Gemini turns one

So, a whole year of daily Gemini PDA usage; time for an update.

Planet Computers'  Gemini PDA has been my sole phone, communications and portable computing solution for a whole year. In that time, it has met my expectations and more - I am well pleased with my purchase. But there are some qualifications, largely in software, support and Linux. But first, the hardware:

Hardware
There is one overriding reason to buy the Gemini - the clamshell design with a 'proper' mechanical keyboard. I am writing this review on the Gemini. The keyboard is a solid performer, if rather too small for ten-finger touch typing. I have found that the best and fastest input is from the use of only three or four fingers and thumbs. It's not touch typing but it achieves the best balance between speed and accuracy and makes the Gemini keyboard a joy to use.

The clamshell design has stood up well to many openings and closings every day and seems to perform just as well as when it came out of the box. My only criticism being the sharpness of the metal edges around the closure points (once bitten, twice shy). The case has worn well and, although it is obviously not new, it is free from any major scratches and blemishes, despite sharing my pocket daily with sundry other metal objects.

Other users, however, have reported issues with cracked hinges and less than optimal keyboards. It is hard to pin down the reasons for this - perhaps there is manufacturing variability and perhaps differences in how the device is handled. I can only report on my own experience, which is very good.

Software
Planet Computers software is another matter. Notes, Data, Agenda, Airmail as well as a number of utilities come with the Gemini. Personally, I don't think that Planet Computers have the resources necessary to develop good software. The applications tend to be clunky clones of old Psion software and in my view are, quite frankly, best avoided. Fortunately, there are many Android apps to choose from which perform very well on the Gemini, and much better than the Planet versions.

Many people bought into the Gemini on the promise of Linux compatibility. They have been mostly disappointed. Linux is available on the Gemini, but it is reported as awkward and incomplete (I don't use it myself). Having previously spent a lot of time with Linux, my feeling was, and still is, that Linux is largely for hobbyists,  hackers, servers and black-box systems. If companies like Canonical struggle to produce an open-ended, consumer-grade Linux OS, then there is no hope for a little company like Planet Computers. Try Linux if you like tinkering, otherwise just stick with Android.

Mostly, Android runs well on the Gemini. But Planet seems to contract out their Android integration to a less than wonderful company. Android updates are best avoided on first release. Expect to wait a couple of weeks after release, until other (braver) users are reporting that it updates and runs ok. While my Gemini runs well on Android, in the last year I have also experienced loss of functionality on the silver button for several weeks and Google Maps ceasing to operate for a while. These were addressed eventually, but I won't be rushing to update to Android Oreo until I hear that the road is clear.

Support
Planet Computers suffer from poor communications and patchy support. They let issues fester before making any public statements about them (Apple do this too). They over promise on dates and regularly under deliver. Support seems spotty; some users report being very happy, while others can't get any response at all from suppport. All this could be put down to Planet Computers being a startup. But, two years down the track, things should be getting better and there is no evidence that it is.

If you are likely to need hand-holding or have high expectations of any company you do business with then you may want to avoid Planet Computers - at least based on current evidence.

Conclusion
I like my Gemini. It fits my style of working perfectly and is the natural successor to the Psion PDAs and Nokia Communicators of the early 2000s. I have the next version (the Cosmo Communicator) on order so that should tell you how pleased I have been with the hardware. Would I suggest it for my non-technical family members? Probably not; it does occasionally require some basic troubleshooting to deal with, or work around, a software issue. If you aren't comfortable with that then the Gemini might be best avoided.

To keep things in context; there are some downsides (mainly software reliability) but for me, they are outweighed by the considerable upsides - it fits my lifestyle and, quite frankly, there is nothing else available that can come close to replacing it. I hope that the Cosmo Communicator is at least as good as my Gemini.

Gemini at three months

Three months is long enough for the excitement of a new gadget to wear off and the reality of life with the Gemini to make itself known. The first month of Gemini ownership was not all plain sailing; after all, this was a version one, crowd-funded device. However, my expectations were suitably calibrated and, with that in mind, I can honestly say that the Gemini has exceeded those expectations. Now that the initial problems have been resolved, the device has become my day-to-day phone and mini-laptop and I see no reason why that shouldn’t continue well into the future.

Gemini alongside old Psion stylus (doesn't work with Gemini!)

