Gemini PDA

The Gemini PDA is a personal digital assistant^[1] designed by Planet Computers^[2] in association with Martin Riddiford, who formerly worked on the Psion Series 5 in the 1990s,^[3] and crowdfunded via Indiegogo in 2017.^[4] The Gemini bucks the trend of modern smartphones in its screen being primarily used in landscape aspect, and having a keyboard, i.e. taking on the form of a subnotebook.

Gemini PDA

Manufacturer	Planet Computers
Type	Subnotebook personal digital assistant smartphone
First released	2018; 7 years ago (2018)
Predecessor	Psion Series 5, Psion Series 7
Successor	Cosmo Communicator, Astro Slide 5G Transformer
Compatible networks	GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 CDMA 850/1900 MHz BC0 BC1+ EVDO WCDMA 900/2100MHz LTE 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/17/20/41
Form factor	Wide clamshell design, with physical keyboard
Dimensions	15.1 mm (0.59 in) H 171.4 mm (6.75 in) W 79.3 mm (3.12 in) D
Weight	320 g (11 oz)
Operating system	Android 7.1 "Nougat" Debian Linux Sailfish OS
System-on-chip	Mediatek MT6797X Helio X27
CPU	10×ARM Cortex-A: 2×A72 @2.6GHz 4×A53 @2.0GHz 4×A53 @1.6GHz
GPU	Quad Core ARM Mali (GPU) T880 MP4 @875MHz
Memory	4 GB LPDDR3 RAM
Storage	64 GB
Removable storage	microSDXC
Battery	4,220 mAh
Rear camera	5 MP (optional)
Front camera	5 MP
Display	5.99 in (152 mm) 2160×1080, 403 dpi
External display	HDMI via right-hand USB port
Sound	Stereo speakers 3.5mm stereo audio jack
Connectivity	2×USB-C OTG Bluetooth v4.1 Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Data inputs	Computer keyboard Multi-touch, capacitive touchscreen Voice user interface GPS Push button
Website	www.planetcom.co.uk

Box and Gemini PDA with Planet Computers' Janko Mrsic-Flogel (CEO, left) and Davide Guidi (CTO, right)

Planet supports running two operating systems on the device, and it dual-boots between Android and Linux.^[5] Other possibilities include Sailfish OS.

Before January 2018, preproduction devices were made available to reviewers, and mass production was in full swing in December 2017 with devices starting to ship in late January 2018 to Indiegogo backers.

Hardware

• CPU/GPU system on a chip is a MediaTek Deca Core Helio, either the X25 or X27 chipset.
  • 2x Cortex A72 @ 2.6 GHz
  • 4x Cortex A53 @ 2.0 GHz
  • 4x Cortex A53 @ 1.6 GHz
  • ARM Mali T880 MP4 @ 875 MHz
• RAM: 4 GB
• Flash: 64 GB
• microSDHC card slot
• Two USB-C connectors, only one of which can be used to charge it. Video out is possible with a proprietary HDMI adaptor, and not the standardised USB-C alternate mode.
• Display: 5.99" LCD, 2160×1080 (403 ppi, 2:1 aspect ratio)
• Mass: 320g
• Dimensions (mm): 171.4(W) × 79.3(D) × 15.1(H)
• Bluetooth: 4.1
• Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
• Radio bands (4G variant):
  • GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
  • CDMA 850/1900 MHz BC0 BC1+ EVDO
  • UMTS 900/2100 MHz
  • LTE 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/17/20/41 (with VoLTE)
• MicroSIM slot and eSIM (4G variant)
• Battery: 4220 mAh
• Front camera 5 Mp
• GPS: with AGPS
• Sensors: Accelerometer, light sensor, gyro, magnetic sensor
• Audio:
  • stereo speakers
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • dual microphones^[6]

Some early devices were made with the X25 SoC as specified in the Indiegogo campaign, with the factory switching to X27 as stocks of the older X25 were depleted. They also have the eSIM feature disabled.

Two variants are sold, one with Wi-Fi only, one with Wi-Fi and mobile phone radios.

Optional accessories

Accessories supplied with Gemini PDA, plus CES 2018 Award

The original Indiegogo campaign allowed backers to pay extra for various accessories and features:

• Leather pouch
• HDMI adaptor
• Rear camera 5Mp
• USB-C hub

Successors

Planet Computers announced successor models to the Gemini called Cosmo Communicator and Astro Slide 5G Transformer that share the basic form factor. Cosmo Communicator is dual nano-SIM 4G device and Astro Slide 5G Transformer is dual nano-SIM 5G device.^[7][8]