OESF Portables Forum
Model Specific Forums => Gemini PDA => Gemini PDA - Android => Topic started by: Varti on April 09, 2019, 03:22:07 am
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Mike Halsey has released a new article on GeminiPlanet about the upcoming Android 8.1 release for the Gemini PDA, describing some of the new features that will debut on this version.
"Android 8.1 is expected to be available as an over-the-air (OTA) update later this week, with a download available for manual installation on rooted, or dual-boot devices soon afterwards."
https://geminiplanet.com/planet-release-and...r-the-gemini-2/ (https://geminiplanet.com/planet-release-android-8-1-for-the-gemini-2/)
Varti
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Mike Halsey has released a new article on GeminiPlanet about the upcoming Android 8.1 release for the Gemini PDA
Thanks a lot for the link. It's kind of sad that Planet keeps being so pathologically unable to timely tell when and why there are delays, which WILL happen, when duly telling is so cheap, also in the short term, and failing to do so, is so potentially expensive. I would so much like to be able to recommend Planet Computers to every IT person I know, but when the company can't even send basic messages properly, I am forced to limit myself to maybe telling a few of my most patient friends. Sigh.
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https://www.oesf.org/forum/index.php?s=&...st&p=291669 (https://www.oesf.org/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=35685&view=findpost&p=291669)
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Has this update happened yet? I check with my Gemini, now and then, but it's still insisting that 7.1 is the current system. On my machine, as you might have noticed, I've rooted, unrooted, re-rooted, multi booted and finally resigned to the standard andoid, I'm not sure whether my system can be called a standard machine, or whether it's a non-rooted rooted machine.
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Has this update happened yet? I check with my Gemini, now and then, but it's still insisting that 7.1 is the current system. On my machine, as you might have noticed, I've rooted, unrooted, re-rooted, multi booted and finally resigned to the standard andoid, I'm not sure whether my system can be called a standard machine, or whether it's a non-rooted rooted machine.
lol no! In October it was by the end of the year, on 18 Mar it was within 2 weeks, on 9 Apr it was this week. Think of it more as by the end of a year, a week....
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Mike (who has been given a beta of 8.1) said that he has found some issues in it (like minor rendering problems), I hope they' re spending this additional time to iron these problems out.
Varti
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Thanks, lads. It recalls, to me, that great British saying, "Is it just me, or......."
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looks like it will be available by the end of the month.
Indiegogo update 70: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gemini-p...74#/updates/all (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gemini-pda-android-linux-keyboard-mobile-device--2/x/18093674#/updates/all)
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looks like it will be available by the end of the month.
Indiegogo update 70: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gemini-p...74#/updates/all (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gemini-pda-android-linux-keyboard-mobile-device--2/x/18093674#/updates/all)
Lol, but which month?
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Good that they have fixed a number of last-minute bugs, better to do this now than after the release of the update. Next Monday a limited number of Wifi/LTE devices should receive the update... fingers crossed!
Varti
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Next Monday a limited number of Wifi/LTE devices should receive the update... fingers crossed!
Varti
Or if I wanted to be really cynical does this sound like a limited release in case further bugs emerge? I don't know anything about release firmware updates but I am struggling to come up with a technical reason (or method how to!) why you would do this other than the split between processor types, but PC have stated the limited release will cover both X25 and X27s.
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looks like it will be available by the end of the month.
Indiegogo update 70: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gemini-p...74#/updates/all (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gemini-pda-android-linux-keyboard-mobile-device--2/x/18093674#/updates/all)
Lol, but which month?
well, this time the news came directly from planet computers, the link in the first post is from an independent fanpage.
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looks like it will be available by the end of the month.
Indiegogo update 70: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gemini-p...74#/updates/all (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gemini-pda-android-linux-keyboard-mobile-device--2/x/18093674#/updates/all)
Lol, but which month?
well, this time the news came directly from planet computers, the link in the first post is from an independent fanpage.
True but PC have also directly said in the same update page 'by the end of the year' meaning last year, and most recently, 5 weeks ago, within 2 weeks, so hence the humorous question ????????
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You know, I am aware that I should stay Zen about start-ups missing their own deadlines.
Just be happy that the thing materialized. It is here, in my hands.
Nevertheless, the persistent messages stating "at the end of this year", "before Christmas", "at the end of this month", "next week", "Monday"....
