Hairline crack in display case

[a1astair]

Just noticed my Gemini has developed a small hairline crack on the top edge of the display/lid plastic housing. Will try and post a photo.

No idea how this could occur, as I am very careful with my Gemini (always stored in a case and never dropped).

Has anybody else's Gemini suffered a similar fault?

[Varti]

Sorry to hear that; I have checked on mine and I haven't noticed any crack on the housing. I always keep my Gemini in its Planet leather case when I don't use it. Out of curiosity, do you own a Planet's case or a third party one?

Varti

[a1astair]

Sorry to hear that; I have checked on mine and I haven't noticed any crack on the housing. I always keep my Gemini in its Planet leather case when I don't use it. Out of curiosity, do you own a Planet's case or a third party one?

Varti

Planet leather case.

Also don't slam my lid shut like they show in the interviews/demos. I gently close it with two hands always. Very strange....

[Dixit]

Right. That's worrying.

Last week I tried to close my Gemini (gently, just like you) and it would not close.
The keys need to "sink" into the case before it closes. And they did not sink.

So the machine was somewhat half closed, with the lid partially tilted.
Somehow that solved itself.

But I am rather nervous about the build quality (and their illegal one-year-only warranty).

[Eldkatten]

Hello,

do you have a photo yet?

Kind regards

[Calamityspice]

I have dropped mine from my pocket when getting out of my car many times. On to asphalt.

It has a few scratches, but no significant damage.

Why is the 1 year guarantee illigal?

[Murple2]

I too have dropped mine for more than I would like, often onto the pavement (or sidewalk if you are so inclined). It has some decent scratches but remains completely operational.  I'm sure it's not bullet proof but I've had far more fragile devices

Last week I tried to close my Gemini (gently, just like you) and it would not close.
The keys need to "sink" into the case before it closes. And they did not sink.

So the machine was somewhat half closed, with the lid partially tilted.
Somehow that solved itself.

I'm guessing you had some detritus fouling up the hinge

[Dixit]

I have dropped mine from my pocket when getting out of my car many times. On to asphalt.

It has a few scratches, but no significant damage.

Why is the 1 year guarantee illigal?

EU-suppliers selling goods to EU-customers need to deliver at least 2 years warranty.

[Eldkatten]

(...)Last week I tried to close my Gemini (gently, just like you) and it would not close.
The keys need to "sink" into the case before it closes. And they did not sink.
(...)

That happens when you close the Gemini too carefully. Then the force of the magnets trying to close the remaining gap is just not strong enough to overcome the collected force applied by the key springs (provided by the rubber mat underneath). I can do that if I want, leaving the lid "just not closed". I did this on purpose one or two times, because I wanted to check whether the device is off before the lid starts to press all those keys. I know, this is just like wondering whether the light really goes off when you close the refridgerator door   And yes, the Gemini does shut off before the first row of keys is pressed down by the lid  

So, this is no issue of poor build quality. Actually for me it is a sign of high precission.
And you might notice a "click" when you close the lid. That's not "slamming" (where is it shown to do that ?  ), but just the final stage of the closing procedure, when the magnets are close enough to kick in.

Kind regards

[Daniel W]

EU-suppliers selling goods to EU-customers need to deliver at least 2 years warranty.

The devil may be in the details. When backing a crowdfundig project, you aren't strictly buying something. You are funding a project in the hope that they will give you something in return at a later date, which may feel like buying, but should Planet Computers fold, they probably wouldn't legally owe their backers anything. They would legally owe money to those who bought things in their web shop, but didn't get it delivered (though it probably wouldn't matter in practice, as a folded company typically doesn't HAVE any money left to cover such debts anyway).

Also, the two year EU rules are kind of weak. If a problem develops within the six first months, it is assumed the problem existed when you received the goods, unless the trader can prove otherwise. After six months, however, YOU must prove that you didn't somehow cause the fault yourself, which for anything beyond obvious cases, may be impossible. As a "one year warranty" sometimes extends the period during which the trader assumes you didn't break the thing yourself from six to twelve months, it may still improve your rights during month seven to twelve, after which regular EU rules continues to apply for another twelve months.

