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Kindle Fire vs. Nook Color

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Yesterday’s Kindle Fire announcement added heat to the tablet market, sparking speculation that it could be an “iPad Killer” not just because it costs $199 but also because it has the Amazon branding behind it. But comparing the Kindle Fire to the iPad isn’t completely apropos. They’re different sizes — 7 versus 9.7 inches — with different internal specs and hardware.

Read: Kindle Fire vs. Nook Tablet vs. iPad: Which is Right For Me?

The better comparison is to Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color, the tablet the Fire is obviously patterned after. It’s these two devices that straddle the line between tablet and eReader that will see the most direct competition. So how do they stack up against each other?

Amazon Kindle Fire vs. Barnes and Noble Nook Color

Specs

Since the Kindle Fire isn’t out yet I can’t do direct comparisons of performance, but there are some conclusions to draw from the hardware included in each.

Kindle Fire Nook Color
CPU TI OMAP 4 series (dual core) 800Mhz TI OMAP 3621 (single core)
GPU unknown POWERVR SGX530
RAM unknown 512MB
Internal Storage 8GB 8GB
Ports micro USB micro USB
Card Slot none micro SD
Operating System Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Android 2.2 (Froyo)

Since the Kindle Fire’s CPU is newer and dual-core instead of single, it’s likely more powerful and will offer better performance. But what would that mean on a device like this? Owners would probably only notice a difference when using performance-intensive apps (most likely games) or possibly when watching video. But when listening to music or reading a book, it’s not going to make so much difference.

The spec I’m eying is that lack of expandable storage. Amazon touts the benefits of the cloud and 8GB will hold a respectable number of books, tracks and videos, but more is always better. If I could expand storage to 40GB I can carry even more media at a time and not have to think about what I should download that day or that week.

Design

Both the Kindle Fire and Nook Color have 7-inch displays (1024 x 600 resolution) and thus are about the same size. However, at 7.5 x 4.7 x 0.45 inches, the Kindle Fire is a bit smaller than the Nook Color, which measures 8.1 x 5.0 x 0.48 inches. It’s also lighter: 14.6 vs. 15.6 ounces.

The Nook Color has more visual flair and a more comfortable holdability factor. The Kindle is very plain-looking by comparison. However, it’s made to work comfortably in either portrait or landscape orientation where the Nook Color works best for a comfort standpoint in portrait.

Operating System and UI

As I said in my hands-on post, the Kindle Fire obviously took its cues from the Nook Color in many areas, including the user interface. Both devices run on Android (Froyo for Nook, Gingerbread for Kindle) and both cover any familiar Android trappings with their own UI.

The major advantage is ease of use — for mainstream, non techie users these devices may be easier to use and understand than your average Android tablet. It also allows them to lock down the devices somewhat. You have to know how to root them in order to sideload applications instead of buying them from the Amazon or Barnes & Noble app shops, and most people aren’t going to do that.

Right now neither has a clear advantage here — the UI you prefer comes down to aesthetic preference more than features.

Media

Here the Kindle Fire has a more obvious advantage thanks to Amazon’s wide breadth of media offerings. Barnes & Noble is primarily a bookstore, Amazon moved beyond that years ago.

Aside from Kindle books, the tablet will be able to play music from the Cloud Drive and access Video on Demand. Not only will users finally have a tablet to play their Amazon purchased movies and TV episodes, but they can also stream video rentals or the free offerings available to Amazon Prime members.

Of all the features the Fire offers, this is the kingmaker. After all, any Android tablet can access the Kindle and Amazon MP3 apps, but there’s no app for the video content. The streaming content did work with Android browsers for a bit, but wasn’t reliable. Forget about purchased media. So this is a pretty big deal.

That Whispersync now works for video content as well is a great addition — start watching on the tablet, pick it up later on your TV (via a compatible set-top box), then finish on your computer.

It is possible to put your own media on both the Nook Color and Kindle Fire, including non-DRM music and videos. However, the Nook has some limitations on the side and format of videos that stock Android doesn’t. At the launch event, Amazon employees said that the Kindle would play any media formats and sizes that stock Gingerbread can play.

Plus, the Kindle’s music and video players are very much in the forefront, whereas for the Nook Color these apps exist, but aren’t the focus.

It’s fair to say that the Kindle Fire is more of a multimedia tablet than the Nook Color, which is more of an eReader with benefits.

Apps

Amazon’s App Store went live months before the Kindle Fire’s official announcement and, at first, positioned itself as an alternative to the Android Market. Currently, there’s a pretty vast selection of apps across all categories.

Barnes & Noble’s store is specifically for the Nook Color and features a few hundred apps that fit into this device’s theme of a “Reader’s tablet.” There are a few games and productivity apps, but the main focus is on book or reading-related apps.

The Kindle Fire again moves beyond the reading focus of the Nook Color in this department. Though it doesn’t have access to apps from any Android app store or market like a normal tablet, you’re more likely to find your favorite app here than on the Nook thanks to the larger selection.

Price

Today, the Nook Color costs $249 and the Kindle Fire costs $199. Barnes & Noble may bring down the price of the Nook in response to Amazon’s offering, but until they do the Kindle looks like a better deal.

