KINDLE FIRE or NOOK TABLET? LET ME HELP.

It's a lot like asking :

SANDRA BULLOCK or MEGAN FOX?

It depends on what you want out of the relationship.

THIS JUST OUT : THE NOOK ONLY ALLOWS 1GB FOR NON B&N CONTENT! OUCH!

That's like MEGAN FOX only letting you talk about her on the date. "Enough about me. What do YOU think about me?"

Amazon's Kindle Fire allows side-loading

by the checking of a box in Settings that allows the installation of non-Amazon-approved apps from unknown sources --

and that's allowed for internal memory.

B&N has been said NOT to allow sideloading of non-BN-approved apps.

All right, let's get back to what you want out of the tablet relationship ...


Let's say you like to watch movies, the most recent, the better.

KINDLE FIRE. Why?

The Kindle Fire has access to Amazon's streaming video library, which tends to offer newer movies in comparison to other streaming services, like Netflix.

Of course, there is a lag time in terms of the movies that are offered. Most movie studios still release many movies on DVD before they release them for streaming.

That said, out of all the streaming video services, Amazon is likely to offer most movies sooner, because it allows people to rent or purchase individual movies.

By contrast, Netflix offers a subscription service,

which means subscribers pay a flat fee to watch as many movies as they want per month. Since this doesn't allow movie studios to monetize more valuable titles, Netflix is often shut out of the hottest new movies for its streaming service.

Barnes & Noble doesn't have its own streaming service.

Instead, it has partnered with Netflix and will offer a Netflix app on its Nook Tablet. The Nook Tablet probably won't offer an Amazon streaming app.

So if it's more up-to-date movies that you are looking for, I'd say that the Kindle Fire is a better device for you since you're likely to get access to more of these films via the pay-per-view or streaming video rental service.

But what if getting the latest and greatest movies is not your top priority? Which tablet then?

Again, you want SANDRA BULLOCK or MEGAN FOX?

If easy access to more content at very affordable prices is the most important thing to you, the KINDLE FIRE is hard to beat.

But if you want a slightly more robust piece of hardware, then the NOOK TABLET is a good option.

THE NOOK has twice the storage capacity at 16GB, while the KINDLE FIRE has only 8GB of storage. But THE KINDLE FIRE has UNLIMITED DATA STORAGE in its CLOUD SERVER. That makes 16 GB look anemic, doesn't it?

So if you have easy access to WIRELESS, then UNLIMITED STORAGE beats only 16 GB.

When it comes to services and content, Amazon is pretty hard to beat.

It has spent a lot of time and effort building its own content stores filled with e-books, apps, music, games, and video. While the Kindle Fire was built specifically to be a vehicle for accessing this content,

Amazon's services are also available on a variety of other devices from smartphones to game consoles, which allow you to access e-books on your iPhone as well as watch movies from the Amazon streaming service via a Roku device on your TV.

And you can access all this content on any compatible device through your single Amazon account.

The other big advantage to buying the Kindle Fire is that it gives you access to a bunch of free content with an Amazon Prime membership.

MEGAN FOX just raised her pretty eyebrow at me.

Alright, so the content isn't exactly free since you must pay $79 a year for the membership.

But you get a lot for that $79 fee, and Amazon keeps sweetening the deal by adding more and more content to the service.

So what is Amazon Prime?

Initially, it started as a service that offered subscribers free two-day shipping for items from the Amazon store. Now, Amazon also allows Amazon Prime members to stream movies and TV shows at no additional cost. And it most recently added free downloads for hundreds of its e-books on its Kindle e-readers.

Some people balk at the recurring $79 a year fee for the Amazon Prime membership. But if you are a frequent Amazon shopper and you stream and download e-books that are available for free through the service, Amazon Prime more than pays for itself rather quickly.

And it's actually cheaper than other services like Hulu Plus or Netflix. Over 12 months, the $79 fee breaks down to about $6.50 per month.

But keep in mind that Amazon Prime is only worth it if you plan to use these services. If Netflicks' high-handedness of late doesn't bother you, stay with it.

Barnes & Noble has something that Amazon doesn't have:

hundreds of honest-to-mortar stores. This is an important distinction for customers who would like more hands-on with the Nook devices and who think they'll need some personal one-on-one help with their devices.

Still, BEST BUY is selling KINDLE FIRE and BEST BUY's support staff has always been supportive -- so the KINDLE FIRE does have a hands-on avenue for help.

Also with HULU+ signing on with Amazon and all the other benefits of AMAZON PRIME (which is free for the first month of your KINDLE FIRE ownership), I believe THE KINDLE FIRE edges past THE NOOK.

SORRY MEGAN FOX, I CHOOSE SANDRA BULLOCK.