It's time to move those bits at 2,500 Mb/s

 No idea why people like quoting figures like 2,500 mA (2.5A) for chargers and other devices, well thankfully D-Link have announced the DUB-E250 a USB-C to 2.5G Ethernet adapter.

Opening the box reveals a large plastic holder into which the adapter is firmly held in place (though a complete was of plastic packing) and a paper limited warranty in many languages (that no-one is likely to read).

The adapter has a plastic rectangle with Ethernet socket at the end and a standard USB-C connector at the other.

It just works, plug it in to the USB C ports of a PC, Mac or Linux box and a Ethernet device appears supporting up to 2.5Gb/s networking. No drivers, no installs.

Unfortunately there was no 2.5G infrastructure to plug it into at the time, but it also works perfectly happily with 1G network switches just operating at 1Gb/s speeds. Will probably try in on a iPadPro with USB-C port to see if anything is detected and upgrade the blog if it does.

It costs around £30 on-line and if you have a lot of data to get on or off a PC device and a network to support it, then it's a good option, though most consumer hardware is still only 1Gb/s and there won't be any gain to upgrading.

In future as consumer does move to 2.5G or even 10G then this could be for you (probably more realistically a good device for 'techies' who need to plug into Dada Centre networks and monitor and access services or as companies go back to work and update their networks.

It's time to Slide the Astro way

Planet Computers made a name for themselves by taking the Psion 5 clamshell design and making a modern version based on Android (well it could run multiple operating systems and dual boot Android and say Linux). The first version was the Gemini and then the Cosmo that had a small screen on the back to show who was calling and other notifications.

Well now is the latest evolution in mobile computing, the Astro Slide. Rather than being a clamshell, the outward facing display covers the keyboard and slides back and then the top moves up so it works like a normal screen. It will run Android 10.

This means none of the problems with actual folding screen and the complexity of manufactures. It's a high resolution touch screen, so the device works like a normal smartphone, but then slide back the display and there's a proper keyboard to type on.

The screen is 6.53 inches across with a resolution of 2340x1080 and 395 ppi, it's scratch resistant so is resistant to damage while in the phone state.

It's 5G and uses a modern Mediatek Dimensity 1000, MT6889 Octa-core SoC that is allegedly twice as fast as stuff that's out there now. As a phone there's 2 nano SIM slots and an eSIM all of which support 5G and it should support download speeds of 4.7Gps. Off course there's WiFi 6 too (the latest version).

The CPU has 4x A77 @ 2.6GHz, 256KB L2, 4x A55 @ 2.0GHz, 128KB L2 2MB L3, the GPU is an ARM G77 9-Core Manhattan 3.0: 120fps and there's an additional processing unit (for ML) 3rd Generation, 6-Core Total 4.5 TOPS.

It comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB Flash which is expandable by microSD card.

The rear camera is 48MP and there's also a 5MP front camera for video conferencing (useful in this day and age). Stereo speakers and an ambient microphone. For those people who like wired headphone there's also a 3.5mm jack, for those that don't there also Bluetooth 5.1 and supporting the new BLE Audio standard. There's also NFC (and will support payment systems) and wireless charging. For the entertainment buffs there's also a built-in FM radio (no DAB?) and for knowing where you are a modern GPS chipset supporting AGPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo Band L1 + L5 GNSS.

If that wasn't enough, there's also 2 USB-C ports (supporting OTG) and DisplayPort via an adapter and an finger print sensor to ensure only the right person uses it.

The mechanical keyboard will be available in the following languages (the script is actually laser etched on the keys themselves) Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Dvorak, Finnish / Swedish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian / Danish, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swiss, Thai, English UK, English US.

Unfortunately it's not going to ship for a while (March 2021), but is available on Indiegogo for an early bird price of £432.00 going up to £504.00 (the RRP will be £720.00).

The Gemini PDA, it's as close to a Psion as you'll get (and it's real)

Before the iPhone or even Blackberry, there was a PDA made by a company called Psion, well several, eventually culminating in the Series 5. It was a clamshell design with a keyboard on one side and the monochrome screen on the other. It could run applications and it did basic things like had a calendar, calculator and word processor, all driven by a toolbar running along the bottom of the screen. It also had a 'view' screen to see what was happening throughout your life (well days/weeks anyway).

