Planet Computers : Gemini - Psion Returns

[levi]

The software by the time Psion got the the S5/S5MX was quite powerful by itself, out of the box. It had a word processor, non-relational database, calendar, contacts app, basic graphical programming IDE, and you could do nifty things like embed a calendar page in a word processed doc, or a word processed page in a database, thanks to the way everything was written as a plugin and could be invoked to render whatever it wanted to a window. And you could spew postscript to a printer over infrared to print anything you made using the keyboard and touchscreen. Basically, almost everything you could want from a pocket computer in 1997.

 

[Criticalmass]

I've skipped over some of the articles covering the Gemini, and many of them sell it like it's something unique, never-seen-before and revolutionary. And judging by reader comments, there are quite a few people waking up (the Psion allusion alone seems to draw many from their holes) and building anticipation.

I guess that many of us have memberships or registrations with Golem, Technorati, ZDnet, Slashgear, Gizmondo, and the like. I tried to inject the Pyra as a contender in a few of them, but I'm not registered in all of them - so if you comment on articles in your favorite news sources, see if they have a Gemini article and tell people that there are other (and way more realistic) possibilities. Grassroots marketing is all we have at the moment..

 

[b_o_b]

Interesting question just added to the campaigns indiegogo comment section.

I am very exited about this product, but my excitement is tempered by two things:
- Your CEO is affiliated with another Indiegogo project, the ZX Spectrum Vega Plus project, which has not been delivered to date, what is his role in that project? And
- You do not seem to have a working prototype and are being vague about Linux support. As I understand it, Linux support for the processor chosen is non-existent or very bad.

Can you clarify the above two points for me? Thank you.

 

[vcoleiro1]

Interesting question just added to the campaigns indiegogo comment section.

A google of : Janko Mrsic-Flogel zx spectrum shows the link. Not sure that says much

I wonder whats holding up that project, must admit, haven't been following it

Hmm, I see that there has been attempted legal action by directors who left Retro Computers who are behind the zx spectrum. Plot thickens

 

[rygD]

For some reason when I read the title of this thread this scene plays in my head

 

[b_o_b]

Hmm, I see that there has been attempted legal action by directors who left Retro Computers who are behind the zx spectrum. Plot thickens

If there is indeed a connection it confirms my worries about the venture. Being involved in a campaign and start a new one while another is being criticized and still not finalized should raise some red flags. Craig Rothwell tried something like that once and failed horribly.

Still too early to tell though. Hope we are wrong about are concerns, because the Gemini does look like a very appealing pocket pc.

 

[vcoleiro1]

The Gemini Camapign creator just responded to that commentor, here is the question and answer

Question in the comments section

I am very exited about this product, but my excitement is tempered by two things:
- Your CEO is affiliated with another Indiegogo project, the ZX Spectrum Vega Plus project, which has not been delivered to date, what is his role in that project? And
- You do not seem to have a working prototype and are being vague about Linux support. As I understand it, Linux support for the processor chosen is non-existent or very bad.

Can you clarify the above two points for me? Thank you.

Their response:

Thank you for your questions. Our CEO, Dr Janko Mrsic-Flogel, has a strong track record of successfully delivering around 100 technical projects in his lifetime, including 40 computer games, several entertainments systems / set-top boxes, telecom cloud systems, mobile messaging systems and mobile applications world-wide.

Long after the Vega Plus crowdfunding campaign was complete, he was asked to help save the Vega Plus project after two of the directors of that company resigned and left the company with no firmware for the Vega Plus. As he is a long standing fan of Sir Clive Sinclair he accepted this role to help. He had to quickly create the new firmware for the Vega Plus in a very short time. The new firmware, based on Linux, has been delivered and the first production of the Vega Plus has now been completed.

This is Janko's first crowdfunding campaign and he is very humbled by the response and support for the Gemini - as he has been planning to bring back the PDA for nearly three years. He was person behind the original Psion WAP Browser and the IMAP mail module on the Psion 5mx and Revo Plus.

We want to make the best choice of Linux for our backers. We tried to firm up most of the details prior to campaign launch, but this is one we are still looking into. There are now several industry developments around Helio X25 and Linux. We are talking to all of these to make the right choice. We will keep you posted.

 

[Ian J]

The information above regarding the Vega + makes me feel this will never come to fruition.

There are various sites and YouTube channels that give the back story to the Vega + and it's not happy reading/listening for any of the backers.

 

[kuru]

@rygD Which movie is that from? I think I've seen that years ago. I only remember utter weirdness in connection to it.

