Messages

286

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / Weak Wifi/Bluetooth

« on: May 28, 2018, 07:34:31 pm »

FWIW, my wifi reception seems fine, though I haven't tested it carefully.  I'm reading and posting this one floor and a couple of walls away from the router, and it shows good (though not perfect) coverage.

287

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / Brackets

« on: May 28, 2018, 07:30:06 pm »

The 'genuine' UK Psion layout is pretty much the same as the UK Gemini,with round brackets on Sh+9/0, angle brackets on Fn+5/6, square brackets on Fn+7/8, and curly brackets on Fn+9/0.

In fact, of the characters which are common to both, the only ones which have moved are the underline (from Fn+1 to FN+J), Euro (from Fn+E to Fn+4), and At (from Fn+4 to Fn+K).

As for the difference, while the same design agency was involved with both the Series 5 and Gemini, the manufacturers were in different countries.  It's perhaps ironic that in the '90s, keyboards were very common and it was the silicon, screen, and other components which were cutting-edge; while now the silicon, screen, and all the associated bits are standard and off-the-shelf while the keyboard is where they're having to build up expertise...

288

Gemini PDA - Hardware / Instability

« on: May 27, 2018, 10:27:38 am »

Re. rubber feet:

I've had some luck with these Tiny Self-adhesive Rubber Feet Bumpers from Amazon US.  (They're not available from Amazon UK, but they took only 8 days to arrive from the USA.)

That's a rubber mat with an 8x8 grid of rubber nodules.  (They're smaller than that picture makes them appear.  It's not obvious that they're separated; I carefully cut round a couple before discovering that they'd pop out individually!)

They sit rather nicely on the underside, near the corners.  (I fitted four, about 5mm in, where they look like they belong.)  When the unit is closed, they dissuade the metal/plastic sliding along the desk.  (Not completely rigid, but far better.)  Of course, when the unit is open, the expanding hinge lifts it off the two rear feet, but the two front ones still keep it fairly steady.

I don't know whether the Gemini's case wears easily (especially the grey coating/anodisation on the metal, which might be very obvious if it wears off to reveal the bright metal underneath) — can anyone with a first-batch Gemini confirm?  In any case, feet such as these may help to avoid that.

I don't know how strong the adhesive is, but I've had the feet attached for a couple of days now, in and out of my pocket &c, and they've shown no signs of coming detached.  (And if they do, that sheet provides 15 spare sets!)

(It's possible that something even thinner would do.  If I get the chance, I might try cutting out short strips of rubber from the remainder of the mat, and seeing if they work as well.)

So that seems to address one of the concerns I raised in this topic!

—

The other — the hinge — still worries me; even more so after seeing 1668880's [a href=\'index.php?act=findpost&pid=286245\']experience[/a]…  I suggest we all try to take good care of our hinges and not open them too far!

289

Gemini PDA - Android / microSDXC cards and forced ExFAT to FAT32

« on: May 22, 2018, 04:33:05 pm »

FWIW, my Gemini-formatted 256GB SD card worked fine with my Mac.

(Which is more than can be said for the Gemini itself…)

290

Gemini PDA - Android / Has anyone managed to get a 4G or 3G connection to Virgin in the UK?

« on: May 22, 2018, 08:45:48 am »

Bizarre!

I can confirm that after seeing the access point details, I now get 3G data.  Which is nice.  But still no hint of 4G.

Does anyone have an idea whether the issue is with the Gemini, or with Virgin Mobile?  (I.e. whether it's worth calling up Virgin and asking them about a device they've never heard of…)

BTW, the ‘NO SERVICE’ seems to be a red herring.  It seems that the Gemini (if you have an X27 one which can use the eSIM) will always display the status of both SIM slots.  So ‘VIRGIN - NO SERVICE’ simply means that the first (physical) slot is connected to Virgin, and the second (eSIM) slot isn't connected.

291

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / No audio on first answering calls

« on: May 22, 2018, 08:40:37 am »

Works for me.  (Well, when I tested it from my landline.  Not used it in anger yet.)

I have the ‘always answer calls in speaker mode’ setting OFF; are you sure you've tried that?

292

Gemini PDA - Android / Auto-correction

« on: May 22, 2018, 08:30:01 am »

And of course there are whole web sites devoted to the user-visible problems caused by AutoCorrect…

293

Gemini PDA - Android / Login

« on: May 22, 2018, 08:24:19 am »

Hitting the SPACE bar at the lock screen is the same as swiping up

In my experience that's mostly true — but a proportion of the time it seems to open the User settings instead!  Very strange…

294

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / Planet's online store

« on: May 22, 2018, 08:22:01 am »

Were I you, I'd try patience (I am NOT a patient man) because that state might prove beneficial in the long run.

That seems like good advice.

