# NOOK Tablet or Kindle Fire?



## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

I'm thinking about adding a tablet to my tech arsenal, and am debating between Barnes & Nobles's NOOK Tablet and Amazon's Kindle Fire.

I'm not going to do any heavy-duty lifting … just need something I can stash on the table by my easy chair that I can browse the web, do email with, and read an occasional book or two.

Both are new … priced at $199 and $249 … I would be interested in any thoughts or recommendations.

I know some people will suggest an iPad … but I want to focus on the Kindle and the NOOK.

-Gerry


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

I don't know much about either one… the Amazon Touch is what I would like…
*
Here, you can keep up with Reviews on the Kindle Fire FWIW

*

Looks like there are a few building up… * 4 out of 5 Stars with 537 Reviews at this time.*

Good Luck…

Let us know what you decide on & WHY… OK?

Thank you…


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

The one thing that concerns me about the NOOK doesn't really have anything to do with the device, but rather with Barnes & Noble itself.

There have been persistent rumors about financial problems (ala Borders). The fact that they offer "free NOOK support in-store" won't mean much if the store in the local mall goes dark.

-Gerry


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

I've been looking at the Kindle Fire, too. 
I think your concerns about B&N is valid.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

I know this may be an unwelcome opinion, but I have had my I-pad for over a year and I think it is great. Yes, it costs more than the other options, but the technology is so impressive.

I spend at least 2 hours a day on my I-pad in the comfort of my recliner.


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## thrak76 (Nov 14, 2011)

From what i've read about the Fire, it seems like it is mainly positioned to be a content delivery device for Amazon products, and not really a tablet. If you are in the habit of renting Amazon videos, downloading mp3s, or buying or borrowing books from the Kindle store then the Fire sounds like it fits right in for those kinds of activities. 
I've used a friends' Nook that he "rooted" and it was a nice device. The B&N interface was gone, so I can't comment on the usefulness of it.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Rich-I understand where you are coming from, and I don't want to turn this into an Apple-bashing thread.

I will never own anything made by Apple.

-Gerry


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

I have a B&N Nook for reading. I have a Dell Netbook for the surfing the web in the easy chair, and it also runs google sketchup, MS office, etc. I have an old laptop for the workshop, a nice new laptop for travel or when I want more power on the go than the Netbook will offer, and I have a desktop media PC in the office for video editing, etc.

I think I need every one of those options. But if I was only doing light computing and internet, and had to choose ONE of them, it would be the Netbook, hands down…


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Full Disclosure-I am in the software business (my company does Windows and some Unix), so I have plenty of computing hardware (right now, there are six Windows XP and Windows 7 machines in the house … three desktops, 2 notebooks, and a netbook).

A NOOK Tablet or Kindle Fire would just be an added convenience.

And, despite my age, I am a bit of a gadget junkie.

-Gerry


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## Blackpearl (Jan 11, 2011)

I got my wife a Fire for Christmas.

Yes it is an Amazon content delivery device just as the iPad is an Apple content delivery device.

You still get a lot more choice with Amazon.


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## Jeff28078 (Aug 27, 2009)

Whatever you get resolve to yourself that it's obsolete in 8-12 months. Things are happening so fast in the tablet and handheld market that no matter what you get there'll be something better and cheaper by then and new applications won't necessarily run on what you have.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Jeff-You are so correct. That's why Apple isn't saying much about the iPhone 5 … they're afraid of killing sales for the 4s … they need to come out with a new phone at least once a year to maintain the cash flow.

-Gerry


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I'm with you on being a gadget junkie, Gerry.

I've been thinking about a tablet of some kind, and wondering how handy it would come in for work. I need to stay in email contact when I travel, and hauling a full-sized laptop around is a PITA. But I'm not sure I'd use it for enough other things to justify the expense.

Another thing I wonder about is that everything I do is Windows-based. iPads seem to get the best reviews, but I keep thinking that I want a tablet that will play nicely with the rest of my tech world. Or is that a non-issue?


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

I'd go with the Kindle Fire. Bought my Mom one. She loves it.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Charlie-When I travel, I carry a Win7 notebook. It is a bit hefty, but has the tools installed that I need to do customer support as well as business docs and email.

Christmas Night last year, I was at my daughter's house (200+ miles from home) when I got a call that a customer's server had crashed due to a power outage. When it came back up, one of our application databases was corrupted and their system was effectively down.

I pulled my Dell notebook out of the bag, fired it up on her kitchen table, and in a minute or two logged into a server 4-thousand miles away. I downloaded the corrupted database, ran diagnostics and repair operations on it on my notebook, then restored the repaired databases and re-initialized their system. Total downtime: about 35 minutes.

At this writing, there is no tablet device (Apple, Android, etc.) that is capable of doing what I had to do that night.

So for me, a NOOK or a Fire would just be a convenience. I would probably carrying it in one of the pockets in my notebook bag when I travel.

-Gerry


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Al-That's kind of the direction I am leaning.

The only advantage in the NOOK (AFAICS) is the larger RAM (8GB of internal memory) vs. the NOOK's 16GB. The NOOK also is expandable with an SD card, but I'm not sure that would tip the scales.

-Gerry


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

You're right…. I guess I just want to have my cake and eat it too.


