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Here's one I've been contemplating lately, what to do with my old smart phones and pdas after I upgrade.
Sure I'd hand them off to any friend or associate who wanted them, re use recycle and all that, but often no one seems to want them since they're well old and out dated.
So what to do? Some have nice stands and make decent clocks for my desk, or snooze alarms for my night stand, but I feel like that's such a waste.
Anyone find any creative and usefull things to do with their old gear?
If it has a decent sized screen and bluetooth you could mount it into your dash and make it a dedicated GPS. If it has a headphone outlet you could also hook it into your car stereo and load it with with music over bluetooth from a laptop etc...
why not sell them if they recently-released phones? many people can't afford a new phone, and don't want to be stuck with a contract, and don't care an older model.
I use my old O2 XDA 2i for my tomtom in the car, it may be old but it runs TomTom perfectly and the screen is much bigger than recent devices. (It also runs video files much better than my Tytn II)
I havnt soft re-set it in about 3 months, so its also very reliable.
ebook reader is also an options
you can set them up as router for your network
After I bought my Kaiser, I used my old Palm LifeDrive as a digital photo frame. It has a 4 GB hard drive and a cradle, so it sits on my desk quite happily. They also make good universal remote controls if they have IR ports.
Dave
I've always just sold mine on Ebay for fair price....Many users are looking for 2nd hand devices.
i still have my ancient trium mondo from 2000 (or was that 1999?). it's still working and i use it as my alarm clock. still pretty good despite it's age and the "night mode" green hew looks great in the dark. the battery, though, doesn't charge anymore so she's forever stuck on her cradle.
cheers
You can always donate them to someone on this great community!
or sell it on marketplace
you could use it as a secondary display with innobec sidewindow that is what i did with my old toshiba before i sold it.
i was just thinking back to an old thread and googled.
this is the site http://www.wmwifirouter.com/
josefcrist said:
you could use it as a secondary display with innobec sidewindow that is what i did with my old toshiba before i sold it.
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+1. Using this you can use your phone to display temps, fan speeds, an IM chat window, external TV. Brilliant.
Use it as a camera, or a Business mini computer (Office, and Internet)
Dont donate it... Its not like giving food to starving kids, thats a diff story, its more like giving a guy free money.
I collect mine (as you can see from my sig), but if I were to ever start considering getting rid of it, Marketplace would be my first choice, Craigslist would be second, and eSpray would be last. Long as it's done for a fair price, or a good trade, there's no problem with that in my book.
With that in mind, I still have all of mine. Once I get one of my wizards working right, the other will go up in Marketplace. I just gotta have the time to fix my mini-usb port... Figures, huh?
Who-m3 said:
Once I get one of my wizards working right, the other will go up in Marketplace. I just gotta have the time to fix my mini-usb port... Figures, huh?
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Craigslist or Ebay, The Forums Marketplace isn't Safe to make Transactions and sales. Atleast with my Previous "Purchase"
For those who have cellular, wifi and GPS or cellular, wifi and a bluetooth GPS, why not use them to earn some money?
Navizon is a wireless positioning system that works a little bit like a GPS, only that it uses Cellular Towers and Wifi access points instead of satellites. In addition to being a wireless position system, Navizon offers cool features like the Directions, Buddy finder, Geotags and many more...
This software relies on a community of users who contribute data to the system (WiFi and Cellular towers) when they have a GPS device. And the cool thing is that we can earn money doing it with the Navizon reward system.
I'm already using it and you could make money too with it if you're interested. All you need is to install it on your phone and have Navizon connected to your GPS. Every Wifi access points that you pass, every cell tower that you log will mean money in your pocket. So if you have a phone that is compatible with this software, you should really check it out.
If you plan on registering, please do so by clicking on the link below:
Navizon
That way, I can also earn some referral points since I'm the one who introduced you to the system ;-)
I've got an old Athena that I'm currently in the process of mounting in my car, once I've built the custom cradle for it. Because the screen is so big it'll perfect for in car video, mp3 play back and of coarse good old tomtom!
i've always wondered about this because of all the posts. its kind of a rant just forwarning
i understand that the US is in a recession so excuse me if i generalize, but why use the fuze as a substitute carpc? i understand people spend good money on a pda but why not just build a carpc.
you get more functionality with more upgradability and bigger screen
a budget inspired carpc can be had very cheap even brand new is still cheaper than buying a unbranded unlocked touch pro.
just to give you guys an idea i've built mine under 500 it would have been mid 300 but i'm an audio guy so i had to get a legit sound card and went with a 8" vs 7" and keep in mind this is brand new prices. you dont even need a sound card
8" touchscreen ~150
all-in-one pc ~90
hdd + memory ~60
power supply ~80
sound card ~100
i get internet and gps because of my phone but any 3g gps enabled phone could do this.
i think a fuze attached to wires is ludacris and hateful to the phone. its a "mobile" phone not a landline lol k flame away
The Fuze does almost everything your CarPC does and it fits in my pocket. I can take it into the gym and still access my music, still use the internet, etc. Just in the car it's attached to a larger screen.
If I went with a CarPC project I'd want to go all out. I have a Dodge Charger with the stock NAV. It works well but it is limited; not a touchscreen, only plays MP3 CDs with no hard drive interface.
I've played with the idea of replacing it with a 10" touchscreen for VGA movies/DVDs, pretty well sized solid state HD for media storage (for shock resistance and low energy consumption), wifi to link with my home network and download while in my garage, run Windows XP with some GPS based Navigation software, and of course have a USB port for my Fuze to serve as a 3G modem when on the road for browsing and traffic updates.
If I could link the Fuze to a touchscreen, maybe even interface with a more accurate GPS antenna, and wire it into my car stereo I would be one happy driver.
KevinACrider said:
The Fuze does almost everything your CarPC does and it fits in my pocket. I can take it into the gym and still access my music, still use the internet, etc. Just in the car it's attached to a larger screen.
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i know you said almost everything so just to toss it out there. i do make backups of my cds but in order to add music to my phone i would have to either buy mp3s online or use my pc to add music to the phone. same goes with movies. of course this is legally speaking only.
i change through albums and artists all the time. i dislike wm players just takes to long to access
i can drive around and pop in dvds and watch movies on road trips.
i also enjoy listening to higher quality stereo (ya i know its a personal preference i've listened to afew mp3 player instals and i am enjoying the money well well spent)
the battery isn't horrendous on the fuze but its not above decent. i would love to be on wifi or 3g the whole time. yes we know hopping on peoples networks is a nono but still. yes i can take my fuze with me but charging and listening to music ugh power noise
norok said:
you dont need to go all out. i've just got the necesities and its getting the job done plus some. and a side note i have a hdd and pushing around 137dbs but just doubled the watts so should be a few higher and the hd is about 3yrs old still holding strong and taking a ridiculous daily beating (vegas heat and a sub next to it).
i do really enjoy my phone and i've used it as a center for my car while doing the carpc instal and while driving other ppls cars and i can say i am glad i switched but of course personal preference. its just so much easier to do same things.
again just wanted to rant. flame away
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Does anyone still use an OQO Model 2? If so, how would you rate the performance in comparison to say, a Galaxy Tab 10.1? By performance, I mean, browser performance, things like netflix, etc. I am very intrigued by the OQO and I am thinking about losing the tablets and going to a Model 02.
I have had an OQO 02 for a few years, and cannot fathom the thought of parting with it. These days I only use it as a "bedside" computer with 15" TV/Monitor, Full sized keyboard and mouse, using the OQO dock w/dvd r/cdr rw. I have in the past used it as my primary computer w/a triple monitor setup and a host of other "proof of concept" projects including using it as a mobile voip platform.
A few things to consider:
It would NOT be a good substitute for a tablet. Screen is too small. But can you put that tablet in your pocket?
The screen is not capacitive ie: "touch". It is proprietary Wacom - needs a Wacom pen to use for screen input.
If you decide to get one, only get the 1.5 ghz model, the 1.6 ghz model has, well, bad motherboards.
It has a noisy fan.
It has an underwhelming VIA CPU with only 1 meg RAM - I call it the "chugger" as in the "The little engine that could".
On the brighter side, Windows 7 works best with it and it should work even better with 8! I have only used Win8 Preview on it and it works fine - but I couldn't do an "upgrade" (loading previous drivers from existing Win7) because it says not enough memory, <1 meg. A full, fresh, install worked fine. I will wait for Win 8 RC0 to arrive before I commit.
The machine is very durable - I am hard on my equipment and the OQO has fared very well through my abuse.
Batteries are hard to find, although available with search - at the moment I am having two batteries recondtioned/fixed locally. They are available on ebay (used), also.
Finally, the OQO is a niche product. You have to want the very small form factor with full Windows OS (or Linux/Mac) to appreciate it.
See OQOTalk and OQOasis for the best information.
