The YouTube app also can’t be installed, but Amazon’s Silk Browser can access the mobile and desktop YouTube websites. Users can’t install Google Drive, but they can install a link to the Google Drive webpage. Searching for anything Google-related on the Amazon Appstore returns webpage results. Likewise, the Music category takes users to Amazon Prime Music, where users can listen to music on the e-commerce giant’s audio library.Īmazon’s recent turbulence with Google means that even if users want to install Google apps to use alongside their Amazon variants, they can’t. The Videos category, for instance, is the tablet’s portal for Amazon Prime Video, where they can browse the e-commerce giant’s streaming service. This is an Amazon device through and through, right down to homescreen that proudly divides the tablet’s ecosystem based on categories like ‘Music,’ ‘Videos,’ ‘Games’ and ‘Books.’ Eagle-eyed readers will also note that these are all categories in which Amazon has made media investments. Make no mistake, this is very much an Amazon tablet, and if users purchase the Fire HD 8 expecting something resembling a typical Google ecosystem experience - even a heavily skinned experience found on something like the more expensive Galaxy Tab - this is most certainly not the device for that experience. The Fire HD 8 can be outfitted with up to 256GB of microSD card storage, but the comfort of an additional 16GB of onboard storage always helps alleviate concerns.Īs a side note, Amazon separately sells five fabric cases for this tablet - ‘Charcoal black,’ ‘Marine blue,’ ‘Cobalt purple,’ Punch red’ and ‘Canary yellow.’ Each case costs $39.99 CAD. I tested the 16GB variant, and while I didn’t have to worry about running out of storage space, I would still recommend purchasing the 32GB version. The device also comes in a 32GB variant, with the same processor, screen, battery and camera, but costs a slightly more expensive $129.99 CAD. It won’t bring out the blackest of blacks or allow viewers to watch 4K content, but it’s great for Netflix and YouTube. Once inside, the display becomes serviceable. Display visibility is actually so bad that the only way I was able to take photos of the display was by snapping photos indoors. In fact, outdoor-use - especially in sunny conditions - is almost impossible. The Fire HD 8’s display is perhaps its weakest point. It also doesn’t get hot if used while charging. Additionally, it takes about six hours to charge the device from empty to 100 percent. The Fire HD 8 is also a standby beast, able to last at least three weeks on a single charge.īe warned, the device is charged using a micro-USB port - there’s no USB-C or QuickCharge here. Amazon says the device can last for approximately 12 hours of reading, web surfing, video and music streaming, and that number is more or less consistent with what I’ve seen in my time with the device. However, the device’s battery does make it great for long trips. In short, this isn’t the tablet to take on a photo-friendly family vacation. The tablet takes poor indoor and outdoor photos, is weak in both low-light and bright conditions, produces passable images whether its sunny or cloudy, and is certainly not going to win any awards. The rear-facing camera is a 2-megapixel shooter, while the front-facing selfie shooter is a VGA. It should be mentioned that the display is not a Full HD screen. The base model - which costs $99.99 CAD - comes with an 8-inch, 1280 x 800 pixel IPS LCD display, 16GB of internal storage, a Mediatek MT8127 1.3 Ghz quad-core processor and a non-removable 3,210mAh battery. These speakers get pretty loud, and are more than sufficient for headphones-free video and audio streaming. The tablet itself is a sleek, black rectangle, with a power button and volume rocker along the width of the device, as well as two speaker grills located along the length of the tablet. Ports: 3.5mm headphone jack, micro-USB port, microSD card slotīasic specs at an undeniably affordable priceĪmazon’s Fire HD 8 is the pure definition of unassuming.Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n dual-band, Bluetooth 4.0 (no cellular connectivity).Battery: 3,210mAh lithium polymer battery. OS: Fire OS 5.4 (upgradeable to Fire OS 5.6.0.11), based on Android 5.1 Lollipop.Camera: 2-megapixel rear-facing camera, VGA front-facing camera, records 720p video.Display: 8-inch IPS LCD display with 800 x 1280 pixel resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio, approximately 189 ppi.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |