Barnes and Noble's new Nook Tablet doesn't measure up to Kindle Fire

The Nook Tablet is a better-looking device and has a few notable features the Fire lacks, just as a microphone and physical buttons, nevertheless it's not worth the $50 premium you'd pay over the $199 Fire.

The Tablet looks a lot like its predecessor

The Tablet looks a lot like its predecessor, the Nook Color. I actually liked that device when I reviewed it in January, calling it the best e-reader available on the market. I liked that it was more than an e-reader because it ran a version of Android and could run applications; it was in essence a low-cost tablet.

While the Nook Tablet is a more satisfying computing device than the Nook Color, it doesn't reach the level of the Fire.

The Tablet and the Fire have a lot in common. Just like Amazon's device, the Tablet has a 7-inch screen. Like the Fire, it runs a heavily customized version of Google's Android operating system. And the Tablet's user interface is much like the Fire's.

So you can get videos from Netflix or Hulu Plus on the Tablet. However both of those services require a subscription. Unlike the Fire, you won't find a service that offers you the option to buy or rent videos a la carte.

Similarly, you can get music from Rhapsody, Pandora or MOG on the Tablet. However Barnes & Noble doesn't offer — or give you access to — a service similar to Amazon's Cloud Player or Apple's iTunes Match that lets you store and access your music library from its servers.

Another shortcoming is that many games and other popular Android programs just aren't available for the Tablet. You can get "Angry Birds," however you won't find "Cut the Rope," "Plants vs. Zombies" or "Tetris," among other popular games that are available for the Fire.

The Tablet's not a bad device

The Tablet's not a bad device. It's a then-built, relatively low-cost device that's much more user-friendly than many other similarly priced Android tablets. And with its color screen, it's a much nicer device than the lower-priced black-and-white e-readers.