Conclusion

From the specs, features, and the limited demos the press saw yesterday, the Kindle Fire has an edge on the Nook Color. It’s certainly one of the most exciting devices in the low-cost tablet space today.

However, I’m going to throw in a caveat. Plenty of devices look good on paper and in 5 minute demos. Remember how excited everyone was about the HP TouchPad before it actually went on sale? Look where we are with that. We’ll revisit this topic again once I’ve had a chance to review the Kindle Fire and have some hard comparisons on the performance and usability front.

In the meantime, which one of these tablets do you fancy?

136 Comments

136 Comments

  1. Bigmouth

    09/29/2011 at 10:39 am

    I actually can’t wait for the XDA devs to get ahold of this thing. I’d love to see Cyanogen running on a Kindle.

    • FatAlbert

      09/29/2011 at 7:35 pm

       Why would they bother? It doesn’t have an SD Card slot. It’s taken a month and a half of development for the Touchpad just to get Cyanogen to run halfway on it, and thats with some of the greatest internet developers on the project. How long would it take for the Kindle Fire? Not hating on the idea, but if your going to get a tablet for the simple reason of rooting it, then why not just get a Nook Color, which has already a year of firm development under its belt?

      • Ben York

        10/01/2011 at 9:35 pm

        I know this is a 2 day old blog post, but the biggest thing the fire has going for it is that it’s _already_ android based. The HP Touchpad was not. Another big thing? Amazon isn’t going to ‘fight’ the community:https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393740,00.asp#fbid=U_u9sziZW3k So yeah, it is a good idea to wait a few weeks and see how it pans out. But I’d bet on a CM release for the Fire before the HP Touchpad.

  2. Guest

    09/29/2011 at 10:51 am

    I agree that the Nook Color is the real competition for the Fire. I could live without the SD card option if this had 3G connectivity so I wouldn’t need to take my media with me.
    If B&N update the color with the faster processor and match the price there will be a real choice. I am disappointed that they are not using a Tablet OS (like Ice Cream Sandwich) but that is Googles fault for not having it ready for the Holiday Shopping.  

    • That one guy...

      09/29/2011 at 7:37 pm

       The Fire is competition for the Nook Color. Neither has 3G connectivity. Thats a bit of a deal breaker for the Kindle Fire, especially when their big selling point is cloud service

    • Marion

      11/13/2011 at 8:45 am

      There is no comparison between the Nook and Kindle.The Kindle is streets ahead in that one can live outside the USA and download to the Kindle from Amazon. The Nook is only available  to download to residents living in the  USA. In this day of technology gadgets should be available to the whole world and not  only to residents living in USA. In  the economy downturn Barnes & Noble need to look at the big picture.

      • Donndraeger

        12/01/2011 at 7:44 pm

        Who f-ing cares if foreigners can download

        • Sunrise Unt

          12/15/2011 at 10:54 am

          maybe me xcccp

        • Lakiwi

          12/22/2011 at 1:10 pm

          So you don’t travel; pity it might open your mind.

        • Ravensnest

          01/02/2012 at 4:19 am

          I’am a foreigner and i care because i travel. There is more world out there!

        • Leonidas_300_Hooah

          02/11/2012 at 6:32 am

          How about soldiers that are stationed overseas dumbass? oops didn’t think about that one did ya genius?

        • Ltarres

          02/12/2012 at 2:54 pm

          i guess u dont get out much !! dahh!

      • Reecethomson

        02/11/2012 at 10:45 am

        That is the reason I bought a Kindle for my sister in New Zealand. I have the Nook tablet, but also Kindle on my laptop and iPhone. Barnes and Noble are definitely inward looking.

  3. Srobbins

    09/29/2011 at 11:02 am

    Thanks for this review. I have a Nook Color because I couldn’t see the need to pay the extra cash for an iPad when I usually have my Macbook Pro nearby. I have enjoyed it, using it for occasional web browsing and read a lot of magazines and books on it, and transfer my lecture notes to it to use it doing class (I am a college professor). However, I have noticed some lag with some of the game apps vs my iPhone so usually stay away from those. 

    From your review there seems to be no reason to be disappointed that I bought a Nook Color last holiday season! Thanks for the update and I look forward to the full review. 

  4. Neil D. Chase

    09/29/2011 at 1:23 pm

    One feature I really enjoy on the Nook is the Free Friday book offering. I have read and enjoyed fourteen very diverse types of books that I would never have thought to buy. Does the Kindle have anything similar?

    • K. T. Bradford

      09/29/2011 at 2:35 pm

      not sure. I have a Kindle account but have all emails turned off, so I don’t see promos like that. I’ll ask.

      • Montyhudson

        10/03/2011 at 9:45 pm

        You can run Kindle on a rooted Nook.

      • Montyhudson

        10/03/2011 at 9:45 pm

        You can run Kindle on a rooted Nook.

      • Montyhudson

        10/03/2011 at 9:45 pm

        You can run Kindle on a rooted Nook.

        • Vcgill

          10/24/2011 at 1:13 am

          Please show me how to root my Nook to get Apps like audible and Kindle.

      • Montyhudson

        10/03/2011 at 9:45 pm

        You can run Kindle on a rooted Nook.

    • Gibson Girl

      09/30/2011 at 1:01 pm

      Kindle has a $0.99 book each day.

    • nodakcoley

      10/01/2011 at 11:21 pm

      You can get a ton of books for free on kindle if you search under top 100 free kindle books in the storefront. Authors wil put their books on it for free for a window of time to hype their books, ive read lots of these:)

      • Lfernander1980

        10/06/2011 at 9:19 am

         Nook also has thousands of books for free. Go to the search option and type in 0.00

        • Davenjac

          10/13/2011 at 7:03 am

          The nook has 1.8 million free books available. 

        • nook color fan

          10/26/2011 at 11:57 am

          go to search & put in “free” click on “free books for nook” & almost 2million books show up for free.
          I haven’t made it through the whole thing yet, but I’m trying. I also like that there are new free books all the time.

    • Suejeff6488

      11/28/2011 at 4:43 pm

      you can borrow books from the free library on the kindle.  I dont know where you live but I live in Pennsburg, pa and my husband and I have borrowed books from the Montgomgery county free library a few times.  You borrow it for two weeks just like if you go to the library and physically borrow the book.

  5. Aclark

    09/29/2011 at 2:21 pm

    The real comparison will be to the upcoming Nook Color 2. Remember, the NC is last years tech. Not exactly a fair comparison. 

    • K. T. Bradford

      09/29/2011 at 2:34 pm

      the NC 2 is only rumored, though. and given that B&N didn’t update the Nook for more than a year, they might not have had it in their plans to update the Nook Color this year. Or perhaps they anticipated Amazon’s move and will indeed do so. :)

      If the Nook Color 2 comes out soon, be assured I will compare it to the Kindle Fire.

      • catgirl

        12/26/2011 at 1:29 pm

        i think so too my dad is wanting to buy me a nook color but doesent know if he should buy a nook or kindle

  6. SaltWaterCroc

    09/29/2011 at 2:23 pm

    I would like to see the Kindle Fire.  I have a Nook color, and it handles all my critical tasks – web surfing, entertaining my son in the car, manuals (everything from the A/C to the refrigerator), recipes (I’ve dumped all my electronic recipes onto this, and it boots 10 times faster than my PC and is much more portable in the kitchen), and photos.  A small tablet like this has a lot of advantages, even without GPS, camera, etc.  And a great reading tool.

  7. Robert Mesick

    09/29/2011 at 3:21 pm

    The Nook Color has been the darling of the android techies.  Being a basic android system, there a lot of people working on expanding it’s capabilities.  You can duel boot the color nook (full android) from the card slot and and have a full android 2.3 (gingerbread) running.  There is even netflix available (search “dual boot color nook and search “xdadevelopers”).  If the Color Nook was 9.5 or 10″, and full android….

    • Dave

      09/29/2011 at 4:23 pm

      Had a Nook Color (until I forgot I layed it beside my bed screen up, jumped out of bed and my heel came down squarly on teh screen.) Robert’s point is the reason I am 90% certain I will get another one. Being able to use it stock or as a full Android Tablet is fantastic.I had Nook and Amazon apps on it, along with Netfix, my bank’s app, Android Market, etc.I will wait until I can do a hands on with the Kindle just in case their is something about it changes my mind, but the specs are the essentially equivelent. In a lot of ways the Kindle is a knock off of the Nook. And IMO it doesn’t make sense to compare either one to an IPad.

      • Alleavitt7

        10/15/2011 at 1:00 pm

        i have been looking into buying an ereader like these, and i totally agree with you about the hands on thing. i was about to buy a nook color when the kindle fire came out, and will go to best buy or somewhere to play around with both of them before i do anymore shopping. (bummer about your nook, by the way)

    • Vera Nash Edwards

      11/05/2011 at 7:50 pm

      Curious..planning on getting a Nook Color, and I love that it’s expandable. But can I bring up my social sites like Facebook on it?

      • BluRayLeader

        11/07/2011 at 11:49 am

        I use facebook on my Nook

  8. Anonymous

    09/29/2011 at 4:53 pm

    I think if amazon is counting on their video offerings to be a major selling piont then they went about it in a funny way by axing external hdmi.
    Who wants to watch movies and shows on a 7″ screen?
    Especially, who is going to pay to rent a movie to watch on a 7″ screen?
    What would have made sense would be hdmi out – then you’d have a great hotel device to watch movies jacked out onto ubiquitous flat screens everywhere.
    An accessory dock for the living room that combined charging with hdmi and audio out as well as I/R remote control would have also been a great addition.
    This doesn’t even support bluetooth – so no wireless headphones for music or movies.

    It will be very successful but I think it actually is a bit short in a few areas.
    Waiting to see how the core tech like cloud storage and silk browser actually function in the wild.

    • William-Robert Kent Cousert

      09/29/2011 at 6:30 pm

      I don’t have a problem with the 7″ screen. It’s perfect for watching movies while riding a bus or on a lunch break. A 7″ tablet fits in my pocket. A 10″ tablet is too big to carry with me wherever I go.

      • Anonymous

        09/29/2011 at 6:47 pm

        It’s a fair point that some people would have no issue with that.
        It’s a personal thing.
        I’d concede that many more people besides yourself would be fine with it.
        But surely you must concede that many more besides myself would not.

        I agree it’s a lot more portable than a larger tablet.
        That is something I am weighing heavily myself as I would naturally much prefer a larger screen.
        Kind of like a pocket camera though.
        It doesn’t matter how nice your camera is if it isn’t with you when you want it.

        • K. T. Bradford

          09/30/2011 at 4:45 am

          What I don’t get about your objection is this: if you want to watch movies on a bigger screen, why are you worried over a tablet? I get the convenience of plugging it into a TV in a hotel room, but then if you travel that much that this scenario comes up, you have a laptop with you, right? Many new laptops have HDMI out. And when you’re at home, you don’t ONLY have a tablet, right?

        • Anonymous

          09/30/2011 at 8:56 am

          I can’t reply to K.T. Bradford any further in this thread apparently so I’ll do it here.

          No, I don’t think a good reason for not having the functionality is that I’ll have another device to do it.
          Why would I necessarily have a laptop with me or have one at home?
          If I’m going to count on having a laptop along to do the chores then there is almost no reason to have a tablet at all except for the convenience of being able to hold it easier while I read in any position where a table isn’t available.
          I don’t need photo editing, so if a tablet can do some basic e-mail and document work then I could replace my laptop altogether.
          Otherwise for me it does not become something which reduces my burden but something which adds to it if I it is not replacing my laptop.

        • K. T. Bradford

          09/30/2011 at 9:01 am

          I cannot imagine replacing my laptop with a tablet. They’re just not ready for that yet – any of them. Tablets are companion devices, which is why I would assume you have a laptop, yes.

        • Anonymous

          09/30/2011 at 12:01 pm

          This was a reply to K.T. Bradford below – post starting with “I cannot imagine…”

          I have a couple of laptops, sure.
          But the most recent is about 5 years old off the top of my head and due for replacement.
          I do my day-to-day living and work on a desktop these days.
          What I use a laptop for any number of current tablets could do  very well.  An ipad with bluetooth mouse/keyboard or an asus transformer for example.

          Going with the idea of having other devices to do things though, when would one use a 7″ tablet?
          A lot of people commute on public transit, they’d be useful there.
          But then most people have smart phones, too.
          So – essentially it would boil down to people using public transit but that want to watch movies and surf – but not on a 4″ screen, but are OK with doing it regularly on a 7″ screen.

          In general I just disagree with the premise that you sell things based upon the fact that they aren’t necessary because other items you might have could fill the task.

          My laptop is old enough that it has no hdmi output.
          My living room has a flat screen TV, like most everyone.  But I don’t have a game console or any other device to deliver netflix or hulu or amazon streaming video.

          If this device (the fire) had hdmi output then it would solve several usage issues for me – especially so with a convenient living room dock and remote.  It would have been a very minor cost difference to them I think – especially being based on a design (the playbook) which does hdmi output.  The dock and remote could be sold separately.  Amazon streaming is not in so many living rooms that such capability would be lost in the marketplace I think.
          Actually – I am pretty sure the tech media would have been chock full of descriptions of it being a killer feature.

          I realize a lot of people will find it does everything they want.
          All I’m saying is that for me it falls short of what I think it should have been.

  9. William-Robert Kent Cousert

    09/29/2011 at 6:28 pm

    The lack of an SD card slot is a major disappointment – possibly a deal breaker. Will there be a way to transfer photos from a standard digital camera to/from the Fire without bringing a laptop with me? Can I hook a camera to it through the USB port? What about external SD card readers?

    I would definitely avoid the Fire if the rumors about no Bluetooth are correct. This is an absolute MUST. Without it there will be no headsets or external keyboards.

    • K. T. Bradford

      09/30/2011 at 4:47 am

      Amazon didn’t announce any accessories that would bring this functionality, so I suspect you’ll need a laptop for transferring files. And no Bluetooth according to the product page (it would be listed). 

    • Kentuck

      10/10/2011 at 3:23 pm

      You can simply use a bluetooth adapter.  I have one from Jabra.  very small, connects to headset jack and sends to any bluetooth headset.  There is a simple fix for everything.  Finally, if this isn’t good enough for you why not just get a full blown tablet and stop fretting the small stuff?

      • Orangesrhyme

        11/07/2011 at 10:34 am

        Because the “small stuff” and features that some don’t need (larger screen, cameras) aren’t worth an extra 300 bones.

  10. Anonymous

    09/29/2011 at 6:54 pm

    kindle fire has so many new feature ,it can not only support emails,but also can play games and listen to music and watch videos.i like it very much

    • Lfernander1980

      10/06/2011 at 9:22 am

      I check my email, listen to music and I can watch videos on my Nook Color

  11. Gahr

    09/29/2011 at 9:07 pm

    Ok I need your opinion comparing the Vizio and nook, the price is only $224 at costco, it has bluetooth and a mini hdi port what interested me besides the price was it has an app to use it as your remote for TV, Sat and  other multimedia tools. It has a 32gig mini sd external slot and it being neutral (non biased) it claims to have access to all ebook/ multimedia provdiders amazon barns and noble borders.
    Can anyone give me some cons not to purchase this budget oriented device.

    thanks

    • K. T. Bradford

      09/30/2011 at 4:50 am

      I’ve not reviewed that Vizio tablet extensively but have had hands-on time with it. I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s one of those cases where it steps over the line from budget into cheap.

      However, Lenovo has a 7-inch tablet that should be out before the end of the year and they said it will cost $199. I saw an early version of it and it looks really good. And now that Amazon has announced their pricing, perhaps Samsung will price their 7.7-inch tablet at $199 if it comes out here.

  12. Anonymous

    09/29/2011 at 10:53 pm

    Nobody was pre-ordering the Touchpad. Amazon already has a million pre-orders.

  13. M'Lissa Anderson

    09/29/2011 at 11:21 pm

    I have a Nook Color and love it.  Plus the device has been proven critically.  I heard Barnes and Noble will be making an annoucment soon so it will be interesting.  I think the EMarket is healthy for everyone.  I am concerned about the Amazon Silk and like one reader said why watch Movies on a 7 inch screen!.  Plus until people play with the Fire we wont really know anything about it.  All three biggies are great.  Apple, Amazon and BN.  If I can pull off a Chanlder Bing type quote.  “Could this BE anymore exciting?”

  14. Melinda Jones

    09/30/2011 at 6:12 am

    I see that the Fire allows you to add your own content, which is great… but what I love about the Nook Color is that it can handle .epub book format. Do you know if that has changed? If so, that makes it a game changer for me, otherwise I’ll wait to see how B&N responds to the Fire with the Color2.

    • Sam P

      09/30/2011 at 5:55 pm

      There are several ebook reader apps available on the Amazon Apps for Android store, and some of them support epub. Possibly you could sideload the Barnes & Noble app–does anyone know if you can sideload apps?

      • K. T. Bradford

        10/02/2011 at 10:40 pm

        You cannot.

        • Sam P

          10/03/2011 at 1:24 am

          I predict that within a month of the Kindle Fire’s release, someone will have figured out to sideload apps without rooting (assuming that Amazon disables sideloading on the release system).

    • K. T. Bradford

      10/03/2011 at 9:28 am

      No native epub books on the Kindle Fire as of right now.

      • Melinda Jones

        10/03/2011 at 9:45 am

        Thank you so much. That’s what I thought…

      • Lfernander1980

        10/06/2011 at 9:29 am

        I think the real thing with epub is checking out books from the library. Some local libraries now have books that you can check out specifically for the Kindle. 

        • K. T. Bradford

          10/06/2011 at 9:57 am

          Not exactly. ePub format has a lot of good qualities. Biggest one for me is that I can buy a book from any number of stores and use it on the device of my choice.

  15. Shortytee4

    09/30/2011 at 7:16 am

    I love my Color Nook (CN)!! What i would like to know is with the kindle if the screen breaks is it covered?  I broke the screen on my CN and because I got it as a gift i was never able to get the extended warranity on it. So now the screen is bleeding and I can no longer read my CN. But I would love to buy a new one.

    • K. T. Bradford

      09/30/2011 at 8:05 am

      There is probably a warranty. Amazon will list any extended warranties you can buy.

    • nodakcoley

      10/01/2011 at 11:30 pm

      A huge reason to go with amazon products is their warranties and customer service. It is second to none, I haven’t heard great things about barnes and nobles policy on warranties and their customer service sucks, I have had bad experiences and it would take alot for me to buy any more of their products.

      • Bookslave

        10/15/2011 at 9:33 am

        As a B&N employee I can assure you that at my store we go crazily out of the way to help people who’ve broken their Nooks and are outside their warranty. The extended warranty is offered to EVERY person who buys a Nook. Nooks come with a 1 year warranty by default. Plus, people come in all the time with things they’ve broken – like the charger plug – and we just GIVE them a new one half the time. We don’t have to, but if we have an extra one from one of our demo devices, we want to be as helpful as possible.

        Employment status aside, if I had preferred the Kindle I would’ve got a Kindle. I vastly preferred the original Nook, now the Nook Simple Touch, and I bought a Nook Color for my Mom. I have been buying from Amazon for well over 10 years and have literally never had a pleasant or satisfying customer service experience when I had to interact with them beyond placing an order on the site.

    • Arettschlag

      10/04/2011 at 6:48 pm

      Kindle is very good about warranity… called them one day they went over a few things with me .. when we found out it wasn’t going to work they said they would ship me a new one the next day.. PLUS they also express shipped it to me because i told them how much i used it and i missed it. The phone call was less than 25 minutes.

    • Guest

      10/15/2011 at 7:37 am

      Should have gotten the Squaretrade warranty.  $50, and I am covered for 3 years, and includes accident protection (such as broken screens…)

  16. Classifieds

    09/30/2011 at 7:35 am

    Good idea. Actually, yes, there is a difference between NC and Kindl, but they are the closest analogues to me like there is. And good the fact of the comparison. Absolute figures not so interesting, it is important to understand that you acquire and what you lose in comparison with the closest analogue. Overall I like this article

  17. CourtneyA

    09/30/2011 at 1:33 pm

    I bought a Nook Color for my girlfriend and imediately rooted it.   Then I bought another for myself.  It is an amazing device that offers access to the entire Android Market place.  It plays every game you would want to try and you can overclock it easily from 800 mhz to 1300 mhz with no stability issues (1200 for most).

    The lack of an SD card on the fire is an absolute deal killer.  If you loaded several movies, music and a decent number of apps you will be out of space.

