Readers' tablet spec comparison: how does the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet fare?

The Amazon Kindle Fire shook the tablet industry by introducing a brand new price point – the very affordable $199. It managed to preserve the essentials of a good tablet – a contemporary dual-core processor and a capacitive color touchscreen, but it also challenged other tablets with one thing of paramount importance – content. 

But the Kindle Fire wasn't exactly the first such device. Last year, Barnes & Noble introduced the Nook Color, a $249 tablet with color screen, a good processor for the times, apps and exclusive access to the bookstore's vast content database. This is the actual device that pushed the e-reader beyond e-ink and into tablet territory, creating the “reader's tablet,” a device we largely see is heavily focused around content. And this is exact content is what may make this relatively new format work better than vanilla Android/Honeycomb tablets. Moreover, it's a space much more lucrative than the e-ink reader for the mass user who'd also like to watch movies and consume other media.

This year, the battle has truly started with the aforementioned Amazon Kindle Fire and the reply from Barnes & Noble didn't take long – yesterday the company unveiled the Nook Tablet. The Nook Tablet is really very, very similar to last year's Nook Color. But that's on the outside. On the inside, B&N has delivered virtually the same hardware as Amazon – a dual-core processor and a 7-inch display. Our Nook Tablet hands-on will guide you through the rest of the details.

Now, this makes it a spec game, something e-ink readers weren't all that much about. We've also added the HTC Flyer to the picture in order to contrast the hardware with Android tablets which are not backed by a content company like Amazon or B&N. Take a look for yourself to see that the Nook Tablet and the Kindle Fire are nearly identical. Still wondering which one to get? We'd currently say that it will be up to your preference for either Amazon or B&N, but don't let us guess and share your thoughts in the comments below.

*Only some versions of the HTC Flyer like the T-Mobile one include 3G connectivity.