Got a New Tablet? Here’s What to do With Your Old One

So Santa brought you a new tablet this Christmas. But now you’re wondering what to do with your old, outdated model. Do you just toss it in the trash so the seagulls at your municipal landfill can play Candy Crushall day?

No way. You can get fined for throwing away electronics, and

seagulls are jerks who don’t deserve tablets.

Thankfully, there are plenty of more responsible ways you can repurpose, recycle, or just plain sell your old tablet. Here’s how to get started.

Repurpose it

Your old tablet might not have a cool fingerprint reader or ridiculously high-definition screen like your new one, but that doesn’t mean you can’t repurpose it and use it as another device.

In-car video screen: Keeping your kids quiet and happy — but, really, mostly quiet — during long road trips can be a serious headache. But if you turn your old tablet into an in-car-only slate, you can make your next drive to Grandma’s house a bit easier.

Arkon Car Seat Headrest Tablet Mount

A number of companies make seat mounts for tablets that attach your old slate to the back of the front seats’ headrests, instantly giving you in-car video monitors. Just remember to take them out, or hide them under the seats when you park.

Digital photo screen: Instead of shelling out cash to for a digital photo frame, why not turn your old tablet into one?

rontgate iPad Photo Frame

Believe it or not, there are already special docks on the market that turn your old slate into a digital photo frame. If you’re the kind of person who has tons of pictures on your old tablet, this is a great way to give it a second life.

Kitchen tablet: There are a huge number of cooking apps available for iPad and Android tablets. But if you’re at all like me, you might not want to risk getting your new slate soaked or covered in batter.

So why not use your old tablet as your kitchen slate? Not only will it help you make a fantastic dinner for your family, it can also double as a cutting board in a pinch. (Kidding. Please don’t use your iPad as a cutting board.)

Give it away

Sure your old tablet isn’t as fast as your brand new one, but unless it’s literally falling apart, chances are it can still run most apps. So why not pass it on to someone who can still get some use out of it?

Your kids: They already play with your tablet all the time anyway, so you might as well pass it along to your kids for good. They’ll be able to listen to music, play games, do schoolwork, and surf the Web (with your oversight, of course), and they’ll finally stop bugging you to borrow yours.