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Just in time to take advantage of the Kindle Fire let down, Barnes and Noble's similar idea, the Nook Tablet, has hit reviewer's hands. And so far, it's been a pleasant surprise. When B&N first revealed the Tablet, it didn't look like it would outshine the cheaper device. Yet, when people actually used the Kindle Fire, it didn't impress: The cheap pricetag translated to the device. And about a week later it's having some app problems. Just in time to woo these let-down would-be Kindle Fire-philes, the Nook Tablet has hit the market. And overall, that tablet functions better than its rival. Unfortunately, that might not matter much. Because the few ways the Kindle Fire is better matter more.
The Nook Tablet is better than the Kindle Fire in the following ways.
Better design
Neither the Nook Tablet nor the Kindle Fire are particularly snazzy devices. The Kindle Fire (on the left) looks like a BlackBerry Playbook. At least the Nook has some design character, explains Endgadget's Brian Heater. "The most distinctive feature, hands-down is the little carabiner loop that juts out from the bottom left corner of the reader, a design decision largely to set the device apart from other tablets according to B&N -- and to offer some protection for the slot that lies on the other side," he writes. It's not much, but Business Insider's Steve Kovach prefers it to the Kindle Fire's copy-cat design as does The Verge's Joanna Stern. "Yes, that means I much prefer the Tablet’s bolder style and the unique design quirk — the hook on the left corner — to that of the rather bland, unassuming Kindle Fire," she adds. We guess it's the very small things that count?