Daniel wrote to August Abolins <=-

https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/gemini-pda

I ordered it out of the UK during a black friday sale. It was 25% off + free shipping. Couldn't pass that up. I retired my trusty Palm Pilot Tungsten T5 for good when it came in. I just now wiped off a layer of
dust as it sits on one of my network switches.

That does look awesome. How's the battery life?

I've wanted to make a phone into a laptop replacement, with some of the new cloud apps and a Bluetooth keyboard it's almost possible. A clamshell
palmtop with bluetooth and a cellular radio would be killer.

I was smitten with the IBM Palmtop from Japan, the Toshiba Libretto, and to
a lesser extent the Atari Portfolios and HP 95/100/200lx designs.

smartphone in the meantime and filed an insurance claim about a month later due to a travel schedule and insurance wouldn't cover it since
the damage was too old. I vowed never pay for phone insurance again.
But I miss that sexy ass blackberry. What a great keyboard.

I remember those Blackberry years - I spent years with the model with the 7290, then the Pearl, then a Curve, then one of the newer touchpad models. loved the keyboard, but I borrowed a iPhone 3GS from work and never looked back.

Loved the Blackberry Enterprise Server - I could tell it *only* to notify me if certain people emailed. Saved on a lot of distraction. Getting android to do the same is tricky; the Samsung app has a feature to accomplish this but Gmail doesn't.

Ref: https://blackberrymobile.com/us/product/blackberry-keyone/
Ref: https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp02-4g-mobile-phone/

There are a handful of similar sized phones on Amazon, not sure which ones support 3G networks, but I've always had a thought of going with a feature phone and cutting out all of the apps. Use the phone just to communicate.

I used to have an old Nokia 3100 Classic I'd keep around to try out - the Punkt is a hell of a lot cooler looking. I'd need a Montblanc pen and a leather journal to go with it. :)


... Emphasize the flaws
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Hello Daniel!

** On Monday 18.05.20 - 23:32, Daniel wrote to Doug Cooper:

really enjoyed the Marco Polo Ap for smart phones ...
... It's replaced any other form of communication other then the
telephone I choose to reply to. If I get a messanger or text, I tell
them to marco polo me, and don't answer their questions.

Yeah smartphones. I transitioned from a cell to satellite phone over two years ago. I sms/mms with a mobile PDA called 'Gemini.'

I did not realize that the Gemini is so recent! That one is a nice combination smartphone+keyboard. I like it.

But I can't think of such spending right now.

Which model do you have? Did you order yours from the UK, or did you find
a domestic seller in your USA?

Their top model with the extensive network features looks to be designed
for the frequent glob-trotter. Probably overkill for a domestic like me.

If someone wants to reach me by voice they have my landline.

Same here. My Blackberry is activated as a phone primarily because I only use it to access internet via the data services, but no one knows the
phone number.

I only "open" my landline to calls from 7p-9p only. Ringer is off the rest
of the time. I just grew tired of picking up the phone for the bogus spam calls and surveys.


../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.43
* Origin: [special text for this echo only via oxp's /S edit] (2:221/1.58)

Kurt Weiske wrote to Daniel <=-

Daniel wrote to August Abolins <=-

https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/gemini-pda

I ordered it out of the UK during a black friday sale. It was 25% off + free shipping. Couldn't pass that up. I retired my trusty Palm Pilot Tungsten T5 for good when it came in. I just now wiped off a layer of
dust as it sits on one of my network switches.

That does look awesome. How's the battery life?

Not too sure man.

I've wanted to make a phone into a laptop replacement, with some of the new cloud apps and a Bluetooth keyboard it's almost possible. A
clamshell palmtop with bluetooth and a cellular radio would be killer.

They have a USB -> HDMI that does that very thing. Keyboard/mouse on bluetooth and you're set. The gemini has two type C connectors. One for charging, the other for video output so you can charge while it is on display. It's hella.

I was smitten with the IBM Palmtop from Japan, the Toshiba Libretto,
and to a lesser extent the Atari Portfolios and HP 95/100/200lx
designs.

smartphone in the meantime and filed an insurance claim about a month later due to a travel schedule and insurance wouldn't cover it since
the damage was too old. I vowed never pay for phone insurance again.
But I miss that sexy ass blackberry. What a great keyboard.

I remember those Blackberry years - I spent years with the model with
the 7290, then the Pearl, then a Curve, then one of the newer touchpad models. loved the keyboard, but I borrowed a iPhone 3GS from work and never looked back.

Loved the Blackberry Enterprise Server - I could tell it *only* to
notify me if certain people emailed. Saved on a lot of distraction. Getting android to do the same is tricky; the Samsung app has a feature
to accomplish this but Gmail doesn't.

That's gone now. Blackberry is now a cybersecurity outfit.

