My birthday is coming up, so I was thinking of asking my husband to get me a Nook, Kindle or an iPad. And, it just happens that in my Educational Technology class, this week’s chapter focuses on “Hardware for Educators”. What perfect timing to investigate which tablet option is the best for me! Whether it’s a house, car, pair of pants, bike, or new piece of technology, there are many things to consider when making a purchase. After doing some research, I’ve created a short flowchart to help sort out the options.
For myself, price is an issue. I’m not looking to invest a whole lot right now. So, on the first level of my flowchart, I’m selecting price yes, size no. So, that leads me to consider the Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire. My main usage will include eTextbooks, books, magazines, some apps and music. In addition, my kids will read books, play kids’ apps and watch movies on road trips.
With the next question, my two biggest factors are storage space and access to content. Although the Nook and Kindle are lower price investments, I want the device to be useful for years. This way, my kids can inherit this device in the future, when I’m ready to upgrade to the next new device. Therefore, I want a device that will have room for plenty of videos, books and other various files. Nook offers the great option to expand on storage with an SD Card. On the other hand, Nook does not have an Amazon or iTunes type service for TV shows and movies. It seems watching videos with WiFi would not be a problem for either device. But watching video without WiFi will require previous download of videos, with perhaps more effort required on the Nook.
Lastly, I went directly to the Kindle Fire site and the Nook Tablet site. All and all, both the Nook Tablet and the Kindle Fire appear to be solid choices. Right now, the larger online marketplace is making me lean toward the Kindle Fire. I’m open to hear suggestions from anyone with first hand experience!
Related links:
http://nookvskindle.info/uncategorized/kindle-fire-review-yes-it%E2%80%99s-that-good
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33198_7-57319054-286/kindle-fire-vs-nook-tablet/
http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/ipad-2-vs-kindle-fire-vs-nook-tablet-specs-showdown-20111114/
clorantechblog 
I wish I would have read your post before Christmas! I was debating on the same question back then. I ended up getting the nook tablet. I actually had a funny way of deciding…My son already has an ipad and I really like it but I can use his when I need my ipad fix! So, I was debating between the nook tablet and the kindle fire. My husband and I were out Christmas shopping and we happened to walk by a store that was selling the kindle and we decided to walk in. The guy was so eager to sell us all these services and kept on going on how important it was to buy the “data package” and if i bought “this” I would get “that.” I felt he was pressuring me into buying all these additional “data packages” that I didn’t really want or need. Of course, there was a time limit and if I didn’t buy them “now” these great deals would not be available later! Then, we decided to go to the other store to look at the nook. The guy there was so laid back and was telling me more about the product itself and not trying to sell me any packages. He was really informative and answered all my questions politely. So, even after all the research I had done on both choices, in the end it boiled down to the salesperson. I am very happy with my nook…in fact…I love it! I hope you find the right choice for you!
Larisa Kivett
Thanks for your post Larisa. I would do the same thing. I do not like pushy salespeople! So tell me about your Nook. Have you used it for watching any movies without WiFi? Some sites I’ve researched make it sound like it’s harder to download movies to the Nook Tablet. If this point is not an issue, I think Nook would be a better choice. Sometimes, I feel it’s really like choosing Coke or Pepsi! Pretty much the same thing, but some people clearly like one over the other!
Your links and flow chart were so helpful! I will definitely refer people to this post when they need help in making a tablet decision!
I just got an iPad and I love it! I did a lot of research between laptops and tablets. I went with a tablet because I could get a data plan cheaper than with a laptop. When deciding between the tablet companies, what was most important to me was the ability to get my grad course work done on it. I needed to be able to access blackboard, do word processing, tweet, and blog. Additionally, I wanted to be able to use it for my math and science classes, so I wanted the best apps available. I decided to go with the iPad because it had all of this and more! I am able to get pod casts and iTunes University. My students love to use it. And, it is so easy to sync and download, because I have an iTunes account. I bought a refurbished one, so the price wasn’t any more than an android based tablet. I would suggest looking into them again, especially with the 3rd generation coming out soon, prices are dropping!
I hope you can find something that works best for you! Happy shopping!
Good point! I didn’t consider refurbished. And I did see ipad 3rd Gen is to be announced on 3/7. Just a few days before my birthday! 😉
Thank you for your flowchart. Like the others, I will definitely refer people to your flowchart when needing to make this decision. I have also been thinking about this, but my decisions were between a low-costing laptop or an iPad. I know I have seen people with the iPad’s that have the keyboard with them. This to me is the easier way to go, but I am not familiar with the features of the iPad at all. I have also been hearing that laptops will not have Microsoft Office programs anymore and that you will need to purchase them. This does not sound desirable. I don’t think I would want the newest version of the iPad. I would be happy with the first or second version, since the third one is coming out and the prices should be going down. Good luck on your decision. Whatever you decide, you will have a great technology tool.
It’s amazing how many people go through the same decision process when it comes to purchasing technology. As you illustrated in both your display of the flowchart and your discussion of what you wanted in a tablet, what you decide on needs to be right for your needs. Everyone’s are different. It’s hard to just ask straight out, what should I get? Because you’re going to get different answers from everyone. (ie. apple buffs may highly recommend the iPad and so on) But the flow chart was perfect. I have seen some flowcharts in this style on the internet for both humor and informative purposes, but either way they get the point across. Again, I must really applaud you for your breakdown of what you needed and wanted the item for to begin with. Simply buying the most expensive one won’t work. For example, I have the Kindle eBook, rather than the tablet, and it fits my needs perfectly. I watch most videos on my PC, and have no children to watch videos while I’m driving. I do however, love to read, so this works best for me. To each their own, right?
Also, good choice in leaning towards the Kindle Fire (in my opinion). Amazon has a lot of great features that will make the experience of owning your tablet that much better! Enjoy your new tool, whichever it may be!
-Amy R.
I love the flow chart what a great idea on how to decide on what to buy. Love it! now to your question, I like the Kindle fire but I love the Ipad2, http://www.apple.com/ reason is Mac has an outstanding reputation for technology, it last forever and it is almost impossible to get a device that will with stand the times because the minute you take it out the store it is old. The Mac on the other hand cost more but it last forever and you can do so much with it. Your kids will never get tried of downloading the free apps, for readability you can’t top it. But if you don’t want to put it in your choices I say get the Kindle fire. By the way Happy Birthday!!!
Best of Luck
Tonga R.
I actually thought a lot about these things as well when I was looking into getting a tablet. I ended up with an ASUS transformer. I liked the fact that it was compatible with Windows and Microsoft as well as it could be docked into a keyboard that turned into a mini laptop(notebook). For me, as well as many others, it is about convience. I liked that you really thought out what your purposes for your purchase would be and who would be the users of the device. The good thing is that there is no real wrong answer about which device would be great. The only question is which would make you happy.
Sandra
Great post and cool flow map. What a great idea! I too was going through this same decision making process a few months ago. I was kind of waiting until the iPad 3 came out, but then Wal-Mart put Kindle Fires on sale and so my husband got me one of those. I already had a prime account so it just made sense. Size did matter because I wanted something small enough to toss in my purse, but big enough that I could enjoy streaming movies and TV shows. I absolutely love it! I have found quite a few education apps for it, one being white board that my class loves using during small groups. I haven’t even been bothered by a lack of space because most of my stuff I am streaming from Amazon’s Cloud. I love all of the content that I can access with my prime account. I’ve gotten loads of TV shows, movies, books, and apps at no extra cost. I also noticed that Amazon has had several new releases that I can stream before they were available on Netflix or Hulu.
That said, I’m still waiting for the 3s to come out so I can see if the iPad 2 will drop in price like it has been rumored to do. Though I love my Kindle and it’s size for my personal use, but I wouldn’t mind having access to more education apps and to a bit bigger screen for my classroom. I do not regret getting a Kindle though and I would definitely recommend it.