4 ms·

For another option, along similar lines, which has been shipping for a while now, there's https://store.planetcom.co.uk/collections/devices https://store.planet

For another option, along similar lines, which has been shipping for a while now, there's https://store.planetcom.co.uk/collections/devices https://store.planetcom.co.uk/collections/devices

antattack 6y ago
They seem to have better keyboards, however clam-shell design disadvantage is that you always have to have the keyboard out in order to use the device. It's more like a miniature laptop than a phone.
- Wildgoose 6y ago
  The Astro Slide isn't a clam-shell, unlike their first two offerings. I have a Gemini which I use as a PDA and it's great. The Astro Slide should give me the best of both worlds, (I have one on order).
  - spurgu 6y ago
    Yeah I've looked at the Gemini and Cosmo before but the sliding design of ProX and Astro Slide is what makes me seriously consider buying one of these devices (in which case I'd lean towards the Astro).
cstross 6y ago
Note that Planet Computers are currently developing the Cosmo Communicator, which kinda-sorta resembles the Pro1X layout, except with the (vastly superior) Psion-descended keyboard design of the earlier PC machines: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/astro-slide-5g-transformer/ https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/astro-slide-5g-transforme... As it's their third iteration I'm reasonably confident that this isn't vapourware and will ship some time after June (it was originally promised for March but COVID19 has hit everyone -- along with chip shortages). For those who haven't used a Gemini PDA or a Cosmo Communicator, the Planet Computers smartphones have a keyboard descended from the late 1990s Psion Series 5 PDA, which actually has reasonable travel and tactile feedback rather than the chiclet style keys of the Nokia N900 or Blackberry or Pro1X. This means the Astro Slide is inevitably going to be a bit fatter than the Pro1X, but be easier to type on (and has a similar dual-mode use case, with a big touchscreen and a slide-out keyboard). The Astro Slide also promises 5G connectivity, 8Gb of RAM, and support for Linux OSs as well as Android.
- habeebtc 6y ago
  I owned the Gen 1 Gemini PDA (RIP). It was a breath of fresh air in a world of samey Iphoney devices. Eagerly awaiting my Astro Slide. My only real complaint (having been a Nokia 9290 and E90 owner) is that the screen didn't have a variable angle it could sit at. Solid hardware, solid software (to the extent you can get Android software which functions in landscape mode). I never got around to installing Linux on it.

For another option, along similar lines, which has been shipping for a while now, there's https://store.planetcom.co.uk/collections/devices https://store.planetcom.co.uk/collections/devices

antattack 6y ago

They seem to have better keyboards, however clam-shell design disadvantage is that you always have to have the keyboard out in order to use the device. It's more like a miniature laptop than a phone.

Wildgoose 6y ago
The Astro Slide isn't a clam-shell, unlike their first two offerings. I have a Gemini which I use as a PDA and it's great. The Astro Slide should give me the best of both worlds, (I have one on order).
- spurgu 6y ago
  Yeah I've looked at the Gemini and Cosmo before but the sliding design of ProX and Astro Slide is what makes me seriously consider buying one of these devices (in which case I'd lean towards the Astro).

cstross 6y ago

Note that Planet Computers are currently developing the Cosmo Communicator, which kinda-sorta resembles the Pro1X layout, except with the (vastly superior) Psion-descended keyboard design of the earlier PC machines: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/astro-slide-5g-transformer/ https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/astro-slide-5g-transforme... As it's their third iteration I'm reasonably confident that this isn't vapourware and will ship some time after June (it was originally promised for March but COVID19 has hit everyone -- along with chip shortages). For those who haven't used a Gemini PDA or a Cosmo Communicator, the Planet Computers smartphones have a keyboard descended from the late 1990s Psion Series 5 PDA, which actually has reasonable travel and tactile feedback rather than the chiclet style keys of the Nokia N900 or Blackberry or Pro1X. This means the Astro Slide is inevitably going to be a bit fatter than the Pro1X, but be easier to type on (and has a similar dual-mode use case, with a big touchscreen and a slide-out keyboard). The Astro Slide also promises 5G connectivity, 8Gb of RAM, and support for Linux OSs as well as Android.

habeebtc 6y ago
I owned the Gen 1 Gemini PDA (RIP). It was a breath of fresh air in a world of samey Iphoney devices. Eagerly awaiting my Astro Slide. My only real complaint (having been a Nokia 9290 and E90 owner) is that the screen didn't have a variable angle it could sit at. Solid hardware, solid software (to the extent you can get Android software which functions in landscape mode). I never got around to installing Linux on it.