First impressions

[Sunyavadin]

Multiple home screens are a bit borked. Go to your apps, long hold one and instead of dropping it on your current home screen, move to the edge and a new one will be created. Drop the app in the new homescreen. To delete a homescreen remove all shortcuts from it.

Simply create extra homepages and leave the google search on one you don't go to.

Tried that, it literally only drops them as far as the edge of the current home screen, it won't let me drag them to new ones.

[rogalian]

First impressions: UGH I NEED TO GET RID OF THIS GOOGLE JUNK

I'll come back when I've rooted and cleaned it up. Sticking with Android for now until Linux has matured a bit.

Or not. Rooting and removing all the Google junk = no more Android booting.

Exceptionally irritating there's no AOSP build from Planet. But since I'm not using it as a phone, I'll see how I get on with Debian instead.

[vader]

Tried that, it literally only drops them as far as the edge of the current home screen, it won't let me drag them to new ones.

Ok, drag it just off the end of the last homescreen. A new one will pop up. I will see if I can get a screen cast showing how to do it.

[vader]

You cant upload movies unfortunately. Just hold an app in your app drawer, then slowly drag it towards the gap between homescreens and a new one will be created. I have several.

[Sunyavadin]

Tried that, it literally only drops them as far as the edge of the current home screen, it won't let me drag them to new ones.

Ok, drag it just off the end of the last homescreen. A new one will pop up. I will see if I can get a screen cast showing how to do it.

Nope. It's as if the homescreen is locked somehow. I can drag it right to the edge of the screen so far that half the icon is off the side, but it does nothing, just snaps back the moment I get past the edge.

[Sunyavadin]

Has anyone yet figured out what causes the speakers to randomly stop playing audio during calls and switch to some kind of distorted dialup internet connection-esque sound for like 30+ seconds at a time halfway through calls sometimes? Only fix I have found so far is to toggle speaker in the call options and then open/close the clamshell, which works about half the time (and other times drops the call).

[jornada720]

Multiple home screens are a bit borked. Go to your apps, long hold one and instead of dropping it on your current home screen, move to the edge and a new one will be created. Drop the app in the new homescreen. To delete a homescreen remove all shortcuts from it.

Simply create extra homepages and leave the google search on one you don't go to.

Tried that, it literally only drops them as far as the edge of the current home screen, it won't let me drag them to new ones.

It sounds like you need to just replace the stock Gemini launcher. I, too, don't like the giant, useless Google search advertisement. Just download Nova Launcher or Lawnchair, both are excellent and can be highly, highly customized. The former is a commercial product but has a free version that is very capable.

With each launcher, you can hide icons of apps you don't like by tapping the pencil icon that appears on the press-and-hold popup menu. You can disable most apps you don't want running by choosing the "i" icon on the popup menu.

Both let you customize the size of the icons. Nova makes you pay for this feature, however. They also let you remove the text labels for icons as well, if you want a really clean look.

Nova's paid version has more features but Lawnchair is open-source.

[Pdajah]

Batch 2 has better keyboard feel than batch 1. Also batch 1 is missing the esim.  I'll report on more later.

[vader]

Batch 2 has better keyboard feel than batch 1. Also batch 1 is missing the esim.  I'll report on more later.

I have one of the original (early March) geminis. The keyboard started off a little stiff and I had to get used to it, however after 3 months of use it has bedded in particularly well. I am wondering if the newer keyboards had more tolerance, but wont bed in (ie they will remain consistent). Mine is particularly good now, and I am happily sitting on my deck in glorious Brisbane winter weather touch typing this. One thing to try to see how your keyboard is going.

Run the back of your fingernail across the keyboard in a text document (doesn't matter which). Does every key respond? Are you missing keys?

eg. very quickly running my nail produced (I stopped before backspace, enter etc)

1234567890qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm

Once you get used to it, you can get a real head of steam up when typing. I am only marginally slower than my full mechanical PC keyboard at work now.

The esim is slightly annoying, however by the time the functionality makes it here, I will be ready for gemini II.

[Pdajah]

Batch 2 has better keyboard feel than batch 1. Also batch 1 is missing the esim.  I'll report on more later.

I have one of the original (early March) geminis. The keyboard started off a little stiff and I had to get used to it, however after 3 months of use it has bedded in particularly well. I am wondering if the newer keyboards had more tolerance, but wont bed in (ie they will remain consistent). Mine is particularly good now, and I am happily sitting on my deck in glorious Brisbane winter weather touch typing this. One thing to try to see how your keyboard is going.

Run the back of your fingernail across the keyboard in a text document (doesn't matter which). Does every key respond? Are you missing keys?

eg. very quickly running my nail produced (I stopped before backspace, enter etc)

1234567890qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm

Once you get used to it, you can get a real head of steam up when typing. I am only marginally slower than my full mechanical PC keyboard at work now.

The esim is slightly annoying, however by the time the functionality makes it here, I will be ready for gemini II.

Glad your Batch #1 device works well. My Batch #2 keyboard feels more accurate and I doesn't  have a sticky space bar. I think quality is probably better in the later batch.

[joepirello]

Or not. Rooting and removing all the Google junk = no more Android booting.

Exceptionally irritating there's no AOSP build from Planet. But since I'm not using it as a phone, I'll see how I get on with Debian instead.

What are you talking about? Deleting system apps with Titanium Backup is no big deal, my Gemini boots fine.

Furthermore, I've heard like 5 people now wanting AOSP or Lineage. Why? You do realize PC did absolutely  nothing to the ROM except add a few apps and the necessary functioality for data connection. It is stock Android.

I have root and Xposed and this is no different than Lineage.

[andrewl]

Furthermore, I've heard like 5 people now wanting AOSP or Lineage. Why? You do realize PC did absolutely  nothing to the ROM except add a few apps and the necessary functioality for data connection. It is stock Android.

I have root and Xposed and this is no different than Lineage.

Because google probably.

As soon as there is an alternative available I will be getting rid of the toy-town Android OS on my Gemini completely. So far it's the only downer on a great device.

[vader]

Because google probably.

As soon as there is an alternative available I will be getting rid of the toy-town Android OS on my Gemini completely. So far it's the only downer on a great device.

Sailfish. When sailfish 3 is available for gemini (3rd quarter according to the site) I will be there. I think it is the ultimate OS for the gemini. A true linux distro, with a phone gui/functionality. You can even run android apps if you so desire. Best of all worlds. No spyware, logging etc - you control your device. If debian was able to be used as a phone I would already be using it. This is my only device at the moment, so it needs to be a phone - android will do for now, but I am counting the days

[andrewl]

Because google probably.

As soon as there is an alternative available I will be getting rid of the toy-town Android OS on my Gemini completely. So far it's the only downer on a great device.

Sailfish. When sailfish 3 is available for gemini (3rd quarter according to the site) I will be there. I think it is the ultimate OS for the gemini. A true linux distro, with a phone gui/functionality. You can even run android apps if you so desire. Best of all worlds. No spyware, logging etc - you control your device. If debian was able to be used as a phone I would already be using it. This is my only device at the moment, so it needs to be a phone - android will do for now, but I am counting the days

If the Sailfish 3 is completely native with all hardware drivers and GPU acceleration it would be truly awesome.
Unfortunately I think it will be using libHybris which I think would mean that Android would still need to be installed.

The ideal situation would be to be completely rid of the dreaded Fisher-Price OS Android.

[joepirello]

The ideal situation would be to be completely rid of the dreaded Fisher-Price OS Android.

I would love if Chromium could be ported to this device. Nonetheless, with the right modifications Android can be a pretty powerful OS. Sure, it's not a desktop OS, but for most people it's just fine. For me, it works perfectly for daily computing needs. I can always remote into my Windows PC if I needed to.

That was the issue with the GPD Pocket: Windows was too much for that little machine, and it struggled doing simple shit for me.