Deal Highlight: A Kindle Fire Sale Just as NOOK Is Predicted to Fail

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By Nathan Cox, dealnews Content Editor

While it hasn't always been a level playing field, consumers have always had the option of two major eBook-friendly devices: the NOOK and the Kindle. Perhaps in years past it was difficult to decide between the two, but recently analysts are much more black and white about it — the NOOK may very well become a thing of the past thanks to an unfortunately small audience, among other factors.

For that reason, Amazon's Kindle line may be the way to go for those uncertain about the future of the NOOK. And as luck would have it, we found two exceptionally good Kindle Fire deals today worthy of the Editors' Choice label. Given their affordable price points and Amazon's now commanding hold on the market, these deals offer great value for shoppers to consider.

Rare Discounts and All-Time Low Prices

Brand new, current generation Kindles rarely go on sale. But lo and behold, Staples is offering $30 off its selection of Kindle Fire HD tablets, dropping models to as low as $169 in-store, or $239 online with free shipping. Typically these tablets only receive such price drops about two to three times a year!

Alternatively, for those on a stricter budget, Best Buy comes in with a dirt-cheap, refurbished first-generation Kindle Fire 7" Android Tablet for $67.49 — that's the least expensive Kindle Fire we've ever seen. Keep in mind, this deal is available today only.

Wait! Which Kindle Fire Should I Get?

The difference in price between these two deals is significant, and so too are the tablet specifications. TopTenReviews has a handy chart that highlights the features of each of the Kindle Fire lines, noting how the different models are ideal for particular user types. The mostly important features to take note of for most people are screen size, amount of storage, wireless options, and battery life.

The Kindle Fire HD boasts some of the most impressive specs and options: Choose between a 1920x1200 8.9" LCD (the highest-definition and largest screen of all) or a 7" 1280x800 LCD, 16GB or 32GB storage, and WiFi alone or both WiFi and 4G wireless Internet access. The Kindle Fire HD's battery life lasts up to 11 hours per charge. On the other hand, the first generation Kindle Fire comes in with a 7" 1024x800 screen, 8GB storage, is only WiFi-enabled, and its battery can last up to eight hours per charge.

If you miss out on either of these Kindle Fire deals — believe us, they won't last long — then be sure to set up an email alert to receive notification the next time we find Kindle Fire tablets on sale. And in the meantime, enjoy this video of Tobias from Arrested Development totally misunderstanding what the term "fire sale" means.

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DealNews may be compensated by companies mentioned in this article. Please note that, although prices sometimes fluctuate or expire unexpectedly, all products and deals mentioned in this feature were available at the lowest total price we could find at the time of publication (unless otherwise specified).

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4 comments
psaturn
Is there a good support for that statement that Nook will fail? I think it is a harsh statement and I still think it is a good purchase as it is full fledged Android Tablet. Note that it is EXPANDABLE with micro SD slot and Kindle does NOT HAVE ONE.
June 2, 2013
theTorrey77
I picked up a Nook HD+ when they had their Mother's Day sale. I think it was $90 or $100 off. B&N recently unlocked the full Google Play store, so that's nice if I ever want apps. For now I'm using it for reading, and it's quite nice.
June 2, 2013
mnealbarrett
I hope there are some good deals on Nook Tablets. These will be far from useless even after becoming unsupported by B&N. There is a cottage industry of hacker groups porting alternative operating systems to Android devices such as the Nook Tablets, based on the public Android source code. The biggest one is called Cyanogenmod, with others based on i in turn. I use a Nook Tablet with the OS totally replaced by a Canogenmod-based "ROM", and it rocks. Has the very latest features, from Android 4.2.2. It is likely that when 4.3 comes out, I will be able to run it on my Nook Tablet.
June 1, 2013
MWFplus3
Have owned the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 32GB for several months now and really love it...one of the best purchases I've ever made; no regrets!
May 31, 2013