(Credit: Sarah Lord)
It’s no secret that I love ereaders and E Ink tablets. I think they’re one of the best tools you can own for reading, writing, and studying. They hold thousands of documents and remove distractions from the internet—all while letting you adjust the fonts, line spacing, and other essential reading elements. Now, more brands are releasing larger ereaders that include stylus support, so you can take handwritten notes in digital notebooks or directly on the page.
Amazon’s first E Ink tablet, the 10.2-inch Kindle Scribe, launched in 2022 but faced software limitations that made it difficult to take notes directly on the pages of your books. The company released an updated version of the Scribe just last year, which improved on its digital notebook features and note-taking capabilities. This year, color E Ink displays have become the norm. Rivals like Boox, Kobo, and reMarkable have all brought color ereaders and E Ink tablets with stylus support for handwriting to the market. Even Amazon has launched its own color ereader, the Colorsoft, though it lacks stylus compatibility.
Amazon will be announcing new products on Sept. 30, and it appears that the time might have finally come for a color version of the Scribe. But a color screen alone won’t be enough to make the Scribe worth the hundreds you’ll have to plunk down to buy it.
Here are three changes the new color Scribe needs to transform it into a productivity powerhouse.
1. An Unfettered Ability to Doodle in Kindle Books
The most significant change that Scribe needs feels like a no-brainer: Let users write anywhere they want in Kindle books. Amazon has made strides in this department, but hasn’t gone far enough. While you can write in the margins of your books on the 2024 Scribe, you still can’t make any markings you want and have them remain in place.
If I’m reading a book, I want to be able to highlight, scribble, write arrows connecting sentences or ideas, and take any kind of note I want, wherever I want. Every other manufacturer has figured out how to do this, and it is absolutely insane to me that Amazon has yet to make this happen. Even Kobo, which has its own robust ebook store, allows its users to take handwritten notes all over books they own and ones they borrow from the library.
Amazon’s products cannot be viewed as a leader in this category without this basic feature.
2. Enhanced Reading Settings
I’ve got to say that Amazon has really stepped up its game with reading settings. A recent update to many of its apps allows readers to adjust the line, paragraph, word, and character spacing in their books. This makes a huge difference when finding a page layout that works best for you. A version of this has made its way to most Kindles, including older ones.
I expect this will be available for any future Scribe, but I’d like it to go even further: There should be a wider range of stops along the sliders. Currently, four different levels of adjustment exist for these new features, and the top level only gets you to what appears to be double-spaced. I think it’s fair to assume that some people might want more space between lines for everyday reading, not to mention the extra room to take notes. I’d also like the ability to dial in on margin size, which is especially important for note-taking. Kindles only have three pre-set margin options, and none adjust the top and bottom portions of the page. These additions go hand-in-hand with helping to create a space that works well with handwriting.
3. Split-Screen Mode
Every powerhouse digital ereader/notebook should be able to access a book and write in a notebook simultaneously. One of the best ways to study is to take handwritten notes while you read. This type of active note-taking keeps you engaged with the text, while also prompting you to put the concepts down on paper in your own words. So it would only make sense for the new Scribe to have a split-screen mode where you can both read and access your digital notebooks on the same screen.
This is also crucial if you bring the Scribe to a class or meeting. This way, you’d be able to have your documents open while also taking notes on what other people are saying. I’d love it even more if Amazon added audio recording to its Notebooks, so we can catch every word in a meeting, but at this point, I don’t want to get greedy.
Will Amazon make these crucial improvements to the Scribe? I sure hope so, but we’ll have to wait until Tuesday to find out. PCMag will be on-site at Amazon's event, so check back soon for the latest details.