Turning a Kindle Fire HD Into a Power Tablet
jfruh writes "The Kindle Fire HD is in theory a powerful device at a reasonable price — but its Android-based OS is so oriented towards Amazon's ecosystem that it can be tricky to unlock its full potential. Still, with a little savvy you can get underneath the covers, improving battery life, getting full access to cameras and other devices, and even listening to music you've purchased through iTunes."
Less money, higher screen resolution, Micro-SD memory slot, no adware.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/nook-hd-plus-barnes-noble/1110060512
Workarounds for side-loading apps:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/nook-hd-plus-barnes-noble/1110060512
Root:
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/permanent-root-for-the-nook-hd-and-hd-unofficial-cm10-for-the-hd/