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## mmax (Dec 9, 2008)

I've had the Kindle since it was introduced some time ago and have thoroughly enjoyed it. When they announced the Kindle Fire I immediately placed my order. It was released Wed and I received it yesterday so I'm still checking all the new features. Color is very crisp and so far ease of use is great. You will need a WiFI network to connect for some of the features. The older Kindle I have was limited to primarily books, but did have some internet capability via Whispernet 3G. I found I was able to connect and download books even in northern Minnesota where connections are not the greatest. (I still have to test this on the Kindle Fire). Based on your needs I think the Fire would fit the bill.


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## Roger Clark aka Rex (Dec 30, 2008)

Gerry,
My opinion would be to hold off a little while as I feel we are about to get a slew of tablets coming out, which are likely to eclipse those already out there. Look out for Samsung and Asus, and maybe something coming out of the Google/Motorola stable. Another alternative is taking a look at the HP tablet which is now back in production and has a decent OS. Android is likely to be the dominant OS.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

Gerry, does the SD slot accept the high capacity SDs? Probably a dumb question in late 2011 but an 8GB card is very different than a 2GB card. Like Cr1 mentions, the stability of the manufacturer is an issue. My android phone has the kindle app and it's really fast; makes me think that Rex's new android tablets might be an option. I'm like you, though, I don't need another computer.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Roger-I think you have it right … it is always a crap shoot trying to catch the technology wave at exactly the right time.

For years now, there has been talk about in tech circles about the future of Linux, but despite numerous efforts by developers all over the world, Linux hasn't been able to get a foot hold in the desktop market against Microsoft and Apple. I think Linux has finally found the sweet spot (the Android OS is actually built on the Linux 2.6 kernel).

-Gerry


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Al-Not sure about the SD card, but I would think it would be capable of the higher capacity SD's. Good question!

-Gerry


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

And what should appear in my Inbox? ...

*Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet: Not quite as open as we thought*

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-news/kindle-fire-and-nook-tablet-not-quite-as-open-as-we-thought/5539?tag=nl.e539

-Gerry


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## semi75 (Jun 17, 2010)

The kindle fire has me tempted but to be honest I am not that impressed with the size. I would like to see them more the size of the ipad with the same battery life with an sd card slot. I've played with only the ipad and frankly though I kind of liked it I don't see a big advantage of it over my smartphone, except it is bigger and requires wifi. I spend a lot of time on my HTC Evo but would like a bit larger screen and it to be a bit snappier when surfing .


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## Roger Clark aka Rex (Dec 30, 2008)

Gerry,
I too have been "around" computers since the Altair 8800.
I too have 6 old desktops, and 4 old laptops at the house, the oldest being a P1. Although they all work, they are pretty extinct in today's world processor and memory demands - nobody compiles software anymore.
I too am in this tablet dilemma, I don't want to be the last one on the block purchasing old technology, so I have decided to wait a while. In the meantime i badly need to replace my "youngster" (it's circa 2004) laptop as it is now groaning under the strain, so I just ordered a stand-in for $299 to get me by. Nothing fancy, but it will do the job until a tablet arrives that fills all my requirements. Take a look at it:
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/en_US/pd/productID.231077900/parentCategoryID.44066900/categoryID.57543800/list.true?siteID=isIkAyUyNbM-0V5xRvntDtj9n8KVz4k1PA

I too will never purchase anything Apple. Good products, too propitiatory and too expensive.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Roger-Every member of our sales staff carries two or three notebooks.

I just wait until one of them turns in a system that has crapped out, have the company buy a replacement set, and take the remaining good machine home.

I don't know what I'm going to do when I retire … guess I'll have to start buying my own computers!

-Gerry


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I'm good at catching technology at just the right moment. I paid $800 for a Sony Betamax.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

Charlie, I suppose you keep that Betamax on the shelf with your 8-tracks, laserdiscs and your HD-DVD collection, right?

I bought an ipod touch which amazed me what they can cram in that little package. I hear the ipad is similar but with a bigger screen. Don't know much about the nook or the the fire, but it seems that you are locked into the company as well as the hardware when you buy one of these.

I guess I'm holding off on buying a tablet until they evolve a bit beyond the exclusive marketing tools they've been designed to be. Is that too much to ask?


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Interesting factoid: Reports have it that the Kindle Fire costs about $200 to manufacture plus distribution and marketing costs. They are selling it at $199.

If the manufacturing costs are being fairly represented, they would be losing money on every one they sold … UNLESS there was a way to make up the cash flow loss by selling content. That would explain the 'lockin' technology people are talking about that would effectively force you into buying streaming content from Amazon.

Gee … next thing you know, they'll be going to the CPSC to try to get them to force their proprietary technology on everyone buying a table … err … tablet.

-Gerry


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## Roger Clark aka Rex (Dec 30, 2008)

Gerry, yeah, sounds like a bad Apple.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

It's nothing new. How long have printer manufacturers been practically giving printers away so they could lock you in as an ink customer?


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

I am looking at getting either a Kindle or a Kobo for Jen for Christmas, she really prefers the screen of the Kobo over the Kindle. To her it feels more like a book. Do they sell the Kobo where you are? I'd be interested in your opinion of it in comparison with the Kindle.

On a completely different note I really want to buy a Motorola Xoom but just can't seem to convince Jen that it would be really cool to have LOL!


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