Those of you who enjoy reading on electronic devices can rejoice, as Amazon launches a new tablet for readers: the “Fire HD 8 Reader’s Edition”. The new tablet comes with Kindle Unlimited and costs about $250. It can be pre-ordered at the moment, and will start to ship on December 8. Is it worth the price or are there better options on the market?

The Fire HD 8 was first introduced three months ago in September and is equipped with a leather cover. You have to be fast to get it though, because the cover comes in limited edition. The profitable feature seems to be the unlimited access to Kindle, which normally costs $10 per month. However, the normal edition of Fire HD 8 costs $150, so the offer doesn’t seem too profitable at the moment.

Furthermore, the tablet also has the “Blue Shade” feature that Amazon announced a week ago. This feature changes the color temperature to other colors rather than blue, in order to assure a pleasant reading experience in dark environments. The color blue tends to impair sleeping. In spite of this fact, the feature is available on other tablets. Again, the offer does not look very tempting.

The tablet also includes the Bookerly font and Word Runner which have the purpose of making reading more easy on electronic devices. The two are also available on cheaper products. In the end, the only thing that customers do receive for free is the leather case, and they’ll have to be quick to get their hands on it.

So what is the purpose of Amazon launching a new product? Timing. The Christmas holidays are approaching and many of us might be tempted to buy something brand new for our loved ones. It will be particularly attractive because its screen has colors compared to the basic Kindle devices which come in black and white. Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Samsung have also produced lines of hybrid tablets aimed at avid readers.

As Amazon launches a new tablet for readers, it might be your chance to surprise you family or friends this Christmas with a nice gift. However, if you are not impressed by expensive electronic devices with little to offer, there are always cheaper and more practical options. We mustn’t be fooled by marketing campaigns which try to sell the products of big companies. There are always smarter ways of getting what we want without going bankrupt.

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