Topics

1

Gemini PDA - Android / Blue blinking LED on far right side: here's what it means (last post)

« on: June 24, 2019, 05:52:56 pm »

Hello,

as said in the topic, my Gemini shows a blue LED blinking on the right side, and I don't know what it means. There are no notifications, and the blinking starts again even after a restart or a shutdown and a power on. Battery is properly charged - 80% - , too.
All functions are ok, all apps are running normally.

Any ideas?

Kind regards

2

Gemini PDA - Hardware / Normal vs. Fast Charging

« on: June 02, 2019, 01:56:46 pm »

Hello,

by chance I bought a charger that can handle fast charging (GOOBAY 45173), and in connection with this I collected some observations and have a few questions.

First about normal charging:
When I connect the Gemini to my normal charger, which can provide up to 2.0A @5V, the Gemini draws only slightly less than 0.5A. When I connect the Gemini to a 10000 mAh Powerbank, it draws about 1.5A @5V. Why is this?

Fast charging:
After a few seconds after connecting, the charger voltage jumps from 5V to 9V, and the Gemini draws about 1.6A @9V. So it is fastcharging. Does anybody do this regularly? Are there any observations as to whether fast charging influences battery life, in means of charging cycles?

I don't trust the fast charging process, and both the charger and the Gemini - i.e. the battery - get pretty hot during charging. I can't believe this isn't harmfull for the battery. Is it?

Kind regards

3

Gemini PDA - Hardware / Charger Voltage 9V

« on: June 01, 2019, 12:16:08 pm »

Hello,

I've just bought a handful of new chargers (GOOBAY 45173), because with the charger I used only about 0.5 A at 5V was provided during charging, while the charger as such can output up to 2 A. Other devices use that range and charge with 1.3 - 1.6 A at 5 V.
I have a little gizmo connected between the charger and the cable, which shows me the voltage, the current and things like mAh and mWh provided  so far.

When I connect the Gemini to a power bank, it draws about 1.4 A at 5 V.

What I see now, with the new charger, is that after I connect everything, the voltage starts at 5V (which is ok for USB), but after a few seconds jumps up to 9V and remains. The current is about 1.5 A.

I read the technical description of the charger now (why bother before using it?   ), and it says that it supports Qualcomm Snapdragon charging process. So I guess with this particular charger the Gemini switches to the fast charging process.

I would appreciate if someone could answer the following questions:
- Is it really ok to provide 9V through USB structures? I mean, everything is originally designed for 5 V.
- Actually I don't want the Gemini to fast charge. I don't trust the process concerning battery life, and the Gemini and the charger get pretty hot while charging. Is there a way to tell the Gemini not to fast-charge, even if the charger supports it?

Kind regards

4

Gemini PDA - Android / switching off OTA-Update - how?

« on: May 14, 2019, 03:53:29 pm »

Hello,

since the OTA-Update was released, I get that "search for new firmware"-notification nearly every day. At first I didn't dare to touch it, of fear it would just start downloading the update and start it, which I don't want (I'm waiting for the rooted version anyway). But since I tried and it didn't cause any harm, I click on the notification each time it appears, and close the firmware update menu again.

But it keeps coming, which I find really annoying. I don't want OTA-updates, so how do I tell the device once and for all to not notify me? And why does the notification appear every freaking day?

I would reall appreciate any hints on this.

And reading the first experiences with 8.1 people tell of in other threads, I don't feel overly urged to update anyway, even if the rooted version finally will be available.

Kind regards

5

Gemini PDA - Hardware / Drive Letter

« on: November 01, 2018, 09:16:03 am »

Hello,

when I connect the Gemini to my (windows) laptop, and chose "connect as media device", there appears a new device "Gemini" under "Computer" in Windows Explorer, but it doesn't have a drive letter, and isn't a network device either. Thus it doesn't appear in other filemanagers like Total Commander.
Though most of you - if using MS Windows - might be alright with Windows Explorer, many of my datatransfer datamanagement solutions depent on a drive letter and a directory structure beneath it. So here is my question: is it possible to assign a drive letter to the Gemini, once connect to a Windows (7 or 10) computer with the USB cable?

