NO, Nook isn't related to Amazon in any way. The reason I chose Nook, I now have 3, the black and white 3G, the color and my latest as of last week, the Nook Tablet HD+ is because they allow you to have multiple formats in books so you can get them from so many places. They are assoicitaed with Barnes and Noble and I've had no problems with them. I have bought everything from cds to movies that I've downloaded onto my tablet and no issues. If possible I would suggest to buy your ereader/tablet from the store rather than places like Best buy only because then you can take your Nook right to the store and get help and if you need to use your warranty they can help. If you get it from somewhere else and need to use the warranty then you have to take it to them. Other than that BnN will help you, the even have classes to teach you added features of the devices. I just got my tablet last week and noticed the charger cord wouldn't stay in. I went to the store but forgot my cord but the guy showed me how tight it should be and when I told him mine wasn't he gave me a new cord right there. Once I had some small charges (under $5) to show up on my account, I emailed BnN and they credited my account right then and there. They also have free apps for most cell phones, tablets, and pcs so you can use these devices if you don't want to get one at the current time.