Hope this helps!
oqoman
Hi OQOman,
Thanks for replying! You have really given me a lot to think about. Of you wouldn't mind, could you tell me, is $300 a fair price for a model two with the specs you described? I have found several on eBay, but it seems most don't actually have the Wacom digitizer. I really want to try to load an older version of illustrator (maybe CS or cs3). Any thoughts?
Thanks
Kim
$300 seems to be a fair price. Be sure to get the pen. It's a $30 (when new) accessory.
I would look at Oqotalk and Oqoasis forums for the oqo 02 and accessories. Those two forums are the "Bible" for OQO. I wouldn't buy anything until I had read those boards.
Adobe should run on it. Remember it is only 1 meg RAM - but owners have used it.
All OQO 02 have the Wacom (inductive) screens.
OQOman
That Wacom pen, is it special to the oqo or can I buy another one that is Wacom but not specifically labeled for oqo?
All Wacom "penabled" pens work.
I've had both a 02, and 01+, and I have to say, I love them. If you do get one, I'd recommend doing a little modification, and throw an SSD in. The 02 requires a zif ssd, and the 01+ requires a 50pin IDE 5mm ssd, but as oqoman said, oqotalk and oqoasis seem to be the best places online to get infos. Oqoasis moreso, since oqotalk seems to have slowed down a bit.
Where are you having your batteries reconditioned?
oqoman said:
Batteries are hard to find, although available with search - at the moment I am having two batteries recondtioned/fixed locally. They are available on ebay (used), also.
oqoman
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Hi just ran into your post and wondering where you're having your batteries reconditioned or fixed? Will a Batteries+ type of shop work on these? Appreciate any insight you can provide to steer me in the right direction. Thanks!
OQO-2 resurrection
Hi, a few months ago I 'inherited' an OQO-2 along with a CD/DVD 'dock' and power-supply. It came without any manuals. The battery was about to explode, so I removed it and soldered the leads in the empty battery-housing to allow the power-adapter to run the computer. It's been up and running for a few months with an Ubuntu LinUx installed by the previous owner. Unfortunately it seems that I cannot set the screen resolution properly(it only allows for 640x480) and so I am never able to see the lower- and right-third of my screen. This makes it hard to do much of anything!
I've connected an external monitor to the dock, but I cannot get the computer to switch to it. Is there a specific keystroke-sequence required to switch to the external?
I've also attempted to install Windows 7 via CD/DVD. When I power-on the computer it'll access the CD/DVD, but it always returns to loading Ubuntu without allowing me to install Windows. Do I need to set the CD/DVD to 'boot' or to 'first-boot' in BIOS? If so, how do I access BIOS?
Rick Baran
USN, ret.
So, feel free to flame, but I was writing something in another thread about tablets and the following came to mind:
Are tablets worth what we pay for them? Or are they just a marketing 're-deploy'? Allow me to expound:
Literally just before tablets careened onto the current computer scene(I know windows failed to promote tablets years back), there existed Netbooks. What it seems to me is that Netbooks are what the Industry thought we would want, A very portable yet still completely functional computer. As if even the small laptops weren't small enough...anyway. What I think happened is these things weren't cool enough. Maybe not powerful enough either, but that point should be moot because modern hardware can support this, as proven by current tablets.
I bought a Netbook and loved it, BUT I don't do a lot of gaming, just some simple web browsing, skyping, some skript kiddie type hacking. Plus for me the ultra small design was essential due to the nature of my work/constant traveling blah blah. This thing played movies, had the latest support of my favorite *nixes and performed pretty well except for battery life(typically a measly 3-4 hours) and of course gaming. Then came tablets; they look cooler, offer touch screen capabilities which sometimes feel as cumbersome as alt-tabbing, and have much much better battery and gaming performance, with the added benefit of blending nicely with the current "app store eco-structure".
Ahh, finally my point!!!:
A trend I see rising with tablets is the ability to add a keyboard and mouse....really? So what, then you have a laptop again? Or just the ability to go from cool-tech-but-not-too-nerdy tablet guy, to an fully functional device, and back again? I don't get it, other than the obvious shift to more clever marketing and selling us yet another device. On top of that I can use a USB 2.0 anything on my netbook, or be stuck with a proprietary connecter as with the Transform or iPad. Why would we choose this other than to look cool or because it's being shoved down our throats? What I see is a device (tablet) that is less fuctional, less productive, and more money compared to the more practical, just as portable netbook. I just miss the support of my Netbook, which I only paid $200 for....
