Who says a tablet should only work as a tablet? What keeps your mobile device from becoming something more powerful? Manufacturers don't hesitate to lock multiple functions in an attempt to contain the user, but enthusiasts will never accept that. If you have a tablet Nexus 7 2012 and a small compact keyboard, you can turn it into a laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled.
Just by studying the specs of discontinued devices you can understand the madness of planned obsolescence, and the absurd policy of some manufacturers abandoning perfectly good hardware that could keep working for years if users were allowed to repair it easily, or replace its software without major hiccups. The dream of a modular smartphone died with the cancellation of Project Ara, and that brings us back to DIY territory. Cursed be closed environments when we can install Linux on almost anything, and beyond trademarks, Android has a Linux kernel underneath. That said, users who own a first-generation Nexus 7 (that is, 2012) can turn it into a laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/hqG8ivP0RkQSetting Up Your Nexus 7 for Ubuntu
To achieve this, you'll need a computer with some flavor of Linux that lets you install Fastboot. The Ubuntu version that goes on the tablet is a bit old (13.04), but in line with the last recommended Android for this hardware, which is 4.4.2 (Lollipop leaves the tablet break dancing). Once you download the two main files (here and here, the 573 MB one must be decompressed), install Fastboot on your Linux terminal (the exact process depends on the distro), and connect the tablet via USB. Once you get to the bootloader screen on the Nexus 7, the four commands to execute are "sudo fastboot oem unlock" (unlock), "sudo fastboot reboot-bootloader" (reboot bootloader), "sudo fastboot erase boot" (wipe Android data) and "sudo fastboot erase userdata" (wipe user data). The installation of Ubuntu 13.04 on the tablet (which will take several minutes) is done with two additional commands: "sudo fastboot flash userdata raring-preinstalled-desktop-armhf+nexus7.raw", and "sudo fastboot flash boot ubuntu-13.04-preinstalled-desktop-armhf+nexus7.bootimg". The reboot is ordered with "sudo fastboot reboot".
What to Expect After Installation
All the specific details about each step are in the link at the end of the text, and if everything goes well, Ubuntu 13.04 will appear as a replacement for Android inside the tablet. The transformation into a laptop depends on a compact keyboard. The original tutorial recommends something like the Zagg Auto-Fit Folio 7, but it's not mandatory, we must say. In general, the process is not complicated, but a bit longer than we imagine. What will probably be difficult is getting a first-generation Nexus 7. The 2013 edition is not compatible due to differences in the SoC, although Google already declared both units discontinued. The alternative to this Ubuntu image is to explore the corridors of Cyanogenmod, but the tablet role would remain intact.
