The Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet: A New Era in Tablets

The tablet market has just received a significant boost with the arrival of two new players, the Kindle Fire from Amazon and the Nook Tablet from Barnes & Noble. Both devices are priced competitively, with the Kindle Fire available for $200 and the Nook Tablet for $250, significantly cheaper than the iPad which starts at around $500.

Accessing Key Functions and Content

Both devices have a similar interface, with tabs to access the main categories of content and a home screen that shows you the latest content you've viewed from any category. Both also make it easy to access their web browser, email, and other functions, making them pretty much tied in terms of overall navigation.

Screen Quality and Performance

In terms of screen quality, both devices performed well, with responsive screens that are suitable for most uses. However, the Nook Tablet was found to be easier to read in bright light conditions. When it comes to watching movies, both devices handled it well, with smooth streaming and good video quality. Both devices also allow access to Netflix through their respective app stores.

Streaming Content

The Kindle Fire takes its game up a notch by allowing users to stream thousands of movies for free with an Amazon Prime membership, which is included as part of the device's price for 30 days and then costs $80 per year. Additionally, users can download movies to watch offline when not connected to Wi-Fi, a feature that the Nook Tablet does not currently offer.

Web Browsing

When it comes to web browsing, both devices performed well, but Amazon Silk was found to have had no significant impact on page loading speeds in tests conducted by Consumer Reports. Without the Silk accelerator feature turned on, both devices were comparable and fine to use.

Music and Entertainment

Both devices also have access to Internet radio apps like Pandora and built-in music players, but Amazon has an edge in this area due to its extensive music store integrated into the Kindle Fire. Users can also access music from their cloud storage service for free or pay for it, depending on their needs. On the other hand, users of the Nook Tablet have to use a cable and connect to a computer to get their music.

Storage Capacity

The Nook Tablet has an advantage in terms of storage capacity, with 16GB compared to the Kindle Fire's 8GB. Additionally, the Nook Tablet has a memory card slot that allows users to boost its storage capacity up to 48GB, whereas the Kindle Fire does not have such a feature.

App Store Availability

One notable difference between the two devices is the availability of apps. Neither device has access to the full Android App Store, which means users won't get as many apps as they would on other tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab or iPad. However, both devices do offer a range of apps in their store, including popular games like Angry Birds.

E-books and Reading

Both devices also offer e-book stores with many free titles and samples. However, the Kindle device allows users to borrow library books wirelessly, while the Nook Tablet has a feature that allows users to record their own voice or their child's voice reading children's books, which was found to work well in testing.