Thanks and kind regards

6

Gemini PDA - Android / Solved: Some formats not receivable with bluetooth

« on: July 28, 2018, 06:10:45 am »

Hello,

using bluetooth for sending and receiving data to and from the Gemini has worked quite well for me.
But now I tried sending an ebook (format epub) to the Gemini, which failed about threethousand times   (<- slight exaggeration) I finally noticed that the sending device held messages apparently sent from the Gemini as answer to the send-request, saying "The content is not supported". What content? Does the Gemini not accept epub files via bluetooth?

After a series of loud curses towards Google and Android (this is really no OS for serious work, just for kids and gamers, dammit, but alas, one is stuck with it) I tried some research on the topic and only found issues about older Sony devices refusing mp3 via bluetooth, and some other devices refusing apk, but there was no explanation about why and how to switch that off.
Of course there was no information to be found about whether the Gemini refuses epub files and why. Probably again some "security" crap. Let me use my devices, dammit, I can think for myself and a am adult enough to take responsibility for my actions.

Ok, enough of the rant. Does anybody have any similar experience with file transfer via bluetooth and how to fix it?

Kind regards

7

Gemini PDA - Android / Write access to external SD-Card

« on: July 27, 2018, 04:34:39 am »

Hello,

as far as I know this isn't a Gemini-specific problem, but something that occured since Android Version 5 or so. But I have read that at least since Android Version 6 there is a way around it, but apparently not on the Gemini. So here it is:
I can't write to the external SD-card, and there is no setting that I have found so far to allow apps to write to it. At the moment that annoys me most when trying to save documents created with HD Textmaker. (And, by the way: no, I don't want to merge the external SD-Card with the internal memory, or whatever that is called.)

So, when I try to "Save As" a document and chose a directory on the external SD-Card, I get the following message:
[img]http://www.eldkatten.net/Fotos/Screenshot_20180727-094621.png\" border=\"0\" class=\"linked-image\" /]
(Translation: "In the next dialog please give permission to write to the root directory of the SD-Card (click on "Select SD-card" on the bottom. If you don't see that entry, select the uppermost directory of the SD-Card.)"

The "next dialog" is this one:
[img]http://www.eldkatten.net/Fotos/Screenshot_20180727-094642.png\" border=\"0\" class=\"linked-image\" /]
I can wipe in a selection from the left, showing internal memory and SD-Card, but nowhere there is any way to "Select SD-card". No matter what I do, I get this message next:

[img]http://www.eldkatten.net/Fotos/Screenshot_20180727-094656.png\" border=\"0\" class=\"linked-image\" /]
Translation: "The application could not get write permission to the SD-Card. Please give permission to write to the root directory of the SD-Card in the previous dialog."

So, there I'm stuck. How do I grant write permission to the external SD-Card?

Kind regards

8

Gemini PDA - Android / Function Keys

« on: July 27, 2018, 03:18:15 am »

Hello,

sorry if this has been asked (and answered) before, I didn't find anything, though.
Is there a way to use "Function Keys" with the Gemini under Android? Current motive for me asking is HD Textmaker using "Alt+F4" for closing the program, which I couldn't figure out yet how to enter.

Kind regards

9

Gemini PDA - Hardware / Keyboard label wear

« on: June 26, 2018, 03:21:22 am »

Hello,

in the german section I read a post from some guy who said that already after a week or two some key labels are clearly chaffed (is this the right english word? I mean that the color starts vanishing).

When I first opened the Gemini, I also noticed that some keylabels look quite "thin", and in particular the small alternative symbols on the front of the keys (reachable with Fn + <key>) sometimes seem rather sloppy, as if they had little color in them applied by ancient and rather crude screen printing technique.

It would be pathetic if the unique feature of the Gemini, the physical keyboard, was the first thing that tattered. I once again compared it with my ancient Psion 5 mx, which I have used intensively for years: on the one hand, the keylabels look much cleaner than on the Gemini (ie the edges of the symbols are not so frayed), and even the intensely abraded keylabels are always still clearly visible.

Is there anything known about PC is going to offer a replacement key set? Maybe even of a better quality?

Kind regards

10

Gemini PDA - German / Deutsche Übersetzung

« on: June 20, 2018, 03:10:55 am »

Hallo,

wundert sich ausser mir jemand über manche "eigenwillige" Übersetzung in der deutschen Version? Nur als Beispiel: Wenn es in der Statusleiste Meldungen gibt, steht als Option darunter "ALLESAUFHEBEN" (also "alles aufheben"), was wohl "alle löschen" heissen soll und auch genau das macht.