WRRRAAAAGGGGHHH !
I guess this is British. It proceeds in the same way as the Brexit.
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I guess this is British. It proceeds in the same way as the Brexit.
Lol. I want to be offended but I cant really argue with your assessment. I am reminded of a quotation from the late great Douglas Adams -
"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by"
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Well, the latest deadline has 'whooshed' by and nothing seems to have happened. Has anyone seen this rare beast, in the field?
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True but PC have also directly said in the same update page 'by the end of the year' meaning last year, and most recently, 5 weeks ago, within 2 weeks, so hence the humorous question ????????
Seems you have a good intuition ... I just came across this announcement of 1 week delay:
[!--quoteo(post=0:date=:name=facebook)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(facebook)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]UPDATE: A few Gemini users have now received the Android 8.1 update following the planned limited release on Monday (29th April). The initial feedback is positive but with Chinese Labor celebrations (1st -4th May) this week meaning staff are not at work, the full release of Oreo – to ALL Gemini 4G backers – will take place next Monday morning.
We know you have all waited patiently for this update and that is why we have been determined to make it a success. We are so grateful for the support of the Gemini community.[/quote]
http://www.facebook.com/planetcom/posts/1277411299079065 (http://www.facebook.com/planetcom/posts/1277411299079065)
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the full release of Oreo – to ALL Gemini 4G backers – will take place next Monday morning.
I'll believe that when it happens, Monday (6th May) is a bank holiday in the UK.
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Ah, then I'll stop wearing out the hinges on my Gemini, opening it up to check whether the boat has come in, or not.
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Oreo is finally here! Me and a couple of guys on the Telegram #Gemini PDA channel are now downloading it. To check for the update, go to Settings / About Phone / Firmware update, and remember you have to use a Wifi connection to download it.
UPDATE: the download is now stuck at ~390MB, maybe the server is overloaded due to too many requests.
Varti
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Well, I'm pleased that I'm not the only one!. My update has got to 359.36MB and the progress bar title changed to PauseDownload. And there it's stuck for the past fifteen minutes. What does one do now? It's usually accorded a no-no to stop an update in progress.
Ah, a change. The screen has gone black, and the machine appears to have turned itself off. The only sign of life appears to be the red led light in the lid. I do wish that updates came with just a little more information.
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I'm still stuck at "PauseDownload", I'm now trying to reboot again, fingers crossed...
EDIT: Someone on Facebook has suggested (at your own risk!) to delete the Firmware Update app's cache to trigger again the download. I have tried it, but now the download is stuck at 69MB, anyway if anyone would like to try it too: go to Settings > Apps > dots menu (top right) Show System > find Firmware Update > Storage > Clear Data.
Varti
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I'm still stuck at "PauseDownload", I'm now trying to reboot again, fingers crossed...
EDIT: Someone on the Facebook has suggested (at your own risk!) to delete the Firmware Update app's cache to trigger again the download. I have tried it, but now the download is stuck at 69MB, anyway if anyone would like to try it too: go to Settings > Apps > dots menu (top right) Show System > find Firmware Update > Storage > Clear Data.
First attempt ground to a halt after 350 or so MB. No change for an hour. Rebooted and followed this idea. Storage stated only 475KB but cleared it anyway. Off we went again with the download - now stopped at 69MB. Sigh.
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145MB this time before it stopped. "Connect to the server is unusual. Please test again."
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(Hi inspectorman and welcome!)
Same here, after some further attempts, the download now doesn't even start anymore
Varti
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Aww, that sounds annoying. Hope they figure it out soon, whatever issue the server has!
Anyone knows when the partitioner image will be updated for us rooted guys?
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Lol. And I thought that Apple were the only people who could brick their own product with an update!
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I think that there will be a lot of unhappy folk. The OTA Update only works for non-rooted, all partition Android. I am amazed that they’re are enough of those to cause server issues - unless everyone repartitioned to stock to update to Oreo as I did?
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My advice to Davide would be to upload the file to S3 and put it behind Cloudfront CDN. This isn’t the sort of thing you want to serve from a computer under a desk.
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Can anyone post instructions on how to update if we did repartition and use multiboot/root? I'm not seeing any updated firmware files via the official partition tool or support.planetcom.co.uk.
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Can anyone post instructions on how to update if we did repartition and use multiboot/root? I'm not seeing any updated firmware files via the official partition tool or support.planetcom.co.uk.
