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Turn your Fire tablet into an Echo Show with this new dock
- Amazon just announced the Show Mode Charging Dock, which turns your Fire HD tablet into a makeshift Echo Show.
- The dock is available for the Amazon Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 8 tablets.
- The docks list for $55 and $40 respectively, and ship on July 12. Pre-orders are open now.
The Amazon Echo Show is a nifty piece of hardware that gives you all the power of an Echo smart speaker combined with a tablet-like display for additional functions. The list price of $230 is a significant downside to the product, though.
But now, Amazon is offering a workaround product that will turn your Amazon Fire tablet into a makeshift Echo Show. The Show Mode Charging Dock will prop up and charge your Amazon Fire HD 8 or Fire HD 10 tablet, and the upcoming Show Mode feature within the Fire software will add an always-on display and hands-free control of Alexa.
The dock charges the tablet by pin connections between the dock itself and a slim tablet case that comes along with it. See the pic below for an example:
In a way, this new charging dock and software combo is better than the actual Echo Show, as you can use the device as a smart display for certain tasks, and then un-dock the tablet to use it for other functions. The Echo Show, of course, can’t be turned into a tablet.
However, the list price for an Amazon Fire HD 10 is $165 (without annoying special offer ads), and the corresponding Show Mode Charging Dock is $55. Buying both together saves you about $10 as compared to buying an Echo Show, so it’s not like you’re getting enormous savings. But if you already have a Fire HD tablet, this Show Mode Charging Dock is a no-brainer.
The charging dock for the Fire HD 8 lists for $40, and the Fire HD 10 dock lists for $55. But if you pre-order one of the docks now, you’ll save $5 on either one. Both docks will ship on July 12 with free shipping for Amazon Prime members.
The software update that enables Show Mode on your Fire HD tablet launches on July 2. When you place your tablet into the Show Mode Charging Dock, it will automatically switch it to Show Mode. However, you will likely be able to switch the tablet into Show Mode manually without needing the official dock.
Click the buttons below to pre-order your Show Mode Charging Dock for your corresponding tablet: