Amazon launched the Kindle Scribe in the international market in September 2022, a new book reader that also highlights its notepad function, for writing, drawings and other tasks.
The device promises to go beyond what the company already offers in other models of the line, through its special features. Want to know the details of what he delivers? TudoCelular explains it to you now, in this Hands-on in partnership with HDBlog.
design and screen
As soon as you open the package, one point already stands out in the Scribe’s design. It has larger dimensions than other Kindle models. That includes the 19.6 centimeters wide, 23 centimeters high and 5.8 millimeters thick. Weight is also above average at 433 grams. It’s more than double the Paperwhite, which comes in at 205 grams.
This size must have been thought to make the writing experience more comfortable for the user. But holding something this heavy might make this ebook reader the most cumbersome you can find. Better find a table to support it, or put it on your legs.
If you still prefer to leave it in your hand, there is good ergonomics in the footprint, especially by the flap next to the screen. This avoids any possibility of your finger covering the display in any way.
At least the construction is on schedule. We see in this model a plastic body, with a finish similar to other older ones, but nothing more refined as it could be. At the very least, the feet help to fix the device on a table.
Despite the dimensions, the screen does not change so much compared to the market standard. Here we have a 10.2-inch e-ink panel, with a density of 300 ppi and the presence of 35 LED lamps.
The stylus that comes with the Kindle doesn’t change much in terms of finishing. It is also attached to the body of the device magnetically, on the right edge. A differential in relation to other models, which cannot be connected magnetically.
In addition to the notes
On the writing side, you can take advantage of Scribe in two ways. One – and the most obvious – is to make footnotes while reading a book. So, you mark or add some complement so you don’t forget any part.
The second is the creation of documents, based on some of the available forms. You can choose between a blank page, a lined sheet, a to-do list or an agenda format divided into thirty-minute blocks.
Each option still has some options to customize. You can select different margins and spacing, for example. In addition to having divisions with dots, or even a checkered layout.
The stylus that comes with this Kindle promises a very quick response, with a precise and customizable stroke. The model for this video is the premium one, which has a more practical writing experience, but there is also the simple one, if you prefer to save money.
The user can try changing the stroke weight directly by pressing on the screen, or in the page settings. There are five different options, ranging from the thinnest to the thickest.
But it’s not just ordinary writing you’ll get here. You can also use other features, such as the marker and the eraser. The latter is of great importance if you need to directly delete a selection of text or even the entire page.
The user still manages to erase faster what he wrote wrong through the rounded part of the pen. The accessory also has a button that can perform features such as highlighting, deleting, selecting the pen function, or opening a new note.
The e-ink panel used by Amazon offers 25 levels of brightness, with automatic sensor management. Another customization is in choosing the type of tonality, which goes from white to yellow light. Everything will depend on what is most comfortable for you at a certain time of day.
Features welcome and absences felt
Amazon has built a number of features into Scribe to organize the note-taking system. You can sort files into folders, as well as search by title, to make managing notes more convenient.
Support is also quite vast. This Kindle has the ability to save Word documents and other more famous documents in PDF format, such as TXT, PNG, GIF, JPG, GIF and HTML, for example.
There was no alternative to accessing the notes through the Kindle application synchronization, in addition to the option to send a document to the device through Microsoft Word. However, these features are expected to arrive throughout 2023.
Another felt absence is in the multimedia area. Scribe does not come equipped with speakers and microphones. This prevents the device from playing audiobooks or taking voice notes. Some countries allow connection via Bluetooth headphones to play audiobooks through the Audible application, but due to regional limitations, not all users are covered.
To complete, don’t expect to find in Scribe some features present in other models of the family. We are talking about mobile network, for an alternative to Wi-Fi; IPx8 certification, which would protect against liquids; and wireless charging. At the very least, the long-lasting battery should last up to a few weeks, depending on your type of use.
First impressions and price
Kindle Scribe lives a paradox, and we tell you why. This model has as a differential the possibility of taking notes. Not only at the bottom of e-books pages, but also in their own files, as if the device were their “digital notebook”.
The premium stylus delivers the best that the device is capable of extracting, since it allows everything from very fast and precise touches to the activation of extra tools through its button.
Another positive point is the variety of supported file formats. In this way, you can take advantage of the different layouts available for notes and save in the one that best suits the content produced.
Likewise, the screen also pleases, from its special material, to the technologies implemented by Amazon, such as brightness adjustments, to make viewing comfortable for the user, regardless of the environment in which it is used.
On the other hand, there are some major faults here. Among them, the absence of a sound output and an input. Thus, the device is restricted to the written part and does not adapt to the new consumption formats of this type of content, such as audiobooks.
The manufacturer also fails to make this Kindle’s connectivity more limited compared to other models. Not having mobile network and wireless charging support can make it more difficult to use in scenarios where it would just be a more suitable option for taking notes.
The absence of IPx8 certification prevents this device from having a stronger protection. All of this, together with the size and weight well above average, may not be a good option for those who want to buy it and travel a lot with it to other places.
So, what kind of audience does it aim to serve? Perhaps those looking for a device to read at any time of the day and who like to take notes while reading. Or even those who want to take notes or projects in a remote study environment or home office.
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28 Sep
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23 Nov
The Kindle Scribe was launched in the United States for a suggested price starting at US$ 339. In Europe, it can be found for at least 369 euros, with the standard stylus, or 399 euros, if you prefer the more premium accessory.
As so far it has not arrived in Brazil, you will have other Kindle models as national alternatives. Among rivals outside the country, the Huawei MatePad Paper is the main option, for coming with the speakers and microphones, which Amazon left out in this model.
Did you like the proposal of this model? Do you think it’s better than the other options in Amazon’s family of ebook readers? You can tell everything in the space below.