According to https://geminiplanet.com/planet-release-and...or-the-gemini-2 (https://geminiplanet.com/planet-release-android-8-1-for-the-gemini-2)
"...files for manual installation on rooted, or dual-boot devices will be made available for download".
I'd presume this is supposed to happen once the OTA updates calms down a bit (as of writing this, the OTA server just seems choked).
Presumably the files will be put here: http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Gemini_Firmware (http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Gemini_Firmware)
That page then refers to: http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/A..._Flashing_Guide (http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Android_Flashing_Guide)
Disclaimer:I'm just a plain Android (plaindroid?) user, so I have no experience of my own with the above.
And, oh, Roger, I suppose you already knew where to look for the files. I included those links just in case other people doesn't know where to look.
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It seems borked because the update check tells the Gemini to download this missing file http://flare02.iofota.com/EASTAEON_FTPRO16...90429094213.zip (http://flare02.iofota.com/EASTAEON_FTPRO16898_190429094213.zip)
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It seems borked because the update check tells the Gemini to download this missing file http://flare02.iofota.com/EASTAEON_FTPRO16...90429094213.zip (http://flare02.iofota.com/EASTAEON_FTPRO16898_190429094213.zip)
That appears to be a CloudFlare served Chinese hosted origin server. The update has been removed now, hopefully we will be able to update this week...
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I was able to nab a copy https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WQpPidG_UE...ew?usp=drivesdk (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WQpPidG_UE-NR8m5qpdDjWSCdEHWemPF/view?usp=drivesdk)
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I was able to nab a copy https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WQpPidG_UE...ew?usp=drivesdk (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WQpPidG_UE-NR8m5qpdDjWSCdEHWemPF/view?usp=drivesdk)
Hi Mark,
The updater on the Gemini failed the download and in the logcat I could find the cloudflare iofota.com host would time out or not respond.The Firmware Update app also thought it completed the download, but the file was incomplete. I can confirm that the updater now no longer offers the update. I was able to wget the file however. This is the SHA256SUM for my download (Gemini PDA 4G x27)
1431c21d98cd66b54cb753323eaca11a3d6a6bd28edabff412dfe546b5e50028
I wrote the file to a vfat SD card and renamed it to ota.zip.
Then I toggled a manual OTA via the SD card from the Firmware Updater tool within Android.The updater copied the file and performed the update. It worked fine and rebooted after a while to Oreo. I have not done much testing yet.
DISCLAIMER : Do this on your own risk on a stock Android layout only! Neither me or Planet Computer endorse this method or will provide support if something breaks.
Cheers,
Greg
https://imgur.com/a/GQ3RErJ (https://imgur.com/a/GQ3RErJ)
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Hello,
my Gemini (rooted) shows a firmware update notification, but I don't dare tapping on it, because I don't know what happens then. I don't want "Over-the-air"-updates, and as seen here, it fails anyway.
How do I get rid of the notification? And how can I prevent getting "OTA"-notifications in the future?
Thanks a lot, kind regards.
P.S.: Got the courage and tapped the notification. It only showed that the version I have (Gemini-7.1-Planet-31102018-V2.<2018-10-31 09:54>) is the newest one. Does it mean the OTA-update is revoked? Or does it mean that the device or the update process knows that the update isn't applicable, since the device is rooted? Why then give me a notification in the first place? Don't you just hate those intransparencies?
Remains the question how I prevent those (obviously useless) notifations in the future.
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Hello,
my Gemini (rooted) shows a firmware update notification, but I don't dare tapping on it, because I don't know what happens then. I don't want "Over-the-air"-updates, and as seen here, it fails anyway.
How do I get rid of the notification? And how can I prevent getting "OTA"-notifications in the future?
Thanks a lot, kind regards.
P.S.: Got the courage and tapped the notification. It only showed that the version I have (Gemini-7.1-Planet-31102018-V2.<2018-10-31 09:54>) is the newest one. Does it mean the OTA-update is revoked? Or does it mean that the device or the update process knows that the update isn't applicable, since the device is rooted? Why then give me a notification in the first place? Don't you just hate those intransparencies?
Remains the question how I prevent those (obviously useless) notifations in the future.
Yes, the update was revoked due to download bandwidth / connection issues it seems.
