Amazon has seen huge success with its popular Fire tablets and that’s probably no surprise considering they offer good performance and decent features at a relatively low price.
Now there’s another handheld device arriving from the online retail giant with the launch of the all-new Fire HD 8.
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’.
This extra feature 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.
And with this tablet allowing full voice control, via Amazon’s Alexa assistant, you can ask the HD 8 pretty much anything and you’ll get a useful response.
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It can even play music and videos, show lyrics, plus you can control smart home gadgets, such as lights and heating, via speech.
With the display constantly showing data 24-hours a day you might wonder how the battery holds up.
Amazon says you should get somewhere close to 10 hours on a single charge which is clearly not enough if you want Show Mode running all day and night.
To combat this, Amazon is launching a unique charging stand alongside its new tablet which not only means it stands up neatly on your mantlepiece but also gives the battery a constant boost.
Having seen the HD 8 in action, Express.co.uk can report that Show Mode works well and means that your tablet is less likely to sit unused on your coffee table.
Along with this new feature you can expect all the usual specs from an Amazon tablet including a decent 8-inch display, fast Quad-core processor and front/rear facing cameras.
There’s also dual stereo speakers optimised for Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos for enhanced realism and dynamic range.
Amazon is also boasting that, in tumble tests, the all-new Fire HD 8 is twice as durable as Apple’s iPad Mini 4.
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 Fire HD 8 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.
“Last year, we introduced Alexa hands-free on the Fire HD 10 and customers love it – in fact, it’s our highest rated tablet in the UK,” said Eric Saarnio, Head of Amazon Devices, Europe.
“We are excited to bring this always-available feature to the all-new Fire HD 8 and take the Alexa experience one step further by introducing Show Mode and the Show Mode Charging Dock.
“Simply place the Fire HD 8 into the dock for a more visual, full-screen Alexa experience – just ask Alexa to show trending news, see who is at the front door, view movie showtimes, get the weather, and more.”
Alongside the refreshed HD 8, Amazon is also releasing an all-new Fire HD 8 Kids Edition.
This basically offers everything found on the standard device but also includes a year of Amazon Fire for Kids Unlimited, a kid-proof case, and a 2-year worry-free guarantee.
This means Amazon will replace the device free of charge with no questions asked.
The Fire HD 8 Kids Edition comes in three colours and costs £129.99.