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[RevDM]

Alright, so neither is out so let this thread serve the purpose of accusation and hearsay until next week at which time we can reevaluate our decision.

First up, the Kindle Fire (specs borrowed from Fire OT):

Display 7" multi-touch display with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors.
Size (in inches) 7.5" x 4.7" x 0.45" (190 mm x 120 mm x 11.4 mm).

Weight 14.6 ounces (413 grams).

System Requirements None, because it's wireless and doesn't require a computer.

On-device Storage 8GB internal (approximately 6GB available for user content). That's enough for 80 apps, plus 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 will vary based on wireless usage, such as web browsing and downloading content.

Charge Time Fully charges in approximately 4 hours via included U.S. power adapter. Also supports charging from your computer via USB.

Wi-Fi Connectivity Supports public and private 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.

Pros: Amazon is better established and has a better app store. Price point of $199, unlimited cloud storage for Amazon purchases, Better design (IMO), +5GB Amazon Cloud storage (5+6GB of personal content, unlimited storage for Amazon purchases).
Cons: Only 6GB available storage, no option to upgrade or add memory.

Nook Tablet (specs borrowed from Nook Tablet OT)

Specs

Screen: 1024 x 600 "laminated, no-air" 7-inch IPS LCD

Weight: 14.1 ounces

Processor: 1GHz dual-core TI Omap 4

RAM: 1GB

Platform: Customized version of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)

Internal memory: 16GB

microSD card expansion slot: up to 32GB cards

Integrated microphone

Battery life: 11 hours reading, 9 hours video (with wireless off)

Price: $249

Availability: Pre-order now, ships November 17

Pros: Memory expansion, excellent battery, twice the memory and storage than Fire.

Cons: Nook does not have the best app store, more expensive than Fire, not aesthetically pleasing.


I made this thread because I'm having a real hard time trying to decide between which one I want. I hope your discussion can help make the choice clear.

 

[BFIB]

Nice thread, I like the idea of budget tablet makers going head to head now. How long before Apple joins the fray with a 7" iPad?

 

[Hairtux]

In the other thread, and on sites like Engadget, I've seen people say the screen on the Nook Tablet is better. How so, exactly? It seems to me they have the same specs. The only difference I see is the terminology they are using to describe the coating. Nook Tablet says "laminated" and Amazon says the Fire is "chemically strengthened" for durability.

So basically...is there a difference between the screens?

 

[Eric C]

Nice thread, I like the idea of budget tablet makers going head to head now. How long before Apple joins the fray with a 7" iPad?

rumors say "first few months of 2012"



'iPad Mini' Rumors Revived with Claims of 7.85-Inch Screen

Regarding Apple, our research is pointing to the unveiling of a lower priced iPad in the first few months of 2012 that is aimed at expanding the company’s market potential by tapping into a more price sensitive consumer segment. Essentially, this “iPad mini” will also fend off the recently announced Amazon Kindle Fire that addresses the low-end tablet market with a $199 price tag but could lead to bigger tablet ambitions from the online retailer in the future. The "mini" refers to a reduced price point of this iPad and not necessarily the size of the device. We believe this lower priced iPad could be priced in the mid-to-high-$200 range.

 

[RevDM]

Nice thread, I like the idea of budget tablet makers going head to head now. How long before Apple joins the fray with a 7" iPad?

Thanks. In all likelihood, the Apple ipad Mini would probably still be more expensive than the Fire and Tablet. When Apple has a competitor, they don't need to price match them, just price near them.

 

[gbooster]

Four hours of charge time for the Kindle Fire. What is the charge time of the Nook Tablet?

 

[sooperkool]

Nook for me, I need the expandable memory and already have a ton of ePubs.

 

[BFIB]

Found this, might be helpful.

 

[renitou]

I'll be interested to see if the Nook tablet is still as hack-friendly as the color. If so, I'll look into grabbing one next year.

 

[jvm]

The Fire really has no accelerometer? I thought that was speculation previously, but hadn't seen it proven for sure.

 

[btrboyev]

The Fire really has no accelerometer? I thought that was speculation previously, but hadn't seen it proven for sure.

it does. Some games would be impossible to play otherwise.

 

[jvm]

it does. Some games would be impossible to play otherwise.

If we could get a definitive source and then change the OP, that would be ideal.

 

[jogarrr]

If we could get a definitive source and then change the OP, that would be ideal.

https://developer.amazon.com/help/faq.html#KindleFire

 

[RevDM]

oh it does. fixed

 

[RevDM]

Touchscreen android.hardware.touchscreen.multitouch Your app requires basic two-point multi-touch capabilities.