No idea about support for rooted or custom partition layouts. I would be careful. Maybe wait for Planet to post an update on the current situation.
The link above shows a way to manually update the Firmware from within stock Android for 4G x27 based devices.
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Just to say I've used MarkD's download and got my x27 Gemini 4G up onto 8.1. Slight worry on first reboot when only the left half of the screen displayed for the first part of the rotating planets, but it's fine now and Force Rotate seems to work OK. Seems to have remembered who I am, and my sign-in details for other apps.
Thanks MarkD.
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Doesn't the OTA updater verify the checksum before applying the update???
That sounds like a gigantic oversight if it doesn't
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I also installed MarkD's download (after checking SHA256SUM). The OTA updater appears to also check some checksum.
The upgrade went without problems. After the update two new applications (keyboard apps, one is called "pinyin input", the other "indic keyboard") want access to my google account. I did not grant access.
Edit: Possibly, this is what caused the update revoke as no keyboard application should be granted vast permissions to use my google account.
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Annoyed but not surprised that the download was revoked due to bandwidth issues.
From what I could see the 8.1 update was 1.05Gb in size. Assuming the updater does a straight file download rather than clever p2p trickery like BitTorrent, then given that Planet Computers have shipped at least 800 Geminis -- just by adding up the numbers on the Indiegogo page -- then they probably got hit by demand for on the order of a terabyte of bandwidth in a few hours. (I'm assuming everyone was checking for updates daily at this point …) As the number of backers on the campaign is over 7000, I suspect that's a better figure for shipments, in which case make it 8-10Tb of downloads. Which really does demand a CDN and some sort of careful planning before launch, rather than just dropping it on a web server and walking away.
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My OTA update got to ~74MB until it stopped yesterday.
Today the updater shows "New version found", but the rest of the info (PatchID, PatchSize, UpdateDate) is all blank.
The GUI seems to have hung and even the settings button doesn't work.
Tried restarting the app and the device, but still the same. Fingers crossed it fixes itself when they resolve the download server issues!
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My OTA had given up today, although last night I had set it to download automatically. This morning it said it had, but also said it was at the latest version & refused to do anything.
Successfully updated using the update above, thanks!
Off to test my audio issues..
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I have also successfully flashed it, thanks MarkD for the file and greguu for the tips! On my Gemini I have not seen the "half screen" bug, the screen was working as expected already during the first boot. I have not seen any slowdown or any other type of issue, also apparently none of my settings or contact has been lost after the update.
AFAIK, this OTA update file is intended only for Wifi+4G users with the default, unrooted Android-only configuration, so better to wait for an official release for other devices/configurations.
Varti
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I'm still stuck at "PauseDownload", I'm now trying to reboot again, fingers crossed...
EDIT: Someone on Facebook has suggested (at your own risk!) to delete the Firmware Update app's cache to trigger again the download. I have tried it, but now the download is stuck at 69MB, anyway if anyone would like to try it too: go to Settings > Apps > dots menu (top right) Show System > find Firmware Update > Storage > Clear Data.
Varti
Thanks for this tip.
After clearing data the update app no longer hangs and I'm able to access settings etc. It now reports that there are no updates available, but at least it is reporting the current installed version!
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Doesn't the OTA updater verify the checksum before applying the update???
That sounds like a gigantic oversight if it doesn't
I think it does verify the checksum. That's why the update fails on rooted Android, for example.
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Sean Hoyt, one of the admins of the Gemini PDA channel on Telegram, has compiled himself a binary of the Oreo release from the released sources. Like the official OTA version, this unofficial release is also for Wifi+4G Geminis only, for devices with an x25 CPU (for x27 devices see below).
"First boot takes a bit, keep in mind this is unofficial so OTA will never work on it. This build is also the same as the release build, feature and fixes wise."
This version can be only flashed using the SPFlashtool. On Windows you'll have to unzip the archive using 7zip or WinRAR, since it has been compressed using the LZMA compression. Note that this version only works on x25 devices, but it can be flashed on x27 ones as well by using the Android 7's scatter file for X27 instead of the supplied one.
Sean has also stated that he'll consider a version for WiFi-only devices and/or a version without Google's services, no promises though.
http://drive.google.com/open?id=1dfVer_ijC...mfkav30YSVyiymT (http://drive.google.com/open?id=1dfVer_ijCL3dx5npHmfkav30YSVyiymT)
Note: use this version at your own risk! This release is unofficial, further OTA updates won't work on it. Please do not report any bugs to Planet or the build author while it is installed.
Thanks Sean for your effort!
Varti
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I got my update fine yesterday OTA. I did have to try about six times because of a server error.
Plain unrooted Android 4G system.
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I got my update fine yesterday OTA. I did have to try about six times because of a server error.
Plain unrooted Android 4G system.
That's reassuring, I think, as it seems to suggest the update itself is mostly OK and was pulled for other reasons than being faulty, say, bandwidth issues. That makes me hope, we won't have to wait all that long, before its online again.
On a slightly unrelated note, I got an update to Ledison (with 8.1 support) earlier today. That update was timestamped May 6, so it seems Planet Computers are doing SOMETHING, when they aren't busy not telling us what's going on ;-)
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Just seen: [!--quoteo(post=0:date=:name=facebook/planetcom)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(facebook/planetcom)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]As many of you will know, this week’s planned Android 8.1 OTA update did not go as we intended and led to some of our customers struggling to update their Gemini PDA’s or other issues. For that, we are very sorry and we thank you for your patience.
A server issue with our over the air (OTA) firmware download partners is being resolved and several hundred Gemini users are now running Android Oreo. The OTA update will be available, but for users who wish to upgrade manually, we have also made the firmware update available for download on our official support website. This link is as follows: http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/G...droid_8_Upgrade (http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Gemini_Android_8_Upgrade)
Here you can find a step-by-step guide on how to update your Gemini PDA to Android 8.1 and some release notes on new features for Android 8.
Please also note that we have had reports that the NTT DoCoMo network in Japan is not detected by the Android 8 firmware. We are investigating as a priority and advise customers in the region using the NTT DoCoMo network to please wait to upgrade their Gemini until further information is provided.
We hope that you will enjoy the Android 8 Oreo system and thank you again for your patience and continued support.[/quote] - http://www.facebook.com/planetcom/posts/1282184601935068 (http://www.facebook.com/planetcom/posts/1282184601935068)
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Well, I don't think I've enjoyed the action since the last time I got hung up straddling a barbed wire fence. I've just completed two attempts at updating. The first using the PC to copy the ota.zip file, and the second, entirely on the Gemini, following every step that pertained to manual updating. Not easy., all seemed to go through the described processes, except at the final action where we were assured the message of final updating would be displayed. Instead it was the usual recovery style page prompting reboot. I did that, and it did actually reboot. Until, that is I went to Settings to find the Android version was still set at 7.1.1. Does nothing work as described? It all does take me back to my days in IT support. Seemingly about 80% of the time on installs, nothing ever went as described. On one occasion, setting up a Novell Netware Server, it took the four of us an entire weekend to get the thing to perform, and at the end, not one of us knew what had finally done the trick. One thing we did resolve, was that never, never, were we ever going to turn the thing off.
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Painful update, finally tracked down the full firmware flash. Even after wasting the evening flashing back to single non rooted android with standard recovery, the OTA failed to install due to custom partition? So far really liking oreo on gemini, lots of QoL fixes. Really NOT liking the lack of root though...
Pleasant side note: wifi calling now works??
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The official Android Oreo firmware update is now also available for flashing:
http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Gemini_Firmware (http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Gemini_Firmware)
The online partition tool has not been updated yet as time of this writing, unfortunately. Hopefully this will be done soon.
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So I followed the following guide to update:
http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/G...droid_8_Upgrade (http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Gemini_Android_8_Upgrade)
After following the instructions to delete the existing ota.zip (which was 1.05GB) and then downloading one from the official link.
When I went to manually update, the updater shows "New version found", but the rest of the info (PatchID, PatchSize, UpdateDate) is all blank.
This was the same as when my updater appeared to have hung. I think what happened was the original OTA update finished downloading, but then popped up the screen to ask me to click "Firmware Update", but had blank info...
So this time I bit the bullet and clicked the button and the update kicked off.
I can report the same issues as suffered by others:
1. The boot screen starts half blank, but fixes it self (something to do with screen rotation maybe?)
2. I was only missing one app on my launcher. I'm using T-UI so its a bit harder for me to see whats missing, but so far I was only missing Keepass2Android which fixed itself after a reboot.
