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Stardate: 20190329.18h01
Location: SBUX
Input Device: Gemini PDA + USB folding keyboard
Software: nano
Audio: SBUX Muzak, the sounds of SBUX.
Visual: SBUX community table, Friday night traffic
Energy: 45%
Mental: 45%
Emotional state: Ready for the weekend, +5 coffee boost!
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So, Edd Barrett on mastodon took notice of my usage of the
Gemini PDA in my phlog posts and has request that I write
about the device. I have been meaning to for awhile, but
have mostly been using it, rather than writing about it.
I have a section on my gophersite that I have been working
on, but have not made it "public" yet. The section is
basically like the other devices that I have written about in
the xiled personal computing saga. Maybe I should just put
out what is there.
Anyhow, the Gemini PDA has been a great device to work with
so far. The device I have is the WiFi only version, not the
one with the cell phone bits. I did not want my phone to be
integrated with my computing device. I decided to separate
this after my last phone...the CAT S60. Pretty good phone
and supposedly rugged, but that was on the outside. It was
not rugged internally and started to expand when the battery
started going puffy. The battery was not really user
replaceable. Also, that was my first Android device that I
did not do anything to lock down or anything. I wanted to
experience how most people use Android...with the phone,
apps, integration, etc. Well, that was short lived since the
experience kept bothering me, not just from a functionality
perspective, but from a security perspective. From that
point, I decided I wanted to separate my computing from my
phone usage, like back in the day. The dumb phone and the
PDA. Dumb phone as the gateway for voice, text, and data,
the PDA for computing. Prior to the release of the Gemini, I
was kickin it old school and revisiting some of my former
PDAs. It was ok...more nostalgic than anything, but I could
not really get totally on board with the devices like I did
before with the way I compute today. My workflow has
(d)evolved way too much.
When the Gemini PDA was announced, I followed the news quite
a bit. The idea of a recent mobile computing device with a
hardware keyboard took me back to my computing with the Nokia
N900, various Blackberries, the Palm Treos, the Sharp Zaurii,
the AlphaSmart dana.wireless, the Cassiopeia, the HP OmniGo.
The Gemini ran Linux like the N900 and had a keyboard that
you could touch-type with, like the Psions...which I used to
sell and drool over at CompUSA, but never purchased.
As the Gemini was getting closer to release, I decided to
bite the bullet and become an early backer. I think part of
the incentive for me to fund was the fact that they were
going to raise the price, IF I DON'T ACT NOW! Prior to this
I have had no experience with crowdfunding and knew that I
could lose my money if the product was not able to ship.
Fortunately, this was not the case with the Gemini and it did
eventually ship.
I received the device during the second or third batch that
shipped, which was a few months after release. It wasn't too
long of a wait for me and the anticipation was pretty fun as
well. I was able to read about the experiences and concerns
from the really early backers and kept following the news,
reviews, and updates. This is one of the things I miss about
device launches. In following the funding, development, and
launch, I was able to observe the growth of the Gemini PDA
community...a community that was centered around this
specific device. I have not been a part of something like
that since the N900 days and the Palm days before then (I
still miss the 1src Forums.) There hasn't really been a
device over the years that caught my eye long enough to
really follow and continue to follow. Actually, I take that
back. I have been following the Raspberry Pi, but that is a
different type of device.
I have really enjoyed observing and experiencing the Gemini
along with the community, in "real-time," with all of its
greatness and shortcomings. It is quite a different
experience picking up a device when it is on its way out,
second-hand, or discontinued (which I do quite a bit of since
it's cheaper.) You don't get as much exciting news, the
support isn't as good, the community has dwindled, data is
harder to find, etc.
OK, I gotta motor. I'll have to continue writing more
another time...maybe I'll even write more about my adventures
with the device itself.
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