OK. So I work for a LDS that is an Atomic Dealer. We eagerly looked forward to the Cobalt but must admit that we are now waiting to order the "new" version with the corrections of the failings discovered by the first group of users. We try no to carry products that require us to make excuses for basic failings in the design. (Seems Cobalt could have stood from more user testing before release. I am usually confident that with Atomic items they have been better vetted before release.)...
OK, I'm going to take a deep breath and try to work through your comments.
We did a lot of testing before release- we delayed the release many months, in fact- a decision that was not entirely popular at the time. Nothing made by humans is perfect, but I know Atomic was very concerned that the Cobalt not be released until they were confident that it would work as advertised. Particularly since it is both their first computer and a good deal more complex than any other product they have offered- and much more complex than all but a few other dive computers on the market. I've tried to monitor this board and other forums to absorb consumer observations and suggestions, and there have been some very good ones. Some have already been incorporated into firmware. Thousands of users are going to give better feedback than hundreds of testers. I've tried to be very open about this process, and also open about any issues we uncover.
Many of these comments, though, are really expressions of individual preference- and as important as those are sometimes they are conflicting. I think it's important to distinguish those preferences from anything that could be called "basic failings" in the design. That would indicate something that does not work the way it is supposed to. Like any such product, we have had a handful of battery or component failures- a very small percentage- but I'm not aware of any "basic failings" in the design. Which is not to say that there isn't room for improvement- in fact, the ability to improve the Cobalt is built into the design. A design like this involves literally tens of thousands of decisions, all of which are compromises and most of which involve unintended consequences and end up being a lot more complex than it would seem to an outside observer. If I seem a little hesitant about just changing something like the circumstances under which low gas alerts are triggered at the end of a dive, it's because there are very many potential issues that need to be considered, the potential problems need to be weighed against the benefit or preference, and any solutions need to be thoroughly tested.
To deal with specifics:
redesign the boot for attachment and to allow the signal to be heard, possibly add frequency choices for the audible(I think there is likely an easier solution if the audible is too loud out of the boot)
The general preference seems to be for better attachment provisions at or near the base of the hose. There is not universal agreement on exactly how to do this, but I expect this is something Atomic will provide down the road. Experience has shown that no matter what they provide there will be some who don't like it- which is why third party solutions exist.
As to the lack of audible alert volume (a legitimate complaint), as I mentioned above, this is not an easy issue to solve- if you know of an easy solution I'd be very happy to hear it. Frequency changes make a difference for some users who have lower hearing in some bands. For now I'd say that this is a computer with a fairly low alert volume. Since many divers turn audio alerts off, it's not an issue for them, but it may well be for others. In a sense, it's a side effect of having a heavy, very strong case. FWIW, the Cobalt does not have a separate boot- the rubbery coating is part of the case molding.
corrections to the time frame that the computer stays in dive mode at shallow depth and is susceptible to alarming when gas is turned off,
The Cobalt continues a dive for two minutes after reaching a < 4' depth. This is part of the RGBM algorithm and is related to how repetitive dive and multi-dive penalties are calculated, so it's not going to change. The Dive Screen stays up for five minutes before switching to the post-dive screen- to allow you to keep a compass bearing, say, if you were swimming on the surface. That timing was a compromise arrived at during testing. If it goes to the post-dive screen and you still want to use the compass, you can of course switch back to the dive screen manually.
At this point the only circumstances where you would get a low gas alert on the surface would be if you turned off the air (or ran out of air) inside two minutes of reaching the surface. Any time we alter the way alerts are called it's going to require some consideration and testing, so I would not look for this to change anytime soon- in a way it's just letting you know the alert mechanism is working.
need to get contract/production with new screen protector company,
Zagg seems to be very popular here- and they were the first company Atomic approached to get a screen protector from. Unfortunately, at the time they weren't willing to make one (at least for a reasonable price). That now seems to have changed, so we will see.
yet unreleased hard carrying case to become available and apparently no soft cover planned,
As far as I know, Atomic plans to include a soft pouch- I'm not aware of any hard case plan (except in Downing's dreams)
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color adjustment-or can I suggest that they make shape adjustment to the gas loading graph ie. green circles, yellow diamonds, and red traingles to clearly communicate to any diver's visual needs there nitrogen load.
Color adjustments are just the sort of thing that we will be fine tuning based on feedback. Some changes will be in the first firmware release, but I expect the process to continue. The idea of providing a visual cue to the sat bar status independent of color is a good one, and we will look at that as an aid to the truly color blind. The lines that Donhealy suggested are probably best from a software standpoint.
How quickly will Atomic be able to effect these changes? Will they wait to sell out what is already in production before they start to develop the Cobalt second version?
Some firmware changes are ready as soon as the Windows download software is ready. Things that involve changes to case part molding are lengthy undertakings, and I would assume that the case you see is the case you will get for the next season. I haven't checked recently, but I expect that a soft cover being included will turn up fairly soon. I will continue to be open about the process and to monitor this forum as a source of constructive suggestions.
The next version of the Cobalt has been in development for a while now- and we are working to address what was seen as our most serious "design flaw"- the fact that the Cobalt is not a wrist mount
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