They say the best computer is the one you always have on you

[joepirello]

So after about a month with the Gemini as my daily device, I can say that my Chromebook Pixel LS, even though it's a beast of a machine, is getting less and less use compared to the Gemini. Reason being: it's a lot bigger, a lot heavier and for moments that require a quick input with a keyboard, the Gemini is much easier to use.

Yes, the keyboard will get easier to type on. I'm at the point now where I can touch type. I'm going to see if I can get a replacement keyboard mat because some keys are sticky and uneven in terms of travel, but I'm typing this on the Gemini outside at my complex's patio by the pool.

The Gemini has also been my daily driver cellular device (replacing my smartphone) as well. I'm not a big phone talker to begin with, so that aspect doesn't matter much to me. Nonetheless, there is another benefit to the Gemini that no one speaks about: the added step to use it.

I think this is a huge BENEFIT and not a hindrance, because I would often find myself  taking my smartphone out  of my pocket and aimlessly checking my email or looking at the device. When the screen is right there and it's so easily accessible to pick it up and turn it on, that habit can easily be formed. Having to open the clamshell of the Gemini forces an extra step, and in a lot of situations I find myself just leaving it in my pocket or bag instead of turning it on.

At the end of the day, I am finding this computer the best mobile computer I have, because it's always there, takes up no space, and is easy to use. My two machines at the moment are my Windows PC and the Gemini.

Just my 2c.

[vader]

So after about a month with the Gemini as my daily device, I can say that my Chromebook Pixel LS, even though it's a beast of a machine, is getting less and less use compared to the Gemini. Reason being: it's a lot bigger, a lot heavier and for moments that require a quick input with a keyboard, the Gemini is much easier to use.

Yes, the keyboard will get easier to type on. I'm at the point now where I can touch type. I'm going to see if I can get a replacement keyboard mat because some keys are sticky and uneven in terms of travel, but I'm typing this on the Gemini outside at my complex's patio by the pool.

The Gemini has also been my daily driver cellular device (replacing my smartphone) as well. I'm not a big phone talker to begin with, so that aspect doesn't matter much to me. Nonetheless, there is another benefit to the Gemini that no one speaks about: the added step to use it.

I think this is a huge BENEFIT and not a hindrance, because I would often find myself  taking my smartphone out  of my pocket and aimlessly checking my email or looking at the device. When the screen is right there and it's so easily accessible to pick it up and turn it on, that habit can easily be formed. Having to open the clamshell of the Gemini forces an extra step, and in a lot of situations I find myself just leaving it in my pocket or bag instead of turning it on.

At the end of the day, I am finding this computer the best mobile computer I have, because it's always there, takes up no space, and is easy to use. My two machines at the moment are my Windows PC and the Gemini.

Just my 2c.

I'm with you. After 3 months, it is my only personal device. I have a work machine, but that doesn't count. Got X11 apps working under termux, XSDL - who could want for more

[Don H]

I'm with you. After 3 months, it is my only personal device. I have a work machine, but that doesn't count. Got X11 apps working under termux, XSDL - who could want for more

Got any pointers on getting X11 working under termux?  I have not tried yet, but it sounds interesting!

Thanks!

[vader]

Got any pointers on getting X11 working under termux?  I have not tried yet, but it sounds interesting!

Thanks!

There is a repository you can add which has the X11 libs and a few apps. Search for X11 repo termux and you should find it. You basically run a script which adds the repo, then downloads a few things. You can disable the repo with another script if you want. What is fun is running sshd with X11 forwarding on, then do an ssh -X from another machine, and run xterm. You can install qemu and dosbox and a few other apps, or compile them yourself. As for the X, I use XSDL rather than a VNC server. Keep it simple.

[gidds]

They say the best computer is the one you always have on you

You sound surprised…  

I've been saying as much for a couple of decades!  Since I got my first Psion, in fact.

That's why my 5mx has been my only personal device (other than a dumb phone and an old classic iPod) for all that time.  I have a MacBook Pro which I love (and am typing this on), but it mostly stays in its dock.  It's vastly more powerful than the Psion, but the latter has one drastic advantage: it's always with me.  (It lived in my trouser pocket, or on the desk next to me, or on my bedside table.  Just about the only time it wasn't within arm's reach was when I shower.)

And, as I've been telling people for ages, even a slow and limited computer that's there is better than a powerful one that's not.

That's why my diary is on my Psion, not my Mac (and probably will be until Planet's agenda app is released).  That's why all my text files full of notes and ideas and to-do lists and quotes and work details and stuff are on my Psion.  That's why my passwords and account details are all in a file (encrypted) on my Psion.  That's why my ‘master’ list of contacts is on there.  That's why I read ebooks off its screen.  That's why I loaded it up with a dictionary, thesaurus, (very old and limited) snapshot of Wikipedia, Encarta, and many other reference works.  And so on.  Simply, as Sir Edmund Hillary would have said, because it's there.

That's also why my Psion lived in my trouser pocket, not in a case or bag or whatever.  The quicker and easier it is to reach, the more useful it is.

If I'm out and about, and find myself wondering why (say) whether birds can move their eyes, or wonder which movie or TV show a quote comes from, I can look it up immediately in a few seconds.  If I didn't have a computer on me (whether you call it a smartphone or PDA or palmtop or pocket computer or whatever), I would either forget to look it up later, or it wouldn't matter by then anyway.

Similarly, if I see an amusing quote or want to jot down a memo or whatever, I can do so in a few seconds.  Otherwise, I'd probably forget.

And if there's some appointment or task I need to remember, I can set it to play an alarm sound.  That, too, is only possible because it's with me.

(Recent example: last week I was on holiday, and gave my Gemini its first real testing.  A group of us were on the coast looking out to sea, wondering whether the strange shape in the distance was a ship, an island, or what.  With the aid of my Gemini, before long I was not only confirming that it was a huge container vessel, but listing its name, size, nationality, and itinerary!)

For people who are always within reach of a desktop machine, a PDA wouldn't have much point.  But for those of us who spend time on public transport commuting to work, or have hobbies or activities that take us out and about, such a device can be phenomenally useful.


Of course, my Psion's already surrendering its spot.  It'll be a long while before all its duties are transferred to my new Gemini (as I use some custom-written apps), but it's already become my phone, my music player, my ebook, and my reference, and my recreation.   I'm not sure whether this particular Gemini will be with me for another 20 years, but I hope to be using it and its successors for a long time to come!