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Do you have any of those? Just comment below with what you have lying around, if you wouldn't mind. I have a couple laptops dating back to 2013. A couple tablets and a couple iPhones more than 5 years old.
Also have a Mac SE from 1990. Booted the last time I tried (~2020). Somehow avoided the capacitor apocalypse.
Am finding many of my early Apple iPads won't charge and won't turn on at all even if plugged into a charger. Am assuming if the battery is hosed they won't do anything. As a general thing I've found that mobile devices won't turn on if the battery is dead or removed, seems constant across Nokia/Sony/Motorola/Apple.
I went through a frenzy of ditching old equipment about a decade ago, until then I had a collection of IBM Thinkpads dating to the late 1990s as well as some Apple PowerBooks as well as an Apple //e from mid 1980s. Ditched the older game consoles as well, unfortunately.
I have Lenovo x220 and this is my favorite laptop which does not afraid careless carrying in the middle of my backpack.
> Mobile phones
> Specifically anything that can run custom software.
My old phones (none of them is smartphone) cannot run custom software except of java midp 2.0
> Ask HN: Which old, functional, electronics do you have?
First what is coming to my mind is a beautiful 3-way stereo twice as old as me with paper diffusors. I never consider replacing them with anything else because despite they were built before hi-fi standard started existing, this sound is beautiful if you do not need basses.
I have a Palm Pilot V along with charging cradle and data transfer cable, must be at least 20 years old but I haven't fired it up for a number of years, but pretty sure it will still power on and I have installable software files in my archives.
I have an old tower PC with Win 2K installed, last fired it up maybe five years ago. I also have a rackmount generic PC from 2005 which works fine, running Windows XP.
Compaq Presario notebook from 2005, with Linux Mint installed now, built like a tank, cost almost $1,300 in 2005 with 512MB RAM.
I have my Samsung feature phone (slider with full QWERTY keyboard), it boots up just fine but no longer connects to anything with the end of 3G service earlier this year.
I use an old iPad for running authenticator apps, not sure how old but it will no longer receive software updates from Apple.
Have a working Sony PS2 in storage, and still use a PS3 to play Bluray discs and access internet streaming.
Offtopic: I just bought a Western Electric touch tone desk phone to hook to our "phone line" provided with our Cable Internet. I needed something that could withstand our household. (They're not as careful as I am, my stuff lasts 10x longer)
Some software to turn these into gadgets like a surveillance camera, doorbell camera / intercom, walkie talkie, etc would be cool. Basically the equivalent of a Nest camera / doorbell using the camera, and not using the screen so much (although its often still useable, just a bit too annoying for frequent use). It would be nice re-using some broken, "free" hardware, so if it gets damaged/stolen it doesn't really matter, those Nest / equivalent devices are not cheap.
Edit: Ah you want to run custom software, nevermind the ipod then.
Motorola Moto G first gen (release date 2013) Ipod touch 5th gen (release date 2012) Edit: Ah you want to run custom software, nevermind the ipod then.