Amazon and Barnes and Noble are no strangers to one another, as both companies have been competing for some time now. The two have duked it out over who has the best online book and e-book selection, and have also gone head to head in the e-reader race with the respective Kindle and Nook devices. Just when you thought the Amazon versus Barnes and Noble competition couldn’t get any hotter, each company has decided to jump into the tablet race to attempt to get a piece of the pie that is currently dominated by the Apple iPad.

Amazon kicked things off in mid-November with its affordable Kindle Fire tablet, and Barnes and Noble countered by releasing its Nook Tablet just one day later.  There’s little doubt that the two are direct competitors, which makes choosing between one or the other a rather difficult task.  You will have your Amazon loyalists who will stick to the Kindle Fire no matter what, and you will also have those who prefer to sit in the Barnes and Noble camp.  With that being said, what if you are sitting in the middle with no real pre-existing preference.  Which should you choose?  That decision obviously depends on the shopper, but this head to head comparison should help you figure out which of the two tablets is right for you.

First things first: since we are talking about touch-screen tablets, the display is definitely one of the biggest factors to consider.  Both tablets check in with 7-inch displays.  While both pale in comparison to the 9.7-inch iPad, they fail to separate from one another if we strictly consider size.  As far as graphics are concerned, both employ a 1,024 x 600 resolution.  From just looking at each tablet with the naked eye, the Nook appears to be the winner here, as its graphics appear to be more crisp and clear.

Since you are going to be navigating your tablet constantly via your touch-screen, the interface is another important department to keep in mind when selecting a tablet.  The Nook Tablet seems to have the interface edge due to its virtual desktop similarities.  In short, customizing the home screen is easy to do and you can tweak your most widely used items throughout different pages.  The Kindle Fire’s interface, on the other hand, centers on a single home screen.  While your options may be limited with the Fire’s interface, some may prefer the simplicity over the Nook Tablet.

When it comes to performance, both the Fire and Nook Tablet are solid thanks to their dual-core processors.  The Nook does boast twice as much RAM, however.  The Nook Tablet wins in terms of battery life, as it supposedly offers 11.5 hours of reading or nine hours of video on a single charge.  That beats the Fire’s eight hours of reading or 7.5 hours of video.  Charging is another story.  The Nook Tablet’s power adapter is your only charging option, so if you lose it, you will be out of luck.  The Fire comes with an adapter as well, but you can at least charge it with a standard micro-USB cable if necessary.

If you plan on loading up your tablet with media files, the Nook Tablet is your best bet.  Its 16GB of memory can be expanded by an additional 32GB microSD card.  The Kindle Fire features half the internal storage space, and you cannot expand its memory.  Since tablets are definitely looked at as entertainment devices by many, the need for a decent amount of storage is essential, and the Kindle Fire disappoints in this regard.  It should be noted, however, that Amazon offers a free 5GB Cloud Drive account that users can employ to upload a wide variety of files.

Moving on to content, here’s where things get a bit tricky.  The Kindle Fire is compatible with Amazon’s Prime service, which gives users a selection of free books and videos, plus complimentary two-day shipping for orders placed on Amazon.com.  The service comes on the Fire as a free one-month trial, but costs $79 per year after that.  The Fire can also be used in accordance with certain offline video downloads from Amazon, which should appeal to the service’s loyalists.  The Nook Tablet does have some video options via apps from Netflix and Hulu Plus, but it lacks Amazon’s power in the realm of video downloads that would come in handy when travelling.  The lack of a service truly comparable to Amazon Prime is another negative mark for the Nook Tablet.  Barnes and Noble’s tablet is strong in terms of its magazines and children’s e-book offerings, which should attract those who prefer print over video.

Finally, let’s talk about price.  Amazon made headlines when it announced the $199 price tag for the Kindle Fire, which is set way below the industry-leading iPad.  In fact, such a low price point could definitely push shoppers who were previously on the fence about tablets into the buying zone.  The Nook Tablet is affordable as well at $249, but the $50 price difference is likely to direct shoppers towards Amazon’s corner.  The Kindle Fire is the easy winner in this department, especially for tablet shoppers on a budget.

So, in the end, which tablet is the winner?  Again, that really depends on the user in question.  If you are looking for a tablet with better storage, a slightly better display, and a solid tablet interface, the Nook Tablet is right up your alley.  If you prefer a tablet backed by solid membership services, a host of video options, and a more simplified interface, choose the Kindle Fire.  Of course, if you see both tablets as quite similar in form and functionality, your choice may boil down to price, where the Kindle Fire is the winner thanks to its price set $50 below the Nook Tablet.

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