💾 Archived View for jsreed5.org › log › 2021 › 202105 › 20210518-gemini-on-gemini.gmi captured on 2021-12-04 at 18:04:22. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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I took my Gemini PDA out of the study closet this weekend after neglecting it for several months. I had planned to sell it near the end of last year but was unable to find a buyer. It was locked with a password I was unable to remember, so I reflashed Debian Linux onto the device and set it up fresh.
The Gemini PDA, created by Planet Computers in 2018, is a spiritual successor to the Psion Series 5 PDA. The device is really just a smartphone with a Psion keyboard attached, weighing 320 grams and featuring a 152 mm screen. It can run Android, Debian, Kali and Sailfish, and has the ability to dual- or even triple-boot between them. A picture of the device can be found on my capsule.
The Gemini PDA functions fantastically well as an Android device, but it leaves a lot to be desired when running desktop Linux or Sailfish. The device's SoC is made by MediaTek, well-known in the smartphone community for not releasing any source code or drivers for their chips. Planet Computers published a modified 3.18.41 Linux kernel to use with the device, and to this day, the Gemini PDA cannot run a newer kernel.
What's the good news? A bleeding-edge kernel isn't really necessary for my use case. I already have two desktops and two laptops other than the Gemini PDA, so if I need access to the latest kernel, I can get it elsewhere. But the PDA is a low-power, ultra-mobile device that handles simple tasks very well. And simple is what Gemini (the protocol) is all about.
I can see myself using the Gemini PDA to browse and interact with Geminispace in a fun and simple way. There's frankly not much else it's good for these days.
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[Last updated: 2021-10-28]