I got a GPD Micro PC a couple months ago and I'm in love. It's a magical size - exactly small enough to slip into a back pocket like a chunky phone, and exactly large enough that it's actually practical to use desktop software on it. It's ergonomically first-rate - I've done CAD work on it. And it's durable too - I've dropped it several times already and it's barely even scratched. It's also unlocked a class of activ…
Quick question, what about the Cosmo didn’t work that worked on the GPD Micro? Was the keyboard problematic on the Cosmo?
First, the keyboard: The Cosmo keyboard is not designed for thumb typing. You can do it, but it's a bit awkward. The phone is not comfortable to hold in this configuration - it's thin, wide, top heavy, and the hinge has sharp edges. The generous key travel also works against you when thumb typing. It seems that you are basically always meant to put the phone on a flat surface and touch-type - but it's not very good at that either. It has no feet on the (slightly curved!) bottom surface, and while the rear hinge is meant to act as a kind of kickstand, the design means that force of typing transfers to the screen, causing it to wobble with every keystroke. The keys themselves are as nice as is possible in that size, but touch-typing at a table while on the go is a very narrow use case. The device feels delicate and fragile. Also - while this isn't a completely fair comparison as I've only had the GPD for two months - after a year the keyboard began missing keystrokes (and this was a replacement keyboard, since the one it came with did that from day 1).
Next the screen - a super-high aspect ratio smartphone screen turned landscape is actually really annoying. You have almost no vertical real estate, whereas most phone apps assume that the vertical axis is where all the real estate is and consequently put menu bars at the top and the bottom, eroding it further. There's very little gap between the touchscreen and the keyboard, so accidental touches are common. Switching between touchscreen and keyboard interaction is even more annoying that switching between mouse and keyboard on a desktop, either because you have to transfer the weight of the device to one hand if you're holding it, or if it's on a table because you must gently prod at the screen without tipping the thing over, or brace the screen from behind. Also the screen only opens to one very wide angle (cheerfully described by Planet as "the optimum angle"). There's volume buttons, but they're awkwardly on the back of the screen, which would make sense if they worked when the device is closed, which they DON'T.
Now, the GPD Micro PC: no touchscreen, which is actually great because all interactions that change the state of the device require definite action and make a physical "click" - you don't have to worry about accidentally brushing it the wrong way. This actually takes a lot of cognitive load off. It's comfortable to hold in two hands for thumb typing (but also has rubber feet so you can set it down). The touchpad is accessible with a fractional movement of the thumb, so switching time is minimized. There's dedicated and easily accessible volume buttons. The screen has a comfortable aspect ratio and can be set to any angle, where it remains stiffly. And most importantly, it runs desktop software. With these controls, it's more ergonomic to use desktop software in miniature than it is to poke about at a touchscreen.