So far, nobody has had much success battling Apple for the $500-plus tablet market, despite plenty of effort. But now the nation's largest book retailers are going head-to-head for the holidays and raising a question: Can a pair of devices that basically split the size difference between a smartphone and the iPad capture some of that same enthralled audience - or at least be good enough and cheap enough to significantly expand the market?
To be sure, the Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire aren't the first in their size range - tablet-makers, looking for the killer formula, have experimented with sizes that run from 7 to 12 inches.
What the booksellers hope will set them apart is a combination of capabilities and cost that will make consumers put up with their size, or even embrace it as a plus.
Size and cost are hardly their only similarities. Each of the new tablets uses a proprietary version of the open-source Android platform that Google first created for smartphone-makers eager to compete with the iPhone. And each helps promote other aspects of its manufacturer's business - a synergy that undoubtedly helped Amazon and Barnes & Noble pare their prices.
Later on, Tech Life will take a closer look at how each of the new tablets performs. Today, here's a quick preview of what you'll soon see online, in stores, or in the lap of the woman sitting beside you on the train or plane:
Kindle Fire. At a Best Buy store in Plymouth Meeting on Tuesday, it was easy to see how price sets the Kindle Fire apart.
