Now Responds to the “Alexa” Wake Word
Amazon just announced its 7th generation Fire HD 10 tablet (10.1-inch) for $150. It introduces Alexa hands-free for the first time on a Fire tablet so you can just ask Alexa to play or pause a video, find music, dim the lights, set a timer, show your calendar, and more, simply by using your voice. It basically turns your tablet into an Echo Show hybrid. Amazon claims its 30% faster with double the RAM and gets up to 10 hours of battery life. It’s got 32GB or 64GB internal storage options with support for up to 256GB more via microSD. And it’s half the price of Apple’s least expensive 9.7-inch iPad.
Introducing Alexa Hands-Free
Last year Amazon brought Alexa, the brain behind Amazon Echo, to Fire tablets that required pressing a button before asking. Now, with the new Fire HD 10, Alexa is available hands-free—when connected to Wi-Fi, simply say the wake word “Alexa” and ask Alexa to control video playback (play, pause, rewind, and fast forward), launch an app, play your favorite song, or read an audiobook aloud. You can also ask Alexa to answer questions, read the news, get traffic and weather reports, set alarms and timers, and more — Alexa provides voice responses paired with visual cards on your Fire tablet’s display, and can even respond when your tablet screen is on standby. Alexa offers access to over 15,000 skills so you can stream music from Pandora, check your flight status with Expedia, or order a pizza from Domino’s.
You can also use Alexa hands-free on the new Fire HD 10 to control a range of smart home devices from SmartThings, Insteon, ecobee, Wink, and more. Dim the lights or adjust the thermostat using just your voice. Also, for the first time on a Fire tablet, you can ask Alexa to show you what’s on your smart home security camera with compatible devices from Nest, Ring, and Arlo—new feature coming soon. Because Alexa is cloud-based, it’s always getting smarter; meaning even more Alexa capabilities for Fire tablets will be available in the future.
Fire HD 10 also includes For You, a new personalized page on the tablet home screen that makes it easy for customers to quickly get back to reading, watching, playing or listening—and to quickly find what’s next. For You learns what a customer loves to do on the tablet, and then presents personalized recommendations across a variety of entertainment categories like books, videos, songs, and apps to help customers get the most out of their tablet. Customers can also quickly access family photos from Prime Photos and see their local weather right from the For You home screen. The new For You page is also now available for customers on previous generation Fire tablets.
Features:
- Brilliant 10.1” widescreen 1080p display (1920 x 1200) with over 2 million pixels (224 ppi) for bright, vivid image quality.
- Quad-core processor with up to 1.8 GHz and 2GB of RAM—2x the RAM and 30% faster than the previous generation Fire HD 10.
- Internal storage options of 32GB or 64GB, and support for up to 256GB of expandable storage via microSD.
- Free unlimited cloud storage for all Amazon content and photos taken with Fire tablets.
- Up to 10 hours of mixed use battery life, giving you the flexibility to go wherever the day takes you.
- Alexa hands-free – Just ask Alexa to play a song, pause a movie, read audiobooks, answer questions, show your calendar, control your smart home, and more on your Fire tablet.
- Dolby Atmos Audio – Custom-tuned, dual stereo speakers for immersive and high-quality sound.
- Dual-band Wi-Fi – Seamlessly stream your favorite videos with dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi support.
- Front- and rear-facing cameras – Video chat with friends and family with the front-facing camera, take and share photos.
- Access to millions of movies, TV shows, songs, books, magazines, apps, and games. Watch downloaded videos anywhere with a Prime membership, Netflix plan, or Showtime subscription.
- Amazon-exclusive features – ASAP, X-Ray, Whispersync, Second Screen, Amazon FreeTime, Family Library, For You, Blue Shade, On Deck, and more.
- Screen Sharing – Let an Amazon expert guide you remotely through any feature on your screen, available 24×7, 365 days a year—for free.
Price and Availability
The all-new Fire HD 10 will be available October 11, 2017 for $149.99 (32GB) or $189.99 (64GB) with Special Offers. Pay an extra $15 to purchase without Special Offers. Color options include black, marine blue and punch red. Pre-order now at www.amazon.com/firehd10.
Protective covers are also available for Fire HD 10 in Black, Marine Blue, Punch Red, and Cobalt Purple, and can stand in both portrait and landscape orientations for $39.99.