Touchscreen android.hardware.touchscreen.multitouch.distinct Your app requires the ability to track two points fully independently.

did we know this?

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

The Apps are coming.

 

[Technosteve]

First to 5 million wins this gen.

 

[Mashing]

USB 2.0? Why not 3.0? Couldn't cost much more to throw a 3.0 in there.

 

[outunderthestars]

First to 5 million wins this gen.

So Amazon wins by January?

 

[marathonfool]

Should I be concerned about B&N's solvency?

If I start purchasing digital media, I'd like to know it'll be there for me years down the line.

 

[samus i am]

More RAM, longer battery life, and memory expansion wins it for me. Plus I think the Nook looks pretty good..... also Netflix.

 

[Xyphie]

Custom ROMs = Nook
Stock = Fire

USB 2.0? Why not 3.0? Couldn't cost much more to throw a 3.0 in there.

NAND flash read/write is the limiting factor, not the interface itself. USB3 wouldn't really give you much (if any) improvement.

 

[RevDM]

More RAM, longer battery life, and memory expansion wins it for me. Plus I think the Nook looks pretty good..... also Netflix.

Fire will have Netflix

 

[Raistlin]

It should be noted that hands-on reports cite the Nook as having a superior screen.

 

[dLMN8R]

I don't think it's much of a contest here in terms of the better device for tech enthusiasts. The Kindle Fire has a massive push by Amazon behind it, and the list of apps/games already announced is impressive. That push won't stop either.

B&N has done a commendable job with various Nooks, but I simply can't believe they'll have even close to the same outreach to developers to get stuff specialized for the Nook Tablet.


I'm not saying the Kindle Fire will sell better, since other Nooks have done incredibly well, but even in that area Amazon will be giving the Fire a lot of retail presence that previous Kindles somewhat lacked compared to the Nook.

 

[Snaku]

First to 5 million wins this gen.

Amazon's expected to do that by the end of the 4th quarter.

 

[RevDM]

Also forgot to mention you get 5GB of Amazon cloud storage you can use with this.

 

[perryfarrell]

Will be getting the Kindle Fire.

For many of these e-readers and tablets, the product is only as good as the content-delivery infrastructure. Amazon has B&N soundly beat in that department. (With the pretty under-appreciated Cloud Player, for instance.)

 

[Raistlin]

Will be getting the Kindle Fire.

For many of these e-readers and tablets, the product is only as good as the content-delivery infrastructure. Amazon has B&N soundly beat in that department. (With the pretty under-appreciated Cloud Player, for instance.)

It'll be amusing when Cloud Player runs on Nook (actually who knows it may on the browser already)

 

[perryfarrell]

^ Yeah it runs from any web browser, so it'll run on Nook too. But the Kindle Fire will be better integrated with Amazon's content-delivery system of course.

 

[Raistlin]

^ Yeah it runs from any web browser, so it'll run on Nook too. But the Kindle Fire will be better integrated with Amazon's content-delivery system of course.

While I'm a fan of Whispernet for Kindle, exactly what content-delivery system does Amazon excel at that's useful here?

I suppose Amazon videos is useful, but I suspect that doesn't represent a huge segment of the market. And their Prime instant video collection doesn't measure up to Netflix at this point (in quality or quantity).


Certainly there are people that will benefit from Amazon's ecosystem, but I'm not sure it will inherently attract that many more people. And note, this is coming from someone who's a Kindle and Amazon Prime user. Granted things can change though. We'll see how they ramp up services.

 

[Slime]

Figure if someone's in the market for these cheaper 7" tablets, they might be interested in the Kobo Vox as well. It was released last month for $199. As far as I know, it's the only one of the three currently available here in Canadia.

Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Micro USB

Audio: Built-in speaker and universal 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack

Device Size: 192.4 mm X 128.4 mm (7.57 in. 5.06 in.)

Device Depth: 13.4 mm (0.53 in.)

Weight: 402.6 g (14.2 oz.)

Diagonal Display: Size 7" FFS+ multimedia display; 1024 x 600 resolution

Screen Qualities: Multi-touch screen with exceptional +/- 89 viewing angle

Navigation: Home, Back and Menu touch sensor; Power and Volume buttons

Processor: 800 Mhz; 512 RAM

Operating System: Full open access to Android™ 2.3

Storage: 8GB of internal storage, holds 8,000 books and unlimited Kobo eBook cloud storage

Memory Expansion: Option to add a 32 GB SD Memory Card

Battery Life: 7 hours

 

[AppleSmack]

When are they coming to Canada? I want them in Canada damnit!