Any thoughts...like maybe I'm a crazy hippy that needs to go live in a commune?
my points why my a500 is better use then a netbook,.
portability - no one can say its not easier to carry a slim tablet with a integrated keyboard
functionality - being able to do such things as stand in the street looking through the tab with the camera and seeing augmented reality deal, offer, new location without having to open startup, login and hold a massive block of hardware to do the same, and also a whole plethora of other uses such as barcode scanning, video making ,etc etc imaging scanning barcodes to find cheaper prices with a netbook,,,.,..one handed possible? probably not
battery life, my tablet can go 2days on a single charge with medium usage, a netbook would last a few hours,
i can do pretty much anything on my a500 i can do on my laptop.
i can access and use my laptop with screen and sound from anywhere else in the world.....from my a500 tablet (phonemypc)
also most usb devices connect to my a500 i think the only thing my lappy has that my tablet doesnt is a dvd drive, but the one in my lappy is dusty as hell as i download all my movies and move them between devices to play in diff' areas anyway. and then again my laptop has no gps. and only a front camera
if my laptop im writting this message with was a tablet it would probably be a crap one lol
no gps,no touchscreen, no back camera, front camera is weak no accelerometer no hdmi port lol etc etc
Major edit:
I see your point and don't want to convolute my thoughts too much. I just think a lot of the things you mentioned could be implemented, if the money was there.
You have pointed out that I have kind of answered my own questions...
Why tablets, because the phone market was so successfull and it allows for a lot of control on the developers end of the OS, so it's easier to implement the apps, market place as apposed to a traditional PC software sales setup.
r0zj0k3r said:
I think that depends on what you want to do. with my netbook, I literally could do everything I could on my computer because they were the same OS!!! That means, compiling software, video/audio editing, skype with group video , a similar app store could be integrated into a netbook style os (see ubuntu store). The industry just doesn't want to push it, and because it was easier to shift from phones to what amount to "really big phones"
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Do you think that the new windows OS will allow you to switch between a Tablet and your Netbook without loose of functionality?
warus1 said:
Do you think that the new windows OS will allow you to switch between a Tablet and your Netbook without loose of functionality?
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I think it would be a great way for windows to break away from the pack, but I don't think they want to do that now. They seem to be in the same mode as everyone else, lets follow the market instead of trying really new things.
Maybe I am dreaming here a little bit but I want to use an android mini PC for home automation. Basically I want to have a total of 4 mini PCs in my home 3 on TVs for using xbmc Netflix etc and browsing on TVs, 1 as a brain sort of. I want to be able to control all through my LG Nexus 5 remotely and my hip street titan 2 tablet. The components in which I would like to control are a coffee maker some outlets and a few sets of lights for now. I realize the mini PC it self is probably incapable of this (unless your able to get a kind of on off switch controller for it) but I'm open to maybe using something like an arduino (with much more education of course lol) anyways looking for any input ideas and or education. I plan on using tasker app to handle command processing. I also have a desktop with event ghost that could play a key roll as well.
I know this is very open ended but I'm just trying to gather information ATM.
This sounds like a very cool little project.
Take a look at X10. It is a protocol for communicating between automation units. Also, I personally would consider using something like a Raspberry Pi as the main controller. In terms of power consumption, I would expect it to be less than an Android phone (especially the new Model A+). It would also be easier to program for and find home automation software for a linux distro than for Android. Raspberry Pi would also integrate with Arduino better or possibly even remove the need for that altogether.
Good luck. Post your progress on here, it would be good to see it.
I have little to no experience with arduino and rasbeery pie both. I really want to use ifttt software triggered by tasker for android as I have tons of experience with both, but at $50 for a duplex recepticle its going to get very expensive very fast... Also for say my coffee maker has simple on off switch. I would like to be able to put coffee and water in it and when about 10 mins from home trigger it on so my coffee is ready when I get home. When I get home I want to NFC my phone on door and have it unlock (or when I'm coming up hall but I don't think I will be able to get a precise enough GPS location fix to do so.) I want to have my lights follow me as I walk through house at night. Ie when I enter living room the light turns on when I leave it then turns off. And I want to be able to shut off outlets when I leave home in case I leave something on I shouldn't. My idea was going to be using an arduino on power wires to switches or outlets. Now I think that could get expensive as well. So even something homebrew could work just as long as it meets the "cheap" criteria I'm happy lol.
I love your idea to transpire. I wish you goodluck with that.
So far the cheapest way I have found is the smart things. They will trigger with IFTTT, but the hub alone is $200 and each accessory (is, light switch, recepticle etc) is $50. I've got 6 light switches I want to control ($300) and 4 outlets ($200) the hub ($200) and want a door lock ($300). We are talking nearly $1,000 not really in my budget.