The Time is Right to Buy a Nook or a Fire!

December 26th, 2011

If you’re in the market for a tablet reader this year, you can’t go wrong with one of the 2 hottest new devices on the market. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, tablets are the most desirable technology gifts this holiday — more popular than laptops, TVs, e-readers, and even video game consoles. The 7″ Nook Tablet from Barnes and Noble and the Amazon Kindle Fire are tablet-like color touchscreen devices that can also browse the Web, access e-mail and social networks, stream video programming, and load popular games.

Once you make a choice, though, you’re locked into a platform for ebooks unique to each device. The screen resolution for both are identical and equally good for reading. While Amazon has a larger number of books available, the Nook has an edge with interactive children’s books and the ability to record narration with the built-in microphone. Both devices support Wi-Fi connectivity and lack Bluetooth or GPS. The Nook only allows 1 GB of the 16 GB storage for user content, but expandable MicroSD storage up to 32 GB offers additional space for content that can be accessed offline. As long as you have Wi-Fi connectivity, you can access all of your Amazon content from the free Cloud Drive without loading it directly onto the Fire.

	Nook Tablet	Kindle Fire
Price	$249	$199
Weight	14.1 oz	14.6 oz
Processor, Dual-Core	1 GHz	1 GHz
RAM	1 GB	512 MB
Total Storage/User	16 GB*/1 GB	8 GB/7GB
Expandable Storage	MicroSD to 32 GB	No
Android OS	Gingerbread	Gingerbread
Screen	600 x 1024	600 x 1024
Battery Life	8.5-11.5 hours	7-8 hours
Home (Menu) Button	Mechanical	Virtual
Connectivity	Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi
Netflix	Yes	Yes
Hulu	Yes	Yes
Pandora	Yes	Yes
Bookstore	Yes	Yes
AppStore	B&N	Amazon
Number of Apps	1,000+	8,500+
MusicStore	No	Yes
Video Store	No	Yes
Microphone	Yes	No
Comics	Marvel	DC
Browser	WebKit	Silk
Benefits	Bookstore Discount	Amazon Prime

The bottom line is a toss-up, and the best one for your needs is based purely on your personal preference. Neither have a camera or 3G capability, and apps for each are offered through proprietary app stores rather than the Android App Market. Amazon Kindle Fire at $199 offers much more available content, built-in music and movie stores, and free cloud storage for Amazon content. The Fire has no microphone. The $249 Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet has expandable storage, free in-store retail support, and the ability to record your voice reading kids’ books. It does have interactive kids books, but fewer available apps, and no built-in movie or music store.

Remember that neither device can offer the email, browsing or video quality of the $500 iPad. But for the price, both of these e-readers are feature-rich and an excellent value. I have to give the edge to the Kindle Fire, for the extensive content selection and the rubberized case back that feels so comfortable in my hand. So if you don’t find one among your gifts this year, you can easily afford to buy it for yourself.

Entry Filed under: Shopping