Gemini PDA – new Psion-like ARM device

NB this is NOT the same as GeminiX!

The Gemini PDA is a new Psion-style clamshell PDA from some of the people who actually made Psion PDAs back in the 90s. It has a nice little physical keyboard very much like the one on the Psion Series 5, for those of us who remember that. (I had – still have! – one and liked it very much.)

The specs look pretty amazing, and it has a fantastically hi-res colour touchscreen (2880×1440, 564 ppi) – good enough for a decent-sized RISC OS desktop in high-def scaling (1440×720 equivalent). Out of the box, it’ll apparently dual-boot the latest Android OS and also some flavour of Linux (possibly Ubuntu).

What are the chances of getting RISC OS running on this? I’d love to see that happen. OK, it may be all a bit small to be practical, but the screen’s plenty hi-res enough to be useful (especially if you strap a couple of microscopes to your face in order to look at it), and the machine has more ARMs than an octopus (literally – ten cores plus an extra GPU)! It’d make for a wonderfully neat RISC OS device that you could just carry around in your pocket, and easily connect to an HDTV via HDMI…

Just thought I should draw attention to it, as people may not know about this yet. It’s currently a project on Indiegogo, but it’s already got well over double its target funding with over three weeks left to go, so it’s definitely happening…

Gemini PDA on Indiegogo

Planet Computers

Out of the box, it’ll apparently dual-boot the latest Android OS and also some flavour of Linux (possibly Ubuntu).

Translation: you’ll need to charge it every night.

What are the chances of getting RISC OS running on this?

As always, this depends upon the level of tech docs available.

OK, it may be all a bit small to be practical,

Not really. If it can run Linux it can run RISC OS.

but the screen’s plenty hi-res enough to be useful

My new phone is a Samsung S7. So long as your eyes don’t suck, it’s amazing what you can fit on a little screen. I’m currently writing a fiction story in Google Docs with my phone and a Bluetooth keyboard.

It’d make for a wonderfully neat RISC OS device that you could just carry around in your pocket,

Indeed. Major selling point on that alone, perhaps?

but it’s already got well over double its target funding with over three weeks left to go, so it’s definitely happening…

I’m sure people said that about the Sinclair Vega+…

Interesting…

I used to have a PsionMX5 which was amazing and I did loads of writing on it (I have tiny hands and could touch-type on the keyboard).

I have actually been looking at Acorn Pocket Books on eBay recently…although no idea what I could plug it into to get the text off these days!

I would probably consider getting one of these devices if:

a) I had any money
b) I hadn’t lost faith in crowd-funded campaigns

As always, this depends upon the level of tech docs available.

Since there is now the Linux port, maybe this is no longer valid (in the near future)?

Since there is now the Linux port, maybe this is no longer valid (in the near future)?

Uh, no. "It runs Linux " is not a guarantee of anything.

A multitude of sins can be hidden behind a proprietary binary blob. Shall I name the domestic hardware that does exactly this? Most ADSL boxes, ebooks, the RaspberryPi (lest you forget that the official documentation is both scattered and atrocious)…
I bet every single geeky one of us could point to an “open source” device where the amount of open contains sufficient binary blobs that one is not even fully capable of doing much more than tweaking the user applications, if one can build a ROM at all…

Examples? First up is the PocketBook range of ereaders. Based upon Linux and using FBReader and DjVuLibre. Source may or may not be available, it’s not exactly clear what the available source is for. As with most broadband routers, what you get is that which the GPL requires to be available. You cannot build custom firmware.
You can fare better with my PVR. Everything is open source except the low level video codecs. These are binary blobs so it is possible to create firmware, but everything to do with the video (record, setup, playback) are in black boxes. I wanted to add an option to control contrast and sharpness (the tvp5150 chip can do this) but… black box. I wanted to set up an option to play anamorphic video (it can squish 4:3 to look correct on a wide-screen TV) but black box. It would have been nice to tweak the mp4 PAR to say the video was anamorphic but black box. I could, however, make the UI menus prettier if I wanted… It runs a version of Debian.

Uh, no. "It runs Linux " is not a guarantee of anything.

I wonder if Steffen was referring to the Linux port or RISC OS, from this thread ?

I wonder if Steffen was referring to the Linux port or RISC OS, from this thread ?

Yes, obviously. “The Linux port” does not mean “It runs Linux”, but refers to Timothy’s port of RISC OS to Linux, which hopefully some day means that “It runs Linux” really means “then I can run RISC OS (without the typical emulation performance hit) on Linux”.

I am always pleased when at least one person understands me, thanks Andy :-)

My interest in it is mostly so my Asus Transformer 700T will actually be good at something.

For what it is worth, I did a 5" pocket-sized machine for someone just after Chirstmas, so it is certainly possible to have RISC OS in your pocket. Control can be fun, given that RISC OS isn’t very touch-friendly – this unit fortunately had a built-in mouse-replacent which provided sensible control for RISC OS. This wasn’t native RISC OS, I’m afraid, but it ran somewhere between a SA-RPC and an Iyonix speed, but in your pocket. 720p on a 5" screen was really tiny though!

I did a 5" pocket-sized machine

Ooh, out of curiosity, what type of device was that? Clamshell? QWERTY? Windows as a base? Any links?

Ooh, out of curiosity, what type of device was that? Clamshell? QWERTY? Windows as a base? Any links?

Yes please!

I can’t get the Gemini PDA out of my head…I’ve been wanting something like that for a good 10 years now (probably more…can’t remember exactly when my Psion died).

Hmm…now do I really need to replace the dishwasher and finish renovating the kitchen?

Hmm…now do I really need to replace the dishwasher and finish renovating the kitchen?

Dunno. Are you married?

If I had one of these “wife” things (I looked on the internet, but what I found scared me…), I can say that “forget the kitchen, I have a PDA!” is not a discussion I’d ever want to have.

If I lived on my own, however… hmm… that would be a tough choice…

If I had one of these “wife” things (I looked on the internet, but what I found scared me…)

So many questions arise:
What is the limit value on PayPal?
Can you get a new model and sell the old one on Ebay? Or do you have to trade in the old one before getting the new model?
Can it be used for games as well as serious business?

And if it’s a game, its there a cheat code?

Potential Gemini warning: https://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/containing/3140865

Sounds typical of my experiences with crowdfunding—tried to buy a Jolla smartphone a couple of years ago and only ever managed to get half of my money back.

I’ve backed four or five crowdfunded projects, one due to bad wording misled me to think I was a buying a slightly higher spec unit than I received, all the others did deliver, mostly a bit late but not significantly!

Apparently these are now in production. A page about Linux compatibility notes that the bootloader will be open sourced in the future, but I don’t know how much help (if any) that’ll be for a RISC OS port. There’s also a developer forum but it contains next to nothing.

With that said, it doesn’t have the usual row of function keys and getting Ethernet going would be fiddly if not impossible.

Wouldn’t ethernet be a matter of plugging in a supported USB adaptor? (Or were you thinking of WiFi?)

The biggest issue I see is RISC OS not supporting partitions yet, which will make including RISC OS on a multi boot system far more problematic.

If RISC OS only networked via USB, that wouldn’t stop it being a desirable device, unless it was unable to multi-boot and share a data partition.

If it permitted Android, Sailfish, Ubuntu (or preferably Mint) and RISC OS to be used it would be a great purchase.

Wouldn’t ethernet be a matter of plugging in a supported USB adaptor?

That would require having me read the specs and actually notice that it has USB ports :)

I’m awaiting the arrival of my own Gemini fairly soon now. I used to really like Psions back in the 90s, so I couldn’t resist…

As for RISC OS, I’ve actually already emailed Planet Computers, pointed them at the ROOL site and given them a bit of history. The person I contacted sounded interested and said he’d pass on the information to the CTO, though as yet I haven’t heard anything back from him.

I know it’s a tiny device, and the squinty screen isn’t ideal for using RISC OS in terms of size, BUT… it’s a VERY high-resolution screen, so on the move (with a magnifying glass?!) it’d give you a usable preview, and something you could actually use for short periods.

