Amazon Fire 1 year later- how has it held up?

Last year I purchased an Amazon Fire 8 8GB, so how well has it held up? For one, quite well. For two, with some modification.
One- what's gone wrong? Nothing. All is well on my sofa
Two- what modifications or changes? Well, I broke down and switched the 4GB Micro SD card in it out for a 16GB.

My storage screens. Really not much to play with after installing a few apps.

I also finally installed Google Play Services in order to get an actual YouTube and Google Hangouts app, however that also finally allowed me to download TextNow as well.

How to use an old Android phone as a Wifi only burner or tablet

Aight, so earlier this month I finally replaced (and regretfully so) my fabled LG Phoenix 3 with a Blu Vivo 5 Mini. I still use my LG Phoenix 3 religiously and thus have turned it into a Wifi only burner or tablet, so here is how to do that.
Step 1: Get an old phone.
It doesn't have to be high end (hence the entrylevel LG), then remove the SIM if one is still in it.
Step 2: Download TextNow
This will allow you to send texts and calls over Wifi with a real number (this is the burner part)
Step 3 (only for if using as a tablet): Install apps you would normally put onto a tablet
I installed Hulu and Pluto TV. The 2 apps I use on my Fire.
The Result:
I've used this setup for about 2 weeks now, and it is fine (in comparison to using my phone). My only issue is the lack of proper cell service, however I can always just pop my AT&T GoPhone SIM back in.

LG Phoenix 3- The Tank of a Smartphone (Cheap Reliable Tech Pt. 1)

For those that don't know, my cellphone is a AT&T GoPhone LG Phoenix 3, yes it might not be extravagant, but it works well, and is indestructible.
This particular Phoenix 3 was purchased in November 2017 (on the day before Thanksgiving) as my iPhone 5s just had a total battery failure. I genuinely liked that 5s, but its time had come, it was scuffed, got about 30 min. on a charge, and was SLOW. In comparison, the Phoenix 3 was a breath of fresh air, sleek, and modern (kind of like an iPhone 6).
I really liked the Phoenix 3 because it was faster, and I could get a week on a single charge, plus it has FM radio (no more using high speed data for music!) And, it was built like a tank, in 0 degree New Year's Eve it worked (even with a drop in the snow without a case), or just last week in 97 degree weather (and a drop onto concrete with a dollar store quality case on it) it held up quite well.
I even dropped it in the parking lot of Arby's without a case and it held up (no cracks, just scratches, to this date!)
First of all: the Phoenix 3 does run Android 7.0 (updated from 6.0)
Second of all: I have a 64 GB SD Card in it for photos and videos, but I have a proper 21 MP Sony Cybershot for that. The cameras are good, but not as good as my 2015 iPod Touch.
Third of all: 16 GB of storage is not that bad (unlike on my iPhone or iPod) especially since I port photos and videos over to my SD Card (see point 2), and I don't play games on it, that's what my Moto G3 is for.
And, Fourth of all: The battery lasts FOREVER, even now I go 2-3 days without a charge, even with 1 hour of YouTube or Hulu thrown in.
The Phoenix 3 retails for about $50-80. If you wait until the pre-Black Friday sales, a Phoenix 3 with a 16 GB SD Card and case can be had for about $65. Do not buy an 'unlocked' unit though, one of my friends that uses T-Mobile did so a few weeks after I bought mine, and no codes worked, plus unlocked units are about $70. At this price point,  for abroad users, this might be good to use as an iPod Touch, or even in America just a burner phone (nobody's stolen mine yet, and I go to some pretty bad parts of town). For calls, its perfect.
Overall, the Phoenix 3 is a good all-round smartphone for AT&T users.

iPad 1- too reliable for an Apple product?

I purchased my used iPad 1 16GB WiFi model in 2016 mainly as a item that would be a spare tablet, but its served me so well, that it deserves its own write up on ownership.
2 years later-

The iPad 1's backside, with all of the dents its endured.

The front of the iPad 1, turned off.

The iPad 1 turned on to its lock screen (yes that is the iOS 8 wallpaper)!

Being a workhorse iPad, it has been tattered and run to dead battery, but it rebounds, getting me through a full day with video streaming, and reading. This thing has been dropped, but the case ended up getting wrecked (uncommon for an Apple product) it also has endured a car wreck, drop down a couple of stories onto carpet, and even a drop onto cement, that took out my iPad 2. In addition to surviving drops, it also has got better battery life than my iPod Touch 6th gen which I got last year, new. Also, it will happily chug through upwards of 10 hours of music, on full volume, the only downside here is the lack of any base boost. However, I bought at the right time, I bought it for $60, the current value is now $80, the same as a used 16 GB iPad 2. It also has Google Maps built in, which with my portable hot spot makes my bare-bones car a brand new car effectively, with music streaming and all! It even will play light games, such as Angry Birds, which is about as old as the tablet itself. It will even browse the internet, but I recommend Google Chrome for that bit. The only real downside is the weight, and the fact that people will ask me whenever I pull it out at somewhere like the mall whether or not I am aware it is 2018.

 It is actually a bit too reliable, in fact some of my friends who have these want them to die already, but they just won't.

The iPad 1 home screen, fully updated to iOS 5.1.1.