Recycling technology is always a good idea. We live in a society where consumption is the order of the day, if we take away the last generation, next year a superior generation will come out and we will consider ours obsolete and, among other things, Companies constantly force us to buy devices.

But you can give a second life to most of the ones you already have in your home. An old computer (one that’s left over from Windows might help. So I’ll tell you Five uses to keep an old tablet from collecting dust and be most useful at home and outside.

tablet for kitchen

One of the most basic yet useful uses you can give an old tablet as a kitchen helper. I have an Amazon Echo, and yet I often take the tablet into the kitchen to entertain myself or serve as a maid.

I have already mentioned that my tablet has a 7-inch screen, so it does not take up much space, but is perfectly visible from large distances. In it, I watch YouTube videos to entertain myself, play a game while cooking or doing the dishes, and most of all, watch recipes.

Since it’s an old tablet, I don’t mind touching the screen with slightly stained fingers while cooking., something I’ve been thinking about doing with my mobile phone. This way, I can pause a recipe video as long as I need while cooking.

But if you don’t have a Nest, Homepod, or Amazon Echo Your tablet has Google Assistant; Setting timers can also be useful. If you don’t have an assistant, you can always set timers on hand and always see the remaining time.

If I didn’t have to move it from one place to another at home, I would buy strips like Command strips to stick to the tiles and create a permanent curtain on the wall.

Like Android Auto

But as I said, I also take him from home to there and to the car. The problem is, my car is a few years old and I don’t even like its infotainment system at all. So a while ago I decided to convert it to Android Auto. And if It is fully functional.

This is not free, because you have to buy the Headunit Reloaded application, which costs almost 5 euros, and although the reviews on the Play Store are very average, I must say that it worked perfectly for me.

Fits perfectly into my car’s integrated GPS mountThis way, I don’t need any extra support and I have double-sided Velcro so that it doesn’t pose a danger when braking, cornering, in short.

You install the app on your tablet, configure everything and you have Android Auto without having to change cars. It works great and the truth is I couldn’t be happier with this new use for my old tablet.

Entertainment center support for your old TV

And if we combine an old TV with an old tablet, this combination can be quite powerful. I’ll give you my situation, but right now I think I’d go straight for Amazon Fire TV or Chromecast Google TV HD as the price is worth it and For less than 35 euros you get a new operating system for your TV.

But hey, when I wanted to mount a TV in the kitchen, it was one of those pretty old 27-inch ones with absolutely nothing. clever and I had a Chromecast Ultra at home. Just as I use the tablet a lot as a helper in the kitchen, There are times when I know I will spend a long time cooking something, it is better to send the signal to the TV..

There, the tablet helps me watch the recipe on YouTube on the tablet’s own screen, while sending Disney+ (or whatever I want) to the Chromecast. Here too This will depend on how old your tablet is.It is possible that even some applications that interest you may not be compatible, but it is all a matter of experimenting and within this you can have video streaming applications, television, sports applications…

Now like I said, if you find yourself in this situation, The best buy right now is a Google TV or a basic Fire TV to power your television. This is much more powerful than what you can send from your tablet via Chromecast, but as in my case… I’ll tell you.

book reader

And it’s a classic. There are many applications for reading books, but Kindle is one of my favorite tablets. because it syncs the books I already have in my account with the Kindle itself. If I catch it without battery or if it’s busy or I’m traveling with my tablet to use Android Auto but I know I’ll want to read it, I read it.

I know that reading on a tablet is not recommended and that e-books are more pleasing to the eye, but I won’t be a hypocrite: I spend all day between screens and I won’t go crazy if I don’t. I want to read something on the tablet.

Yes definitely, If yours has HD resolution (720p), maybe I would look for another option Because reading books on such low resolution large screens can be complicated.

new home check

Finally, I’ll tell you about something I’m working on. I have several Amazon Echos at home and optimize my IoT purchases to work thanks to the Amazon ecosystem, but also because Google has the only Nest.

What I don’t have is a screen. So, my smart speakers consist of just these speakers, so by tapping on them I will be able to control devices or adjust the intensity of lights, view cameras, etc. I don’t have a screen. I use my mobile phone for this.

But seeing the Pixel Tablet inspired me turn my old tablet into home control. With the Alexa app, I have pretty visual control over my growing collection of smart bulbs and plugs, but it’s also compatible with my robot vacuum cleaner, the Xiaomi Home app where I have many of my devices, and I also have the LG app. … washing machine.

Actually, I’m trying to install all apps on all my devices (because I have a lot of integrated in Alexa, but I have theirs in my sockets, the same bulbs, my Govee system too…) and if at any time something goes wrong, I know that each of the apps are working individually. Which I use to control all devices in addition to Alexa.

I hope these tips for transforming an old tablet and giving it a second life inspire you. And it’s much better if I discovered at least one benefit for you and you want to leave us your comments (or what you do to take advantage of old tablets or mobile phones).

Now it is necessary to take into account an important point: If your tablet is very old, there may be things you can’t do if it has Android 6 or older. For example, there are many applications that continue to support these versions of the system, but there are also applications that work with Android 8 or Android 9 and later.

You have two options here: If it’s a video streaming app, you can always use the browser. If the application in question also has a web version, you can use it without any problems. But if not and you don’t want to try flashing a custom ROM, I’m afraid you won’t be able to use the app you want to use.

Xataka on Android | How to unlock and recover your Android if you forgot the pattern or password?