Kindle Fire HD or iPod Touch

Kindle fire has very good parental controls, including time limits - a bigger screen and costs a lot less money. Get bigger than 8gb if you can, though. It fills up fast.

If he's going to be reading, watching movies or shows - Fire.
Playing games, texting friends, taking pictures - iPod.

My daughter has both, she's 10. She uses the Fire mainly to read and watch free shows on Amazon Prime. Everything else is done with the iPod. At 8 he might not be using it for socializing, but that will change very soon. DD facetimes her friends a lot, texts a lot, and just got an app that allows her to use the iPod as a phone when she has WiFi. For kids the Touch is more portable too, fits in a pocket. Soccer tournaments, car rides, etc it's easy to take the Touch.

Parental controls are better on the iPod than the Fire, at least the version DD has.

My daughter has both and they do pretty much the same thing for what she uses them for. She reads a lot and watches netflix. You can also download the kindle app on the itouch. On the kindle, I love how my child can touch a word and the built in dictionary provides her with the meaning (This may also be in the kindle app in the touch- not sure)

It boils down to portability vs a wider screen. I personally hate having to turn pages too often on the touch. On the other hand the touch now has ciri and it is so convenient to push the button and ask her questions on anything when you get stumped. We have asked her mathematical queries, driving directions, useful as well as useless information, etc. It also fits better in an 8 year old's hand. The downside, it is easier to misplace.

I find the kindle to have a better battery life. So, for me I prefer the kindle for an 8 year old perhaps the touch. Either way you can't go wrong.

I got my son a Kindle Fire HD for Christmas. I also have an Ipod touch. For one, you have a bigger screen with the Kindle. Also, we are Amazon Prime subscribers, which means we get a lot of content as part of our subscription. So it was a no-brainer for us. I suggest if you get a Fire, you go ahead and subscribe to Prime. It really is worth the money, I think. And at $79 a year, it's a steal for the content you get (not to mention the free 2 day shipping!).

Probably would get the most helpful advice if you would elaborate on how you expect him to use the device. Would it be for books (reading), gaming, listening to music.. .which one(s)? And which ones the MOST?

My kids were both quite happy with the ipod touch. They were Hmmm.. what were they? 10 and 13, I think? When they got theirs. Son (is now 15) uses it mostly for texting and music. Daughter uses it for gaming and music mostly. They bring their music in the car and plug it into the radio. Or use headphones. Or have it in a dock in their rooms to go to sleep by.

Daughter now wants a tablet, because she says some of the games are harder on the smaller screen. (but not all). And also because I have one, and now she has been borrowing it and it is nicer to have the larger screen for watching Netflix. We have netflix on all our TVs, but when we were on the road at Thanksgiving, she downloaded some stuff and watched on the ipad. And I used it for Netflix in my basement bedroom at my parent's house (the one with no TV and everyone else was gone to bed and the house was quiet).

So... if it's music, definitely the touch. Very portable. Works well. For reading or watching movies, def a tablet. If gaming... it could probably go either way. Depends on where you want to buy your games, I suppose.
All our apps come from the itunes store. There are a lot of freebies, and Starbucks gives out free apps and free itunes songs on little cards with redemption codes on them, at the counter. I'm not sure how often they change them up, but every time we go to Target (with a Starbucks) or go inside one, the kids grab one of whatever card(s) they have.

We love our Kindle Fire...got it before the HD one came out, but my mom has the HD. The fact that it's survived our 5 kids for as long as it has says something ;).

I have an ipod touch, I will get a Kindle fire once it goes out. For what I am using the ipod (NOT music!) I would do better with a tablet and I find the fire gives you the best bang for your buck.

Both my kids got a Kindle Fire for their birthdays last year they turned 5 & 7. They have came in handy from the very first day they got them!

I would go with the Kindle Fire . My 7 year old twins received iPod Touches for their birthday from my sister . A few weeks later my son said why didn't you tell me there are bigger things to play games on ! Because I didn't know you were telling Auntie to get you an ipod ! Also, I don't let them text or Facetime without asking first and only with my sister .They are really too young for it . 10 seems the appropriate age for it . Guess what they want this year ? Kindle fire or ipad mini ! Merry Christmas !

My kids all have both - gotten at different times. I can tell you I see the ipods out far more often than the Kindles...and we do have Prime as well. They use them for different things, so it really depends on what you expect your son will use it for.

I think a kindle fire.You can set the time on how much you want him playing.