Let me say upfront, that I use the stock Android firmware as delivered (and subsequently updated) by Planet Computers. I have not attempted to root, dual boot or install Linux, Sailfish et al. My days of playing with Linux are long gone – life is too short. Others who have been down the Linux route have reported various degrees of success and failure – one or two with apparently ‘bricked’ devices. Planet Computers have indeed delivered a dual-booting device, but what the user chooses to dual boot into is largely up to them and, as it used to say on ancient maps, "here be dragons".

So, leaving Linux out of the equation, let’s deal with the two biggest issues that people raise in relation to the Gemini as a phone replacement – there’s no external screen and only an optional low-quality external camera.

If you are someone who walks around with your phone in hand watching the screen and occasionally thumb typing on the move, then the Gemini is probably not going to work for you. It works for me because I like to keep my phone in a pocket and take it out only when needed. To stop having to get my phone out at every beep, ding or chime, I wear a smartwatch and have done so ever since Pebble. In effect, my watch is an external screen and so I don’t miss not having one on the Gemini - in fact, I prefer it this way.

Gemini and external screen (Amazfit Bip smartwatch)

When it comes to the poor camera options, I am similarly unconcerned. At the end of the day, no phone is able to do what a good camera can, and I have always carried a camera even when my phone did have one. Perhaps what I do miss (a bit) is the ability to scan receipts and other paperwork with a phone camera and a smart Android app like Scanbot (I don’t have the Gemini’s optional camera). So, how much the lack of a camera (or the low quality of the add-on camera) affects you will depend upon your use

So, parking those two issues; what’s the Gemini like to use on a daily basis? I use the Gemini both as a phone and as a mini laptop. Because of the excellent keyboard, I find myself doing things on the Gemini that I would never have attempted on my previous phones (Samsung Notes). So, I am composing longer emails on the go, drafting reports and longer articles when the ideas come and researching things on the go that would otherwise have required a laptop. This means that I make far greater demands of the Gemini than I used to of my previous phones. This has implications for the battery – although the Gemini battery is larger than most phone batteries, I find that it lasts a similar amount of time and I charge it a bit almost every day.

Receiving a phone call is as easy as checking my watch (to see who is calling) and then pressing the silver button on the side to take the call (without opening the Gemini). Making a call can either be done open and on speakerphone or closed using the silver button and speaking; "call {name} on their mobile". Whichever way works for you.

Durability has been fine. As I say, when not in use, it lives in my pocket all day, every day, for three months and is not showing any signs of distress from its intimate liaisons with keys and coins. The finish is still pristine and, despite many open and close movements every day, the hinge mechanism is not showing any signs of fatigue. I removed the manufacturer’s screen protector after the first week and, once cleaned, the screen is still free of any marks or blemishes. The keyboard has been equally robust, feeling the same today as it did on day one. There is no apparent wear on the keycaps or cap markings. My only complaint of the hardware is that, when open, the edges of the hinge cover are exposed and they are sharp enough to draw blood if I am not careful around them.

On the software front, I don't use the Gemini's "Notes" app nor the "Agenda" app. While they are modelled after the old Psion apps with the same names, the world has moved on since last century and there are apps that are more polished and suit the Gemini much better - JotterPad for notes and Google Calendar for appointments, tasks and reminders. Gmail, serves well as an email client, and Google's docs and sheets do duty for heavier document lifting. Some other apps only work properly in portrait mode and, rather than force them into landscape mode, I find it much easier to simply rotate the Gemini and hold it like a book.

Gemini with full-sized keyboard and library card for size comparison.

There are a couple of minor irritants that remain:
• Bluetooth shuts down at least once every day for no apparent reason. My watch tells me and I turn it back on again.
• The supplied fast charger overheats the battery (I now use a normal 2 Amp charger instead).

I consider issues like these to be part of the ‘crowdfunding experience’ and neither of them is a ‘show stopper’. As an early adopter, I paid about US$200 less than the current retail price of the Gemini and feel well pleased with the deal. Planet Computers seem to have done a remarkably good job of delivering the first version Gemini and, unless something far superior comes along, I expect to be carrying the Gemini in my pocket for a few years yet.

Gemini has landed

After months of waiting, my Gemini finally left the production-line and landed on my desk.