    • Arkytect

      10/01/2011 at 1:33 am

      I’ve got to agree with Courtney. I used the NC for about 2 months stock. Flashed Android Gingerbread on it installed several different reader apps on it (Kindle, Nook,etc) and now have a reliable basic tablet that performs faster and smoother than the stock version, and it has Bluetooth and access to the entire Android Market! I thank BN for this flexibility by using them as my preferred ebook and magazine provider. Try the Dolphin web browser. I prefer it to the stock browser.

      • Tivery7

        12/31/2011 at 1:42 pm

        How do you flash android gingerbread on to the nook color?

    • Kentuck

      10/10/2011 at 3:32 pm

      Why not use an SD card adapter to the USB port?  Now you have your SD card back and your good to go.  Any other porblems?

      • Guest

        10/15/2011 at 7:40 am

        And how are you going to charge your device and use the SD-card adapter at the same time?  If it is like the NC, the micro-usb port is both used for charging and for USB devices….

    • Diane Hladik

      10/27/2011 at 12:07 pm

      Can you watch TV shows on the NOOK Color.  I travel alot and I like to bring my laptop with me and I will watch TV shows and catch up on shows that I have missed.  I just go to websites like CBS or NBC to watch espoides….I do not download them. 

    • Tivery7

      12/31/2011 at 1:41 pm

      where can i go to learn how to root my nook color

  18. Sam P

    09/30/2011 at 5:56 pm

    TI OMAP 4 series processors integrate PowerVR SGX540/544 GPUs.

    I wish the Nook Color or the Kindle Fire included a GPS chip, but I can understand that would add a noticeable price increment.

  19. me

    09/30/2011 at 6:44 pm

    “However, at 7.5 x 4.7 x 0.45 inches, the Kindle Fire is a bit smaller than the Nook Color, which measures 8.1 x 5.0 x 4.8 inches. It’s also lighter: 14.6 vs. 15.6 ounces.”??? The nook color is not 4.8″ thick.. it’s def thinner than the fire…?

    • K. T. Bradford

      10/02/2011 at 10:43 pm

      You are right! That was a typo. It should read 0.48 inches. However, it’s still thicker than the Fire by a hair.

  20. Shad David Sluiter

    10/01/2011 at 5:45 am

    It should be noted that the real price for a Nook is $179.00 refurbished from Barnes and Nobels ebay store at this url stores.ebay.com/Barnes-and-Noble-Store

    I bought the nook in place of an ipad because of this price.  It works well to read and browse the net.  It works really well as-is or can be loaded with Android 2.3 on the SD card.

    • Bookslave

      10/15/2011 at 9:36 am

      Refurbished Nooks are also available at most B&N stores, you just have to ask.

  21. Frustrated NookCer

    10/01/2011 at 12:37 pm

    I live overseas and purchased a nook colour recently not checking whether it could download books internationally…Big mistake…I took it for granted because I purchase the Kindle 3G for my son last year and it works like a charm (we can download anywhere). I did not want a black and white screen so went with Nook Color its aesthetically beautiful but I cannot use the darn thing. Guess I should have waited on the Kindle Fire

    • Gchermes

      10/04/2011 at 6:47 am

      If you have your nook registered to a U.S. or Canadian credit card, you should be able to purchase and download things worldwide.

    • Gchermes

      10/04/2011 at 6:47 am

      If you have your nook registered to a U.S. or Canadian credit card, you should be able to purchase and download things worldwide.

    • Gchermes

      10/04/2011 at 6:47 am

      If you have your nook registered to a U.S. or Canadian credit card, you should be able to purchase and download things worldwide.

    • Gchermes

      10/04/2011 at 6:47 am

      If you have your nook registered to a U.S. or Canadian credit card, you should be able to purchase and download things worldwide.

    • Davenjac

      10/13/2011 at 7:19 am

      As of last week overseas purchases can be made with any Nook as long as the funds are being drawn from a U.S. bank or a U.S. credit card. This will work anywhere you have Wi-Fi connectivity. Since Barnes & Noble does not have a presence outside the U.S. buying U.S. published books while standing on foreign ground would constitute a copyright infringement. Not really Barnes & Noble fault – it’s law. They’ve found a way to make it work.

  22. Pfoldfogie323

    10/01/2011 at 6:21 pm

    I love reading the Nook and night in the dark.  Does the Kindle light up or do you have to have a light accessorie to see it at night?  That is a big deal for me.

    • K. T. Bradford

      10/02/2011 at 10:44 pm

      The Kindle Fire has an LCD display, so you can read int he dark.

  23. Tony Temi

    10/02/2011 at 7:53 am

    A good news is that you can get the Kindle Fire right now from a trusted source for $199.  https://pnoy.me/9F

  24. :) ninja

    10/02/2011 at 6:40 pm

    my friend had a nook that was constantly breaking, and then they got another nook and it broke too…i know that is not a true representation of all nooks, but makes me want to go with a kindle, because amazon has nice customer service

    • beyond partisan

      10/07/2011 at 1:27 pm

      I have two Nooks – the original black and white and the Nook Color. Both are excellent devices and neither has broken on me. I have to wonder if some folks who constantly have stuff break are just the kind of people who mistreat their belongings. The Nook Color is a pretty solid tablet – physically solid. You’d have to step on it or really manhandle it to break it. 

