Buy Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet?

Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet?

First things first, the Kindle Fire is $50 cheaper - $199 for the Fire and $249 for the Nook - and that is a major selling point. As a result Amazon will gain more market share and make more money and be more likely to invest in improvements.

Although some of the specifications of the Nook Tablet are better than those of the Kindle Fire, the Fire is better known and access to Amazon content should mean it will sell better this Christmas as a Christmas gift.


Both have 7" touch screens. The Kindle Fire will be available from Nov. 15, the Nook about 1 week later.

The NOOK Tablet has 1GB of memory compared with 512K for the Fire but many people don't look that closely at the specs.

The speed is the same for both at 1 GHz.

The Nook has 16GB of storage space, which can be expanded via a slot for a 32GB memory card. The Kindle Fire has 8GB but books can be stored online with Amazon.

Neither of them are the same as the iPad but they are almost $300 cheaper and most iPad users don't need an iPad a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet would do what they want to do just as well.

One advantage the Nook Tablet has over the Kindle Fire is that you can try it out in a Barnes and Noble store before deciding whether to buy it.

It is worth noting that is also has a built-in microphone.

In addition to price Amazon also wins on availability of apps and content.

It is quite possible, however, that Barnes and Noble will reduce the price of the Nook to $199 once the initial rush has subsided (possibly after Christmas?).

In conclusion, the Kindle Fire and the Nok Tablet are very similar physically. The Nook has a number of clear advantages in so far as concerns storage, microphone, and battery life (maybe). For the software the Kindle Fire is the better device. Barnes & Noble will probably increase their number of apps but at the moment Amazon has a clear advantage in this area.

Many people will probably consider that the slightly better specifications of the Nook do not justify the extra $50.

Amazon Kindle Fire Technical Details


7" multi-touch display - anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixels at 169 ppi, 16 million colors.

7.5" x 4.7" x 0.45").

Weight

14.6 oz.

System Requirements
Wireless – no computer required.
Storage 8GB internal. Enough for 80 apps, + 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.


Free cloud storage for all Amazon content


Battery Life Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off.


Full charge in approx. 4 hours via U.S. power adapter (included).
Charging from your PC via USB.


Wi-Fi Connectivity via private and public Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or enterprise networks with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks.


USB Port USB 2.0


For more details from Amazon click here - Kindle Fire or NOOK Tablet


For details of the reduced price 'ordinary' Amazon Kindle click here -
$79 Kindle

Reasons to Buy the Kindle Fire

A Kindle Fire as a Christmas Gift

Reasons to buy the new Amazon Kindle Fire. The new Kindle may set the world on fire, just as the first Amazon Kindle did. It is obviously an alternative to Apple’s overpriced products but what makes it so attractive ?

Amazon Kindle Fire Video Review

Price

It is a lot cheaper than the iPad ($300 cheaper – mainly because Apple overprices its products to create the idea that you are buying something ‘chic’).

The Kindle Fire sells at $199 which may be a good price for a Christmas present for kids or for partners.

Screen size
The Kindle Fire display is 7 inches – small than the iPad but that does have the advantage of making the Fire lighter and easier to carry about. The Samsung Galaxy Note screen will be 5.3 inches.
Clearly a good big ‘un beats a good little ‘un bigger but weight is also a factor.
Features
The Fire doesn't have a camera but most people have cameras in their phones these days. It doesn't have a microphone, so no chatting over the Fire.
It is Wi-Fi-only.
The Kindle Fire promises 8 hours of battery life, (10 hours for the iPad 2).
Finally it has 8GB of storage but offers free cloud storage on Amazon.

Apps
The Fire runs on a modified Android operating system so you get access to several thousand apps in Amazon's app store for Android.
Amazon has optimized the Fire for streaming movies, e-books and music and a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime, the premier service that offers free 2-day shipping of products from Amazon and free streaming from a choice of over 11,000 movies and TV shows.
The fact of the matter is that the Kindle Fire is not supposed to be an iPad. It’s designed for consumers not chatters and surfers. It’s aim is to allow you to read books, listen to music and watch videos. It’s most direct competitor is likely the Barnes & Noble Nook Color.

Amazon Kindle Fire Technical Details
Display
7" multi-touch display - in-plane switching technology - anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixels at 169 ppi, 16 million colors.
Size
190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm (7.5" x 4.7" x 0.45" ).
Weight
14.6 oz (413 grams).

System Requirements Wireless – no computer required.

On-device Storage 8GB internal (approx. 6GB available for content). Enough for 80 apps, + 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.

Cloud Storage Free cloud storage for all Amazon content

Battery Life Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off.

Battery life depends on wireless usage - web browsing and downloading content.

Charge Time Full charge in approx. 4 hours via U.S. power adapter (included). Allows charging from your PC via USB.

Wi-Fi Connectivity Supports private and public Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or enterprise networks with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks.

USB Port USB 2.0 (micro-B connector)

Audio 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers.

Content Formats Supported Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8.

Documentation Quick Start Guide (included in box); Kindle User's Guide (pre-installed on device)

Warranty and Service 1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2-year Extended

Warranty available for U.S. customers sold separately. Use of Kindle is subject to the terms found here.

Included in the Box Kindle Fire device, U.S. power adapter (supports 100-240V), and Quick Start Guide.

For more details from Amazon click here - Kindle Fire, Full Color

For details of the reduced price 'ordinary' Amazon Kindle click here -
$79 Kindle