I think that, like many others, when I first heard about the Gemini my thoughts ran along the lines of, "great, now I can write on a phone without losing half the screen, wrestling with swipe input, and having autocorrect get me into trouble." Well, after forty-eight hours with the Gemini, that is exactly what I have found, but also that there is something more significant going on - a sort of paradigm shift in how I think about and use my new 'phone'.

I thought that the Gemini was a phone with a keyboard. I was wrong; it is a mini-laptop that also acts as a phone and message centre. That might sound like semantics, but it actually points to a paradigm shift in thinking and use. The Gemini is not just a phone replacement; it can replace both phone and laptop when away from home base. The operative word is 'can' because It depends on how you work and what your work entails.

For a few years, I have attempted to use mainly 'cloud' based tools so that I could pretty much work anywhere, on any device that was available. Typically I would use a desktop, one of two laptops (small and large) and a phone. The Gemini is managing to replace both of my laptops and my phone. Which means that I  use a desktop (mainly photography and graphic design) and the Gemini - nothing else is necessary; the Gemini and the desktop cover all the bases.

This is big. It reduces my reliance on so many separate devices and the Gemini is sufficiently capable that I have even found myself using it to write when sitting in front of the desktop - simply because I am doing something else on the desktop screen - the Gemini and its keyboard are that good. Yes, I am only forty-eight hours in and the Gemini still has to prove its reliability but, once that is confirmed, I'll probably be moving a couple of laptops along to a new home.

Read about the Gemini here and here.

Phoneography

Put camera in bag ... gather up coat, wallet and phone ... leave home - without camera. 

All is not lost, I still have my phone and my phone has a camera. It's just that I don't like my phone camera. More exactly, I don't like using my phone as a camera, it's an unwieldy and decidedly sub-par photographic experience that often leaves me grinding my teeth in frustration AND it only gives me flimsy JPG files to work with. Four hours on the computer later, I have two pictures I quite like - neither of them are selfies.

The thing is, I've grown too fussy. Even my phone can beat the socks off the old film camera gear I was using twenty years ago - I wish I had been able to produce monochromes with this sort of tonal quality and sharpness back then. So it took four hours to produce two pictures; by the time I had developed and printed the pictures twenty years ago, it would have been closer to four days.

Perhaps that's the problem; it all comes too easy today - anyone with a phone can be a photographer, even me.

Samsung Galaxy Note III + Silver Effects Pro

Pebble power

To be honest, I’ve been a bit of a “wearables” sceptic. I gave up wearing a watch about ten years ago – a sort of two finger salute to being driven by the mechanics of time. So, when wearable computing started to be ‘the next big thing,’ I was like, “nah, don’t need it”. But then I got a “Pebble” smart watch to try out and I realised that I have needed one for quite a while.

I have two use cases for this wearable – when I am at home and when I am in the car. At home I seldom have my phone on my person – I usually leave it someplace and then fail to hear it when I get a call, message, email etc. When driving, I want to know whether the call is worth pulling over to respond too without fumbling in my case or pocket for the phone. The Pebble addresses both these needs and, in addition, becomes a general first-line interface for the phone, meaning that I pull out the phone to check it far less often.

The phone talks to the Pebble via Bluetooth (in my case, Bt v4 on the Pebble and Bt v3 on the phone). The connection seems rock solid, and reconnects seamlessly when the Pebble has been out of range from the phone.

Out the box, the Pebble has only basic functionality and I quickly added two key apps – “Notification Center” which replaces the Pebble’s limited notifications with any notification that the phone and its apps are able to generate. And secondly “Wristponder” a $2 app that can send canned SMS messages from the Pebble (useful in meetings or when driving). Both these apps have an Android component that lives on the phone. A third app “Pebblets” provides a calendar, calculator, timer, weather, stocks, and RSS feeds and lives solely on the phone.

Being the size of a watch it has a very limited interface but enough to read short email messages, texts and check the weather. The canned messages feature of “Wristponder” is brilliant for acknowledging texts or providing limited information like “running late be there soon” without having to stop to type the message on the phone.

Pebble works with iOS and Android devices (but not Windows Phone or BlackBerry) and costs US$150 in its basic form (shown above) and US$250 for the ‘Pebble Steel’ version. If you thought that Pebbles were for skimming across the pond or providing interest at the bottom of a fish tank, then this Pebble might make you think again.