Prime Members: 32GB Fire HD 8 Tablet w/ Ads (various colors) Expired

Copy/pasted/edited my comment from last year:

Yes, this has advertising on the lock screen, by default. Removing the advertising is just a few commands with adb over a USB cable connection. Google for a how-to. Some developer options are needed, but there isn't any case opening, so it isn't really too difficult. If you can't be bothered to do this, spend 4x more and be happy with some other device.

I've had a Fire 8HD from 2017 all these years. If it broke, I'd replace it within a week. Mine is highly customized into my network with nextcloud, calibre, sftp, vlc, hooks into my mpd, plex server and into other network services. My public library has an app to check out ebooks, autiobooks, and videos that works on this thing. A few games while disabling advertising and most amazon stuff makes it a cheap solution. Initially, I was very unhappy with the device before I removed/blocked all the amazon crap. Felt like I'd bought an Amazon advertising device, not a generic tablet. Some of the amazon apps can be purged. Others can be put into a "crapola" folder and never seen again.

I have the Alexa app set to only work with a loooooooong press of the HOME button. Tracking Amazon deliveries (Where's my stuff) and getting weather (Weather) is about all I do with that.

I've written multiple pages on slickdeals for all the other things possible. Just know that it can nearly be a laptop replacement if you can remote into a desktop computer and have a BT keyboard. Nearly, but not quite.

I know the 2017 version can be rooted using a software timing hack, but after I did that and put in a 7000 line /etc/hosts file to block lots of stuff, I haven't used it again. I don't know about rooting newer versions with just software. Sorry.

I don't have google-anything connected, but people do hook it into the google play store for convenience. Without any google store connection, I have 78 free, usually F/LOSS, apps from F-droid and the Amazon play store loaded. These are video meeting, music players, vlc, games, email, tasks, read-it-later, nextcloud (4 apps for different things beyond file access), a SIP phone, .kdbx password manager, Sound dB meter, photo viewer, 2 VPNs and a few language translation apps. There is a not-great maps app too. All the web-based mapping things work fine, just without any GPS.

I read ebooks on the device. A paperwhite would be better, but this isn't bad with white text on a black/dark screen. Aldiko is the reading app that I use. No phoning home with it. There's always more to read. Great as a reference when doing work on vehicles with the photos and detailed diagrams.

It has a camera and can record videos. Nothing great but not that bad either. I wouldn't use it on vacation to capture The Vatican, but for a snap of the family around a nicely built fire pit camping, sure. For documenting a car accident, this camera would be fine.

Sure, I wish it had a GPS chip and longer battery life, but that's about it. The battery isn't bad at all. If it had GPS, I wouldn't need a phone at all.

Can't speak for others, but 10inch is too big, 7 inch is too small. 8 fits my hands or on a cheap stand just right. It has a 3.5mm headphone jack too, so if you like to listen to music, books, or watch anything from your Plex server without disturbing a sleeping partner, that's possible. The stereo speakers are fine, just limited by physical size. I think it is a reasonable trade off.

During vacations, this tablet is my primary way to escape, relax, enjoy a cabin, beach, campsite, if we aren't doing social stuff. Sometimes the relatives are just too much, so a mental escape is welcomed.

I wouldn't recommend this one for reading books. For that, you'd want the Kindle e-reader.

For anyone that wants to remove the ads or the Amazon OS completely (I recommend Nova Launcher) check this out: https://youtu.be/Z9vwFKoFcLo Worked perfectly on mine.