The Eken M001 is one of the cheapest Google Android powered touchscreen tablets around, selling for just around $100. The performance is abysmal, and unfortunately you get what you pay for. The 7 inch tablet has a fairly sluggish processor, just 2GB of storage space, and a 1600mAh battery. While there’s only so much you can do about the processor and display, one hacker figured he wasn’t stuck with the other hardware, and after opening up the case of his Eken M001 tablet, he tweaked the heck out of it.

The modded tablet now includes a front-facing camera, 8GB of flash storage, a USB hub, 2 external USB ports, and a 5200mAh battery, among other things. With the new battery, he says he’s getting between 7 and 12 hours of run time from the tablet. In order to do that, he redesigned the back panel of the tablet, making it much, much thicker.

When all is said and done, it might make more sense just to spend the extra cash on a pricier Android tablet such as the Archos 7 or Dell Streak. But if you’re a DIY-er looking for a project, it’s nice to know that the Eken M001 is quite hackable.

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