But more importantly, it supports outputting the display via USB-C/HDMI, so plug it into an HDTV, and add a full-size USB keyboard and mouse, and you’d have a pretty amazing pocketable RISC OS computer.

I’m really hoping that someone here will step up to the challenge…

I was using my 5 MX until a couple of years ago when the hinges crumbled. Continue to use one of the apps on my Mac (the author still updates!). I still have a 5 but took the opportunity to wean myself away, The display isn’t good on that one.

If you fancy giving feedback when it arrives, that would be great.

Yes, I’ll be happy to provide some feedback once I’ve got one.

GEMINI PDA FIRST LOOK REVIEW

I now have my Gemini, so, as promised, here’s a review. It arrived at midday on Thursday (two days ago), and I’ve spent a good few hours playing with it and generally exploring Android, which is new to me. (These days I live mostly in the Apple camp, so I’m a iOS person. In fact, getting a quality Android device was one of the appeals behind the Gemini, though of course it can also dual-boot various flavours of Linux.)

I’m not going to discuss Android here, other than to say that it seems to work pretty nicely on the Gemini. I’m just going to give my first impressions of the Gemini itself, from the perspective of a former Acorn Pocket Book/Psion Series 3 & 5 enthusiast in the 1990s.

Visual proof

It seems to be all the rage amongst today’s modern young things to do ‘unboxing videos’ of new tech. Well, I couldn’t be bothered to create an actual video, but I have taken a series of photos to show the Gemini in various states of unbox, both for general interest and also hopefully to illustrate what a very nicely presented piece of kit it is. I was really very impressed by the standard of presentation. It comes across as a premium device, and the quality of the packaging alone is actually a lot higher than what we got from Acorn and Psion in the 1990s.

So, to look at my photos, take a gander at this folder on my Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s5xacljjw5e6d6g/AADy52lRKet4AqDOowpGGBpka
As you’ll see, I go from an unopened collection of boxes to the machine booting, showing its home screen, and then running a couple of software items that may be of nostalgic appeal to old Acorn users.

Background and pricing

I backed this on Indiegogo over a year ago, and as such was able to get it at a substantial discount. In fact, I paid only fractionally more than half the final price, which at this point feels like fantastic value (though I was slightly nervous at the time!). Now that the devices are in production and on sale to the public (there’s still a wait for new customers, but you can indeed order them now), the prices have gone up substantially.

There are two models, with a £100 price difference between them: the WiFi-only model costs £499 and the WiFi + 4G model costs £599. I opted for the one with 4G included, but if I were buying it now as a normal customer, at the final full price, I think I’d probably save 100 quid and stick with the WiFi-only model. After all, I have an iPhone and don’t expect to use the Gemini for phone calls. Occasional data use over the cellular network might be useful (which is largely why I got the 4G model), but WiFi is usually available.

Maybe £500 sounds like quite a lot of money for something like this, but it depends on your perspective. It’s half the price of the cheapest iPhone X, for example, and if we were lucky enough to get RISC OS running on it, well… it’d actually be one of the most desirable bits of RISC OS kit ever, I reckon. But I digress. To put it in perspective, when I reviewed the Psion Series 5 in RISC User 11:2, nearly 21 years ago (unbelievably) in late 1997, it cost… £500 (£499.95, to be exact). So pricing the modern equivalent at the same point seems pretty fair. In relative terms, of course, the Gemini is both cheaper and mind-blowingly more powerful.

Initial impressions

I bought the Gemini (WiFi + 4G model) with a ‘connectivity pack’ and leather slip-case. That got me the items you see in the first photograph: the connectivity pack consists of a spare USB fast-charger and connector cable (another of each of these is also included in the box with the Gemini), plus (more usefully) a USB-C-to-HDMI adaptor cable, to allow the Gemini to be plugged into a modern HD TV, and a USB hub that gives you one pass-through USB-C port, two regular USB-A ports and an Ethernet socket (complete with lights!).

The presentation of the Gemini in its dedicated box is very high-class and Apple-like. You know how beautiful iPhone boxes are? The Gemini one is much the same, except that it has a hinged lid rather than separate top and bottom. It’s made of extremely thick, substantial cardboard with a highly attractive smooth matte finish (again, much like an iPhone box). The top lid is held down magnetically, which is a nice touch. Open it up and it reveals a lower, inner lid, and the two together are illustrated to look like an open Gemini; see my photo. Open the lower lid and the first thing you see is the Gemini itself, neatly ensheathed in a protective plastic wrapper. Lifting it out of the plastic tray in which it sits reveals, below the tray, a little wallet containing a quick-start guide, a microfibre screen cleaning cloth, a set of Planet Computers stickers in a choice of black or white, and finally a tool to remove part of the cover of the Gemini (which you need to do to access the internal microSD card slot, if you want to expand its storage, and the SIM card slot if you have the 4G model). Finally, two neat little boxes contain the power adapter and the USB-A-to-C cable that connects it to the Gemini. In terms of the presentation quality and the inclusion of stickers, it’s all very Apple-like. The presentation of the accessories is less sophisticated but still nicely done.

The Gemini in physical terms

In terms of build quality, the PDA itself pretty much lives up to the good impression created by its box, and is on a par with what you might expect from Psion if it were still around making its pocket computers today. It’s a very swish design indeed; really slick and elegant.

In terms of size, the Gemini is almost exactly the same size as a Psion Series 5 in terms of width and depth (front to back). But the big contrast is in the thickness: the Gemini is literally only about half as thick as the Series 5. I’d never thought of the Series 5 as being ‘chunky’, but that’s how it seems when comparing it to the svelte Gemini.

In fact, in terms of design, the Gemini is a cross between the Series 3 and Series 5 approaches. The Series 3, if you recall, was a straightforward clamshell that opened up into two halves, whereas the Series 5 had an intricate and very clever (but possibly slightly over-engineered) three-layer design whereby the keyboard slid outwards as you opened the screen, leaving the screen resting on a ‘hump’ at the back. If you have a Series 5, take a look at it, open it up and imagine what it would be like if you had just the screen and keyboard parts, with the remaining part of the machine (the ‘hump’) removed. That’s essentially what the Gemini is like. Viewed face-on, it looks very similar to a Series 5 (the keyboard is all but identical and the screen is a similar size too), but it’s a simple clamshell design that opens like a book, much like the Series 3. Unlike the Series 3, which just closed together when you shut it, when you close the Gemini it comes very close to being shut but then requires a final bit of extra pressure, which causes it to fully close with a satisfying click, whereupon it holds itself securely shut. The whole design seems very well engineered.

Externally, the design is simple, elegant and beautiful, with the plastic body of the machine being wrapped in aluminium. It looks really great and feels lovely in the hand. There’s a Planet Computers logo on the lid, and “GEMINI by PLANET COMPUTERS” is written on the spine. Those are the only external markings; it’s all quite understated and classy. When you open the Gemini, the part of the top cover with the Planet logo on it bends outwards very slightly to form a perfectly positioned stand/support for the screen: very ingenious and well designed. And at that point, you notice that there’s a neat little rubber strip at exactly the point where the metal bends outwards to form a non-slip ‘foot’. As noted above, the other portion of the top cover can be removed (with a dedicated tool, which is provided) in order to add a SIM or a microSD card. It’s also possible to add an external camera module, which plugs in on this side of the machine and adds a camera lens in the dead centre of the upper side of the machine. This requires the use of a replacement aluminium plate with a hole in the middle for the camera lens. (I’ve got a camera module on order too, but it hasn’t arrived yet so I can’t comment on it.)

So, the Gemini is about the same width and height as a Psion Series 5, and about half its thickness. It’s also lighter, although not by a huge amount. In relative terms, it’s actually heavier considering the overall volume reduction between the two, and certainly the Gemini feels very pleasingly solid in the hand. Anyway, the Gemini weighs about 300 grams, compared with about 360 grams for the Series 5. Quite honestly, holding the two simultaneously, one in each hand, I couldn’t really tell the difference between them – but the Gemini does feel nicer to hold.

