Finally Kindle in color. November 15th is supposed to be the release date of Amazon’s (Nasdaq: AMZN) long-awaited color Kindle, Kindle Fire. Before you get too excited though, the device comes with only 8GB of storage, no expandable storage capability, nor 3G support, and a significantly shorter life battery. So, how is that a step-up from earlier Kindles?
Aside from the color display, three main new features make the Kindle Fire more appealing than Amazon’s earlier Kindle versions, the processing speed, the ability to play videos and the access to Android App Store, but isn’t that what Barnes & Noble Nook Color (NYSE: BKS) introduced about a year ago?
Looks to me like Amazon is seriously late in the game and they are only responding to Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color 2 rumor earlier this month. I cannot think of anything Kindle Fire can do that Nook Color can’t, let alone Nook Color 2 that is expected to have a 3G option and a higher processing power than its predecessor.
I believe that Kindle Fire is just another Nook in disguise!
Having said that, Kindle Fire is positioned more as a tablet rather than an e-reader, and with such an unbeatable (so far) low price of $199, you cannot go wrong. I would say it is a great deal for those who don’t own an e-reader already, or those who wish to buy an affordable Android tablet.
Shown below is a comparison between Kindle Fire, Nook and iPad 2,
If you are wondering on what the differences are between the different Kindle products, I would recommend taking a quick look at the official Amazon’s Comparison here.
I am seriously considering one for my daughter, she keeps asking for an Android tablet, and as it looks so far, I may either pre-order now, or just wait for November 15 as my early Thanksgiving shopping day.