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  • Tablet Talk: Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet

    Tablet Talk: Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet

    AMAZON has another new tablet to add to its expansive range with the launch of  Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet and this device includes a new feature that should make it a whole lot more useful. Here’s full details about the Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet including price, release and specs.

     

    The Great

    • Up to 10 hours of battery life, A
    • Vibrant 8″ HD display
    • 1.3 GHz quad-core processor
    • 1.5 GB of RAM
    • Dolby Audio
    • 2x as durable as the iPad Mini 4.
    • Alexa Voice enabled

    The Not

    • Basic
    • Entry level tablet
    • The battery life drops from last year’s 12 hours to 10 hours

     

    The Conclusion

    From a quick glance, there’s not much to differentiate this latest tablet from its predecessors but the HD 8 has a very neat trick up its sleeve with something called ‘Show Mode’.

     

    We have an update here.  Amazon has offered truly hands-free Alexa on the Fire HD 10 tablet, but never on its 8-inch model. Which means you have had to wake it up firs. Not an issue but mildly annoying. Those days are a thing of the past with an updated Fire HD 8. The new model blasts its always-on Alexa feature. a Feature that lets you voice directions even when the device is asleep. Yes this in fact is almost like turning it into an impromptu Echo speaker. This does in fact reduce your battery life, but you can turn off the always-available feature if that extra running time is valuable.

    Perhaps one of the greatest other features of the new HD 8 is its price which starts at just $79.99. This rises to $109.88 for those that want the Show Mode Charging Dock bundled with the device. The all-new Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet comes in four colour options: Black, Marine Blue, Punch Red, and Canary Yellow, and is available for pre-order beginning today with it shipping on October 4.

     

    Introducing Show Mode

    Show Mode is a new, immersive hands-free Alexa experience for your Fire HD 8 that provides full-screen landscape visuals that complement voice responses from Alexa. Show Mode lets you ask Alexa to see trending news, make calls, check the weather, view camera feeds, and more—all glanceable whether you’re up close or across the room. Show Mode is available with free software update.

     

    The Final Thought

    That’s all there really is to this update to the Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet. Just some Alexa support and functionality and this Show mode that  basically transforms the tablet into a smart home device with the screen instantly being switched to show useful data such as local weather, news and your upcoming events. Still no Paul Bettany voiced alarm clock reading me the news, weather, traffic and a run down of my schedule. I mean would that be so hard Amazon?

  • Got an Amazon Fire Tablet? It’s an Echo Show Now

    Got an Amazon Fire Tablet? It’s an Echo Show Now

    That’s right, with an upcoming software update, your Amazon Fire Tablet becomes an Echo Show. The update, called “Show Mode,” is Amazon’s newest effort to make Alexa an everyday name. If you already have a case with a stand, you can simply set your tablet up in it, swipe down on the screen to activate Show Mode, and ta-da! You have a makeshift Echo Show. You can now use your voice to check the weather, sports score, compose messages and more.  

    Performance 

    The microphone on a Fire Tablet isn’t quite as strong as the one on a true Echo Show, of course. That said, in a relatively quiet space, the tablet should have no trouble picking you up. If you’ve never used Alexa before, prepare to be impressed. If you have, however, you might notice that she’s a little quieter here in her new housing. The tablet doesn’t have terribly strong speakers, either. If you connect your tablet to a Bluetooth speaker you can remedy that, though.  

    Show Mode Charger 

    Amazon is also prepared for the cries of “this isn’t even that useful.” How so, you ask? Why, with the Show Mode charging stand! The charging stands will be available for the HD 8 and HD 10 tablets and will effectively turn your tablet into a full-blown Echo Show. Setting the tablet upright and charging it at the same time, the charging stand lets you just put the tablet in Show Mode and walk away. There are a few downsides, though. The first is the lack of any extra microphones: you’ll be stuck with the tablet’s existing, sub-par mics. The other is the price tag, running at $40 for the HD 8 and $55 for the HD 10. That’s kind of pricey for a glorified metal stand with a charging cable running along it.  

    Bottom Line 

    If you already have a Fire Tablet, congratulations! It’s now an awkward, scaled-down Alexa device. You’re going to get a kick out of this, and it’s a free update. If you don’t own one already, though, this won’t be pushing you to get one. You might as well just get an Echo Show if an Alexa-enabled display is something you want. If the display isn’t a concern, the Echo Spot is a great device, and it only costs around $40. Still, this is cool news for those who already own one of Amazon’s tablets!