Kindle Fire HD 8 (5th Generation): My Experience with setup, DJI GO, and Litchi

[Hickeroar]

I recently took a chance on the Kindle Fire HD 8 tablet due to the great size/form-factor and hardware specs given the low ($149) price. It only has 8GB of built in memory, but you don't really need much memory if you just want to run the DJI and Litchi apps. It is expandable via a microusb slot, so I stuck an 8GB card in there for giggles.

Here are my experiences with setting up the tablet and using it with my Phantom.

Setup:
1) Went to Application Settings and enabled installing apps from Unknown Sources.
2) Went to device settings and tapped on the Serial Number 7 times which unlocks developer mode (displays a new menu).
3) In the new developer menu I enabled USB Debugging.
4) I followed the steps here: Install Google Play Store on 2015 Amazon Fire Tablet (7, Fire HD 8 / 10) | AndroMods
5) Had to wait on the Google apps to update and restart a time or two, then my Litchi purchase changed from displaying "$24.99" to "Purchased' meaning I could install the app which I'd previously purchased.
6) Installed DJI GO, Litchi, and PhantomPilots apps from the Google Play Store.

GPS:
The Kindle Fire HD does not have GPS built in, and therefore you won't get the blue dot displaying your device's current position in the Litchi app. In the field, you may want to wifi-tether your smart phone to the kindle temporarily which just sets your position in the Litchi app. You don't really even need to do this though.

DJI GO and Litchi
Everything worked so well with these apps that I don't really have anything to report. The device was more than adequate to run the apps smoothly. I cached the maps of the location I was going to be flying from home, and everything loaded perfectly and works great. No video lag at all, etc.

Screen:
The screen is pretty reflective, so you may want an anti-reflective screen cover, or a shade. I have a Galaxy S6 phone, and the tablet seemed maybe 5-10% brighter than the phone, which is saying something since the Galaxy is an OLED screen vs the LED backlight LCD screen on the Kindle.

Overall the Kindle is a great size and more than powerful enough for general flying and GO/Litchi app usage. I'm happy with it and feel like it was money well spent.

 

[EddieLo]

I recently took a chance on the Kindle Fire HD 8 tablet due to the great size/form-factor and hardware specs given the low ($149) price. It only has 8GB of built in memory, but you don't really need much memory if you just want to run the DJI and Litchi apps. It is expandable via a microusb slot, so I stuck an 8GB card in there for giggles.

Here are my experiences with setting up the tablet and using it with my Phantom.

Setup:
1) Went to Application Settings and enabled installing apps from Unknown Sources.
2) Went to device settings and tapped on the Serial Number 7 times which unlocks developer mode (displays a new menu).
3) In the new developer menu I enabled USB Debugging.
4) I followed the steps here: Install Google Play Store on 2015 Amazon Fire Tablet (7, Fire HD 8 / 10) | AndroMods
5) Had to wait on the Google apps to update and restart a time or two, then my Litchi purchase changed from displaying "$24.99" to "Purchased' meaning I could install the app which I'd previously purchased.
6) Installed DJI GO, Litchi, and PhantomPilots apps from the Google Play Store.

GPS:
The Kindle Fire HD does not have GPS built in, and therefore you won't get the blue dot displaying your device's current position in the Litchi app. In the field, you may want to wifi-tether your smart phone to the kindle temporarily which just sets your position in the Litchi app. You don't really even need to do this though.

DJI GO and Litchi
Everything worked so well with these apps that I don't really have anything to report. The device was more than adequate to run the apps smoothly. I cached the maps of the location I was going to be flying from home, and everything loaded perfectly and works great. No video lag at all, etc.

Screen:
The screen is pretty reflective, so you may want an anti-reflective screen cover, or a shade. I have a Galaxy S6 phone, and the tablet seemed maybe 5-10% brighter than the phone, which is saying something since the Galaxy is an OLED screen vs the LED backlight LCD screen on the Kindle.

