Kindle Fire Vs. Nook Tablet: CNET Weighs In
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It seems everyone wants a tablet this year. The question is: Which one should you buy?
Some consumers say they would choose Apple's iPad, but other say its price tag is too steep. That's why some may turn to the new souped-up e-readers like Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet and the Amazon Kindle Fire.
"You're looking at products that have really chopped away a lot of features to hit a price point," said CNET's Donald Bell.
The Kindle Fire is $199, and the Nook Tablet runs $249. Both have 7-inch screens and only use Wi-Fi for web surfing. Also, neither have cameras.
However, the experts at CNET say there are some differences. The Nook Tablet offers more than twice the storage of the Kindle Fire.
"You're getting 16 gigabytes of storage, if you really want to get a lot of videos and photos on there," said Bell.
Also, the Nook Tablet responded better to touch. Barnes & Noble said the Nook Tablet has a dual core processor.
"We have the new vivid view screen which is unparalleled," said Andrew Widman, of Barnes & Noble.
You can get music on both, but CNET says it's easier on the Kindle Fire.
"They have their own .mp3 store that's very popular, with a great selection of tracks. They also have a cloud service that lets you upload your entire music library," said Bell.
You can also download videos you buy at Amazon. With the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet, you can only stream rental videos with Netflix or Hulu.
As far as customer service is concerned, with Amazon, you call or go online. Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet owners can stop into a store.
Ultimately, the choice will likely come down to one thing -- go with what you can afford. CNET gave the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet a slightly higher rating, but says both offer a lot for the price.
