Topics

1

Gemini PDA - Android / Skype

« on: August 13, 2018, 03:17:25 pm »

The cursor keys / arrow keys in the Skype App in a chat doesn't work as supposed - instead of editing the text, the keys jump to other fields/buttons. How crazy is that??

Workaround is to install "Skype Lite", feels older and better for a power user, despite the "lite" ..

(unbelievable, how much Microsoft can still destroy in Skype. Every time you thought, it really couldn't get worse, they found a way ..)

2

Gemini PDA - Android / Firefox

« on: July 28, 2018, 01:48:31 pm »

For a desktop-like Internet browsing-experience I installed Firefox, as it's one of the few (or the only) internet browsers on Android which has add-ons.

- Many keyboard-shortcuts you know from the desktop version of Firefox also work on Android.
- you can install ad-blocker, you can install gesture-addons ...

Besides that and according to some postings on the web, Firefox switches to a tablet-UI (real on-screen tabs, more buttons) with a system-DPI-setting of at least 480 (Settings / Developer Settings). I like that setting on the Gemini, a bit small sometimes, but other apps also make much more use of the screen.

- To have the text on the websites a bit bigger again, I changed in about:config
layout.css.devPixelsPerPx   -> to 2.4

- To make the scrolling/swiping better, I used the following settings:
apz.fling_curve_function_x1  -> to 0.01
apz.fling_curve_function_x2  -> to 0.0
apz.fling_curve_function_y1  -> to 0.25
apz.fling_curve_function_y2  -> to 0.98

This is how Firefox looks on my Gemini:
[img]http://extra.inmontanis.info/d/47683-4/DSC02232.jpg\" border=\"0\" class=\"linked-image\" /]

(However I miss a real scrollbar on Android and especially on Firefox. The current one is so small and short (on large sites) and you cannot drag it. There's an add-on but it's not that good, because you have to activate it every time and sometimes it's not working.)

If anyone has more hacks or tips or good add-ons for Firefox on the Gemini, let us know.

3

Gemini PDA - Android / Psion Series 3a/Siena Emulator

« on: July 27, 2018, 11:29:08 am »

One of the first things I wanted to do when I received my Gemini, was to run the Psion Series 3a - Emulator to open a few old files and programs .. last used maybe 15-20 years ago ..

Those early Psion emulators run on a plain MS-DOS, so on Android you can use various Dos-Boxes with a pre-installed MS-compatible DOS. You don't have to install DOS, you don't have to use a virtual hard-disk  - just copy the Emulator and your old Psion files below the Download-directory for example and map the C-Drive to that...

If you have no Psion-Emulator from the golden age, it seems you can find them here, hopefully including the readme-file with the instructions:
https://psion.info/GJ5/emulator16.html

I tried various Dos-Boxes on the Gemini, I think "Magic DosBox Free" is quite good, because you can define On-Screen-Buttons/Keys with Images. As you may know, you need the F-Keys for the Psion-emulators (for the Menu-Key and the Diamond-Key and the soft buttons) ..

So here's a screenshot how such a S3a/Siena-Emulator with a large VGA-screen can look on the Gemini:
[img]http://extra.inmontanis.info/d/47679-4/DSC02258.jpg\" border=\"0\" class=\"linked-image\" /]

Here are the pictures of the keys I used for Magic-DosBox (My Siena hasn't survived the last 15-20 years in the shelf, btw.):

 [ Invalid Attachment ]