The keyboard

The main reason that the Gemini is so Psion-like and physically well engineered is that Planet Computers worked with the same design company that was primarily responsible for the design of the Psion PDAs of the 1990s – so the Gemini really is a Psion in terms of the people who designed it. The overall lineage is very clear, and the Gemini’s keyboard is all but identical to that of the Psion Series 5. And that’s no small advantage, because the Series 5 keyboard was regarded as the best small-format keyboard ever to have been designed back in 1997. I don’t think it’s ever been matched or exceeded since then, either. Anyway, the main point is that the Gemini’s keyboard is every bit as good as that of the Series 5; it feels great and works beautifully. Obviously you can’t type as fast with it as you can on a full-size keyboard, but it’s still vastly preferable to on-screen keyboards if you need to do a significant amount of typing, with its positive physical keys that have significant physical travel and feel good to use.

There were reports that very early models of the Gemini had slightly dodgy keyboards with keys that were not set quite straight and that got stuck in use. My Gemini came from the second production batch, and I’m pleased to report that whatever keyboard problems existed appear to have been fixed. The keyboard on my model appears to be perfect and has no functional problems. I’m very happy with the keyboard; it feels great and, as I say, appears virtually identical (in both looks and functionality) to that of the Series 5. So anyone who previously used a Series 5 will feel immediately at home with it.

One small thing to be aware of is that the support formed by the Gemini’s aluminium sheath, which opens out slightly into a supportive foot, is somewhat flexible, which means that it can move a little if you press the keys too hard when typing. This isn’t important (there’s nothing in danger of being broken; it’s just natural movement of the hinge), but it’s something to be aware of: you need to treat your keyboard gently! The Series 5 kept the entire surface of the base of the machine on the work surface, so was absolutely solid; with the slimmer Gemini, the aluminium foot props up and raises the entire base with the keyboard in it, so if you press down hard on the keys, you’re effectively pushing against the hinge to start closing the machine, and it moves slightly. As I say, it’s really not a problem; it’s just something to get used to when typing on a hard surface.

One other slightly questionable choice relates to the custom keyboard software on the Gemini. By default, pressing any key on the keyboard both produces a very quiet ‘pop’ sound from the machine and also causes its vibration motor to activate for a very brief period, to add a sort of haptic feedback. Initially I quite liked this, but I soon found that both features became somewhat irritating when keys were held down. Planet’s custom keyboard application, supplied on the machine, does offer customisation options, so you can edit the activation duration of the vibration motor and also change the key-beep (including making it use variable pitches, a bit like the random beeping of the old Apple eMate 300). Best of all, though, you can turn both options off, which is what I ended up doing. The keyboard action is enough on its own, I think; the beeps and buzzes eventually just seemed a bit tiresome to me. Note that you need to reboot the Gemini in order for the changes to come into effect when enabling or disabling these features.

The screen

Oh my goodness. If only display technology had been approaching today’s standards 20 years ago, the world would have been a very different place today. I remain convinced that one of the main reasons Psion eventually failed was that it stuck with monochrome displays for too long, whilst its rivals (such as Palm) moved to more vibrant and attractive colour screens. The main drawback with the Series 5, for me, was that its screen was rather too hard to read, with its feeble backlight and limited contrast.

What a world of difference we have here, then. The screen on the Gemini is INCREDIBLE. I don’t know what its tech specs are (they’re not given in detail) – e.g. it probably doesn’t quite match up to the quality of the very latest Apple, Samsung etc. displays, with their support for wide colour gamuts (DCI-P3) – but regardless of the minor details, this display is STUNNING. The Gemini screen has a 2:1 aspect ratio (i.e. it’s exactly twice as wide as it is high)… which is comparatively better than the Series 5 because there’s more vertical space. The resolution, though, is in a completely different league. The Series 5 had a 640×240-pixel 8:3 aspect ratio screen in just 16 grey levels (and it had pretty poor contrast, which made it hard to read). The Gemini’s 2:1-aspect screen has a pretty amazing resolution of 2160×1080 pixels (so, room to display full HD video with space to spare at the sides) at a dot pitch of 403ppi. And obviously it’s in full colour, regardless of whether or not it supports an extended gamut. Moreover, it’s really bright and highly legible.

It’s actually one of the very best screens I’ve ever seen (and I own a recent iPhone – though not an iPhone X). It’s absolutely pin-sharp and clear – and very bright and vibrant. Of course, that tiny 403ppi dot pitch means that any attempt to work with it at the pixel level would be a recipe for instant eye-ache. Nevertheless, it couldn’t be any more clear and sharp, and when using Android at least, the display looks wonderful (and there’s a handy software magnification feature built in which is easy to access with a triple-tap). Certainly, the screen gives ample room for useful work, even with the interface elements scaled up to a large size. I’m short-sighted, and I found that if I took my glasses off, I could use the screen very comfortably for extended periods, held close to my face. Long-sighted users may have a less pleasant experience.

The display is of course multi-touch, and it also supports use in both portrait orientations as well as the normal landscape: just turn the device on its side and the screen rotates as you’d expect. It does not, however, support being used upside down (i.e. in reverse-landscape). That may seem logical enough, but it occurred to me that this might be a disadvantage to gamers who’d like to use it in screen-only mode without the keyboard getting in the way. A minor issue, to say the least…

The display comes with a protective plastic sheet preinstalled. I’m not sure quite why, but I decided to leave this on. despite the fact that it has a few little bubbles around the edges holding specks of trapped dirt. Maybe I’ll change my mind and remove it later; certainly it shouldn’t be necessary, because the screen is scratch-resistant glass. But the protector does not detract in any way from the excellent visibility of the screen. Note that Planet also provides a microfibre screen cleaner with the machine.

Battery life

I haven’t had the machine long enough to get a clear idea about how long its battery lasts, but initial impressions seem very favourable. On the day it arrived, I used it for probably a good eight hours (with the screen at near-full brightness), and there was ample charge left in it (30–40%) when I put it down to go to bed. I’d imagine it provides at least as good a battery life as a typical large-format smartphone (i.e. typically at least a full day’s fairly solid usage, with the expectation of recharging overnight).

Performance

Again, I haven’t had it long enough to get a solid idea of how well it performs, and I don’t have another Android device with which to compare it. Nevertheless, it seems to be very smooth and slick in general use, and the few apps that I installed from the Google Play store worked very nicely. I tried a few BBC and Spectrum emulators (those being my 8-bit platforms of choice from the 1980s!), and they appeared to work very well, emulating the machines to a good standard and a high frame rate. A freeware remake of Heroes of Might and Magic II (my favourite RISC OS game from the 1990s) also seemed to work at a very acceptable speed.

I also tried running Geekbench 4. Here, the results struck me as disappointing, compared with my Apple iOS devices at least (but iOS scores are famously better than Android devices in such benchmarks; whether it means much in everyday use is debatable).

For what it’s worth, then, the Gemini produced a single-core score of 1788 and a multi-core score of 4721 in the CPU benchmark (see https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/8413092 for the full results). As for the GPU Compute benchmark, it yielded a score of 3610 (see https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/compute/2428101 for the complete breakdown).

My modern iPhone completely annihilated the Gemini in performance terms, with a lot more than double its performance in both single- and multi-core CPU scores and a GPU score that was over four times faster.

So maybe the Gemini isn’t a speed demon. In terms of benchmark performance, it appears to be more or less on the level of an iPhone 6 from about three years ago. But that’s still far from bad, and I’d argue that the nature of the machine (its form factor and other attributes) is more important than matching the speed of the latest top-end devices. As I say, in normal usage, it feels more than amply fast enough based on limited initial testing.

