I've had an old Nexus 7 (2012) tablet laying around not doing much for so long now, and the other night I wanted to look at a website on something a little bigger than my phone but not have to walk across the room to get my laptop.
Despite not wanting to get up, I then proceeded to go to an entirely different room and rummage through a drawer to find the old device out. Not only did this defeat the object of not wanting to move but also completely side-tracked me from what I was doing.
I plugged it in to let it charge overnight and held down the button with anticipation the next morning. On it came with Beanstalk 7 logo and booted up about as fast as I ever remember it being, poor little thing.
I've left it idle for 4 days so far to see how long the battery could hold out. So far it has dropped to around 37% and estimates around 2 days left. As long as it can make it through an evening on the sofa, I don't mind having to charge it from my work machine each day.
So, what is it running?
We're talking top of the line, balls to the wall cutting edge... OK, maybe not. The only question that really matters is, can it do what I need it to do and browse websites?
Well, that is a resounding yes. I have to admit, I did not expect Firefox to update that far. So not only can I use Firefox, but also a version that allows the installation of Addons. This thing just keeps on trucking.
Next on the hit list... I wonder if I can get Tusky and a decent Reddit app on there. If I can, I'm one seriously happy chappy.
As I've mentioned previously, I form strange bonds with tech that serves me well over many years and truly hate the thought of replacing it if I don't need to. Sure, I'd love a shiny new tablet with a better resolution but I'd feel damn guilty about it and regret spending a couple of hundred £'s when I certainly don't need to.
Take a look through your drawers, cupboards, boxes and see what old tech you can bring back to life!