hold your horses, Barnes & Noble: you’re not the only e-reader/tablet game in town with access to Hulu Plus. Amazon has just announced that the popular streaming service will also becoming to the Kindle Fire. Barnes & Noble ad previously highlighted built-in apps for Hulu Plus and Netflix for its upcoming Nook Tablet, but those advantages have quickly gone by the wayside. Both devices will be released next week.
The web version of Hulu runs on Flash, and could technically work with any Android device, but the operators have blocked mobile access in order to sell subscriptions to Hulu Plus at $7.99 a month. In addition to the Android (and iOS, and connected TV) app, users get access to a much wider backlog of TV shows and movies that aren’t available on the free website. Hulu Plus has been available on the Android Market for months, but tablets without access to the market, like the Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet and Vizio 8, have special versions created. The Fire will also get access to the ESPN ScoreCenter app.
The inclusion of Hulu Plus, in addition to Netflix and the already extensive Amazon App Store, puts the Kindle Fire far ahead of the Nook Tablet when it comes to app and media access. Kindle Fire users also have native access to Amazon’s streaming library of movies, TV shows and music, though Nook Tablet users could certainly get to it through the web browser, albeit in a much more clunky fashion. It remains to be seen which tablet actually handles streaming video better – we’ll be sure to pay it particular attention when we get a closer look. The Kindle fire releases on November the 15th, with the Nook Tablet coming just three days later.
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[via SlashGear]
The content argument is going to end up being a complete wash. When it comes down to it, the Fire will be a device that is neutered without WiFi connectivity, and you get what you pay for.
I think the Fire will rise as the champion of all tablets.