# Reading on the new Fire tablets?



## SusieQ (Feb 18, 2009)

Regarding the 7, 8 and 6 inch tablets: is that blue shade available on all of them? Is reading easier on the eyes with that feature? Can apps be sidelined from sources like Mobile1? Thanks for any help.

Susie


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I have the 8 with blue shade . . . . it is gentler when the room is pitch dark. It works for reading as well as other applications -- web browsing, games, etc. Probably not movies, but I didn't actually check that. I believe the blue shade is part of an update that rolled out shortly after they started advertising the 'reader edition'.

That said, the screen is slightly lower resolution. I doubt I'd notice any difference, though, except in direct comparison to an HDX model.

I have downloaded apps from 1Mobile and they have worked just fine.


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## Paul StJohn Mackintosh (May 22, 2013)

Blue Shade has been available on my 7-inch Fire since the latest OS update. Frankly, it makes little difference to readability that I can see. You're basically getting a sepia effect from it, and it's perfectly easy to get that effect anyway with the Kindle ereader app - as well as most other third-party reader apps you might use for EPUBs, etc.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Paul StJohn Mackintosh said:


> Blue Shade has been available on my 7-inch Fire since the latest OS update. Frankly, it makes little difference to readability that I can see. You're basically getting a sepia effect from it, and it's perfectly easy to get that effect anyway with the Kindle ereader app - as well as most other third-party reader apps you might use for EPUBs, etc.


The value of blue shade is that it puts that sepia effect on ANYTHING you're looking at on the Fire. The sepia color scheme is nice for reading in the kindle app, but isn't available for reading from web pages, or email, etc.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/11/technology/apple-ios-night-mode/index.html?iid=ob_homepage_tech_pool&iid=obnetwork

Apple appears to be adding a similar "night mode" or the next iOS update. Apparently this will work on existing iThings, not just new ones. This implies that Amazon could make a similar addition to older Fire tablets. Or so I assume. Of course this is just my assumption based on the news report, not an announcement from Apple


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I think the Blue Shade thing did come as an update to already purchased Fires AFTER they announced it with the Fire8 "Reader Edition".  I've not seen it on my previous generation HDX so far, though.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I think the Blue Shade thing did come as an update to already purchased Fires AFTER they announced it with the Fire8 "Reader Edition". I've not seen it on my previous generation HDX so far, though.


Ooh, I didn't realize that. So I need to check the menus on my HDX?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Ooh, I didn't realize that. So I need to check the menus on my HDX?


Well, as I said, I've not seen it on my HDX.

Thing is, the interface is very different . . . . no carousel, and the menus that drops down when you swipe from the top is box shaped vs just a bar. That's where the Blue Shade setting is.

My HDX, fwiw, is at 4.5.5. The HD8 is 5.1.1 . . . so, that's a whole 'nother iteration. Still, given that the hardware on the HDX is, in some ways, more advanced than on the HD8, it does seem like it would be able to run the 5.x.x. level OS.


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## SusieQ (Feb 18, 2009)

I had gotten a notification that my HDX would be getting an update, then a message that that was sent in error. I will be very disappointed if these top of the line tablets stop getting updates & support.

Susie


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I suspect they are working on an update that will possibly update the OS -- i.e. no more carousel -- but at least add Blue Shade. But that update isn't ready yet and and the notice was prematurely sent by mistake.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

my new glasses supposedly have an anti-reflective coating that also has the blue filter for reading screens


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I wear readers and recently got a pair with a rose tint . . . . makes a real difference with a computer screen . . .


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## luvmykindle3 (Dec 5, 2010)

I just got an update on my fire 6, so now I have the blue shade feather . It seems pretty cool, haven't tried it at night yet!! 


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