The only continuing real issue I'm having is LINE Messenger just hangs. I'm going to wait for an app update to see if that fixes it, but if not I'll reinstalling and restore as much as I can from backup.
So far I haven't really noticed anything different as I mostly use my Gemini as a "traditional PDA" rather then a full fledged phone.
That battery usage notification is a bit annoying does anyone know how to turn it off?
<EDIT>
Soooo after using it for a while, the light theme (the right hand menu bar swapping from black to white depending what app) is doing my nut in. I can't remember if it was in the previous version, but right now it's soooooooooo annoying.
Some apps like YouTube and MX Player I can set the theme in the app itself, but in others I can't seem to change it.
From the Googles I think that there is no built in dark/light theme in Android 8. Is this the case and does anyone have any suggestions of getting around it please?
</EDIT>
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The official Android Oreo firmware update is now also available for flashing: http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Gemini_Firmware (http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Gemini_Firmware). The online partition tool has not been updated yet as time of this writing, unfortunately. Hopefully this will be done soon.
I downloaded the latest file and followed the instructions at http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/A..._Flashing_Guide (http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Android_Flashing_Guide). Completed successfully! After this my Gemini went into a loop: Vibrate... First Planet splash screen (Tux)... Dark... Vibrate... First Planet splash screen (Tux)... Dark (again and again). After two hours of this "loop" I gave up. I copied the 'old' files back into the Flash Tool and went through the process. After this my Gemini recovered to 7.1.1 and started fine.... Well except that the second time I forgot to uncheck 'user data' so have lost all my settings, etc.
Bottom line: back on 7.1.1 with a 'as new' Gemini...
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I downloaded the latest file and followed the instructions at http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/A..._Flashing_Guide (http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Android_Flashing_Guide). Completed successfully! After this my Gemini went into a loop:
Have you used the new scatter file, and made sure to pick firmware upgrade rather than download only? Once I did that, it worked fine and I got a bootable 8.1. WARNING: that will nuke your userdata again, obviously - but it works
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Finally, I've been able to update my X25 4G Gemini to Oreo Over-The-Air.
I know Hitherwood posted in this thread on May 7, telling that he'd been able to update his Gemini OTA, but I think he's got an X27 4G unit, so I'd hereby like to share that it finally worked for at least my X25 4G unit as well. I know manual download of the update has been available for a while, but I decided to wait for the OTA update to get fixed, partly since I wasn't in any particular hurry to get Oreo and party so I could use my own Gemini to verify that the X25 4G OTA update actually got fixed.
All my previous attempts, always stalled no later than at 359.36MB and wouldn't resume. Other posts in this thread, mentions that exact number too, and MarkD posted on May 6, which is before the update was pulled for a few days, that the OTA server appeared to be missing one particular file.
When the OTA update came back on line, my downloads kept stalling at that point, so just in case Planet Computers maybe fixed something for the X27 update but not for the X25, on Saturday May 11, I sent them an e-mail, to which I got no reply (nor do I need one), but when I tried again (after removing the OTA.ZIP leftover from the previous attempt, and clearing data for the firmware updater) at about two'o clock PM on Monday May 13, the OTA download kept going until it was done. Maybe it was a coincidence or maybe there WAS something wrong with the X25 update. In any case, it seems to work now. The update as such felt pretty much like any Android update; it unpacked some files, rebooted, installed and rebooted again. One of the reboots left the screen off for a bit too long for comfort, but other than that, it seemed very smooth. I haven't really used my Gemini after the update, but any issues with Oreo as such belongs in another thread anyway.
In general, the OTA download seems slower and jerkier during western Europe daytime and appears to improve considerably after midnight. Whether that depends on the update server itself or on some part of the internet between me and the server, I don't know, but if experiencing a choppy download during western European daytime, trying in the wee hours might give a smoother download experience.
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Well, here's a radical shift. After a number of aborted uploads, this morning (Monday), the upload went the whole way without problem. I followed all the required actions, tapped "Install Now", to gain the install pop-up tapped to upgrade. All went well to complete the 8.1 upgrade. However the normal Planet boot sequence of rotating planets disappeared and left a dark screen. A short while later another buzz and a white ring appeared, with a progress bar. When that had finished the "Android Recovery" menu appeared. Since nothing happened, I tapped for the default "reboot" option which did, in fact re-boot the machine. BUT, into Android 7.1.1!!! Thinking that the upgrade had somehow failed I went through the whole process once more. To get exactly the same process. The system is now standing at the Android recovery menu for version 7.1.1. What the hell do I do now???? Powering off and re-starting, the machine does in fact reboot properly. But, still in Android 7.1.1
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What the hell do I do now????
Unless you've already tried that, use the file manager to delete the OTA.ZIP (from Home/Internal Shared Storage) file from previous attempts. Then go to settings > apps > "three dots in upper right corner" > Show system -> Find and tap "Firmware Update" in the list > tap Storage > Tap Clear Data > Confirm, and then try to download the update again.
It seems the updater creates an empty 1.05GB file (probably to make sure there's enough storage) and then overwrites that with what it downloads. Sometimes it seems the updater can erroneously believe it has downloaded the entire update, when it actually hasn't. In my case, the updater once jumped from being stalled at 359MB to "Install Now" in a heartbeat. After that, I begun tidying up after previous attempts before trying again.
If the download stalls and doesn't resume, I'd suggest trying the whole process again late at night as the download server seems to struggle a bit during western European daytime.
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Thanks, Daniel W. I did as suggested. I'd already done most but not deleted the ota.zip, in previous attempts. The update went exactly as had all the others. I kept an ey on the file loading, and as far as I could tell, the file was fully loaded. The result however is the same. This time, with more inspection of progress time, I noted on the Android Recovery page that came up, finally,, a block of text at the bottom of the screen which probably explains the failure. This was as follows:-
Supported API 3
Charge_status 5 charged 1 .status 0 . capacity 100
Opening update package...
Verifying update package...
Update package verification took 11.5 s (result 0)
error . Partition table not match
Update.zip is not correct
Installation aborted.
I'd not noticed it before, but it probably was there. The font size is a bit difficult to make reading easy.. There we are. As I've probably pointed out before, most installs/updates seldom seem to work as they should, and there's never an explanation as to why. Hey, ho.
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Ah, me. Still no update. This time I'd try again, this time going through planetcom's own manual update instructions. Entirely on the Gemini. All, once more went entirely according to plan. Except the actual update. All the usual measures taken, and a new ota.zip downloaded, and moved to the required destination. The update went exactly as before. All seemed well until the update was 18% complete. As before. Then the screen went dark, there was a longish wait until the now familiar Android Recovery menu came up once more. So, again back to 7.1.1.
It's getting to the point of considering putting the whole thing in the upstairs cupboard with the chocolate teapot and the set of rubber knives and forks, and getting back to my old and faithful Psion netBook.
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Ah, me. again. The latest. I decided to grasp the nettle and go for a factory reset, throwing away all the stuff I'd spent ages installing, and the screens I'd spent similar time re-arranging. To no purpose the 8.1 update ran exactly along the lines of all the previous updates, ending in the same abort install message on the Android Recovery menu, and back to 7.1.1. I've very few options left, as far as I can see. I might try the multi boot option, which would appear to give the whole system a good kicking, and in fact, from the previous attempts to get a rooted Android, the present problems might have arisen.
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Ah, me. again. The latest. I decided to grasp the nettle and go for a factory reset, throwing away all the stuff I'd spent ages installing, and the screens I'd spent similar time re-arranging. To no purpose the 8.1 update ran exactly along the lines of all the previous updates, ending in the same abort install message on the Android Recovery menu, and back to 7.1.1. I've very few options left, as far as I can see. I might try the multi boot option, which would appear to give the whole system a good kicking, and in fact, from the previous attempts to get a rooted Android, the present problems might have arisen.
You can flash 8.1 with the flash tool (ie fresh install, not upgrading). Firmware can be found here http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Gemini_Firmware (http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Gemini_Firmware)
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Flashing is going to be the next step. having done a factory settings reset, there's nothing on the machine, now, to lose.
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Flashing is going to be the next step. having done a factory settings reset, there's nothing on the machine, now, to lose.
Well, perhaps I'm Captain Obvious today, but just in case; from the error message you posted earlier, it seems the updater is unhappy with the partitioning of your Gemini, so unless that can be restored to whatever state the updater expects, flashing might be your only option.
