What can I do with an old tablet?

[Soen Eber]

I have an old tablet which has long ago been abandoned by Samsung - no updates for years. I would like to revive it with linux (preferably, but I'm open) so I can continue to use it and have some faith that both the OS and security updates will be maintained and the device will remain usable for several more years.

Obviously, there's a risk that some features will not be supportable, but I'm willing to play around with it and explore all possibilities. What are my options, and in future when I buy a new tablet, how can I make sure it can be converted to a linux system in the future and not become landfill material?

I've already taken some steps by buying a used HP chromebook as my main laptop and retiring my old Elite Book - one with the special "coal chute" power adapter . The new chromebook is already capable of using Google's Crostini framework for conversion to a linux device and should be a useful development box for several years. But what I'm looking for is a way to convert a 7" tablet to also be linux. Damn it! I want my stuff to last more than 2 years!

Thanks.

 

[Khamon]

teh pr0nz1

 

[Khamon]

But seriously, I opted for a Surface this time around. It has a keyboard attached that folds like a laptop but can be detached. It runs Windows 10, of course, so I expect it to update for at least the four years I have to work before retirement.

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

I have an old tablet which has long ago been abandoned by Samsung - no updates for years. I would like to revive it with linux (preferably, but I'm open) so I can continue to use it and have some faith that both the OS and security updates will be maintained and the device will remain usable for several more years.

What's the model number? Some tablets have enough headroom they can be realistically reinstalled or multibooted (I had a Touchpad that ran WebOS, Android, and Linux once) but most are really not worth it. Especially 7" tablets, they're pretty much all super-cheaped-out. You may be able to find an AOSP Android distro that will work.

The problem with old tablets is the battery is unlikely to survive the support lifetime by more than a couple of years, when it goes bad may swell and destroy the tablet, and replacing it is going to cost more than it's worth.

I use old tablets as clocks, since the dead battery doesn't matter then.

 

[Soen Eber]

note 8 tablet and a touchpad. My "new" tablet (from craigslist) is a Tab A tablet (2017) which lost support in mid-2018. Note 8's battery is dead but replaceable for around $30. Tab A hasn't seen much use so still has a good battery, but I haven't touched (or charged) it in a couple years - didn't have much use for something that big.

Future purchases will be based on what I see on cyanogen and other sites.

 

[Marita]

Soen , take a look on the below link and see if they have anything ...

XDA Forums

Android Forum for Mobile Phones, Tablets, Hardware & App Development

forum.xda-developers.com

 

[Essence Lumin]

This person had success (last comment on page)
[Q] Linux (Ubuntu) on Note 8.0?

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

You could install a gallery app, and use it as a digital picture frame.

 

[Chalice Yao]

My own tablet is a Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact - a 7 inch model from 2014 - and it still rocks specs that compete or outperform most recently released tablets in that size. So much that I actually grabbed an unused model off eBay recently 'just in case'. I wish Sony hadn't dropped that market. Aside of pricing, they were great at what they did there.

It's of course not supported anymore, but it's unsupported models where rooting and custom ROMs can breathe new life into a device, at times drastically so. They usually allow you to install modern Android versions onto those old things, they might improve the battery life (ironically), and allow you to pretty much do nearly as much work as with the modern models.

Personally I use mine for reading E-Books and PDFs - it's my mobile library, and it fits neatly into my handbag.

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

This person had success (last comment on page)
[Q] Linux (Ubuntu) on Note 8.0?

That's still running Android, it's just created a directory tree containing a Linux userland (libraries and files) so you can run regular Linux apps using VNC. It's a desktop Linux environment that you connect to using a terminal program or remote desktop. Linux apps will not have access to any tablet-specific tools or to any SD cards you plug in.

I don't see any Note 8 Tab distros on XDA.

 

[eku zhong]

 

[Romana]

I repurposed my old Android tablet as an alarm clock, and my iPad mini as a sleep sound machine. Not trebly ambitious, perhaps, but works for me.

 

[Brenda Archer]

I'm still using a truly ancient iPod Touch as a Kindle. I can read any book on it except a comic. The screen is very small, but I'm very nearsighted. If Kindle is still downloadable for older iOS that's pretty useful.

 

[Khamon]

My ASUS Transformer tablet runs Android ~0.4 (actually Donut I believe) and functions as a web browser. It's larger than the phone for seeing but smaller than the surface for lap browsing in the easy chair. That's seriously all I ever do with it but, after reading Brenda's post, I'm thinking it might make a decent indoor Kindle reader as well.

 

[Soen Eber]

I found Ubuntu Touch with a good, stable release for Nexus 7. When my current tablet (already out of support but still...) bites it, I'll either pick up a refurbished 32 GB Nexus 7 and change out the OS, or see if they've made any progress on a newer tablet. Or maybe replace the battery on my dead Nexus and use that.

Thanks!

 

[Jolene Benoir]

I use my old one for books, music, emulation and videos. It is wifi only so I make extensive usage of the sd card. It is perfect for road trips and the like. I am, most often, the driver, but I hand the tablet off to a passenger (I keep a car charger in the glove box). It is rooted and using a custom rom.

It's amazing how many book files, music files, etc that even a modest sd card can hold.

 

[danielravennest]

 

[Cristalle]

You can set it up to use it as a security camera. There is some free software out there that will do that.

 

[Romana]

You can set it up to use it as a security camera. There is some free software out there that will do that.

Really? Maybe I should make one into a puppy--cam.

 

[Cristalle]

Really? Maybe I should make one into a puppy--cam.

Yes. The app is Salient Eye. It's free, good to use old phones and tablets.