 

[Snaku]

One thing to keep in mind about Amazon Instant Video is if you buy a movie, you don't really own it. You're purchasing a license to view it until Amazon can no longer provide it due to licensing restrictions. People who are familiar with movies being removed from Netflix or iTunes should be familiar with this. Take Avatar for example, currently unavailable through iTunes or Amazon Instant. It was removed due to a cable company's exclusive broadcasting contract kicking in. While this isn't a big deal for iTunes/iPad users, I can see this being a problem for Fire users, given its limited storage capacity. Bezos can tout the benefits of Cloud based storage all he wants, but as long as digital downloads are treated like cable broadcasts, the consumer is the one getting fucked here. You don't see copies of films being removed from Best Buy shelves because HBO buys exclusive broadcasting rights for six months.

 

[Lonely1]

Hardware wise, I like a lot more the Nook. But the Fire will likely have much better software support.

 

[alphaNoid]

I think I want to get my wife a Fire but I need to touch one in person. When do they release again?

 

[Raistlin]

One thing to keep in mind about Amazon Instant Video is if you buy a movie, you don't really own it. You're purchasing a license to view it until Amazon can no longer provide it due to licensing restrictions. People who are familiar with movies being removed from Netflix or iTunes should be familiar with this. Take Avatar for example, currently unavailable through iTunes or Amazon Instant. It was removed due to a cable company's exclusive broadcasting contract kicking in. While this isn't a big deal for iTunes/iPad users, I can see this being a problem for Fire users, given its limited storage capacity. Bezos can tout the benefits of Cloud based storage all he wants, but as long as digital downloads are treated like cable broadcasts, the consumer is the one getting fucked here. You don't see copies of films being removed from Best Buy shelves because HBO buys exclusive broadcasting rights for six months.

Are you sure that's the case if you actually 'purchase' a title? I thought the above was only true for subscription based streaming and rentals. You can still download the title?



Regardless, whichever platform offers VUDU and UltraViolet apps (currently Flixter is the torchbearer for UltraViolet streaming - though Netflix is supposedly in talks and maybe VUDU as well. More will hop on) is the way to go if you're looking for purchasable streamed content.

 

[outunderthestars]

I think I want to get my wife a Fire but I need to touch one in person. When do they release again?

November 15th. Will also be carried at Best Buy, Staples, and Walmart


QUOTE=Raistlin]Are you sure that's the case if you actually 'purchase' a title? I thought the above was only true for subscription based streaming and rentals. You can still download the title?



Regardless, whichever platform offers VUDU and UltraViolet apps (currently Flixter is the torchbearer for UltraViolet streaming - though Netflix is supposedly in talks and maybe VUDU as well. More will hop on) is the way to go if you're looking for purchasable streamed content.[/QUOTE]


You can download any video content you purchase. That content will remain yours regardless of licensing issues. It's no different than buying a movie from Itunes, except that Amazon will actually stream movies over the net, and will allow you to redownload content as needed.

 

[Raistlin]

You can download any video content you purchase. That content will remain yours regardless of licensing issues. It's no different than buying a movie from Itunes, except that Amazon will actually stream movies over the net, and will allow you to redownload content as needed.

yeah not sure what he's referring to

 

[Snaku]

Are you sure that's the case if you actually 'purchase' a title? I thought the above was only true for subscription based streaming and rentals. You can still download the title?

I just bought Kung Fu Panda the other day, and it warned me before going through with the purchase that I have until sometime in 2013 to download the film because they'll lose the rights due to licensing agreements. A friend of mine who purchased The A-Team some time ago tried putting it on his Roku, and it wouldn't let him. He ended up getting a refund from Amazon.

It's all in the Terms of Use.

 

[Raistlin]

I just bought Kung Fu Panda the other day, and it warned me before going through with the purchase that I have until sometime in 2013 to download the film because they'll lose the rights due to licensing agreements. A friend of mine who purchased The A-Team some time ago tried putting it on his Roku, and it wouldn't let him. He ended up getting a refund from Amazon.

It's all in the Terms of Use.

Okay. Is there a reason you can't manage to download it within the 2 years they give you?


Regardless, licensing is different between digital downloads and purchasing a streaming license. Two different models. Though some support both. UltraViolet should in theory use both models with a lifetime license. Technically VUDU does as well, though only a handful of devices allow downloads with the service (with no new ones being made iirc).