Battery Life

Finally, both devices have similar battery life expectations, with around 7-10 hours of use on a single charge. While neither device has an edge in terms of battery life, the Nook Tablet's extra storage capacity and memory card slot make it a better option for users who want to read e-books or access content offline frequently.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet offer impressive features at competitive prices. The Kindle Fire is great for those big Amazon users, with its free movies and music streaming capabilities. On the other hand, the Nook Tablet is better suited for families who want to read e-books or access content offline frequently due to its extra storage capacity and memory card slot. Ultimately, both devices are decent choices at a low price point, making them suitable options for those looking for an affordable tablet without breaking the bank.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe Kindle Fire and the Nook tablet are the hot new tablet computers and a first from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble each taking on the iPad at $200 for the Kindle Fire and 250 for the Nook tablet both are hundreds cheaper than the iPad which starts at about $500 I'm here with our chief Electronics editor Paul Reynolds and first of all Paul how do you access the key functions and content on these devices there's s in most respects with tabs to access the main categories of content and a home screen that shows you the latest content you looked at from any category and both make it easy to access their web browser email and other functions so pretty much a tie on overall navigation but how about screen quality how is that our test show it's pretty good overall for both and the screens are quite responsive the Nook is a little easier to read in bright light and what about watching movies on these tablets both handle movies well the streaming is smooth and the video looks quite good as far as where you get the movies both allow access to at least Netflix through the App Store the Kindle Fire also allows you to stream thousands of movies with an Amazon Prime membership which is free for 30 days than $80 a year you can also download movies to the Kindle Fire to watch when you're not in a Wi-Fi network something you can't do yet with the Nook tablet how about web browsing does Amazon silk speed up page loading as Amazon says well it hasn't in our test so far in fact sometimes when we've put the silk accelerator feature on it slowed down the loading of pages that said both of these devices are comparable and fine when that feature is off how about music well both tablets have access to Internet radio apps like Pandora and they both have built-in music players but Amazon has an edge in two ways Barnes & Noble doesn't sell digital music so it's harder to buy music on the Nook tablet Amazon has a pretty extensive music store that's integrated into the Kindle Fire and the Kindle allows you to access music from its cloud storage service where you can hold a few thousand songs for free or more if you pay and you can stream music from that cloud on wifi or you can download music from the cloud to the device with the Nook tablet you have to use a cable and connect to a computer to get your music but doesn't the Kindle Fire need the cloud more because it has less storage yes the Nook tablet wins on capacity 16 GB versus 8 GB and it has a memory card slot that allows you to boost that up to 48 GB the Kindle Fire does not have a memory card slot what about apps neither of them has access to the full Android App Store so you won't get as many apps as say the Samsung Galaxy Tabs or certainly the iPad which still has the most but they both have lots of apps in their store including games like Angry Birds so apps sound like a tossup but what about ebooks will both integrate access to their company's big ebook stores with many free titles and free samples of most others each has some pluses both allow you to borrow library books but on the Kindle you can receive them wirelessly the Nook tablet allows you to record your voice or your kids' voice reading children's books we tried out this feature and found it works pretty well Lightning McQueen was a race car what do we know about battery life based on what we know now it looks like these devices will be comparable with about 7 to n hours of battery life so the Kindle Fire and the Nook tablet both look like decent choices does either one of them have an edge they're both capable in performance and they have a lot going for them at a low price the Nook tablet's extra storage makes it good for people who want to use it a lot away from Wi-Fi and the read it yourself books might appeal to family the Kindle Fire is great for people who are big amazon users it's also less expensive by $50 has those Amazon Prime free movies and a great music player great thanks so much Paul I'm Teresa Panetta for Consumer Reportsthe Kindle Fire and the Nook tablet are the hot new tablet computers and a first from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble each taking on the iPad at $200 for the Kindle Fire and 250 for the Nook tablet both are hundreds cheaper than the iPad which starts at about $500 I'm here with our chief Electronics editor Paul Reynolds and first of all Paul how do you access the key functions and content on these devices there's s in most respects with tabs to access the main categories of content and a home screen that shows you the latest content you looked at from any category and both make it easy to access their web browser email and other functions so pretty much a tie on overall navigation but how about screen quality how is that our test show it's pretty good overall for both and the screens are quite responsive the Nook is a little easier to read in bright light and what about watching movies on these tablets both handle movies well the streaming is smooth and the video looks quite good as far as where you get the movies both allow access to at least Netflix through the App Store the Kindle Fire also allows you to stream thousands of movies with an Amazon Prime membership which is free for 30 days than $80 a year you can also download movies to the Kindle Fire to watch when you're not in a Wi-Fi network something you can't do yet with the Nook tablet how about web browsing does Amazon silk speed up page loading as Amazon says well it hasn't in our test so far in fact sometimes when we've put the silk accelerator feature on it slowed down the loading of pages that said both of these devices are comparable and fine when that feature is off how about music well both tablets have access to Internet radio apps like Pandora and they both have built-in music players but Amazon has an edge in two ways Barnes & Noble doesn't sell digital music so it's harder to buy music on the Nook tablet Amazon has a pretty extensive music store that's integrated into the Kindle Fire and the Kindle allows you to access music from its cloud storage service where you can hold a few thousand songs for free or more if you pay and you can stream music from that cloud on wifi or you can download music from the cloud to the device with the Nook tablet you have to use a cable and connect to a computer to get your music but doesn't the Kindle Fire need the cloud more because it has less storage yes the Nook tablet wins on capacity 16 GB versus 8 GB and it has a memory card slot that allows you to boost that up to 48 GB the Kindle Fire does not have a memory card slot what about apps neither of them has access to the full Android App Store so you won't get as many apps as say the Samsung Galaxy Tabs or certainly the iPad which still has the most but they both have lots of apps in their store including games like Angry Birds so apps sound like a tossup but what about ebooks will both integrate access to their company's big ebook stores with many free titles and free samples of most others each has some pluses both allow you to borrow library books but on the Kindle you can receive them wirelessly the Nook tablet allows you to record your voice or your kids' voice reading children's books we tried out this feature and found it works pretty well Lightning McQueen was a race car what do we know about battery life based on what we know now it looks like these devices will be comparable with about 7 to n hours of battery life so the Kindle Fire and the Nook tablet both look like decent choices does either one of them have an edge they're both capable in performance and they have a lot going for them at a low price the Nook tablet's extra storage makes it good for people who want to use it a lot away from Wi-Fi and the read it yourself books might appeal to family the Kindle Fire is great for people who are big amazon users it's also less expensive by $50 has those Amazon Prime free movies and a great music player great thanks so much Paul I'm Teresa Panetta for Consumer Reports\n"