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Ask Slashdot: How to Pimp My Android Tablet?

Posted by timothy on from the ain't-easy-but-it's-necessary dept.

New submitter capsfan100 writes "At Christmas I got an $89 Android tablet by MID. The 7" tablet has sufficient RAM, etc. The battery, however, was rather pathetic out of the box. It's already fading, so we know where this is headed — decent tablet, but it constantly needs the plug. How would you take this 'old' tablet and turn it into a rockin' stereo component? Is there a ROM build out there titled Pimp My Tablet Into An MP3 Player? The current music app can look up lyrics on-line. I'd like to keep that feature. Any ideas on a good app for syncing music videos with my *ahem* random music collection? Any fun, off-beat party apps this middle-aged suburban dad hasn't heard of? Since the Android security nightmare is so well documented, I'd rather not use services that require passwords. I also need top-notch security and monitoring software so I can see what my kids and their friends are doing with it next year when I'm not home while keeping them anonymous and safe on-line. As for my living room stereo system, how best to mount a sleek MP3 tablet? I was thinking velcro, but it would ruin the feel. Maybe a wall-mount arm like my HDTV has? We want to be able to unplug it and move around the room, so I'll need to upgrade the speakers to wireless. Any thoughts there? I'm not afraid of the command line — indeed, I insist on one — but no Gentoo-type projects, thank you. Just a good sleek and secure ROM for optimal tunage with all the top apps the kids are using today."

4 of 154 comments (clear)

  1. recycling by SethJohnson · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Sounds like a trip to the electronics recycler. For all the time you're going to invest into getting some very limited use out of that device, you could just get a decent $300 tablet that will be suited for many uses. Since you're a dad, you know that your time is valuable. More valuable than making this thing marginally more useful so you can save $212.

    Put some edutainment apps on their and hand it over to your kids. No need to ruggedize it.

    --
    $5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
    1. Re:recycling by MangoCats · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Normally, I would agree with the one good device trumps four pieces of junk approach, but in the case of 7" tablets, there's a great deal of power in junk. There are a lot of dedicated use scenarios (such as OP's music station) where a junker tablet will do that job quite well, and with the cash you saved from buying a "great" tablet, you can get a Kindle Fire HD for handheld media consumption - still not the ultimate tablet, but great at what it does, and I thought it was a pretty good buy at $249...

  2. Make a wall clock out of it by cjb-nc · · Score: 3, Interesting

    That's what I did with my MID tablet. I wanted a clock that could display NTP-synchronized time. I had an old MID lying around doing nothing. Rooted it. Added NTP software to run over the wifi. Setup the desktop with a big clock app and a smaller 3-day weather app. Stuck velcro to the back and hung it on my cube wall at work, just over my monitors. Just leave it plugged in all the time, as my MID also has under-1hr battery life. Works great.

  3. Re:Don't forget .. by SternisheFan · · Score: 3, Interesting
    If you aren't a 'music purist', you don't need much nowadays to have a very good sound system. Several years ago I bought a Curtis brand 5.1. dvd system (300 watts) for $60 new. I'm listening to my music on it rigt now, and it sounds great. I could really piss off my neighbors if I cranked it up and pulled out the sock I plug the bass port! All I did was run a wire adaptor (1/8" to two rca jacks) from rhe device playing the Mp3s to the dvd's amp, routing it through an A/B multi-switch from Radio Shack. The 5 little cube speakers sound clearer and better than those huge expensive speakers from 20 years ago, thanks to the powerful tiny magnets that are made so cheaply today.This setup is not anything fancy, but it doesn't need to be, it just has to work and sound good.

    The guy with this cheap-o tablet can use the stock player for music outputting and lite internet browsing. It's not even worth going to the trouble of rooting and installing any software to. Leave the electric plugged into it 24/7, and enjoy it as a capable mp3 player.