E-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. AMZN launched the Reader’s Edition of its Fire HD 8 tablet. The tablet is priced at $249.99. The device is available for pre-ordering now and will be shipped from Dec 9 onward.
The tablet, based on the latest Fire OS 5 “Bellini” software, offers the same hardware as the Fire HD 8. It has a thin and light design, 8 inch 1,280 x 800 pixel HD color display, quad-core processor, 5-megapixel rear camera, and up to 128GB of expandable storage via MicroSD.
The new Fire HD 8 Reader’s Edition is the amalgamation of its Kindle e-reader lineup and tablets. Amazon intends to convince users that a tablet can be just as good as an e-reader and can offer a great reading experience. It is bundled with features that would let avid readers spend most of their time reading on the tablet and will also allow them to switch to Amazon’s array of tablet apps (unlike a Kindle).
It comes with a year of Kindle Unlimited, which provides access to more than 1 million books and includes a 30-day trial of Audible, comprising over 180,000 professionally narrated audiobooks. It also comes with a free limited edition leather cover ($80).
Therefore, readers can now read top titles such as The Man in the High Castle, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the Wayward Pines trilogy, the entire Harry Potter series, and many more. The service separately costs $9.99 per month but users can get free access for one year with the Reader’s Edition.
Normally the Fire HD 8 is priced at $150. If a buyer purchases the tablet, leather case and Kindle Unlimited membership separately, the cost would add up to $350 while Amazon is offering the Reader’s Edition bundle for just $250.
And that is not all. The bundle comes with other compelling features too. These include the reader-friendly “Blue Shade”, an innovative feature that adjusts and optimizes the screen of the tablet to soften blue light exposure so that it’s easier on the eyes while reading at night.
The device also comes with the Bookerly Font, which is designed exclusively for reading on digital screens. It also allows users to adjust the size of the fonts per their comfort. Users can also highlight words, phrases or passages and share content across devices. The Word Runner feature is designed for speed reading and Kindle sharing allows users to share book previews on their social networks. It also integrates the e-reading community Goodreads.
With a wide array of features and attractive price, the new Fire HD 8 Reader’s Edition is expected to boost its position in the already crowded tablet and smartphone space, where it is still struggling to establish itself.
Amazon holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other stocks worth considering are NVIDIA Corporation NVDA, Stamps.com Inc. STMP and Travelport Worldwide Limited TVPT, all sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
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