I had my mind set on the Kindle Fire when I got a great deal on a Nook Color. The only drawback I found with the Nook was the lack of available apps from Barnes & Noble and the overall feel of the Nook O/S left me with a not-so-fresh feeling. Since the Nook Color was refurbished, I didn't mind voiding what warranty it came with so I did a bit of research and found a way to replace the defalt O/S with a full version of Android. Now, I have complete access to Google Play (aka the Android App Store) and I am very impressed so far. The Nook feels more complete and I am surprised at the performance coming out of the little guy. Below are some good sites to learn more.

http://quinxy.com/guides/how-to-pick-your-nook-color-operating-system-and-install-options/

http://www.lockergnome.com/media/2011/07/17/root-nook-color/