The much awaited Kindle Fire is due to be released in the USA on 15 November, and now available to preorder for US customers only.

The Amazon Kindle Fire has a 7" (17.5cm) colour screen, and is super tough (30x tougher than plastic).

Alot of people are wondering whether the much cheaper Kindle ($US199) might be a better Christmas present option than the Apple iPad2 ($US499-829).

So Kindle Versus iPad - what's the verdict?

Screen Technology: the Kindle Fire and the iPad 2 use very similar IPS (in-plane switching) technology (meaning they have a wide viewing angle so two people can easily watch the screen at the same time). The resolution on both the Kindle Fire and iPad 2 are similar (1024 x 600 for the Fire, 1024 x 768 for the iPad). However, the Kindle actually has slightly better pixel density (169 pixels per inch compared with132 pixel per inch) so the image is actually likely to be slightly crisper than the iPad 2.

Portability: the Kindle Fire is more portable. It weighs only 14.6 oz (or 413 gm), so very easy to pop into your handbag or school bag. The iPad 2 has a larger LED-backlit screen (9.7″) and weighs around 22 oz (or 601 gm).

Camera: the Kindle Fire does not have a camera or microphone. I personally wouldn’t use an iPad or Kindle to take pictures, but some people like this feature for video chat. In fact the iPad 2 has two cameras – one on the front and one on the back.

Memory: the Kindle Fire has only 8GB of internal memory, whereas the iPad 2 has up to 64 GB (depending on the one you buy). Neither has an SD slot to add more memory. Amazon seems to be relying on people using the Amazon Cloud to store their content (see above discussion). To put things in perspective – 8GB of memory will allow you to store approximately 6000 books, or about 800 songs). Apple too is putting content in their iCloud. Currently iTunes music in the iCloud is not available in all countries.

Operating Systems: the Kindle Fire runs on an Android system, the iPad on the Apple system. However there are work arounds for both (you can upload your itunes files into the Amazon Cloud and you can download a kindle app for your ipad).

Connectivity: the Kindle Fire relys on wireless technology and (at this stage) no 3G option has been advertised. The iPad 2 does have optional 3G. For most people, the wireless will be sufficient. Ask yourself – do I get wireless at home or work? If the answer is yes, then you probably will be able to download all you need – for weeks at a time – with your wireless connection. One thing the iPad 2 can do is to print to an "Airprint enabled" wireless printer. At time of writing, I cannot find any information on whether the new Kindle Fire will be able to print, although it can handle web browsing and email.

Battery Life: seems like it will be comparable. The Fire is advertised as providing 8 hours continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback if you have the wireless off. Recharging takes 4 hours either from a plug or USB computer connection. The iPad 2 advertises 10 hours of battery life.

Content: Amazon seems to have much more content available than Apple – especially if we are talking books. But it is likely you can more than get your fill of tv shows, movies, books, and apps from either Apple or Amazon. Both the Fire and the iPad probably have enough content to keep anyone occupied.

Verdict Kindle vs iPad: The Apple iPad does do more – but for people like me, the Kindle Fire is likely to provide everything I need from a tablet at a fraction of the price. Can’t wait to get my hands on one!