Amazon compromised on several hardware features of its Kindle Fire to deliver the most affordable mainstream 7-inch media tablet. Arriving on November 15 for $199, the Kindle Fire will enter a crowded market dominated by Apple’s iPad.

Since the market also contains several other Android competitors, can Amazon claim the number two tablet spot? Let’s take a look.

(Click the above image to see the chart at a larger size.)

As previous reports indicated, the Kindle Fire looks a lot like the BlackBerry PlayBook because it was designed by the same company that helped Research In Motion build that tablet. The Fire is slightly thicker than the PlayBook, yet thinner than 7-inch Android tablets such as the Lenovo IdeaPad A1 or the Toshiba Thrive 7″. Apple still maintains the slimmest tablet in the bunch.

The screen on the Kindle Fire uses IPS technology (also found on the iPad), with a resolution of 1024 pixels by 600 pixels, which is in line with most current 7-inch Android tablets. The notable exception here is the Toshiba Thrive 7″, which uses a higher-resolution display.

In order to keep the price down, Amazon only bundled 8GB of on-board storage, the same amount found on the Nook Color or the Iconia Tab.

Amazon didn’t skimp too much on performance for its media tablet. The Fire packs an unspecified dual-core processor (probably 1GHz), but there’s no word on the amount of RAM. What Amazon did skimp on are cameras–there’s no front or back camera, and there’s no MicroSD card slot (Amazon is banking on cloud storage), no HDMI, GPS, or 3G capability.

For Media Consumption Only?

Gone is the time when the iPad was the most affordable tablet, and Android manufacturers struggled to even match its price. By removing all the above features, Amazon managed to keep the price of the Fire at $199–a remarkable feat when you consider that the closest competitor (in price, but not features), the Nook Color, costs $50 more. Lenovo’s tablet is also about $50 more expensive, but only packs a single core processor, although for your extra bucks you do get dual cameras, GPS, and 16GB of storage.

The lack of cameras, GPS, expandable storage or even Bluetooth clearly sets the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet apart as a media consumption-only tablet.

You will be able to download various productivity apps from the bundled Amazon Appstore, but the main purpose of the tablet, given its low entry price, is to consume content from Amazon, whether it’s movies, books, magazines, music, or games. For that purpose, even with missing hardware features, Amazon has a very interesting proposition for casual customers as an alternative to the iPad.

[This post republished from PCWorld.]

[Note: This article republished courtesy of our pals at PCWorld.]

It’s official: Apple and Verizon announced the iPhone 4 will finally land on the country’s largest carrier starting February 10. The Verizon iPhone costs just as much as the AT&T iPhone, and the phones have virtually identical feature sets. However, there are a few differences you should keep in mind when choosing an iPhone from one of the two carriers.

The basic difference between the Verizon and the AT&T iPhone is the antenna inside. The Verizon iPhone is compatible with the 3G EV-DO standard (not 4G LTE despite the carrier’s huge launch of 4G-compatible devices at CES), with data download speeds of up to 1.4Mbps. The AT&T iPhone is compatible with the UMTS standard, which can achieve download speeds of up to 3Mbps. Check out the differences between the AT&T and Verizon iPhone at a glance < on the chart below.

Because the Verizon iPhone is not based on the latest 4G LTE standard, the AT&T iPhone can theoretically achieve faster download speeds than the Verizon model. However, AT&T’s network is not as reliable as Verizon’s in many places across the country, so the speed you would actually get on either of the phones depends mainly on where you live and how good the coverage is in your area.

Another main difference between the Verizon and AT&T iPhone is that because of limitations with the CDMA technology inside the Verizon iPhone, you will not be able to browse the Web and talk on the phone at the same time. In contrast, the UMTS standard allows AT&T iPhone users to use data and voice connections simultaneously. This scenario is not something that would affect most iPhone users, but it is something you should keep in mind when you buy, depending on your usage habits.

Frequent travelers could also be handicapped with the Verizon iPhone. The UMTS standard is commonplace outside the U.S., which is why Apple first made the AT&T iPhone. The CDMA iPhone however will only work in some 40 nations across the world, which have some/limited CDMA network support. If you travel often, you would be better off with an AT&T iPhone.

But the Verizon iPhone also has a couple of aces up its sleeve. Besides Verizon’s more widespread and reliable network, Verizon iPhone users will be able to use a popular feature found on many Android devices. The Verizon iPhone can act as a WiFi hotspot for up to five devices simultaneously, and transform 3G data to WiFi signals for your iPad, laptop or netbook (until the phone rings that is). The AT&T iPhone can tether via Bluetooth of USB with only one device at a time.

Finally, it all boils down to price, and who is putting out a better offer. While the pricing of the Verizon iPhone is in line with the AT&T pricing ($200 for 16GB model, $300 for 32GB model), Verizon has not said how much its voice and data plans will cost, something that could give the carrier an advantage over AT&T. Reports say Verizon will offer an unlimited data plan with the iPhone (AT&T capped all plans last summer), but the carrier is yet to confirm this. Meanwhile, you can keep entertained with the cat fight between the two carriers.