Amazon updated its Fire HD 8 tablet, although it takes dedication to get far enough into the spec sheet to find the upgrades.

Expert Reviews reported the hardware changes are the addition of a 2MP front-facing camera with 720p video support, up from 0.3MP with VGA video in the previous unit. The microSD slot now accepts cards of up to 400GB capacity, compared with 256GB before.

The other key highlight flagged by Amazon was “always-ready, hands-free access to Alexa”. Previously, Alexa hands-free was only available when the device screen was on, or it was connected to a power outlet.

Kevin Keith, VP of Amazon Devices, said: “Fire HD 10 customers love having easy, hands-free access with Alexa, and we’re excited to bring that same experience to the all-new Fire HD 8.”

It also offers a Show Mode, which delivers full-screen visuals to complement Alexa voice responses. A related charging dock is available separately, which holds the device in a position for viewing.

As with the previous generation, Fire HD 8 includes an 8-inch (1280×800-pixel) screen, 1.3GHz quadcore processor, 1.5GB of RAM, and comes with 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage.

Fire HD 8 is available in four colours – black, blue, red and yellow – priced at $79.99, with shipping from 4 October. The Show Mode Charging Dock costs $39.99, or is available as part of a $94.99 bundle with the tablet.

Kids Edition
Also announced was Fire HD 8 Kids Edition, which includes features such as a “kid-proof case” and two year guarantee. The package includes a one year subscription to Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, which offers more than 20,000 premium books; videos; audiobooks; educational apps; and games which have been “curated for age appropriateness”.

Available in blue, pink or yellow, it costs $129.99. Shipping is again from 4 October.