iPad mini vs. Kindle Fire HD 8.9: How Do the Tablets Match Up?

Amazon and Apple both have pretty decent tablets, but how do they match up?

Amazon's Kindle Fire HD 8.9 costs $299 and features a 8.9" screen and a HD LCD display. The tablet has a 1920x1200 and up to 1080p HD resolution with Dolby Audio and dual stereo speakers.

"When it comes to HD displays, great resolution is just the start," Amazon boasts. "Unlike many other tablets, Kindle Fire HD also delivers rich color and deep contrast from every angle, with an advanced polarizing filter and custom anti-glare technology.'

The tablet is 9.45" x 6.5" x 0.35", weighs 20 oz and can hold 16GB or 32GB on Wi-Fi, 32GB or 64GB on 4G device, plus free cloud storage for all Amazon content.

The Kindle HD has a dual-core,1.5GHz OMAP4470 processor and a battery life of 10 hours.

Amazon said the Kindle Fire HD uses "state-of-the-art dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi for over 40 percent faster speeds."

Amazon's Kindle Fire HD 8.9 4G costs $499 and features 4G LTE connectivity.

The iPad mini comes in two colors - black & slate and white & silver.

In addition to the iPad mini with Wi-Fi, Apple also introduced the device with Wi-Fi and cellular data.

According to Apple, the iPad mini "supports fast cellular networks around the world - including LTE networks." The iPad mini with cellular data will be available on at&t, Sprint, and Verizon's networks.

"When you decide to activate data service, you can choose the amount of data per month you want to buy - with no long-term contract," Apple said on its website. "So if you have a business trip or vacation approaching, just sign up for the month you'll be traveling and cancel when you get back."

The iPad mini weighs 0.68 pounds, is 7.78 inches tall and 5.3 inches wide. Like all other Apple products, the iPad mini can store up to 64GB of memory.

The iPad mini is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the third generation iPad and features a 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display, FaceTime HD and iSight cameras, wireless performance. The iPad mini is expected to have 10 hours of battery life. It has a 1024X768 resolution and works on Apple's A5 processor.

The iPad mini costs - Wi-Fi: $329 (16GB), $429 (32GB) and $529 (64GB). Cellular: $459 (16GB), $559 (32GB), $659 (64GB).

"iPad mini is every inch an iPad, Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing said. "With its gorgeous 7.9-inch display, iPad mini features the same number of pixels as the original iPad and iPad 2, so you can run more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad. iPad mini is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper, yet packs a fast A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wireless-all while delivering up to 10 hours of battery life."