The folks at Planet seem to be doing their best by their customers, within the limits of their tiny operation.  Right now I'm happy to give them the benefit of the doubt.  (And I hope I'd still feel that way if I had a faulty unit…  )

And the less hassle they get from their users, the more time they have for working on improvements &c!

295

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / Miscellaneous blogs mentioning the Gemini

« on: May 22, 2018, 08:14:14 am »

the device would be much better if it were only a little bigger: the big battery, for instance; in my estimation for Linux usability a Trackpoint-style pointing device and three buttons. An extra half inch in height and width and an extra quarter inch in thickness would have given us twice the gadget.

I tend to disagree.

I have the experience of 20 years continuously carrying a Psion 5(mx) in my trouser pocket…  It's doable, but a bit bulky, and about the limit of what you'd want to carry that way.  (Having a large-enough pocket is one of my main criteria when buying trousers, as many don't!)

The Gemini is comparable to that: an unnoticeable mm or so longer, and a cm or so narrower and thinner.  That doesn't sound much difference, but the narrowness and especially thinness make the Gemini feel much less bulky and much more comfortable in the pocket.

In fact, the portability is one of the major reasons I've been using a 5mx this long: a device that's with you when you need it is more useful than another (however much more powerful) that's elsewhere.  If it takes 2 seconds to whip out a device, I'm much more likely to take notes, look stuff up, or whatever than if it takes 15 seconds and associated hassle.

So while a big battery would be an improvement, I wouldn't want it if it added significantly to the size.

As for a trackpad, I'm not (yet) using it for Linux, so I can't judge.  But from what I hear, can't you use the screen for that?

296

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / The eSIM feature is exclusive to the x27 variant of the Gemini and it's a design/compatibility choice.

« on: May 22, 2018, 07:55:24 am »

Are any eSIM connections available yet (or in the near future)?

297

Gemini PDA - Android / Has anyone managed to get a 4G or 3G connection to Virgin in the UK?

« on: May 21, 2018, 02:41:30 pm »

It seems that the ‘not available’ message is misleading, and just means that no access points are defined.  I was able to add one.

I got the details from here.  You have to pick a phone, and it doesn't list the Gemini, but I guessed a Galaxy would be fairly standard, and it came up with:

Name:        Virgin Mobile
Username:        (none)
Password:        (none)
Homepage:        Virgin Media
Server Address:        http://m.virginmedia.com

Name:        Virgin MMS
IP Address:        193.030.166.002
Username:        (none)
Password:        (none)
Homepage:        http://mms.virginmobile.co.uk:8002
Server Address:        goto.virginmobile.uk

I haven't had a chance to test it out yet, though.

298

Gemini PDA - Hardware / Is it possible to tighten the hinge?

« on: May 21, 2018, 09:33:55 am »

It seems as if Gemini hinges vary a bit…  (See this topic.)

When I hold mine in that sort of position, I prop the screen open; it's hard to describe, but I put one or both middle fingers under the hinge, use forefinger(s) to hold the edge of the screen, and rest the corners of the keyboard on one or both palms.  (That's how I tended to hold my Psion.  Thumbtyping is reasonably comfortable.  If needed, you can hold it in one hand and touch the screen with the other.)

Not ideal, but it mostly works!

I'd be surprised if it's possible to tighten the hinge after manufacture, but I too would be interested…

299

Gemini PDA - Android / Has anyone managed to get a 4G or 3G connection to Virgin in the UK?

« on: May 20, 2018, 01:06:36 pm »

What are the APN settings you're using?

If you mean Access Point Name settings (Settings -> Wireless & networks -> More -> Mobile networks -> Access point names), it just says ‘Access Point Name settings are not available for this user’.

(Dunno if it's relevant, but I haven't signed in with any Google ID, for privacy reasons.)

Would that need to be set up for mobile data, and if so, any idea how I might do so?

300

Gemini PDA - Android / Has anyone managed to get a 4G or 3G connection to Virgin in the UK?

« on: May 20, 2018, 05:53:36 am »

I have the same problem: 3G is fine, but there's no 4G at all.

I've been with Virgin Mobile for years, but only 3G.  A few months ago, in preparation, I upgraded to a 4G contract.  (That was a headache in itself — the new 4G-capable SIM made my Nokia E51 crash…  I had to get a new, cheap dumb phone.)

Now I have a Gemini, I can make and take calls fine, but there's no mobile data.  The top of the screen shows ‘3G’ and  a mostly-filled triangle (next to an empty triangle, which I guess is for the empty eSIM slot — I dunno why it insists on showing that when there's no eSIM set…).  I've set ‘Preferred network type’ to 4G, and ‘Virgin 4G’ as the preferred network, but its shows ‘No service’ when trying to access the Internet away from wifi.

Not having any other 4G devices, I can't check whether the problems with Virgin or the Gemini.  I initially assumed there was no coverage at my home, but I've tried it at a couple of other locations too, and Virgin's coverage maps shows there's coverage in most of the surrounding area.