Back in the day, taking notes in class meant literally writing them down in a notebook. These days with tablets and computers, taking notes and digitizing them is ridiculously simple. Now, we know that Amazon has its Kindle Scribe series that allows users to take down notes, but the company has expanded its lineup with a new color model. This was announced at Amazon’s recent event, which also saw the company announce new Echo Show and Echo smart displays and speakers.
Amazon just announced the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, and it’s the first time the company has added color to its notetaking tablet. The new device starts at $630, which is definitely pricier than the standard Kindle Scribe at $500. But if you want to take colorful notes or sketch with multiple pen colors, the Colorsoft might be worth the extra cash.
The tablet uses custom display technology that Amazon specifically built for this device. Instead of using an LCD screen that hurts your eyes after prolonged use, the Colorsoft relies on a special color filter and light guide. The result is color that’s soft and easy on the eyes, just like the black and white e-ink screens Amazon is known for.
You can write and draw in 10 different pen colors. There are also five highlighter colors for marking up important passages in your ebooks. Amazon built a new rendering engine to make sure the color writing feels fast and fluid.
The standard Kindle Scribe also got an upgrade. It’s now thinner at just 5.4mm and lighter at 400 grams. Amazon has also given the display an upgrade, bumping it up to 11-inches. This mirrors the size of an actual sheet of paper. Amazon added texture-molded glass to the screen, so writing with the stylus feels more like pen on paper instead of plastic on glass.
But wait, there’s more!
In addition to giving the tablet a splash of color, Amazon has introduced some software upgrades too. You can now search across all your notebooks using natural language. Instead of scrolling through pages of notes to find what you need, just type what you’re looking for and the AI will pull it up.
There’s also an AI-powered summarization feature. If you’ve taken pages of notes during meetings or classes, the Kindle can condense them into a quick summary. You can adjust the length and tone of these summaries to fit your needs. Amazon is adding integration with Alexa Plus next year. This will let you ask Alexa questions about your notes and documents.
There are also some new features that enhances the ebook experience. Amazon added a feature called “Story So Far” that gives you a recap of the book you’re reading. It only summarizes up to where you’ve read, so you don’t have to worry about spoilers.
There’s also an “Ask This Book” feature. Highlight any passage while reading and ask questions about it. Want to know why a character did something or what a particular scene means? The AI will give you spoiler-free answers based on what you’ve read so far.
