How appropriate is this gift idea?

It sounds cool to me. Altered or not, $170 is a relatively pretty penny for a gift.

Depends who the recipient is. I’d appreciate it.

I love creative programming. I would love a toy like that. What does the person like? Do they want an iPad or kindle brand name or is this a random gift?

I agree that it depends on who it’s for. How would you feel about receiving it?

I wouldn’t be interested, but if I were, I’d definitely want a device for which there was legitimate tech support.

What does it matter if it’s considered homemade? Are you expected to give something homemade? In that case, no, it’s not.

Unless you were giving this item to a techy person (who would appreciate the hacking aspect to make it more effective) I think your average person would think that you cheaped out, even if that wasn’t your intention.

I am not a techy and I’m freaked out enough by technology and gadgets, that if you had to explain to me how something was changed or “gotten around”, I would have no idea what you were talking about and would be concerned that the thing wouldn’t work or that I couldn’t get it fixed if something went wrong. Just reading manuals for tech gadgets makes my blood pressure rise, and this item sounds like it wouldn’t even have a proper manual. Yikes!

It’s not tacky but for someone non tech like me then I’d want a product that has warranty, tech support and detailed instructions.

I agree with Seelix – depends on your recipient. But anyone should appreciate a $170 gift, and then for you to go and make it better is awesome. :)