Ref: https://blackberrymobile.com/us/product/blackberry-keyone/
Ref: https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp02-4g-mobile-phone/

There are a handful of similar sized phones on Amazon, not sure which
ones support 3G networks, but I've always had a thought of going with a feature phone and cutting out all of the apps. Use the phone just to communicate.

The current blackberry models are modern smartphones. They do 3g, 4g/lte, etc. The one i had was a sprint LTE model.

I used to have an old Nokia 3100 Classic I'd keep around to try out -
the Punkt is a hell of a lot cooler looking. I'd need a Montblanc pen
and a leather journal to go with it. :)

The punkt also has a lte connection that allows hotspotting.

Daniel Traechin

... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world
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Hello Daniel!

** On Tuesday 19.05.20 - 06:16, Daniel wrote to August Abolins:

I have the gemini PDA

https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/gemini-pda

I ordered it out of the UK during a black friday sale. It was 25% off
+ free shipping. Couldn't pass that up. I retired my trusty Palm Pilot Tungsten T5 for good when it came in. I just now wiped off a layer of
dust as it sits on one of my network switches.

Yes.. at the current advertised price, it would have to be a significant "sale" before I make a serious consideration.

Based on the models holding the unit to their heads, it seems borderline larger than I would like a phone to my head.

I thought my Blackberry Q10 was heavy at 135g (majority of the weight is
the 2100mAh battery), but the gemini is a bit more than twice as heavy.
Not sure if I would want to carry that in a suit pocket.

Is the battery of the gemini removable?

I don't use google services on it.

You are very disciplined! :)

My last smartphone was the blackberry Key One..
But I miss that sexy ass blackberry. What a great keyboard.

I warmed up the to Q10 keyboard very quickly. VERY smart idea to have the little raised corners on the keys.

If I were to ever get a smartphone again it would be a blackberry.
Have you seen the blackberry phone made by Punkt? That would be it for
me. Second link below.

I'm a real fan of minimalism and that takes the cake.

Never heard of that one. It *is* nice and small. But the price isn't! LOL

How would you do texting with it? C = 3 presses on 2? F = 3 presses on
3? No thanks.

I am finding that the Q10 is a fine temporary phone when I need to call my office to check messages or to have on hand for emergency when travelling.
I ordered a genuine belt holster for it. I really can't complain since
the phone was practically just given to me when the previous owner damaged the usb charging port. Instead, I just have two extra batteries and one
of them is in an external charger at the ready.

I used to have that problem. My phone's a POTS only within the house. Otherwise, it's a digital line. I setup my call rules to block all
calls but those whitelisted. So anyone who knows me can call. And my
bank plus few other debtors can call me if needed. So when my phone
rings, it's only those who I intend to call me. Any other business
needing to reach me can do so via email, which they prefer to do
anyway.

I could do something similar, but I refuse to subscribe to caller-id
features on my POTS phone. The base price would be over $100/yr. I don't care about receiving calls that much to justify that.

For five years now I've been paying my bills via mailed envelopes and checks. Doing so cut credit card fraud alerts by 100%. Seeing my mail-
lady is a highlight of my day too.

You're a flirt! LOL.

I don't have the dicipline to write cheques, stuff envelopes and mail them out in time before the due dates anymore.

Ref: https://blackberrymobile.com/us/product/blackberry-keyone/
Ref: https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp02-4g-mobile-phone/

Thanks for the links. They were an interesting visit.

../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.43
* Origin: [special text for this echo only via oxp's /S edit] (2:221/1.58)

August Abolins wrote to Daniel <=-

Yes.. at the current advertised price, it would have to be a
significant "sale" before I make a serious consideration.

Mhm

Based on the models holding the unit to their heads, it seems
borderline larger than I would like a phone to my head.

I use it as it is designed for, a PDA.

I thought my Blackberry Q10 was heavy at 135g (majority of the weight
is the 2100mAh battery), but the gemini is a bit more than twice as
heavy. Not sure if I would want to carry that in a suit pocket.

It's basically two 'phones' in one that folds into a clamshell. like a mini-laptop with aluminum. It's heavy but it suits my purposes. It's definitely not for everyone.

Is the battery of the gemini removable?

No.

I don't use google services on it.

You are very disciplined! :)

No, it just isn't necessary for my uses. I have a few apps that are available on f-droid that don't require google services and, well, Google doesn't even know my android install exists.

Never heard of that one. It *is* nice and small. But the price isn't!
LOL

Yeah, I know. It's pricey.

How would you do texting with it? C = 3 presses on 2? F = 3 presses
on 3? No thanks.

No idea. If so that would be a stunning no from me. But then, my PDA is there for texting.

For five years now I've been paying my bills via mailed envelopes and checks. Doing so cut credit card fraud alerts by 100%. Seeing my mail-
lady is a highlight of my day too.

You're a flirt! LOL.

shhh

I don't have the dicipline to write cheques, stuff envelopes and mail
them out in time before the due dates anymore.

Yeah, not for everyone surely.

... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world
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