaming, metaverse technologies, wearable tech, tablets Credentials

Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps

See full bio

Scott Stein

Jan. 11, 2019 9:15 a.m. PT

planet-computers-ces-2019-1 — The Cosmo Communicator closed, and open.
Angela Lang/CNET

Do you fantasize about the days when little clamshell PDA devices were all the rage?

At last year's CES in Las Vegas, the Gemini was a novelty that brought a mechanical keyboard to an Android phone. The Gemini's sequel of sorts, the Cosmo Communicator, is coming this summer for around $799 (about £620 or AU$1,110), also made by the UK-based Planet Computers. Last year's Gemini cost $599, or $499 for the Wi-Fi only version.

The Cosmo Communicator adds a better processor, more RAM and storage, and a backlit keyboard to the mix this time. There's also a second touchscreen, so the phone can work when its clamshell is all shut up. It's 2019, so this time the phone has a fingerprint sensor and a 24-megapixel external camera (the Gemini didn't have an external camera at all).

The phone felt pretty big in my hands. But hey, if you're dying for an even fancier Android phone to type on in darkened rooms, the Cosmo might be just the thing to satisfy your PDA dreams.