Unfortunately Psion is no more, however a company called Planet Computers is trying to change that and though the actual Psion can't be resurrected, the Gemini is born. The company was set-up by Dr Janko Mrsic-Flogel who used to resell Psion hardware and develop software and has developed a lot of mobile cloud solutions under another company (Private Planet Ltd).

The Gemini looks and feels like a Psion 5

The PDA on the left is an actual working Psion 5 and the PDA on the right the Gemini - they do look remarkably similar. It's worth noting that the Gemini is also running a view screen that emulates the Psion calendar view, giving access to what's coming up in an easy to read manner.

The next picture shows another comparison, but with a lot of test keyboards too.

The various keyboards are for testing different membrane thicknesses and how 'clicky' the keys are. The current thinking is a softer keyboard which will probably appeal more to modern computer users who are used to the light touch, while programmers would probably prefer the keyboard with a deeper travel and more 'Cherry mechanical' keyboard feel (the programmers will probably lose out). But either way, it's perfect possible to touch type on either one.

Underneath the keyboard sits a big battery (removable Li-Ion 4220mAh) giving 12 hours talk-time and a full 2 weeks in standby.

The screen is a 5.99 inch FHD (18:9) with a resolution of 2160x1080 at 403 ppi and full colour. It looks very good. The Gemini doesn't come lightly spec'ed either with: -

• CPU - Mediatek MT6797X Helio X27 with 10 cores (2 x Cortex A72 @ 2.6GHz, 4 x Cortex A53 @ 2.0GHz, 4 x Cortex A53 @ 1.6GHz
• GPU - Quad core Mali T880 MP4 @ 875MHz
• RAM - 4GB
• ROM - 64GB
• Sound - Stereo speakers (either side of display)
• Microphone - integrated behind display and external 3.5mm jack
• Bluetooth - v4.0
• GPS - GPS and AGPS
• USB - 2 USB C ports (OTG support)
• Camera - front facing 5MP
• Sensors - accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, magneto-sensor, light sensor
• SD Card slot - takes at least 128GB, may take 256GB

The Gemini comes in 2 versions, WiFi only and WiFi with 4G. The specs for the 4G model are: -

• WiFi - 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
• GSM - 850/900/1800/1900 Mhz
• CDMA - 850/1900 Mhz BC0 BC1+ EVDO
• WCDMA - 900/2100 Mhz
• LTE - 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/17/20/41 and VoLTE

The 4G models has SIM slot (under the top lid) and both have an external camera module space (for a later rear 5MP camera module). There are also 5 fully programmable RGB LEDs on the lid, which can be programmed for fun, but also to light up to indicate, say, who's calling. When the phone rings, it can be operated without ever opening the case.

The Gemini's default operating system is Android (currently 7.1) and it will run many standard Android apps, but in order to make it more Psion like, there's a toolbar at the bottom of the screen that can launch specified apps (as well as using various Psion like key combinations).

There's a dedicated voice assist button giving access to Google's voice system.

A quirk is the Gemini can also dual-boot and the second partition holds Linux (currently Debian, but Planet will open source at least enough of the Linux side so other variants can be installed). Linux can also be run as a VM under Android (yes it does work).

All Planet apps can be run locally (with no need for access into the cloud), or they can link into the Private Planet cloud service (or Google's).

There will be a range of peripherals, but on launch there's a USB-C to HDMI adapter and a USB-C hub with 3 USB-A sockets, Ethernet port (and maybe others). There's also a USB-C mains charger and a nice leather pouch.

Using the HDMI adapter, an external HD display is easily driven running video/etc.

The Gemini is currently selling 'in-demand ' on Indiegogo (the original target was for $200,000 and it's now at over $800,000).

The WiFi only version sells for $299 and the WiFi + 4G is $399 (prices are likely to go up by $200 after the campaign).

The Gemini is a very nice unit and completely usable as a mobile phone, but with a full features of a PDA with a touch-typable keyboard so allowing productivity apps and leisure apps like video to run, even at the same time and it will fit into a jacket pocket.

Wicked Cool Shell Scripts

The exact title is "Wicked Cool Shell Scripts, 101 scripts of Linux, OS X and UNIX systems, 2nd Edition" by Dave Taylor and Brandon Perry from No Starch Press.

It's been a while since the first version of the book came out (2004) and a lot has changed in the world of UNIX since that time so though many of the ideas from the first version are still valid, it has been updated to take into account systems like macOS and even Windows.

