So What? Why Does This Matter?
I love my 7" Kindle Fires. For the price, they have been unbeatable. However, there were some sacrifices we had to make when using them in the classroom. The HD8 is a big jump forward for a couple of reasons.
First, the screen on my 7" Kindle Fires has, admittedly, always been smaller than I would prefer. It's fine for little 2nd grade hands, but I find the device to feel tiny when using it. The HD8 has a screen that is much bigger. At eight inches, it is as big as the iPad mini's. This is huge. This jump in screen size really does make these devices more user friendly for older students and adults. The ability to produce (type, draw, create) is greatly increased by this jump in size. Second, the battery life piece is also important. While I have not had a problem with the Kindle Fires dying before the end of the day, I realize that as batteries age, the amount of charge they hold decreases. The longer the battery life is, the longer into the future I will be able to use each device. 12 hours is not needed during a school day, but it might increase the overall lifespan of your device by a couple of years. Lastly, I realize that 8GB will soon be a limiting factor for me. While it is enough for now, I know that the apps we use will continue to get larger and larger until I won't have enough room to add more. 16GB is preferred. Like better battery life, this extra space will inevitably increase the lifespan of each device. So Is It Worth It?
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