Screen Size and Resolution

Starting with the most obvious difference, the Nexus 7 is the smaller of the two with its 7-inch display running a resolution of 1280×800 pixels for a density of 216ppi. The Amazon offering has an 8.9-inch display at 1920×1200 pixels for a density fo 254ppi. The Kindle Fire HD is both bigger and has better pixel density, making for a better display.

Size and Weight

This is largely a matter of personal preference, since some people prefer one form factor over the other. Not surprisingly, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ is larger and heavier than the Nexus 7. It weighs 567 grams (vs 340 grams) and measures 164 x 240 x 8.8mm (vs 120 x 198.5 x 10.5mm). It is interesting that the Kindle is thinner though.

Performance

While both tablets are perfectly capable, the Nexus 7 looks like it wins on paper with its NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad core 1.3GHz processor. The Kindle Fire HD has a TI OMAP 4470 dual core 1.5GHz. That’s a higher clock speed, but the Nexus 7 has more cores. Both tablets have 1GB of RAM.

Storage

Looking at just the WiFi-only model of the Kindle Fire 8.9″, both it and the Nexus 7 are offered in your choice of 16GB and 32GB of capacity with neither offering a memory card slot. If you opt for the LTE version of the Fire, you can get up to 64GB.

Wireless

Speaking of LTE, that’s one feature that differentiates the Fire from the Nexus 7, the latter of which is only offered with up to HSPA+. Naturally, both get Wi-Fi. The downside is the LTE version of the Kindle Fire HD costs a whopping $200 more than its WiFi-only version.

Camera

Both tablets rock a front-facing camera in the one-megapixel range for video chat, lacking a rear camera for any kind of primary shooting.

Operating System

While it is certainly true that both tablets are powered by Google Android, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ is heavily skinned with the Amazon OS, complete with heavy Amazon store integration. In fact, it ships with “Special Offers” advertisements that cost $15 to remove. You also don’t get the full Google Play Store. The Nexus 7, on the other hand, is a pure Google experience with the Google Play Store and no integrated “Special Offers” ads. The Nexus 7 wins here for most users.

Price

The Nexus 7 is the cheaper of the two, starting at just $200. The similarly equipped 16GB Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ is $100 more at $300. Naturally, if you want wireless data or more storage, be prepared to pay more money.

Who Wins?

Unless you are really bent on having that larger 8.9-inch display with better pixel density or you really like the Amazon storefront being front and center, the Nexus 7 is likely the better bet here. It’s cheaper and it’s more versatile with its vanilla Android OS and Play Store access.

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The post Google Nexus 7 vs. Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The surprising thing is that even though the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ starts at a full $200 cheaper than the starting price for the Apple iPad ($299 vs. $499), the specs on paper are actually very, very comparable.

Display

The iPad has a slightly larger 9.7-inch 2048×1536 display, but the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ isn’t that far behind with its 1920×1200 panel. In fact, at 254ppi, the Kindle Fire HD has a touchscreen that’s only a touch less pixel-dense than the 264ppi iPad.

Dimensions and Weight

Because they have similarly-sized displays, it’s not surprising that the physical dimensions are pretty close too. The Kindle Fire HD is 164 x 240 x 8.8mm, while the iPad is 185.7 x 241.3 x 9.4mm. Similarly, the weight of the Kindle Fire HD is 567 grams, which is a little lighter than the 653g iPad.

Performance Specs

The new iPad is powered by a dual core Apple A6X processor running at 1.5GHz, while the new Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ has a dual-core TI OMAP 4470 1.5GHz processor. They both have 1GB of RAM too. Based on this, the actual performance for the average consumer should be roughly comparable.

Storage

The starting point for the both tablets is at 16GB. The Kindle Fire HD can get bumped to 32GB, as can the iPad, but it’s only the iPad that can go even further with 64GB of storage. Of course, you’ll have to pay more money for that too.

Wireless Connectivity

Both tablets are available in your choice of WiFi-only or Wi-Fi plus LTE. If you need to stay connected, either tablet will do the job.

Camera

While both tablets have a front-facing camera (1MP on the Kindle Fire HD, 1.2MP on the iPad) for video chats, only Apple’s tablet has a 5MP rear camera. This isn’t a huge deal–the Nexus 7 doesn’t have a rear camera either–but it could be an important differentiator for some people.

OS and Apps

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ is powered by a modified version of Google Android, but it does not have access to the full Google Play Store. You can only go through the Amazon Appstore, which limits your options. At the same time, some people might prefer the Amazon-ified OS over a more conventional Android interface, since it is simpler and more geared toward media consumption. The iPad, of course, is powered by iOS and comes backed by Apple’s gigantic App Store. If you want tablet apps, not much can compete with Apple’s juggernaut at this point.

Price

As mentioned at the top, this is really where the Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ beats the new iPad by a long shot. Starting at $299, Amazon’s tablet is only a little more than half the price of an equivalent iPad. Considering that the core guts are so comparable, it may be hard to justify the Apple tax on the iPad, but it is arguable that iOS is superior and there are more iPad apps.

For my part, if you’re choosing between these two and you’d rather buy into the Apple ecosystem rather than the Amazon ecosystem, it might make more sense to consider the $329 iPad mini instead. It’s not as powerful as its bigger iPad 4 cousin, but it’s a heck of a lot cheaper too.

The post What’s Better: Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ or New Apple iPad? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Mike Macias of E71 Fanatics had the opportunity to use the Nokia N97 superphone as his primary handset for a number of weeks, seeing how it fared against the tried, true, and less expensive E71.

The keyboard on the N97 is full QWERTY, but the keys are more spread out, larger, and flatter than the keys on the E71. You may cramp up a little easier on the N97, however, since the keyboard is wider. You will be more accurate though.

Running through the rest of the comparison tests, the updated OS on the N97 is prettier and better at webpage rendering, the E71 has a better overall form factor and build quality, the N97 has a better screen and camera, and the N97 has better customization too. In the end, the N97 had 7 wins, 6 losses, and one tie, according to Macias.

You do have to realize that the N97 costs about twice as much as the E71, so you have to wonder if it’s worth the extra cash. That decision, of course, is completely yours.

Source: E71Fanatics

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