I have an older thinkpad android tablet that I have not used for a while, battery ran out of juice and then had to factory reset to get it going. Is there an easy way to get the tablet updated with recent os? Any suggestions for future use? I take it that there are cheap tablets available on the market these days.
New life for an older tablet
![](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/g/38.jpg)
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Specs,
ARM dual core
1GB memory
32 GB storage
10 inch 1280*800 screen
3G
front and rear cams
pen
3 in 1 card reader
mini hdmi
usb 2That really says nothing about what the device is like :S
It's like saying my PC has dual core CPU (since ARM SoCs are used in most tablets anyways).It'd be better for you to state what the tablet name is or state the exact spec, i.e. What SoC it uses (like Snapdragon 400 etc).
From what I've searched using what you've said about the tablet brand, it looks like what you have is this.
https://shopap.lenovo.com/ISS_Static/WW/ap/au/en/products/pd…or it might be the first Thinkpad Tablet.
They both look ancient, I'd probably not bother and look for other tablets.
I have an ancient Acer Iconia A500 that's also running Tegra 2 (bought more than 4 years ago from this deal). My only tablet at the moment and still use it every other day (mainly for reading PDF, music score, etc) but this thing is slooooooow. I flushed CyanogenMod 11 / Android 4.4 onto it to keep it alive for a bit longer. Lenovo K1 has the same Tegra2 SoC and CM10.1 is available which you might want to give a try.
Even if you did manage to upgrade the o/s, unless you're just planning to use it for really basic stuff, it'd probably struggle with recent apps.
I prefer to re-purpose old tech - I have a ~5 year old Galaxy Tab P1000 that I picked up when they were being run out at $299. It's now running Cyanogenmod and is permanently connected in a docking station on my bedside table.
Primarily acts as my alarm clock and the battery lasts long enough to get through those mystery blackouts that happen occasionally overnight. Also useful as a bedtime e-reader or media player. Docking station has an audio out, which is connected to a sound system, so I can also use the device to stream from the Plex server. One downside was the time I left the sound system on when I went to sleep… I reckon my neighbours three units down heard my alarm clock the following day.
Thanks for the responses. Might try flushing as suggested and then see how the battery performs.
Any instructions on how this can be done?
Google model number of teblet and xda
You'll have to double check your exact model but looks like there's a good chance your tablet can be updated with CM10 (Android 4.1 / JellyBean):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/thinkpad-tablet
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1846044
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Lenovo_ThinkPad_TabletI think the specs for your old tablet are still OK. The screen resolution is pretty good. Great for light web browsing.
Since you've got a dying tablet its no biggie if the tablet gets bricked. This is a great opportunity to experiment.
If you can upgrade to Jelly Bean I think you'll be very happy. Its a very smooth operating system and will make your device compatible with 90% of current Android apps.
Tks, got me self a job for the weekend.
What's the model? It might not even worth the hassle to resurrect it if the device has a bad spec to begin with (you might need to replace battery and you might be able to grab something far better with little bit of extra money).
Custom firmwares probably is what you'd want to look at, but whether it is available for your model depends on whether people worked on it.