

I've been using Kindles since the first generation, and I think the Kindle Scribe is one of the most interesting models in years: it's bigger, so it's better for graphical content and documents, and its stylus support is really fun.
Amazon has introduced some useful new features that make it even better, and while the feature I really, really want isn't among them I like the improvements that Amazon is making. It's much easier to navigate and to organise your stuff, and that all-important scribbling is improved too.
What's new in the Amazon Kindle Scribe?
There are three key changes in this new update. The most obvious one is that there are now additional brush types for fountain pen, marker and pencils to expand your drawing and annotation possibilities. The new tools, like the existing brushes, are pressure sensitive and you can use them anywhere you can write on your Scribe.
Less obviously but potentially even more useful, folders can now contain subfolders. I think the Kindle Scribe has a bit of a split personality: one minute it's an e-reader, the next it's a notebook. For that latter role subfolders make a huge difference to organising documents and drawings, and being able to move entire folders and subfolders at a time is really useful too.
Finally there's improved page navigation within notebooks. You can now jump to specific pages by tapping on the three-dot menu at the top and selecting Go To Page.
I really like the Kindle Scribe, but there's one thing that's preventing me from using it as a notepad in the way I do with my iPad Air and Apple Pencil: handwriting recognition that can turn my writing into editable, searchable, exportable text.
I don't know if the Kindle Scribe has the horsepower for on-device recognition, but even a cloud-based solution would make the Scribe a real powerhouse for productivity as well as for reading. And maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but when I read the About Amazon blog saying that the Kindle Scribe does not currently offer handwriting recognition (emphasis mine), I read that as "we're working on it".
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
I hope they are. The Kindle Scribe is a good tablet, and the latest update makes it even better. But handwriting recognition would take it from good to great.
Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
-
Apple TV gets a free update that makes it more simple to use
Apple has released tvOS 18.4 with a few design tweaks for its TV boxes
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Tired of a bad lower back? Bulletproof it with these three simple exercises
A fitness expert shares three easy moves you can do straight from the comfort of your home
By Bryony Firth-Bernard Published
-
Apple TV gets a free update that makes it more simple to use
Apple has released tvOS 18.4 with a few design tweaks for its TV boxes
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Your iPhone gets some new tricks - here’s what it can do now
The new emojis and priority notifications are probably our favourite
By Britta O'Boyle Published
-
Older iPhones at risk of being left behind when iOS 19 arrives – is your device one of them?
Apple will reportedly drop three iPhone models when it comes to the iOS 19 update
By Carrie Marshall Published
-
Your next MacBook Pro could be a game-changer for three good reasons
Apple will reportedly upgrade next year's MacBook Pro in three major ways
By Rik Henderson Published
-
M5 iPad Pro on schedule for release this year, claims expert
Apple's best tablet is reportedly getting even more power in late 2025
By Carrie Marshall Published
-
New evidence suggests Apple's taking its foldable iPhone seriously
And it might bring something different to the party too
By Britta O'Boyle Published
-
Amazon Kindle Kids review: for budding bookworms
Is Amazon's Kindle Kids actually the best option for youngsters?
By Britta O'Boyle Last updated
-
EU paves the way for iPhones and Android devices to ditch USB-C entirely
Clarification enables Apple, Samsung and others to switch to wireless charging only
By Rik Henderson Published