The book is broken into the following sections

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 0: A Shell Scripts Crash Course
• Chapter 1: The Missing Code Library
• Chapter 2: Improving on User Commands
• Chapter 3: Creating Utilities
• Chapter 4: Tweaking Unix
• Chapter 5: System Administration: Managing Users
• Chapter 6: System Administration: System Maintenance
• Chapter 7: Web and Internet Users
• Chapter 8: Webmaster Hacks
• Chapter 9: Web and Internet Administration
• Chapter 10: Internet Server Administration
• Chapter 11: OS X Scripts
• Chapter 12: Shell Script Fun and Games
• Chapter 13: Working with the Cloud
• Chapter 14: ImageMagick and Working with Graphics Files
• Chapter 15: Days and Dates
• Appendix A: Installing Bash on Windows 10
• Appendix B: Bonus Scripts
• Index

It's a long book at 305 pages, and it's probably more of a reference book for ideas on shell scripting and what you can do rather than reading it from start to finish - though if you're new to the subject, it's probably worth reading Chapter 0 before moving to other chapters.

If you want to get more out of using the command line (on pretty much any UNIX like OS) this could be the book for you.

It's available for purchase direct from No Starch Press for $34.95 Print Book and FREE Ebook or $27.95 Ebook (PDF, Mobi, and ePub), slightly more through O'Reilly (but you can get it through their Safari service) and considerably cheaper through Amazon.

Ofcom trials DAB based on open source software

Ofcom, the Super regulator that looks after radio spectrum management and broadcasting amongst other things has reported on a trial that used open source software to run a digital audio broadcast (DAB) transmission.

The trial was based in Brighton and used Linux software and an software defined radio (SDR) to broadcast DAB signals in the Brighton area, though the trial was only low power (the output of the SDR was set to 5mW) a signal could be received over 7Km away. There was also no detectable interference to the BBC local DAB multiplex which was around 3Km away from the trial transmitter.

The trial was carried out privately under Non-Operational Test and Development licence issued by Ofcom.

The full report is here, Ofcom doesn't endorse any software or hardware used, but the report contains references to all the hardware and software used.

Initially the trial was conducted using 2 laptops, but the software was integrated on to a single (rack mount) PC running xubuntu. It would also be possible to run at least some of the software (multiplexor etc) on a RaspberryPi.

Maybe this will lead the way for other Ofcom 'approved' trials such as running lower power GSM networks also using open source software.

Digia releases Qt 5.0

Digia the company that has taken over the development of Qt (from Nokia) has released version 5.0 of the toolkit. This maintains compatibility with Qt 4.

Qt 5 benefits include:

• graphics quality
• performance on constrained hardware
• cross-platform portability
• support for C++11
• HTML5 support with QtWebKit 2
• a vastly improved QML engine with new APIs

Qt 5 also supports OpenGL ES (the version of Open GL that is optimised for embedded systems).

Qt supports a wide range of operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, embedded operating systems such as embedded Linux, Windows Embedded as well as the most widely deployed real-time operating systems for embedded devices – VxWorks, Neutrino and INTEGRITY – and popular mobile OSes.

Digia is maintaining 2 versions of Qt, the commercial version and a 30 day free trial is available from qt.digia.com and the open source version from qt-project.org.

Tizen bubbles out the bottle

Tizen, the open source operating system that came out of LiMO and MeeGo, has been released. It's available for Intel Atom N2800 and N2600 CPUs and ARM CPUs. Who will adopt Tizen is still up for debate, though Intel are still supporting it as they supported the previous incarnations of MeeGo and prior to that Moblin (which was combined with Nokia's Maemo to form MeeGo). Samsung are also expected to support it too. Nokia which was a major supporter of Maemo/MeeGo has put its efforts into Windows Phone and seems to have dropped support for the Linux'ish based operating systems. The industry as a whole also has generally adopted Android form Google (which was also based on a Linux core). However there still could be a market for Tizen in various connected devices such as automotive (where MeeGo was making inroads). The v1.0 release of the code, known as Larkspur, is available for download from the Tizen Technical Steering Group (TTSG) along with development tools.

Mobile Stats, Symbian wins hands down

There have been some interesting talks recently with various statistics about phone sales thrown in.

Though everyone wants to develop for the sexy iPhone, in global terms it's actually a small player in terms of sales and also as there's such a wealth of applications getting yours' noticed in the 140,000 or so iPhone apps that are out there is very difficult. Of course if you can get it noticed then Apple definitely have the nicest app store out there and it's easy to bill and even charge for in app content.