      • bld

        10/27/2011 at 5:14 am

        I love my nook color and see no reason to rush out and get the Kindle Fire. As far as durability goes, I was reading on mine outside by the pool this past summer and didn’t realize when I went to pick up my towel that it was laying on it. I was horrified when it fell in the pool but luckily it was inside a protective cover so it stayed on the top of the water and did not sink to the bottom. It got a little wet but once it dried out it was perfect. I did call customer service anyway and they offered to ship another one just incase but there was no need too.

  25. Novice to the market

    10/03/2011 at 8:19 am

    Does Nook Color have earphone connection?

    • K. T. Bradford

      10/03/2011 at 9:29 am

      yep.

    • Rhayashi1

      10/03/2011 at 5:42 pm

      Yes, mini stereo jack

    • Rhayashi1

      10/03/2011 at 5:42 pm

      Yes, mini stereo jack

    • Rhayashi1

      10/03/2011 at 5:42 pm

      Yes, mini stereo jack

  26. Prairiebuck

    10/05/2011 at 11:26 pm

    The Nook is still a great buy, and is not as locked down to proprietary media types as Amazon has been up til now.  At a lower price point, the Nook can fill a lot of work-life niches despite Amazon’s great library of content.

    The SD card is a big deal, also.  So I’m all in on Nook so far.

  27. Prairiebuck

    10/05/2011 at 11:29 pm

    BTW, the Nook has been very reliable and comfortable to have around HW-wise.  SW-wise, only a few glitches, and noytt much to complain about.  Mostly the Apps themselves.

  28. Steve

    10/06/2011 at 10:16 am

    I wonder if the Kindle Fire is going to end up being the training wheels for the iPad.  Once those weary of buying a $500 iPad test out the Fire, they might, in the future, be willing to pony up a few more bucks for the iPad.  I wrote a Squidoo Lens comparing the iPad with the Fire.  I would love your feedback.

    https://www.squidoo.com/kindle-fire-vs-ipad-x

  29. Vito

    10/08/2011 at 12:20 am

    Can you share the books on the nook or kindle?

    • Bookslave

      10/15/2011 at 9:41 am

      If by share you mean share one account for multiple devices to access the same books, you can definitely do that on the Nook, I don’t know about Kindle. All B&N accounts can have up to 5 Nook devices registered to them, which I think is pretty awesome.

      Nook, however, is the only device that has the LendMe tech though – where you can lend certain books to a person whose account is completely unrelated for 2 weeks. No it doesn’t work for every single book, it’s at the publisher’s discretion, but it is a lot of books – usually really popular ones that have good sales numbers so the publishers don’t feel they’re losing out on money by allowing the LendMe feature on them.

  30. Gary

    10/09/2011 at 11:31 am

    Can the Kindle Fire read the cbr format for digital comic books?

  31. what2get?

    10/17/2011 at 10:29 pm

    I’m living in ROK but will be visiting US in Dec. Would like to buy something so I can read English books. I am not tech savvey nor do I have internet service here but use a public wi fi. I need something lite to carry and use. Don’t want a tab/pad. Any suggestions? Have been reading about Kindle vs Nook but am unfamiliar with some of the things talked about.

  32. Julia

    10/19/2011 at 4:11 pm

    I like the interactive feature for some childrens books on the nook color.  I originally wanted to purchase the NC for this feature so the whole family could use it.  Is this feature going to be on the Kindle Fire also?

    • Sara E. James

      10/21/2011 at 8:53 pm

      I’m wondering that too, since the webpage for the Fire points out using it for children’s books, but it doesn’t say that they will be interactive.

  33. Saurnikki15

    10/19/2011 at 6:50 pm

    IM GETTING THE KINDLE FIRE THANKS TO THIS BLOG!!! THANKS SO MUCH ;)

  34. NE-designs

    10/20/2011 at 11:05 pm

    I dont know if people have noticed because i haven’t heard anyone say it. But technically the Kindle Fire is really going to be $275 not just $200. Why? because if you want the streaming and the storage (Amazon+). Your going to have to pay $75 bucks after the free month Amazon gives you. If you dont pay for this then you really have 8 gb of internal memory for all your media. Aside from that if you end up getting Amazon+ your still going to be tied up to a wi-fi hot spot if you want to use all the features. So for me it makes more sense to spend a bit more and get the nook color.

    • Sara E. James

      10/21/2011 at 9:06 pm

      Um, I don’t see that. It says you have free cloud storage for your content. Yes, you’ll have to have your own wifi. But i don’t see why I’d need to pay the 75 bucks for anything. I can still download a movie or whatever if I want without joining Amazon Prime, if that’s what you mean.

      • NE-designs

        10/21/2011 at 9:49 pm

        My mistake, Its actually $79 bucks for Amazon Prime and its free cloud storage for Amazon content witch means content that you have purchased from Amazon. Like movies, music and apps. Well at least that’s my understanding. Ones the fire actually comes we’ll truly see what Amazon means when they say “Free cloud storage for all your Amazon content”.  Yes you can download a movie but most movies are $3.99 to rent and if you want to rent a tv show you cant, your going to have to buy each episode and most of them go for $1.99. SO.. its probably cheaper to get Amazon Prime and pay the $79 bucks each year. 

  35. Gillv2k05

    10/24/2011 at 12:47 am

    I will be sticking with my NOOK thank you!

