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Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

Summary: Barnes & Noble just announced their Nook Tablet device that runs $50 more than the Amazon Kindle Fire with better specifications.

Matthew Miller

By for The Mobile Gadgeteer |

The competition in the ereader/tablet space is really heating up and as I watch the live blogs for the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet I have to admit I was caught up in the moment and was thinking about switching over to it instead of the Amazon Kindle Fire that I have pre-ordered. I have always been a fan of the Nook devices, including the Nook Color and this new one really cranks up the speed, memory, and display quality. However, it is more of an accessory device and not a need for me since I have an iPad 2 and eInk readers.

Image posted on SlashGear.

As you can see on the ZDNet Gadget Reviews blog the specs for the Nook Tablet are very similar to the Amazon Kindle Fire. The differences are in the included storage (8GB vs 16GB + microSD card slot), processor (1 GHz vs 1.2 GHz), RAM (512MB vs 1GB), and the standard EPUB and Office document support in the Nook Tablet. If you just looked at the specs, then you may want to shell out the extra $50 to get the Nook Tablet. However, as we have learned from Apple, mobile is about much more than the specs.

The ecosystem and user experience is what differentiates devices today and Amazon is a major player in the ecosystem for the Kindle Fire. However, Barnes & Noble has partnered with Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, and others to bring an ecosystem to the Nook Tablet as well. I will rarely use the device for ebook reading since I find a dedicated eInk device with no distractions to offer a far more compelling reading experience.

Topics: Hardware, Amazon, Mobility

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37 comments
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  • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

    As a Prime member, the services that Amazon provides will keep me with the Kindle Fire. Especially now with the Prime book lending program.
    Shmythey
    Reply Vote

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      jywhy888
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  • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

    I'm definitely getting the Kindle Fire. Ordered it already. I've got a Kindle, and I use Amazon service a lot (including the MP3 Cloud Player and Instant Video) so this was a no-brainer for me.
    bhartman36
    Reply Vote

    • Same here. Amazon provides great service

      @bhartman36
      otaddy
      Reply Vote

  • Choosing between vaporware

    is not a choice. Why do you pimp products you haven't tested?
    ddcfamily@...
    Reply Vote

    • Vaporware?

      @ddcfamily@... <br>"vaporware /veprwr/<br>noun <br>ComputerSlang. a product, especially software, that is promoted or marketed while it is still in development and that may never be produced."<br><br>Certainly NOT vaporware. Both products are ready to ship. The Nook next Monday, and the Fire two days later.
      richorlin
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

        @richorlin
        I agree 'vaporware' is the wrong term, but the sentiment is quite correct. How can one say "I like X over Y" when us mere mortals have not had the chance to get our hands on either?
        I'll let you know how the Fire is soon. I placed my order the day it was available and chose 2 day shipping.
        mdemuth
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

    I owned a Nook Color before buying an HTC Flyer. The biggest drawback with the Amazon flyer is the lack of local storage (not enough room to store a dozen movies for your next vacation). The biggest drawback with the Nook Color is the limited App market. If B&N could increase its App Market tenfold, the scales tilt much more in the Nook's favor. Right now, I'd say it's a wash.

    But honestly: for $300.00 you can buy an HTC Flyer. Same form factor as the B&N Nook and Amazon Fire. But with the Flyer I've got access to the entire Android market, also Amazon's App Store (including the Free App of the Day). You can install both the B&N Reader App and te Kindle App. You've got a Hulu client as well as a neflix client. In addition, youve got fronta nd rear cameras and bluetooth support for external keyborads. It's $100.00 more than the Fire and $50.00 more than the Nook, but a much better machine over-all.
    dsf3g
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

      @dsf3g

      BTW: Capable $300 Android tablets like the Flyer and Acer Iconia 100 are teh reason why I think that last month's ZDnet orgy of: "OMG, OMG, The Kindle Fire is going to murderize the Andoird Tablet market!!!" was waaay premature.
      dsf3g
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

      @dsf3g You know you can always root the Nook Color via an SDCard - or even dual boot it with full Android and the Stock Nook Color OS. I did the latter with mine so if I ever need a full Android tablet I can pop in the SDCard and reboot.
      athynz
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

        @Pete "athynz" Athens

        My Nook color was rooted within weeks. It was a great tablet. But the Flyer offers everything the Nook did plus stable bluetooth, front and rear cameras, and an optional stylus.
        dsf3g
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

      @dsf3g - No idea where you found an HTC flyer for $300 but I'd buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" which I could get for $299 (if I could find one) before I'd buy a Nook Tablet or a Fire.
      simul8guy
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

      @dsf3g People have already found out how to load market apps on the Nook. It won't take long until everyone but the most un-techie will be able to do it.
      fldbryan@...
      Reply Vote

  • Content vs. performance

    History has shown that content will always beat performance (or quality, if you prefer). See Microsoft Windows v. Mac and Linux, VHS v. Betamax, iTunes v. everybody else, and Blu-ray v. HD-DVD for proof. Thus the Nook, while a much better product, hasn't a chance in this battle.
    Michael Kelly
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

      @Michael Kelly

      I would hold off on Blu-ray example. The consumer resisted upgrading until now, affordable price finally. HD-DVD had some content but decided to throw in the towel. Finally, Sony used the play-station to pump up the numbers of blue ray players and give away many blue ray disc upon purchase. Despite impressive specs for PlayStation, Nintendo and then Microsoft managed to unseat Sony PlayStation. Personally my next purchase is cheap laptop with blue ray since I am not always guaranteed cloud connectivity.
      twall1900
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

      @Michael Kelly I'd agree with that - maybe - but there is this: [b]However, Barnes & Noble has partnered with Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, and others to bring an ecosystem to the Nook Tablet as well.[/b]

      For 50 bucks more I'd get twice the specs, an SDCard slot that can read up to a 32GB card, and have Netflix, Hulu, and Pandora... as well as access to more e book formats.
      athynz
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

      @Michael Kelly, you forgot the audience. A product that four billion people can use and afford [about half world population], will do better than a product targeted at only 300 million [USA population].
      Barnes & Noble don't sell outside the US. Amazon do.
      alan_r_cam
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

    I like having the SD slot availible. I was really surprised that Amazon did not allow local storage so I am going with the Nook.
    alceste007
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

    I bought the original Nook Color and was very happy with it, especially with all of the ebook formats that it supports. B&N probably wasn't so happy, since I never bought any books from them. The Nook is my "airline gadget" because it fits in my coat pocket but is still big enough to read and watch videos. With a $25 16GB microSD card, it holds several thousand books and MP3s, as well as a dozens movies and TV episodes. It even has a couple of games that I play occasionally.

    The new Nook may be a bit better specwise, but not enough for me to upgrade from my current device. Now if they gave me like a $50 credit on trading my old one in, it would be a different story ...
    terry flores
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Which do you prefer, the Amazon Kindle Fire or B&N Nook Tablet?

      @terry flores Agreed - although I may wind up getting a Nook Tablet and giving my Nook Color to my daughter or putting it on eBay... IF the Nook Tablet can be rooted as easily as the Nook Color.
      athynz
      Reply Vote
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