Kindle Fire vs Nook Tablet vs Nook Color vs Apple iPad

The Kindle Fire tablet is Amazon's answer to the Nook Color, perhaps the Apple iPad and other color ereaders and tablet computers. At the $199 price point it is way more affordable than the iPad which starts at $499 and $50 cheaper than the Nook Color priced at $249. Did you know that Amazon is actually selling the Fire at $2 below their cost to manufacture it? Why?! Because they know they will make up the loss on ebooks, apps, etc. you will buy from Amazon later. This is a great deal especially since you plan on buying ebooks anyway and the price for a color tablet ereader is really unbeatable.

Kindle Fire Features

• 1024x768 at 132 ppi, IPS (same as iPad), Vibrant 16-million color display
• Multi-Touch Touchscreen
• Amazon Silk Web Browser
• 8GB Internal memory holds 6,000 books, 80 Apps, 800 Songs
• Battery life up to 8 hours with WiFi off
• Weighs less than a pound, 14.6 ounces

Kindle Fire vs Nook Tablet

Before features are mentioned, the price difference between the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet is $50; $199 vs $249, respectively. So is the Nook Tablet worth paying $50 more for? Well, that's up to what you want in such a tablet.

Processors, OS and Storage

Both Fire and Nook have the same 1GHz dual core processor, both tablets run on Android, have the same screen resolution, size and 16 million colors, both WiFi and about the same size and weight. What's the major differences then? Well, if storage matters to you, the Nook Tablet (similar to other Nooks when comparing to Kindle models) has a microSD memory expansion slot of up to 32GB whereas the Fire does not. Amazon, however, does offer free Cloud Storage for all Amazon content. So I don't know if this is such a big deal. I think for most people, the Kindle Fire will have sufficient storage space for ebooks, music, apps, etc..

Kindle Fire vs Nook Tablet Comparison Review

Apps

Speaking of apps, there would be an advantage to Fire on this one, since the Amazon Appstore has over 19 thousand apps with a free app offered every day (Amazon also allows you to install apps from other sources as well), whereas Barnes and Noble Nook Apps at this time are only in the low thousands, but there is a work-around loop to access non B&N apps in addition to be a Nook user hacking community that routinely updates how to hack the Nook to install Android Apps. if you want.

Battery Life, RAM Memory, Media

The Nook Tablet has the advantage in the battery life department, lasting 9-11.5 hours vs 7-8 hours in the Fire. The Nook also has more memory, 1GB RAM vs 512MB RAM in the Fire. The Fire Tablet comes in on top with all of Amazon's available media. In addition to millions of Kindle ebooks and thousands of apps, they have over 100,000 movies and TV shows and over 17 million songs in the Amazon MP3 Store. In addition, if you are an Amazon Prime Member ($79/year), you have access to the free Kindle Lending Library (over 5,000 titles) in addition to free 2-day shipping when placing Amazon orders and unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows. The Amazon Prime free trial is already pre-loaded on the Fire to try right out of the box. Silk Web Browser loads pages pretty fast with smooth scrolling and easy touch zoom in and out. Send documents to your Kindle using Cloud storage.

Kindle Fire Review

Kindle Fire vs Nook Color

First, lets discuss what's not different about the two ereaders. They both run on the Android operating system, have 8GB internal storage, are WiFi only (no 3G models yet), 8-hour battery life, weigh almost the same - Nook is just over an ounce heavier (1.2 oz), have 7" display screens with 16-million colors (Kindle used IPS Vibrant Color, Nook uses LG VividView), same 1024 x 600 resolution, 512mb of RAM, no camera, supports audio and video files.

Now what's different? For extra storage, the Kindle Fire has free Cloud Storage for all Amazon content; the Nook has a microSD memory slot for up to 32GB cards. There are way more apps available to the Kindle user at the Amazon Appstore (16K+) vs Nook Apps (750+). The Kindle Fire has a faster processor (1 GHZ dual-core T1 OMAP4) vs the Nook's 800MHz ARM Cortex A8.

Some other advantages the Kindle Fire has over the Nook Color include stereo speakers, high-speed Amazon Silk web browser and Amazon Whispersync (syncs books, apps, video across multiple devices). Perhaps most importantly is price - the Kindle Fire is $50 cheaper than the Nook Color at $199. Both ereaders are very similar and would say that the major advantage the Nook Color has over the Kindle Fire is the expansion slot if you end up having a ginormous library. Otherwise, the Fire has the advantage and would be a great choice for a color ebook reader and tablet.

Kindle Fire and Nook Color Similarities

• Android OS (Fire - Gingerbread, Nook - Froyo)
• 8GB Internal Storage
• 512 MB RAM
• WiFi Only
• 8-hour Battery Life w/ WiFi Off
• 7" Display

Kindle Fire Pros Over Nook Color

• Faster Silk Web Browser
• Stereo Speakers
• Faster Dual-Core Processor
• Whispersync
• Cloud Storage
• More Multi-Media Oriented w/ Amazon Books, MP3s & Video on Demand
• Larger App Selection
• Slightly Lighter by 1.2 ounces
• Free Month Amazon Prime 2-Day Shipping/Instant Movie & TV Rentals
• $50 Cheaper Than Nook at $199

Nook Color Pros Over Kindle Fire

• Micro SD Memory Expansion Slot
• Barnes and Noble Read-In_Store for Free
• B&N Newstand/Children's Picture Books
• Supports EPUB Book Format

Go to our Kindle Fire vs Nook Color Comparison Chart for side-by-side technical comparison.

Kindle Fire vs Apple iPad

The Kindle Fire, we would say, really isn't meant to compete with the Apple iPad 2, but more so with other color ebook readers like the Nook Color. The most noticeable difference between the Kindle Fire and Apple iPad is price. The Fire is $199, the iPad starts at $499, but there is a reason for this. We would consider the Fire, at $300 cheaper than the ipad, an entry-level, budget tablet because it is lacking in some comparable features, i.e. bells & whistles.

Apple iPad Advantages over Kindle Fire

The only things that are exactly the same on the two is that they both have a color multitouch screen display that uses the latest In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology and have WiFi capability. Things that make the iPad more expensive is a 2" bigger screen, 3G capability (there is an extra fee for service), more storage - iPad's cheapest model is 16GB vs 8GB in the Fire (but Amazon offers free Cloud Storage), more RAM, faster processor (A5 processor vs OMAP4 dual-core CPU), no camera or microphone on the Fire, 10-hour vs 8-hour battery life, larger app selection - Apple Store Apps vs Amazon App Store for Android, no Bluetooth on Fire. The Fire runs on a modified Google android vs iOS on the iPad which perhaps isn't an advantage depending your preference.

Kindle Fire Advantages over iPad

Kindle Fire advantages over the iPad include a faster web browser - Amazon Silk vs Mobile Safari, Fire is 50% lighter, $300 cheaper, larger library at Amazon for downloading books, movies and TV shows. While the iPad may be considered to be more of a mobile computer replacement, Jeff Bezos (Amazon President) says the Fire is more about media consumption with streaming movies and TV shows, ebooks, Android games and a new cloud-accelerated browser that delivers web pages faster.

In conclusion, it all comes down to what your primary use for the tablet will be. If you want to take photos, plan to do a lot of gaming, want a bigger screen than 7", more internal storage then you may prefer an iPad. If not and you prefer a lighter, cheaper tablet that you can read books on, watch movies, TV shows and browse the net fast, then get a Kindle Fire.

Kindle Fire vs Apple iPad Comparison Chart