Edit: Ah, nvm... twin peaks right

 

[jeeks]

even if the dude was/is involved with a failed project, doesn't mean this one's going to end up the same (at least he wasn't in finances and ran away with the money or something). although they really should hurry up with that prototype.

 

[Ian J]

https://twitter.com/hashtag/zxvega?lang=en

https://twitter.com/codetapper

 

[b_o_b]

Seems like a fair request. First finalize one project before you start a new one. Should be a prerequisite.

 

[ZXDunny]

It's a mess in the Vega camp, it really is. Two directors started another crowdfunded project while the Vega+ was still running - "theC64" failed to meet its targets AFAIR. Said two directors walked, taking stuff with them which had to be recovered (some of it from Archive.org, as a last resort). I know, because I participated in the recovery.

Because the Vega (first edition) emulation core was written by one of those directors, it can't be used in the Vega+, so a new emulation either had to be written or another was to be ported. The open-source emulator FUSE was chosen, but it had to be partially rewritten due to needing a Linux base OS which the Vega+ doesn't have. This is where the delay comes in, btw.

And on top of that, there's been some pretty nasty legal wrangling going on - the outcome of which we have yet to discover but could get pretty serious.

Now, obviously I've only had RCL's side of the story, but it would appear that the nasty shady and unlawful stuff has been the sole action of one of the departing directors, and not RCL at all.

But then again, I have worked for RCL so...

Oh, and the guy mentioned on the Psion campaign was only taken on as an engineer very recently so the Vega+ campaign could continue and have a hope of delivering units. There's very little "dodgy" about this aspect of it at all.

 

[levi]

Indeed. My main concern is that they're promising specs that seem completely unachievable, at a price point that may well put them into administration. Getting a cheap unit by jumping on kickstarter is one thing, but if it looks this early in the dev cycle that they shouldn't really be promising half of the things they are, any money you pay is at risk at the moment IMO.

And whatever happened to kickstarter promising all hardware projects would have a working prototype?

 

[ible]

it's not kickstarter, it's indiegogo... no prototype requirement.

but yeah, would love to see a device like this succeed, but don't overpromise.

a beefier case (for the 8 Ah battery) doesn't sound so bad, might make it look less brittle.

 

[vcoleiro1]

And now someone started a fake Gemini PDA campaign on Indiegogo. The Gemini team have been told in the comments of the real campaign and are trying to get it taken down.

This is the fake:

What in the fuck is going on with this stuff. Can't we just have a normal campaign for retro geek stuff. We had the:

icp2
Coleco Chameleon
Smach Z initial campaign
ZX Spectrum vega plus
PGS
Now the Gemini with a copy cat fake campaign and other drama

It's like you can't start a retro geek campaign without dodgy shit happening either by the campaign or others starting a fake campaign like with the Gemini.

 

[sm0kew0n]

Maybe the pyra should be marketed on the strength of the 'campaign' integrity....

It will surely exist, at some point.

 

[elwing]

Last time I checked on indiegogo, there was four different GPDWIN campaigns, with some of them "offering" devices for as low as 175$... Indiegogo is something I'd avoid at all cost, they just don't seems to care about scamers at all...

 

[jeeks]

Maybe the pyra should be marketed on the strength of the 'campaign' integrity....

It will surely exist, at some point.

new pyra slogan idea: "we don't have a crowdfunding campaign, but over a thousand preorders. also, look at this working prototype."

What in the fuck is going on with this stuff. Can't we just have a normal campaign for retro geek stuff.

my guess is that the people who played old games as kids now have jobs and (some amount of) money, so some shady project creators hope that nostalgia will blind them enough to fund whatever they're selling. and the few real projects that might work out in the end either have a sucky pitch, get lost in the overwhelming amount of other hardware projects, or shut down by idiots :/

 

[vcoleiro1]

Saw this comment from 8 hours ago in the Gemini campaign comments section. Paul Andrews is one of the directors that left Retro Computers and supposedly was in legal action against Retro Computers

Jolyan8 hours ago
Paul Andrews @paulandrewsuk has just tweeted that this campaign has been put back into his name again! I thought Indiegogo closed the campaign when his lawyers complained about this last time?

Jolyan8 hours ago
Just so no one calls foul about this and for complete honesty. I asked Indigogo for the name of the owner for my Section 75 refund request. When they responded it showed Paul Andrews. I shared this on FB and Paul asked permission to tweet it. I can't imagine any valid reason to keep putting this campaign into his name when he clearly had nothing to do with it since April.