Club Admiralty Blog

A blog about life in general, in as many languages as I can manage. Ενα ιστολόγιο περι ζωής, πολυγλωσσο - σε όσες γλωσσες εχω μεράκι να γράψω.

Gemini PDA - A blast from the past

Friday, Sep 8 2023, 18:00EPOC, Gemini, PDA, smartphone, Telephony

Well... Back in 2019 I had started to write this post, when the Gemini PDA was relatively new, and ... well it got forgotten in my drafts folder 😂. The images of the device pictured are that of the Gemini PDA, which is a connected PDA that aims to replicate the look and feel of those older Psion Series 5 PDAs from the late 90s.

The device runs Android, and it has a slot for a SIM so you can be connected, but I think talking on the phone only happens via a headset. The concept is nice, but the biggest drawback is that it doesn't seem like the manufacturer has bothered to update the version of android that's on it. This particular model is stuck on Android 8. A newer device, the Astro Glide, which is reminiscent of the Nokia E7, is listed as "new" on their website, but still runs Android 11. The current version of Android, as of this writing, is Android 13. Overall, I'd say that both the Gemini and the Astro Glide are interesting, but they are held back, in my view, by old versions of android. I know that the Gemini can dual boot, but if you install Linux on it, then you just an eeePC netbook, not a connected PDA.

Specs of the Gemini, if you're curious:

WiFi802.11a/b/g/n/ac

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz

CDMA: 850/1900 MHz BC0 BC1+ EVDO

WCDMA: 900/2100MHz

LTE: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/17/20/41

VoLTE: Compatible

SIM slot + eSIM (ready)

Display Type: 5.99 FHD+ (18:9) Size: 5.99 inch

Resolution: 2160x1080, 403 ppi

Multi Touch: Yes

Protection: Scratch-Resistant Glass

OS: Android OS 7.11 upgradable to 8.1 as standard.

User installable Sailfish, Linux Debian and Linux Kali.

Dual boot OS capability.

Chipset: Mediatek MT6797X Helio X27 (Deca Core)

CPU: 2x Cortex A72 @ 2.6 GHz, 4x Cortex A53 @ 2.0 GHz, 4x Cortex A53 @ 1.6 GHz

GPU: Quad Core ARM Mali T880 MP4 @ 875MHz

Memory

RAM: 4GB

Card Slot: microSD

Internal: 64GB

Speakers: Stereo Speakers

Microphones: Integrated Ambient Microphones

3.5mm Audio Jack: Yes

Bluetooth: v 4.1

GPS: Yes, with AGPS

USB: 2x USB Type-C, OTG support

Form Factor: Wide Clam Shell

Dimensions(mm): 171.4w x 79.25d x 15.1h

Weight: 308g

Battery: 4,220mAh

Camera: 5MP Front Camera (External 5MP camera additional accessory module also available)

Keyboard: Mechanical full keyboard

Keyboard Layouts: Arabic, Brazilian, Chinese, Czech, Croatian, Dvorak, Finnish, French, German/Austrian, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian/Danish, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Swiss, Thai, UK English, US English.

Voice Input: Dedicated voice assistance button

Sensors: Accelerometer, light sensor, gyroscope, magnetic-sensor

LED Lights: 5 programmable LEDs