 

[Snaku]

Okay. Is there a reason you can't manage to download it within the 2 years they give you?

Nope, but like I said, given the Fire's small storage capacity (6GB) it's not exactly convenient to have to store that movie on it forever knowing Amazon's going to cut me off sooner or later.

Regardless, licensing is different between digital downloads and purchasing a streaming license. Two different models. Though some support both. UltraViolet should in theory use both models with a lifetime license. Technically VUDU does as well, though only a handful of devices allow downloads with the service (with no new ones being made iirc).

UltraViolet's terms of use specify they'll only give you access to your digital copy for free for the first three years. After that you'll have to pay a fee. Though I'm sure that'll be on a studio by studio basis.

 

[Loki]

Cons: Nook...not aesthetically pleasing.

Nook Tablet not as asthetically pleasing as the Fire? No way - the opposite is true imo. The Nook Tab looks better than the Fire. Obviously we all have our own tastes, but I'm pretty sure my taste is correct.

In the other thread, and on sites like Engadget, I've seen people say the screen on the Nook Tablet is better. How so, exactly? It seems to me they have the same specs. The only difference I see is the terminology they are using to describe the coating. Nook Tablet says "laminated" and Amazon says the Fire is "chemically strengthened" for durability.

So basically...is there a difference between the screens?

There might be a small difference in Nook's favor; if so (and hands-on reports suggest that it's true), it's likely due to how close B&N placed the glass to the screen to reduce glare and increase vibrancy.

Anyway, the Nook Tab looks to function better as a multimedia tablet due to the extra RAM and storage; it also comes with Netflix and Hulu Plus pre-loaded (with free trials for each). From the videos I've seen, streaming HD video on the device looks FANTASTIC.

The storage and expandability are great, as is the better battery life. I also think the built-in microphone (which Fire doesn't have iirc) could be a game-changer if utilized properly (for apps, device control a la Siri, annotation and navigation for books etc.).

The content ecosystems (aside from cloud stuff, which you need to be within WiFi range for anyway) are largely equivalent, especially with B&N's new expanded marketplace (where you can purchase all manner of stuff, not just books/movies/music, e.g. home and gift products). I think B&N has done a heck of a job in terms of innovation and polish with all of their Nook products thus far (at times being nearly a year ahead of competitors on key features), and so will likely support them on this tablet.

Not to mention that the Nook Tab will likely be modifiable in ways that the Fire isn't re: Android.

 

[BFIB]

The screen on the Nook does look great, but some videos I saw on the Fire look great also.

I really want a side by side review of both devices.

 

[antispin]

Does anyone have experience using Amazon services outside of the US, over a VPN?

 

[TouchMyBox]

I'm thinking I might grab a nook tablet, run the eventual cyanogenmod port on it, and load it up with video.

Now about getting one in Canada...

 

[bangai-o]

do both have Skype?

 

[artist]

Figure if someone's in the market for these cheaper 7" tablets, they might be interested in the Kobo Vox as well. It was released last month for $199. As far as I know, it's the only one of the three currently available here in Canadia.

http://i39.tinypic.com/10qzc3l.jpg

Thats a good alternative for canucks but I wish they didnt gimp on the CPU so much

 

[Raistlin]

Nope, but like I said, given the Fire's small storage capacity (6GB) it's not exactly convenient to have to store that movie on it forever knowing Amazon's going to cut me off sooner or later.

This really isn't any different than any other tablet, or PC for that matter. You can't realistically store all your content on a single device permanently. You need some sort of external storage.

Granted Fire makes things worse by limited internal storage and no direct external. Hopefully syncing will be handled elegantly.

UltraViolet's terms of use specify they'll only give you access to your digital copy for free for the first three years. After that you'll have to pay a fee. Though I'm sure that'll be on a studio by studio basis.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. As you said it's up to the studio, but it's likely more complicated than that.

I suspect many of the 'free' ones you receive from BD purchases might fall into this, but will the eventual direct purchases? I doubt it. Also, I'm under the impression this is for actually downloading the DD file from UVVU servers (since they don't stream). How will services that support streaming (Flixter for now) handle this? I suspect the stream will always be available ... especially for subscription hosts like Netflix.

 

[RevDM]

Nook Tablet not as asthetically pleasing as the Fire? No way - the opposite is true imo. The Nook Tab looks better than the Fire. Obviously we all have our own tastes, but I'm pretty sure my taste is correct.

I really dislike the cheap plastic looking bezel and nook hook. But again, it's a matter of opinion.