Overall the Kindle is a great size and more than powerful enough for general flying and GO/Litchi app usage. I'm happy with it and feel like it was money well spent.

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Hi Hick, I have both the old HD8 tablet and the NEW HD8 new gen which I got as soon as it was available a couple weeks ago. I got the new HD8 cause it has capacity for 200gig card vs only 128 for the old version. I don't know what else is new. Oh, and it was only $89 vs $149 I paid for the first version. What a deal! Anyway, I was also thinking of using it for my P3S but see by your post that it will be too much trouble for me to figure out. I guess I'll stick to my Galaxy S5 with GPS for now. I was hoping to use the Kindle so I can leave my S5 to what it's mainly designed for, and that is to use as a phone. I was going to post a question about if my HD8 would work. You answered what I was looking for. Thanks!

 

[suds]

Hi Hick, I have both the old HD8 tablet and the NEW HD8 new gen which I got as soon as it was available a couple weeks ago. I got the new HD8 cause it has capacity for 200gig card vs only 128 for the old version. I don't know what else is new. Oh, and it was only $89 vs $149 I paid for the first version. What a deal! Anyway, I was also thinking of using it for my P3S but see by your post that it will be too much trouble for me to figure out. I guess I'll stick to my Galaxy S5 with GPS for now. I was hoping to use the Kindle so I can leave my S5 to what it's mainly designed for, and that is to use as a phone. I was going to post a question about if my HD8 would work. You answered what I was looking for. Thanks!

I haven't used my New HD8 with my P3S yet as I need a tablet holder, but have been using the Google Play store to load apps not available through Amazon.
It really isn't that hard to do if you follow the step by step directions, it's all spelled out and pretty straightforward. If I recall correctly, I used this guide:
How to Install Google Play Store on the Amazon Fire Devices Without Root

 

[Dunoon Andy]

I managed it. The GO app is now on my Amazon Fire HD8 tablet. I've still to test it and I'll let you know how I get on. It turned out to be fairly simple in the end.
I had tried various websites but they all asked me to download four files to get Google PlayStore on my tablet and I couldn't get them all to install. In the end, I used this one:

How to Install Google Play on Fire Tablets the Super Easy Way, No PC or Root (Video) | The eBook Reader Blog

and it gave me the option to download all four as one .zip file. This worked perfectly and then allowed me to download the Go app. A bit of fiddling with my login which I had forgotten, and all seems OK.

Thank you to all for your help.

 

[Not now Notnow99+]

I managed it. The GO app is now on my Amazon Fire HD8 tablet. I've still to test it and I'll let you know how I get on. It turned out to be fairly simple in the end.
I had tried various websites but they all asked me to download four files to get Google PlayStore on my tablet and I couldn't get them all to install. In the end, I used this one:

How to Install Google Play on Fire Tablets the Super Easy Way, No PC or Root (Video) | The eBook Reader Blog

and it gave me the option to download all four as one .zip file. This worked perfectly and then allowed me to download the Go app. A bit of fiddling with my login which I had forgotten, and all seems OK.

Thank you to all for your help.

Dunoon Andy

I would caution you about using the Fire 8 V2 as DJI GO monitor.. The tablet speed is way to sluggish to replay on FPV feed back. Even my old Note 4 with Snapdragon 805 and 3gb ram still get some pixelization hick ups at times.

 

[ArmyVet]

I am considering getting a Fire 8 just to use with my P3S. I have tried 2 other "so so" tablets and I lose the signal almost every time. I have tried 2 different Fire 7s and they are no better. Since the processor is the same on the Fire 7 and 8 is there going to be any improvement for me with a Fire 8?. I know the 8 has more internal memory. I don't want to spend $100s on a tablet.
Any thoughts or recommendations?
Thanks
Bill

 

[ArmyVet]

I got the Fire 8 32 Gig on Prime Day.
Works like a charm so far after 4 flights.
Yipeeeee