The online retailer Amazon started building hardware with their Kindle e-reader lineup and they were very successful. More recently, they started making tablets meant for media consumption. This year, they introduced a very affordable Fire tablet and some other tablets in different sizes to suit different needs, including some of them which have been optimized for children’s use. Those are running on a modified version of Android called Fire OS, and the new tablets got updated last week, bringing a new mode called Blue Shade was included, which would make reading more comfortable. Now, Amazon has announced the Fire HD 8 Reader’s Edition, delivering a great reading experience.
The Fire HD 8 Reader’s Edition includes one year of Kindle Unlimited, so users can enjoy over 1 million books and listen to thousands of audiobooks, this service usually costs $9.99 per month, but this is included in this tablet. Blue Shade is also included out of the box, optimizing the display of the Fire HD 8 for reading at night. This mode prevents the tablet from emitting blue light which some studies have suggested that it may alter sleeping habits, plus, the tablet includes warm tone filters and there’s a new ultra-low brightness level. Blue Shade provides an easy access to all of these settings, so users can adjust the tablet to their personal preferences.
Amazon has also introduced some features so users can enjoy their favorite books on their tablets and all of these are available in the Fire HD 8 Reader’s Edition. The Bookerly Font is designed specifically for digital screens and users get to adjust the size of the font. Users can also highlight words, phrases or passages with different color options and it syncs with many devices. Word Runner is a feature meant for speed reading and users can share book previews on their social networks. The Fire HD 8 Reader’s Edition includes a 30-day trial of Audible, with more than 180,000 professionally narrated titles. Whispersync lets users switch between reading and listening to a narration and Immersion Reading synchronizes text with Audible audiobooks, plus, Goodreads is integrated into this tablet.
Some specs of the Fire HD 8 Reader’s Edition include an 8-inch HD screen, a quad-core processor, 720p front-facing camera and a 5-megapixel camera is on the back. There is expandable storage for Micro SD cards up to 128 GB and the battery should last all day. The tablet measures 7.7 mm thick and a Limited Edition Leather Case to make it look like a real book cover. The Fire HD 8 Reader’s Edition is available for pre-order for $249.99 starting today and it will ship by December 9.