Amazon is going to lose $10 per Fire and by any estimation gain hundreds if
not thousands in sales per device...plus if you pay for Amazon's PRIME
service you have access to movies and TV shows. Why pay for Netflix?
To address the E-ink that keeps getting brought up: It is a remarkable
thing to be able to read an electronic page in broad daylight as if it were
the pages of a paperback novel. But except for arguing that E-Ink displays
are superior in high ambient light atmospheres, how exactly does that matter
to a comparison of the nook color and the kindle fire?
Kindle Fire versus NOOK Color: Specs Compared
by Monica Samuel on October 3, 2011
Amazon’s new Android tablet, Kindle
Fire<http://www.pdfdevices.com/amazon-reveals-detailed-kindle-fire-specs-tab-hits-nook-color-sales/>,
has become a top
seller<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051VVOB2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pdfdevices-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B0051VVOB2>
for
the retailer even before its official release. Debuting on November
15<http://www.pdfdevices.com/amazon%e2%80%99s-kindle-fire-tablet-to-release-with-impressive-specs-for-199/>,
Kindle Fire deals a hard blow to NOOK Color, Barnes & Noble’s color eReader
with tablet capabilities. At a price of $199, Kindle Fire undercuts NOOK
Color by a margin of $50 and offers more value.
Let’s compare the eReader cum tablets in more detail.
*Design*
Both NOOK Color and Kindle Fire have 7inch color displays supporting
1024x600p resolution. Kindle is about half an inch smaller in length and
breadth and weighs 1.2 ounces lesser than B&N’s tab. NOOK is more aesthetic
to look at and easier to hold, designed more for portrait orientation.
Kindle Fire is simply cut and looks plain but is comfortable to hold in both
landscape and portrait.
*Hardware*
Some details of Kindle Fire’s hardware are not yet known – RAM, GPU – as
Amazon is focusing more on the experience than hardware. From what we know,
Kindle Fire ships with a dual core TI OMAP 4 series versus NOOK’s single
core 800Mhz TI OMAP 3621, 8GB internal storage same as NOOK, and a microUSB
port like NOOK. NOOK Color features a microSD slot while Kindle Fire touts
cloud storage. Both tabs offer 8 hours battery life.
NOOK’s microSD is a plus as you can carry more stuff while traveling. Cloud
storage depends on internet connectivity which isn’t always available.
Kindle Fire has a stronger processor than NOOK but the difference will only
be evident while playing videos or complex games not otherwise.
*Software*
Kindle Fire houses Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and NOOK Color has Android 2.2
(Froyo). Both have heavily customized UIs that are similar in response and
feel and easy to use. In apps and media, Kindle is way ahead of NOOK. NOOK
is mostly about reading. It includes more apps focused on reading, with just
a few in other categories in NOOK’s App store that includes 729 apps. Kindle
Fire accesses Amazon’s store that encompasses eBooks, music, videos, TV
shows, with dedicated players and cloud services. The App Store includes
16,638 apps along with Android apps.
Kindle Fire includes Amazon silk browser optimized for mobile devices while
NOOK Color includes a customized Android browser. Amazon’s Whispersync has
been extended to videos so you can start watching on compatible devices
where you left off. You can save your own media on both tabs, including
non-DRM music and videos. While NOOK limits the size and format of videos,
Kindle will play any media format and size that stock Gingerbread can play.
*Price*
At $199, Kindle Fire offers more for less. B&N could drop the price of the
$250 NOOK Color to compete. According to rumors, there’s a NOOK Color
2<http://www.pdfdevices.com/bn-to-launch-nook-color-2-next-month/> in
the making that could warm up things in the holiday season.
Kindle Fire is not out yet so performance cannot be compared with NOOK
Color. For now, Kindle Fire is the better deal. Opinion may or may not
change after November 15.
On Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 9:54 AM, Friedrich Gurtler <fgurtler@gmail.com>wrote:
>
> On Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 9:29 AM, B. Estrade <estrabd@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> You guys are missing the point. E-ink is a fundamentally different
>> display technology with the goal of providing the same experience one
>> gets from printed paper. It's not meant to be a tablet. It's meant to
>> be a book.
>>
>
> There are the e-ink kindles (Kindle, Kindle Touch (3g), Kindle Keyboard,
> Kindle DX) and then there is the IPS kindle, the Kindle Fire. Different
> displays, different platforms, different uses, same brand.
>
> The OP seems to be asking about the Nook vs Fire, which is a pretty
> appropriate comparison which has nothing to do with an single purpose
> e-Reader.
>
> Also regarding the price point, I think the WSJ had an article talking
> about how Amazon was losing $10 per fire. So its a loss leader, but not
> nearly as bad as the touchbook.
>
>
>
>
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