Amazon's newest Fire HD 8 tablet offers always-on Alexa

Amazon has offered truly hands-free Alexa on the Fire HD 10 tablet, but not its 8-inch counterpart -- you've had to wake it up first, which isn't much use when you're across the room. The company is taking care of that omission today with an updated Fire HD 8. The new model touts always-on Alexa that lets you bark commands even when the device is asleep, turning it into an impromptu Echo speaker. The battery life drops from last year's 12 hours to 10 hours as a result, a spokesperson told CNET, but you can turn off the always-available feature if that extra running time is valuable.

You're otherwise looking at a modest improvement to a familiar formula. The most conspicuous upgrade is a newer 2-megapixel front camera that promises 720p video chats. You can also install apps to microSD cards if the built-in 16GB or 32GB of storage won't cut it. The slate won't win any performance contests with its 1,280 x 800 screen, 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1.5GB of RAM and 2-megapixel rear cam.

The refreshed Fire HD 8 ships on October 4th and starts at $80, although that's for a 16GB version with lock screen ads. If you want it ad-free, you're spending $95. The 32GB edition sells for $110 with ads and $125 without. It's not quite an impulse purchase (especially in higher-end versions), but it could be a particularly solid value if it spares you from buying an Echo or two.

Source: Amazon (1), (2)



via Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2wOdrtp
RSS Feed

If New feed item from http://www.engadget.com/rss-full.xml, then send me


Unsubscribe from these notifications or sign in to manage your Email Applets.

IFTTT

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Evernote cuts staff as user growth stalls

Image
Note-taking app Evernote has fallen on hard times of late, culminating in its latest spate of job cuts impacting 15 percent of its workforce (54 employees). CEO Chris O' Neil -- an ex-Googler who took the reins in 2015 -- announced the firings at an all-hands meeting earlier today, reports TechCrunch . In a message on the Evernote blog , O' Neill admitted he'd set "incredibly aggressive goals" for the company in 2018. He continued: "Going forward, we are streamlining certain functions, like sales, so we can continue to speed up and scale others, like product development and engineering." The layoffs follow an exec exodus just weeks ago and the company's recent brand refresh (complete with a refined logo and wordmark). But critics are more concerned about its product, especially the free tier, which they claim lacks the perks to...
Read more

The best air conditioner

Image
By Liam McCabe This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter . When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here . After six summers of researching, testing, and recommending window air conditioners, we've learned that quiet and affordable ACs make most people the happiest—and we think the LG LW8016ER will fit the bill in most rooms. This 8,000 Btu unit cools as efficiently and effectively as any model with an equal Btu rating, and runs at a lower volume and deeper pitch than others at this price. Little extra features like a fresh-air vent, two-axis fan blades, and a removable drain plug help set it apart, too. The LG LW8016ER is a top choice for an office or den, and some people will find it quiet enough for a bedroom, too. If our main pic...
Read more

We won't see a 'universal' vape oil cartridge anytime soon

Image
Pre-loaded cartridges of cannabis concentrate are currently among the most popular means of consumption, and for good reason. They're discreet to use and easy to handle, a far cry from the dark days of 2016 when we had to dribble hash oil or load wax into narrow-mouthed vape pens by hand. But, frustratingly, an ever increasing number of oil cartridge manufacturers employ one-off design standards so that their products won't work with those of their competitors, thereby locking customers into proprietary ecosystems. We've already seen this with nicotine vaporizers -- which has a seen a massive rise in "pod systems" in the last few years, each outfitted with a unique canister and battery built to be incompatible with those of their competition. Is it too late for the burgeoning cannabis industry to set a universal standard for their product designs? ...
Read more