Amazon Goes Full Android for Tablets - DTNS 5370

Tom Merritt (0:09)

This is the Daily Tech News for Thursday, October 8th, 2026 We tell you what you need to know, give you important context, and help each other understand.

Sarah Lane (0:18)

Today, a developer, Vibe Codes, replacement of all of Adobe's software, and Amazon embraces Android and the Google Play Store for its new tablets.

Tom Merritt (0:28)

Oh, hugs! Android and Google Play, hugging it out. That's nice. Yeah. And I'm sure Adobe would like to hug that developer in a different way.

I'm Tom Merritt.

Sarah Lane (0:37)

I'm Sarah Lane.

Tom Merritt (0:38)

Let's start with what you need to know with that big story.

Sarah Lane (0:43)

All right. Let's talk about the Fire Tablet. No, no, not Fire Tablets. That's not what they're called anymore because Amazon announced it's replacing its Fire Tablet lineup with three aluminum Alexa Plus Tablets running Android 16 with full Google Play Store access. So the interfaces show you books, games, movies, TV shows, kind of what you would expect. You've been in the middle of, if they're in the Amazon ecosystem, even if you were reading or playing or watching them on another device, kind of nifty, there's also a for you layout that recommends other content that you might like as well. A new Kindle mode silences notifications. You're reading, you just want to be in the zone. Turns down blue light when you're reading. And an on-device AI assistant is integrated. So you can ask it questions, including about what's on screen, if you opt into letting it see what's on the display. So that's your choice. But what about the hardware? Okay, so let's start with the most affordable option. This is the $230 Alexa Tablet 8 It has an 8.7-inch screen and up to 14 hours of video playback. Then, going up a notch, the $330 Tablet 11, that adds an 11-inch 25K display, dual-Dobi Atmos speakers, it's kind of cool, up to 15 hours of video playback, and at the top of the line, the $500 Tablet 12 Pro. It's 6.5 millimeters thick, 12-inch, 16-point, can you imagine? Like, ooh, it's so thin, 16.5, 6.5.

12-inch, 120-hertz display, quad-Dobi Atmos speakers, and up to 16 hours of video playback.

You also have an anti-glare nano-mat version, that starts at $550, if matte is your thing.

Also has a 16-gig RAM option. You can also spring for a pen, that costs $90, it's sold separately. And an attachable keyboard for $150, if you were going to be using this as a pro device. Amazon also announced kids tablets, starting at $230 for the 8.7-inch model, $330 for the 11-inch model, with cases tailored for ages 3 up, or 6 up, and a year of Amazon Kids Plus included in that. So if you're wondering when you're going to see all this stuff, you can pre-order all of these new tablets now, shipping October 14th in the US, in Canada, and Mexico. The UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain are getting them October 19th.

Tom Merritt (3:18)

Yeah, I really think the interface is a smart move for Amazon to concentrate on, which is like, show you up top. Here's all the books and stuff that you play. Probably less games, although Roger was writing on the Patreon recently about how he uses Amazon Luna sometimes.

So, you know, there are people using it, but the Kindles, lots of people read Kindle books and probably watch Amazon Prime Video, right? So this is a way to be like, oh, everything I need right here on the tablet. It's a two-in-one. Yeah, it's probably more than two. Five, I don't know. Where does the counting end?

Because you got audiobooks, you got games, you've got movies, you got TV shows, and you've got the assistant, the smart assistant. So I think the idea is trying to take advantage of making it easier for you to get to the stuff you want, whether by asking the tablet about something or just having it right there when you start it up. See, that seemed to think that that larger tablet, the 11-inch one, or I'm sorry, the 12-inch one.

Sarah Lane (4:19)

The 12 Pro.

Tom Merritt (4:20)

Yeah, it was kind of a laptop replacement. I feel like that's stretching it a little bit, but I guess if you're just using it for basic stuff, like an Ultralight, maybe, because it does have the Pogo pin, like you said, that you can attach a keyboard to.

But smart move on Amazon to just go Android and take advantage of all the Android stuff you can use there.

Sarah Lane (4:40)

Yeah. I'm curious to know where, what meeting, corporate meeting, did they decide to lose the Fire tablet, or the Fire name for tablets? Because obviously Amazon Fire on the TV sticks and just their TV line in general, I think is a good one.