While I'm out of my depth here, and thus can't be too sure, I do seem to recall reading about horrible things that can go wrong with flashing, such as, but not limited to, wiping the NVRAM, after which the Gemini, if I've understood things correctly, no longer has any IMEI number and thus can't be a phone. As I'm already beyond my comfort zone here, I can't really provide much advice. Just beware that a botched flashing can be really bad. While I presume that isn't news to you, it's still something to keep in mind. Perhaps it might be worth, lest you've already tried that, to try e-mailing the Planet Computers support regarding the "Partition table not match" issue, and see if they have any suggestions.
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Flashing is going to be the next step. having done a factory settings reset, there's nothing on the machine, now, to lose.
Well, perhaps I'm Captain Obvious today, but just in case; from the error message you posted earlier, it seems the updater is unhappy with the partitioning of your Gemini, so unless that can be restored to whatever state the updater expects, flashing might be your only option.
While I'm out of my depth here, and thus can't be too sure, I do seem to recall reading about horrible things that can go wrong with flashing, such as, but not limited to, wiping the NVRAM, after which the Gemini, if I've understood things correctly, no longer has any IMEI number and thus can't be a phone. As I'm already beyond my comfort zone here, I can't really provide much advice. Just beware that a botched flashing can be really bad. While I presume that isn't news to you, it's still something to keep in mind. Perhaps it might be worth, lest you've already tried that, to try e-mailing the Planet Computers support regarding the "Partition table not match" issue, and see if they have any suggestions.
Flashing Oreo is fine if you follow the guide on the official Planet Computers Wiki page.
Personally, I would recommend using the Windows based Flashing Tool, if you are not very familiar with Linux as there can be some odd complications.
All user and system data will be wiped in the progress though in any case.
Multiboot is not yet available for the Oreo based bootloader, so hold back if you need that.
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Did a normal update on 14-5 on the Gemini, non rooted. It went smooth, no isues at all. It now says 8.1.
However, it doesn't takes the installed 512Gb SD card. Tells me to insert the card again. I did, and it showed in the file manager and the on the card installed apps worked fine
At night it shuts itself down like i want to, but this mornig, no SD card. and i have to insert again. So obviously thats a bug.
Or does anyone know a solution? Or has the same problem?
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Will there ever be an upgrade available for the WiFi only models ?
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OTA update, took a while to get moving (a few days) but eventually downloaded and installed successfully.
No user interaction at all, actually, opened it up and the update was up and running.
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Just noticed on http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Main_Page (http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Main_Page) that 8.1 is also available for the Wifi-only model; partition tool updated, also with dual/triple boot.
Will have to try, soon.
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Just noticed on http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Main_Page (http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Main_Page) that 8.1 is also available for the Wifi-only model; partition tool updated, also with dual/triple boot.
Will have to try, soon.
I just got a firmware update notification and am afraid it would cause me to not have a rooted device any more. Has anyone who's rooted ever done the 8.1 automatic upgrade?
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Hello jornada720,
don't.
The upgrade for rooted devices isn't released yet, and as far as I know it wouldn't work Over-The-Air (OTA) anyway, which means we rooted guys have to use the flashtool.
I decided for myself, though, not to upgrade, because there are too many critical problems published here with 8.1 on the Gemini.
Kind regards
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Thank you for the advice, Eldkatten. I will hold off for now.
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Resized my partitions, Changed to rooted version and rooted. Wifi-only model.
8.1 seems to work fine (rooted for wifi-only caused problems on the previous update for me - and I wasn't the only one).
Pro:
- somewhere in the settings, I found a "hide navigation bar" which is awesome. More screen space for apps, yay! I mean, seriously, with any small screen, this is important to me.
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I have the WiFi version but I’m still being told there is no update. Is there a way to coax it to find the update?
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Hello,
I have the WiFi version but I’m still being told there is no update. Is there a way to coax it to find the update?
We might swap: my device keeps nudging me about an update I do not want
You can go to Settings - "About" - and click on the first entry: should say something about update, not sure about the exact wording in english. Thus you trigger the search for updates process manually.
Kind regards
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Crazy thing is that is what I do and it keeps saying the version installed is the latest one. I can flash manually but shouldn’t have to do that.
Hello,
I have the WiFi version but I’m still being told there is no update. Is there a way to coax it to find the update?
We might swap: my device keeps nudging me about an update I do not want
You can go to Settings - "About" - and click on the first entry: should say something about update, not sure about the exact wording in english. Thus you trigger the search for updates process manually.
Kind regards
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Indeed, I used manual update, needed it because of the partition resize.