Ewan Macleod did a presentation at Devnest on Wednesday and here are some stats from his presentation.

There are 4.6bn mobile subscribers (compared to 1.6bn TVs and 1.7bn credit cards - begs the question why don't mobile phone companies do mobile payments). In 2009 there are 1.2bn mobile phones sold (300m TVs and 280m PCs).

Comparing global handset sales Nokia 36% (441m), Other 25% (300m), Samsung 19% (236m), LG 10% (122m), Motorola 5% (58m) and SonyEricsson 5% (55m). So Nokia shipped 1.4m phones per day.

However the North American market is different, Nokia don't even make a dent (which may sway developers are they look at US developers who have no experience with Nokia). Here's it all RIM with 43%, iPhone 25.1%, Windows Mobile 15.7%, Android 7.1% and Palm 5.7%. Interestingly Android is expected to increase to 20% of the smartphone market there.

Ask a developer what platforms they're developing for and it's 92% iPhone and 8% Android, but if you look at mobile phone OS penetrations it's: -

* Symbian 47%
* RIM 20%
* iPhone 14%
* Windows Phone 9%
* Linux 5%
* Android 4%
* Palm WebOS 1%

In the UK there are about 3m iPhones out in the market, that means there are 50 - 60m handsets that iPhone developers are missing (OK not all of them are smartphones).

Many people have written-off Symbian, but it's still the most popular phone OS and now that it's been open sourced with a sensible abstraction layer (Qt) it's easier to write for. Though Nokia's Ovi store isn't the best out there (some people may say it's particularly poor), Nokia are constantly improving it and there are now over 1.5m downloads per day.

Phone companies have developer programs, even Apple has one, but you have to play by their rules and particularly their approval process it can takes weeks to get approved, Android takes under 1 second.

Various operators runs competitions to stimulate apps for their platforms (Vodafone 360, Blackberry, Nokia) - some of these may be 'under utilised' so the chances of winning are highly elevated, it's worth having a look to see who's doing what.

So it looks like developers (globally) are swayed by the US market, but they should be taking a more global view and no one should be writing Symbian off yet.

Chrome OS the notebook challenger

Google has announced Chrome OS and new Linux based operating system with a the Chrome browser which will be targeted at netbooks.

Netbooks are already using Linux, but Google's entry into the fray will certainly threaten other Linux variants and make Microsoft's life more difficult. By owning the desktop, Google gain the user's entry to the Interweb, which makes Google apps easily available removing the reliance on desktop applications. Since Chrome supports Google GEARS, Google apps can continue to operate when the system is offline.

Google say Chrome and Android are different and come out of different teams. Android is optimised for mobile devices and has the issue of having a mobile stack to contend with while Chrome is optimised as a desktop system with the browser as the main driver.

It's likely that Google (with zero licensing costs) will be able to gain a large foothold reasonably quickly and drive users to their on-line apps which is the motivation for the OS.

It seems the industry also likes the effort and there seems to be widespread support from chip manufacturers like ARM, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments etc.

iPlayer on MacOS X and Linux

The BBC's iPlayer is at last available for MacOS X and Linux users as it has now been released as iPlayer Desktop which runs under Adobe's AIR technology.

Adobe AIR has been available for Windows and MacOS X for some time, but it's just been released for Linux.

This should satisfy some of the critics of the BBC as iPlayer has been available for Windows XP since 2007.

Microsoft buys Tellme

Tellme produce voice recognition software, companies like FedEx utilise their technology.

MS are likely to integrate the Tellme voice recognition software into their an on-line collaboration service or even LCS (live communication server) which was released in beta this week.

Tellme had solutions for Linux and other open source variants, but will MS now kill these as it has done in the past with other companies it has acquired.

LiMo or Mobile Linux

Motorola, NEC, Panasonic Mobile Communications and Samsung, and carriers NTT DoCoMo and Vodafone have got together to form the LiMo Foundatation to encourage Linux as operating system (with applications) for mobile devices.

Membership starts at $40,000 and goes up to $800,000 for big companies and allows access to code and contributions to it.

There's already several Linux variants out there and hopefully this will standardise things, though they might be fighting a losing battle now Symbian have added some POSIX capabilities to their OS.

It might do some hard to Microsoft who are winning inroads in to the mobile market with Windows Mobile.