[andrewl]

EU-suppliers selling goods to EU-customers need to deliver at least 2 years warranty.

The devil may be in the details. When backing a crowdfundig project, you aren't strictly buying something. You are funding a project in the hope that they will give you something in return at a later date, which may feel like buying, but should Planet Computers fold, they probably wouldn't legally owe their backers anything. They would legally owe money to those who bought things in their web shop, but didn't get it delivered (though it probably wouldn't matter in practice, as a folded company typically doesn't HAVE any money left to cover such debts anyway).

Also, the two year EU rules are kind of weak. If a problem develops within the six first months, it is assumed the problem existed when you received the goods, unless the trader can prove otherwise. After six months, however, YOU must prove that you didn't somehow cause the fault yourself, which for anything beyond obvious cases, may be impossible. As a "one year warranty" sometimes extends the period during which the trader assumes you didn't break the thing yourself from six to twelve months, it may still improve your rights during month seven to twelve, after which regular EU rules continues to apply for another twelve months.

Yes, the 1 year warranty is a goodwill extension of the statutory 6 months you get under EU law. The two years is for defects that the buyer can prove existed at time of manufacture. This two years in the UK is 6 years.   Not illegal at all.

[a1astair]

Hello,

do you have a photo yet?

Kind regards

Finally got round to taking a photo of the crack. Used my trusty Nokia 1520's camera! Makes you realise how crap the Gemini camera is.....

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

[Eldkatten]

Hello,

Finally got round to taking a photo of the crack. Used my trusty Nokia 1520's camera! Makes you realise how crap the Gemini camera is.....

It's not so easy to see where exactly this crack is located, but after I finally understood, I found out that my Gemini has four of those cracks! Though rectangular to the edge. Suspiciously evenly spaced: First crack 14mm from the corner of the case, next crack 52mm form the first, next 40mm form the second, next 52mm from the third, this one (the forth) also 14mm form the other corner of the case.

I didn't notice these cracks until now when I looked for them. I get the impression that there are four groups of magnets to hold down the lid when closed, and that the cracks are related to the positions of those groups of magnets. Not exactly at the edge or the middle of each group, but somehow related.
Assuming this, the cracks could be caused by some thermal "work", when the material of the magnets expands sligthly more than the plastic of the lid/case, or by the force applied to the magnets when opening the lid, so that the magnets move within their imbedded space within the case.

Anyhow, I don't worry to much about them. I think once those cracks have formed, the structure is load-relieved and the cracks won't get any larger.

Kind regards

P.S.: Oh, and I also handle my Gemini very gently, as I did with my Psion 5mx. So the cracks can't be the result of rough treatment.

[Eldkatten]

Hello,

here is a picture of where the cracks are located. Arrows point to the cracks.

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

[Daniel W]

For what it's worth, after close inspection and careful (neighbor) cat hair removal, I seem to have three. If I start measuring from the side that has the charging port, mine appears at 33, 57.5 and 139mm. Here's a closeup of one of them:
 [ Invalid Attachment ]
Apologies for the weird angle, it was quite hard to get the light just right, to, at all, make the crack visible. We're looking at the front edge of the Gemini lid, with the top cover removed. The white hazy part to the left is the serial number sticker.

While they are very thin, I can feel them with a fingernail, and with the top cover removed, prying gently with a fingernail, I can make the one on the picture above flex ever so slightly, so they are indeed real. I notice that all three of mine are near (but not exactly at) ends of the four magnets keeping the lid closed. I would presume the magnets are press-fit into place and that the cavities receiving them are supposed to be really tight to ensure a snug fit. Molding plastic to very exact dimensions is tricky, so maybe some cavities got a fraction of a millimeter too small, or, possibly, some of the magnets were a hair thicker than specified.

In either case, I agree with Eldkatten, the affected material likely won't see any further stress. Given there's plenty of plastic behind the magnets, I don't think the cracks will affect the structural integrity of the lid in any relevant way, so, at least in my case, I'd write them off as manufacturing blemishes. While naturally undesirable, I'm neither surprised nor upset. I've seen worse from far more experienced brands.