Review: Kindle Fire Draws Heat From New Nook

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) just released the Kindle Fire, the most serious attempt yet to take on Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s mighty iPad 2. Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS) has shipped the Nook Tablet, which in turn takes aim at Amazon.

I’ve tried both new devices and my conclusion is that there’s no clear winner. They’re both compact, capable color- screen media-consumption devices for budget-minded users who don’t need all the features and functions of a full-blown tablet.

There’s a lot to like about the Fire. I like the way Amazon has integrated its content services -- books, magazines, videos, music. I like how it uses the Cloud, in this case, Amazon’s remote servers, to store content and make it accessible when I want it, reducing the need for a lot of storage. (The Fire only holds 8 gigabytes -- same as the base model iPod touch.)

Most of all, I like the price: $199, less than half the cheapest iPad.

When I booted up the Fire, all my previous Amazon purchases appeared automatically and Amazon made it exceedingly easy for me to add more content. I bought a couple of books, some songs and a movie for a long airplane ride. All downloaded quickly and efficiently. There’s also an Amazon site with some 8,500 Amazon- approved apps, far fewer than Apple has for the iPad, but still respectable.
Prime Content

Users of Amazon’s $79-a-year Prime service get access to a library of thousands of TV shows and older movies, somewhat akin to Netflix Inc. (NFLX)’s streaming service. The Fire comes with a one- month trial subscription.

So I like almost everything about the Kindle Fire -- except, well, the device itself.

The Fire is plain, a chunky black rectangle with a 7-inch backlit color screen. It’s shorter than the Nook Tablet, a bit thicker and heavier. In action, it feels sluggish. There can be a noticeable lag when you’re turning pages in an e-book or using an app.
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