I recently bought an Amazon Fire HD 8 because I needed to replace my old Samsung Tablet. I had the old tablet for about 4 years, but 2 years in, it started breaking down on me. It wouldn’t keep a charge and it was having a hard time charging itself when it was docked to a wall. It was operating extremely slow. The overall quality of the tablet was low.
My reason for buying a new tablet was mainly because I wanted to read books and play games. I also would like to convert all of my music over to digital versions and use my Tablet in place of traditional song sheets like this while I’m performing. That’s something I’m going to do down the line though. On a side note, I just bought this zipped 3” binder to keep all my music sheets organized and it’s everything. So I’m not quite ready to make the switch just yet.
Kindle books are amazing. You can have an infinite number of books in your personal library without having to store any physical books. If you know me, space or lack thereof is a big issue. Needless to say, getting a Tablet is a must. In fact, I’m adding these 3 books to my reading list this Fall.
The Pros
Features
The Amazon Fire HD 8 has a very sleek design. It’s slender and lightweight, but packs a very powerful punch with 16 or 32GB storage space depending on which version you get. The operating system is simple and makes navigation easy. Picture and video quality is extremely high. Watching videos has never been better on a handheld device. It’s charging capability is top notch. The product specifications say that it keeps a charge for up to 12 hours. I haven’t tested that yet, but I know for sure I’m not charging it nearly as much as I used to charge my old tablet and I’m on my new Fire every day.
Laziness is not always a bad thing. The greatest innovations have come as a result of someone being lazy.
— The Crafty Musician (@IndieArtistsDIY) August 23, 2018
If you use Amazon, you’re in luck. The Fire Tablet automatically connects to your Amazon account. As soon as you setup your Tablet, you’re prompted to plug in your Amazon login and password. This makes for seamless integration with any previous kindle books, music, or any other digital products you’ve purchased in the past. To be honest I was dreading having to go through Amazon and setup a new electronic device under my account so I could get access to all my stuff. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my Kindle library was pre-loaded with all of my previously purchased books after setting up my new Fire HD 8.
Shopping is super easy as well. There’s a tab for shopping that includes product recommendations based on your viewing history, previously viewed/purchased items and more. Your Fire Tablet will take you directly to the Amazon store for easy access to shopping.
Amazon is also equipped with Alexa, an artificial intelligence that can perform certain tasks like internet searches to output information, find things, and check the weather. Alexa can also integrate with various smart systems such as home security, cooking appliances, and lights. I don’t use it myself for personal reasons, but I hear it’s all the rage!
Price
The price is unbeatable for the amount of features and storage space you get with it. For under $100 you can pretty much get the same quality as a Samsung or Windows Tablet within the same general specs. I was a little hesitant to purchase my Fire because I thought it was just a glorified version of an eReader. I wasn’t sure if Amazon, an online marketplace, could compete in the same space as LG, Apple, and Samsung who are known for manufacturing high quality electronics. Well, the Fire Tablet has exceeded my expectations. It’s just as good as if not better than my old Samsung Tablet.
The Cons
Now for the cons. I have a few gripes with the Fire Tablet. Firstly, I can’t seem to figure out how to customize my home screen to just show my favorite apps. On default, the home screen shows every single app you have on the device. I like more of a clean, simple look that shows the background. But my home screen is full of apps and it doesn’t look like I can change that. The other thing is, you’re limited on what apps you can actually get. Fire doesn’t seem to have access to a standard Play Store or App Store. You get all of your apps from the Amazon marketplace. However, you may not be able to find an app that you’re used to getting from the Google Play Store such as Flo or Fitbit for example. The Amazon marketplace does offer most of the main apps such as Netflix, Gmail, YouTube and so on. But some of these popular apps don’t seem to be the same version. For example, I downloaded what I thought was a YouTube app. It was not. It stopped working after a while, so I removed it and started using the browser to view YouTube videos instead. The audio quality leaves something to be desired. I just don’t think it gets loud enough. I have to pair it with my portable wireless speaker in order to get a decent audio quality. These are somethings to get used to with the Amazon Fire Tablet. But it’s not a deal breaker for me.
I recommend getting the case to go with your Fire. It acts as a protective covering during transport and it also acts as a stand. It can stand up vertically and horizontally.
Ultimately, I needed something that can help me keep track of my digital sheet music, play games, and read my books. Amazon’s Fire HD 8 seems to be doing the trick. It’s budget-friendly and you get a big bang for your buck. I recommend it.
Do you have it or another tablet? What are your thoughts and recommendations? How do you use it with your music? Let me know in the comments section. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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