Special features

The Gemini has a couple of notable special features that are worth mentioning. One of them is a bit of pure ‘bling’ that I mention for completeness, because it’s fun but a complete gimmick. Within the crack between the aluminium cover plate and the hinge on the top lid is buried a row of five LEDs (not counting the power LED, which is also there, offset to one side). These five LEDs are central in the crack, are surprisingly bright, and are completely programmable to a huge range of colours. The idea is that, because there is no external display, you can assign to each caller their own pattern of blinking colour LEDs. Quite how reasonable it is to expect people to remember contacts by patterns of blinking colour LEDs is not clear; nor is it clear what use the LEDs are on the WiFi-only model, which can’t be used as a phone. Nevertheless, the LEDs are there. Planet supplies a utility for programming them: several sequences are preset (including a Knight Rider KITT-style sweeping red light), and you can program your own patterns quite easily. Having enjoyed the novelty for a few moments, I can’t see myself using this feature again.

Rather more usefully, the second special feature is Gemini’s ability to dual-boot. It was designed from the outset to support both Android and Linux (various flavours), and to give the user the choice of which to boot into; hence the name Gemini.

In reality, the Linux support is not yet fully complete, and current Gemini models are shipping with only Android preinstalled. This is no big deal, though, as Planet is supplying the necessary tools to bestow the dual-boot feature on any Gemini right now. However, I haven’t had time to investigate doing this myself yet. Basically, though, you need to reflash the device with the latest software update, choosing whether you want to stick with Android only or add the dual-boot Linux option. If you do choose the dual-boot option, then deciding on which OS to boot into is a simple matter of holding down a button on the side of the machine at switch-on in order to boot into the alternative OS. You can also choose which OS should be the default.

It has to be noted that the partitioning and installation of the software requires a PC running either Windows or Linux. Since I own only Macs and RISC OS machines, I’m not certain how easily I’ll be able to do this myself. I imagine the process should work fine if I run the Windows software via Parallels Desktop (i.e. Windows virtualisation) on my Mac… but that’s something to investigate later.

Shortcomings

From my point of view, there are two particular shortcomings in the design of the Gemini, one of which is much more important than the other.

The trivial shortcoming is the lack of physical volume controls and mute switch. I would have liked there to be a mute switch and volume up/down buttons on the edge of the case somewhere, but there are no such controls. You can change the volume on the keyboard via a couple of shortcuts (OK when you know where they are, though still a bit fiddly) or obviously via on-screen controls (once you’ve located them), but both methods require some navigation to find the controls, and neither method is accessible when the machine is shut.

Much more important (potentially, at least) is the matter of the USB-C ports. The machine has two of them – one on each end – which is good. What is not good is that they are not of equal capability. The left port is the primary one, and must be used for charging the Gemini. You cannot use the right port for charging. Also, the left port is the only one to support the optional Gemini multi-function hub. As mentioned above, this hub has an ethernet port, two USB-A ports and a pass-through USB-C port. However, rather astonishingly (and certainly very inconveniently), this pass-through port does not support charging. Thus, if you’ve got the hub plugged into your Gemini, you can’t charge it at the same time. (It’s conceivable that plugging in the power may maintain the current power level without actually charging the batter, which would largely solve the potential problem by at least keeping the machine going… but that’s just speculation at this point.)

The right-hand USB-C is really intended for either (a) using the optional USB-C to HDMI adapter to output to an external display, or (b) plugging in some other minor peripheral such as a mouse. You can’t even use it for file transfer. The left-hand port is certainly the primary one.

Overall

One early complaint during the production of the Gemini concerned the lack of an external camera… and Planet addressed that during the design process, making a camera upgrade available as an optional extra. Other aspects of the machine have been refined and improved since production first started, which bodes well for Planet’s commitment to making a quality product.

Some people have complained about the lack of an external screen for identifying callers while the Gemini is shut. The five colourful LEDs are intended to address this shortcoming (with a distinctly questionable level of success, I’d imagine…) – but I think the key thing here is really to think of the Gemini as a PDA that happens to be able to make phone calls (if you buy the 4G version), rather than as a phone that can double as a PDA. I see the phone as very much a secondary item; this device is intended to appeal to people who miss their old Psions. Viewed in that light, I think the Gemini is a solid success.

As an Android device, it obviously integrates right into all of Google’s multifarious online services, and thus integrates very easily with your other platforms. It runs Microsoft Office 365, so existing subscribers to that service will doubtless find this machine a real boon. The keyboard may be small, but it’s very useful, and having Office on a pocketable mini-laptop (which this is, in effect) is a much better solution than trying to run Office on a smartphone. Aside from the nice keyboard, you also get a lot more useful screen space. I’d much rather use Word on Gemini than Word on iPhone, for example. (Given that I have to use Word at all…!)

For geeks who want a pocketable Linux box… what could be better?

I have to say that I’m really very taken with the Gemini. As a gadget-lover, it inherently has a great deal of appeal for me. As a former Psion fan, I just love it that someone has designed a modern-day equivalent of a mini-clamshell PDA design that went out of fashion a couple of decades ago. Maybe it’s just an expensive toy, but I can see lots of potential uses for it, from serious (I expect to use Word on it from time to time) to fun (there are some great emulators, and this device has a proper keyboard…).

The Gemini might not be a speed demon, but it seems amply fast enough for normal users. The little keyboard is great (just like that of the Series 5) and the big, bright, pin-sharp touch-screen is absolutely superb. These are early days, but my initial impressions are extremely positive. I’m thoroughly pleased to have bought mine at half price as a backer… but I’d still feel pleased with my purchase if I’d paid full price for it, I’m sure. I don’t personally expect to use it as a phone, though, and (as noted) I think it should be seen as a PDA with an optional phone function rather than as a phone with a keyboard… so maybe the cheaper WiFi-only model is the more sensible purchase. Either way, I really hope that Planet Computers has success with this device, because it’s a great concept executed to a very high standard, and I share Planet’s belief that there should be a place in the market for a device like this. Certainly, former Psion enthusiasts should absolutely love it.

Finally… RISC OS

I’m not technically qualified to talk about porting RISC OS to this device… though I can’t see any major reasons why it shouldn’t be feasible at least. So, on the assumption that it is indeed feasible, I’m here to petition for someone to take the idea seriously, because I reckon the Gemini could potentially be the most exciting new bit of RISC OS kit to hit the market for years (if it could actually run RISC OS, that is!).

Consider: the WiFi-only model costs £500 (good value for such a neat and powerful little device), and amounts to a pocketable RISC OS laptop, in effect. With some appropriate software, you could – at a push – use it on its own for running RISC OS in short bursts, if you can cope with the screen’s very tiny pixels.

Most of the time, though, you’d presumably want to plug it into a TV – and you’d very probably also want to plug in an external mouse and keyboard (and maybe Ethernet). So you’d also need to buy the multi-function hub (£45) and the USB-C-to-HDMI cable (£40). In other words, for just under £600 you’d have a pocketable RISC OS computer that you could use in short bursts entirely portably, in the palm of your hand, or – more comfortably – hooked up to an external mouse, keyboard and TV or monitor. That’s a very attractive prospect to me, and I don’t think it’s a silly price for what you get, either. (As noted above, recall that the Psion Series 5 cost £500 at launch; the Gemini is comparatively cheaper in real terms, and vastly more powerful.)

So, I’m crossing my fingers and really hoping that someone will take up this particular challenge. Please note that Planet’s technical support site:

http://support.planetcom.co.uk/index.php/Main_Page

…contains useful details, such as a link to the source for the Gemini’s bootloader, so that other OS developers can get their OS up and running on the machine. I’ve also found Planet Computers staff to usually be helpfully responsive to emails.

It seems to me that this could be an exciting and potentially very useful project. And if it actually happened, maybe Planet would be willing to cooperate and make RISC OS an ‘official’ alternative OS option, hopefully with more visibility than happened on the Raspberry Pi.

For more info visit:

• Planet Computers: http://planetcom.co.uk
• Official forum: https://www.oesf.org/forum/index.php?showforum=192
• XDA forum: https://forum.xda-developers.com/gemini-pda

A great review. Thank you.