Ausserdem sind viele Texte ohne Wortzwischenräume zusammen geschrieben, wobei ich allerdings nicht weiss, ob das eine Eigenheit der deutschen Version ist, oder bei anderen Sprachversionen auch der Fall.

Zusammen genommen sieht das sehr unprofessionell gemacht aus. Ob nicht nur die Hardware in China produziert wurde, sondern auch die "Übersetzung"?

Schönen Gruß

11

Gemini PDA - Android / USB-Sticks <solved>

« on: June 15, 2018, 12:51:34 pm »

Hello,

do USB-Memory-Sticks actually work with the Gemini on Android? I have seen recommendations of USB-Hubs, but only from people who think they should work, none of them owns / owned a Gemini and has tested it.

On my other Android devices I had to install a USB-Manager like "StickMount", but then USB-Memory-Sticks are accessable.
I tried a USB-Memory-Stick which features a Micro-USB plug, with a Micro-USB-to-USB-C-Adapter. The latter works fine both for charging and conneting with a PC. But when I plug in the USB-Memory-Stick nothing happens, with or without any USB-Manager. One of which gave an error message that the /mount-directory isn't avaible / could not be created.

Oh, and flipping the adapter didn't help either. I found out that charging works with the adapter plugged in either way, but data transfer only works when the adapter is plugged in one way, but not the other.

So, anyone who has connected a USB-Memory-Stick to the Gemini, got it working and can tell how they did it?

Thanks and kind regards

P.S.: Solution are different USB-C-to-micro-adapters, see
https://www.oesf.org/forum/index.php?s=&...st&p=287866

12

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / firmware over-the-air, what does it do?

« on: June 15, 2018, 05:08:22 am »

Hello,

sorry for asking a maybe obvious question: that "firmware over-the-air" thing, what does it actually do? And maybe another question: What happend to good old "manuals", that is documents which explain how to use a device and describing the features?

Anyway: if I accept a "firmware over-the-air", will I lose my data? Is it like flashing the device? I currently run my Gemini with th rooted firmware, will the device be unrooted after a "firmware over-the-air"?
For those who have their Geminis longer than I do: will I be asked before a "firmware over-the-air" is applied and am I able to refuse it?

Is there a switch somewhere with which I can turn off the "firmware over-the-air" feature entirely?

Thank you and kind regards

13

Gemini PDA - Android / Removing the "Search"-Widget - how? - Resolved

« on: June 06, 2018, 02:34:08 am »

Hello,

it's a real pain with any Android device I had so far: removing that big "Search"-widget on the home-screen. I don't use it anyway, and it takes away alot of valuable space. In many device I can remove it like any other widget, just swipe it into the paperbin, on others there are some settings neccessary (like deactivating Google search) and a reboot. Not on the Gemini, though. I have tried all the things I tried on other devices, but the stupid, now disfunctional widget stays stubbornly on the homescreen.

You know what I mean? On the attached screenshot it's the big white recangle with "Suchen" (because it's german) in it.

So, does anyone know how to remove that thing?

Kind regards

14

Gemini PDA - Android / Installing an APK with permissions - how?

« on: June 05, 2018, 12:29:01 pm »

Hello,

today I received my Gemini, and so far I'm fine with it and over the first obstacles. I'm trying to install some apps which I use on other Android devices, but there's a problem. I use "MyPhoneExplorer", which connects fine with the Gemini, and then use the "Install App" feature. Basically this is done by uploading the Apk-File and starting the installation.
So, with apps without any permissions this works fine (having set the "install apps from unknown sources"-feature). But when the app wants to have some permissions, I get the "Do you want to install this App?" screen with the permissions listed, but only the "Cancel"-button is active, the "Install"-button is grayed out. So I can't install any apps which need permissions.

My other Android devices are versions 4 or 5, so maybe it has to do with the Android version on the Gemini?

I can't and don't want to go through the "Playstore", I haven't set up my Google account on the Gemini yet, and I think some apps I want are not available in the "Playstore". So that is not an option.

How then do I install apps from an Apk-file which need permissions?

Kind regards