Love the Echo Show, but haven’t taken the plunge on Amazon’s coolest smart speaker? Amazon is offering even more ways to access Alexa’s newest and coolest tricks with added support for Fire HD 8 and HD 10 tablets with the addition of Show Mode, and the Show Mode Charging Dock accessory. That’s not all either, as Amazon’s also offering a new kids bundle for the Amazon Fire HD 10.
Show, don’t tell
Show Mode is an extension of the Alexa capabilities added to the Fire HD 8 and HD 10 tablets, and allows Alexa to show you trending news, weather, camera feeds, and other options previously only available to the Echo Show. It’s a great idea, and it adds extra utility to two already pretty great tablets.
The Show Mode Charging Dock is an extension of that idea, and turns the Fire tablet into a mobile Echo Show. The Show Mode Charging Dock comes in two parts: An adjustable dock, and a case with charging pogo pins that clips onto the back of your tablet. Clip the case onto your tablet and insert the MicroSD plug, and the tablet will automatically change to Show Mode when dropped into the dock, and will also start charging.
While docked and in Show Mode, the tablet can be used like any regular Echo Show, and can be asked to provide recipes, start a video call, watch movies, or read out the news — but it also has the advantage that it can be picked up and carried to any other part of the house at any other time, making it the perfect smart home companion for a mobile user.
The Show Mode Charging Dock will be available for $5 off for the Amazon Fire HD 8 for $35, and the Fire HD 10 for $50, with shipping starting on July 12. If you’re interested, but don’t have a supported tablet, then you can buy a dock bundled with a tablet for a discounted price. The Fire HD 8 with dock will set you back $110, while the Fire HD 10 with dock will cost $190.
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition, Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, and world-class parental controls
Kids love technology, but it’s more than obvious that not all tech loves kids. Choosing a device that’s suitable for your children and that’s also accepted by them can be a tough call to make, especially with a vast selection of tablets and kid-friendly parental controls apps out there. Amazon is trying to make that decision a lot easier with its new Fire HD 10 Kids Edition bundle, and kid-friendly FreeTime Unlimited subscription service.
The Fire HD 10 Kids Edition comes bundled with the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet (unsurprisingly), one of Amazon’s kid-friendly cases, a two-year worry-free guarantee, and a year’s subscription to Amazon’s FreeTime Unlimited service, for a discounted price of just $200 — Amazon claims all these items would cost $320 separately, making this an absolute steal at the price. The two-year worry-free guarantee is Amazon’s usual guarantee for kid’s tablets, and they’ll replace the tablet free of charge if any of your little tykes manage to break it.
Amazon’s FreeTime Unlimited service comes with access to over 15,000 age-appropriate apps, games, books, and videos for kids of all ages, including content from names like Disney, Nickelodeon, HarperCollins, and access to a curated list of appropriate websites too.
The Fire HD 10 Kids Edition bundle comes with a free year of FreeTime Unlimited, and after the first year, access is priced at $5 a month (or $3 a month for Amazon Prime members). The Fire HD 10 Kids Edition bundle is available with three different colors for the protective case — yellow, blue, or pink — and Amazon is also offering $100 (or 25 percent) off if you buy two bundles at the same time. The bundle can be pre-ordered now for shipping on July 11.
Editors' Recommendations
- Amazon’s new Fire HD 8 tablets run faster, last longer, and start at $100
- Amazon’s new Fire HD 8 line has USB-C, wireless charging, durable Kids Edition
- You can now make Skype calls on Amazon Echo devices
- Keep tabs on those no-good kids of yours with Amazon’s new Parent Dashboard
- Don’t buy an Echo just to talk to Alexa — download Lexi instead
