Hi everyone,

I’m not sure if I’m in the right place, but since there isn’t a community like r/androidafterlife on Lemmy, I thought I’d ask here.

I recently saw a video about the Spotify Car Thing being open-sourced, which has led to an interesting project called Deskthing. This got me thinking—are there any similar projects aimed at repurposing older devices?

I’m specifically looking for projects that transform old smartphones into something more functional, rather than just running a standard Android setup with an app. Ideally, I’m interested in projects that can create unique uses for old hardware, like turning a device into an extra PC display that powers on when it detects power through a USB port.

In essence, I’m looking for solutions that bypass the long boot time of stock Android and offer a quick, streamlined experience. If you know of any projects like this, I’d love to hear about them!

Thanks!

  • solrize@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    It seems like a pain in the neck because of the difficulty of writing code for Android, especially older versions, since the API’s keep changing and the older SDK’s might be hard to find and use (I haven’t tried). It helps if you can root the phone, but that isn’t always easy either. Plus, a phone-sized PC display doesn’t sound that useful. For a wall or desk display, you might be better off with an Inkplate (e-reader with reflective e-paper display) or similar.