  36. Gillv2k05

    10/24/2011 at 1:05 am

    One other advantage Nook has over the Kindle is the Store. You actually have a brick and mortar store to go into to for support and browsing, many times for free. Going into a B&N store is quite a pleasure for me and being able to read ebooks for free is even better. I’ve always been very impressed by the level of customer service I get from BN all around but especially in the store. Lets see Amazon try to top that.

  37. MischiefX2

    10/24/2011 at 1:05 pm

    Don’t forget, people… Kindle announced that you’ll have access to Kindle eBooks through 11,000 public libraries throughout the US.  All you need is a library card and you can go onto the site and download the ebook for free and read it with 2 week loans and then a renewal on the loan…no money spent on buying books for the Kindle and you can always download them again, if you really want to read them over. 

    • MischiefX2

      10/24/2011 at 1:07 pm

      forgot, you can also loan books from your Kindle, to other kindle users, for the same 2 week time frame and  vise versa. 

    • Angus

      10/26/2011 at 4:21 am

      You’ve been able to do that on the nook for ages.

  38. Angus

    10/26/2011 at 4:24 am

    Does anyone know if everything you store on the cloud has to be purchased from amazon? If so, it doesn’t sound any different from the nook where you can archive your content and then download it again later…

  39. WaitingToRead

    10/28/2011 at 9:09 pm

    Thanks so much for this article!!  I was going to get the Kindle Fire but after reading the article and seeing how many positive comments there were for the Nook Color, coupled with the fact that the Kindle Fire doesn’t have an SD card, I’m seriously thinking I’ll go with the Nook Color.  If B&N makes an announcement on Nov. 7 about the Nook Color 2, I might just go ahead and wait for that.  By then, everyone with a Kindle Fire will have had enough time to play with it and I’ll be able to make an informed decision.  I have no idea how to “root” anything and would like to root my phone and the NC if I end up getting that.  Where can I go to learn how to do that?

  40. Benjamin Roberts

    10/31/2011 at 1:55 pm

    Wonder how the new Nook TBA Nov. 7th will change this comparison, especially from a tech spec upgrade vs. price standpoint https://bit.ly/u1X9jH

  41. KG

    11/02/2011 at 9:36 am

    I’m looking at buying a NC for my Mom for her 80th b’day and am currently trying to research the differences/advantages/disadvantages between the NC and Kindle Fire.  She is an avid reader, uses a computer (mostly for email b/c she has dialup connection),  I like what I’m hearing here about the NC – any serious comments one way or the other?  Thanks.

  42. MelBelle

    11/04/2011 at 5:02 pm

    Super Saturday Sale at Wal Mart tomorrow Nov 5th. Nook Color on sale for $199!

  43. Guest

    11/05/2011 at 8:43 am

    This is a comparison of specs, not a review.  A review would describe the user experience.  Specs are barely relevant.

  44. Gymnast102

    01/22/2012 at 1:57 pm

    I am thinking about getting a kindel fire I does look like the better deal know I have a nook simple and am looking to upgrade

  45. Sciencefromkolby

    02/18/2012 at 12:21 pm

    I Have Both and I gotta say Nook Color is way better kindil fgire gets stuck ALOT!

  46. XCrunner(")>

    04/05/2012 at 9:39 am

    hi i dont no were any of u guys live but i live in ashland and the huntington mall at bam has nook colors for only $169

  47. Frank

    04/09/2012 at 9:17 pm

    One thing that has caused me an issue is that there is no repair/support for the Nook.  I had an issue with mine and all I got was the run around from their customer support which apparently is located in a foreign country as they only spoke broken english.  I never got the issue resolved and ended up throwing the Nook away.  Hopefully the Kindle has better support…….

  48. Sheila Small

    04/11/2012 at 8:33 pm

    Does the Fire and the nook Fire both need Wi Fi Service?

  49. L.M.Vaudo

    05/10/2012 at 5:31 am

    I am so confussed,, i need more help i love love love the feel of real books i am the biggest library freak around. nook or kindle i don’t know. please someone help me.

  50. Gracie

    06/03/2012 at 10:44 am

    I really don’t no witch one is better but from what every body says and has I would go for the kindle fire

  51. Sue

    06/04/2012 at 3:41 pm

    I have had my Nook Color for 18 mos. I am still learning but I have no big complaints. The app for Angry Birds tends to freeze when you hit the higher scores. I have never had a problem downloading or reading. I am almost 60 and use a computer daily but am by no means a geek with them. Tech support was an issue for me, I got online researched the problem and fixed it myself. I would buy one for my Mom and she is 85.

  52. CariAnn

    07/07/2012 at 12:25 pm

    I completely agree with your comment that the fire may be better on paper but in this case I believe the Nook to be far better. I’ve had my Nook for over a year now and had no problems with it, even when the kids want to play games on it. I’ve used both devices and the Nook is so so much more user friendly. Honestly if someone were to give me a fire…I would trade it for a Nook.

    • Bella

      07/10/2012 at 9:17 am

      Hav you heard bout the Nook color? try that

  53. Bella

    07/10/2012 at 9:16 am

    I’m wondering which would be better Kindle fire or Nook color.Im gonna buy one of these soon, If you have Nook color or Kindle fire please reply me

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