Messages

31

Cosmo Communicator - Android / Disabling Android Features

« on: November 16, 2019, 05:19:19 am »

Yep, switching to another launcher is one way.

Another workaround is to drag your icons to a second page (to the right).  The Google bar is only on the first page.

32

Cosmo Communicator - Hardware / Rooting the Cosmo Communicator

« on: November 09, 2019, 11:05:24 am »

TWRP is certainly not necessary to install rooted Android, as the Gemini I'm typing this on was rooted without it!

It can be done using the Windows or Linux Flash Tool to install the rooted Android OS that Planet supply.  (It's pretty fiddly, but doable.)

Assuming the same tool works with the Cosmo -- and I suspect it will -- all we'll need will be Planet to supply the rooted Android image for the Cosmo.

33

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Latest updates on Indiegogo

« on: November 05, 2019, 07:16:15 am »

Just checked and my shipping address has been locked. Hopefully this means UK/EU Cosmos will be shipped out soon...

Mine (#623, UK) is still at ‘Contribution Placed’, so don't hold your breath.

34

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Cosmo Screen Protectors?

« on: October 30, 2019, 04:04:03 am »

I've noticed that some keys have made a mark on the protector itself-

In my opinion,  that just shows the pointlessness of a protector on a device like the Gemini or Cosmo, where the keyboard itself protects the screen when not in use.

My Gemini gets an awful lot of use, and although its screen sometimes shows faint marks from the keys, they're just grease and always wipe off completely leaving no trace.

A screen protector, on the other hand, isn't as hard or smooth.  If the marks become permanent, then the protector is making the screen worse, not better!

35

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Latest updates on Indiegogo

« on: October 14, 2019, 01:25:52 pm »

Maybe I'm just being selfish here, but given that European ones have far further to travel -- and given the uncertainties around shipping that Brexit will cause (whenever it happens -- don't blame me, I didn't vote for it...), wouldn't it be more reasonable to ship the EU Cosmos first, before they get all snarled up??

36

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / Will there be security updates on Android?

« on: September 24, 2019, 03:03:20 am »

If your version of Android is from December 2018, then it HAS ALREADY had update(s) -- the Gemini was released half a year before that!

The latest version is Android 8 from May 2019, so you should be able to upgrade to that, either through the built-in Firmware Update, or by downloading it from Planet's support site.

Of course, it would be nice if updates were a bit more timely, but they do happen.

37

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / Random Turn-off when battery is less than 50%

« on: September 15, 2019, 02:26:01 pm »

This raises issues about the Cosmo...  While it's possible to keep a Gemini on Android 7.x (or roll back to it), what version with the Cosmo be supplied with?  If 8.x, will it suffer the same problems, and if so, will it be possible to install 7.x on it?

38

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Latest updates on Indiegogo

« on: September 06, 2019, 01:56:20 pm »

Are the Google Mobile Services the same as on the Gemini?  If so, was there ever any real doubt about them?

39

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

« on: September 06, 2019, 01:33:02 pm »

Given that Planet Computers are now recommending sticking with Android 7, or even downgrading to it, to avoid some of the reported battery problems, you'd think that they'd be less interested in forcing you to upgrade to Android 8!

But no, I still get the notifications a couple of times every day…

And you can't just dismiss them — you have to go into the upgrader, wait for it to dial home and show the upgrade, and then hit Back!  It's got to be a real drag.

(Especially because, on my rooted machine, the automatic update wouldn't actually work anyway…)

Is there no way to silence it, without installing extra software?  I've got auto-update turned off in the Play Store app, and the detection interval in Firmware Update set to One Month, but still it persists, like the endless repetition of “Are we nearly there yet??”…

40

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Latest updates on Indiegogo

« on: September 04, 2019, 02:55:55 am »

Hopefully this puts Brexit concerns at ease a bit.

(…regarding the Cosmo, at least…)

41

Cosmo Communicator - General Discussion / Belt cases for cosmo?

« on: September 01, 2019, 07:27:24 am »

I've never understood why people bother with cases, when they have perfectly good trouser pockets.  Cases are for wimps who don't use their device enough! :-)

I carried a Psion 5mx in my left trouser pocket for 20 years; I was always whipping it out to make a quick note, check my agenda, look something up in Wikipedia, play games, read books, &c.  And now my Gemini does all that and is my phone and web browser and stuff too.  There simply isn't time to faff around with cases when it's ringing...

(Of course, this only works if you wear trousers that have suitably-sized pockets. But most trousers do, these days -- partly because most people have phones.)

42

Gemini PDA - Hardware / Take off screen protector?

« on: September 01, 2019, 03:06:23 am »

I removed my screen protector immediately, and after more than a year there's no noticeable damage to the screen.  It picks up very slight greasy marks from the keyboard when closed, just as it does directly from your fingers, but those all come off easily when I clean the screen, leaving no trace.

I believe that screen protectors are mainly to avoid marks made during manufacture and assembly.  They may also be useful for phones that are put unprotected into bags/pockets with keys &c — but the Gemini has its keyboard to protect it, so I can't see any benefit to keeping it on.

43

Gemini PDA - General Discussion / Linux Flash Tool did not work with Debian 10 (?)

« on: September 01, 2019, 02:57:16 am »

I don't have a good answer, I'm afraid, but I can suggest the same workaround that I use as a Mac user: keep a USB stick with Debian 9 and all the necessary extras, and boot from that when you want to run the flash tool.

It's a hassle, but it works, and will continue to work whatever you do with your main OS.  Since Planet upgrades are relatively few and far between, the hassle isn't too great once you have a stick set up.

44

Gemini PDA - Android / Yalp no longer working for me

« on: August 16, 2019, 03:49:10 am »

Thanks, I've installed Aurora.

It's not happy in landscape mode -- too many bars across the screen, leaving the apps squashed up in the middle.  And updating multiple apps is a bit fiddly.  But the important stuff seems to work well.

45

Gemini PDA - Android / Yalp no longer working for me

« on: August 09, 2019, 02:50:12 am »

For interest, what rev of yalp do you have?

0.45-legacy, apparently.  (Installed throgh F-Droid,.)