Can the Kindle Scribe replace the yellow notepad? Notes on taking notes with Amazon's new device - GeekWire

1 year ago 51

For galore years, I’ve tried assorted tech alternatives to my trusty yellowish notepad: Microsoft Word and Google Docs, OneNote connected a Surface Tablet, Evernote connected the web and smartphone, Samsung Galaxy Note Plus with stylus, etc.

But for me, there’s thing similar the old-fashioned creation of scribbling connected insubstantial arsenic a earthy mode of taking notes. I ever find myself going backmost to the bully aged yellowish pad, for each of its analog shortcomings.

Will Amazon’s Kindle Scribe beryllium immoderate different?

To find out, I pre-ordered a 32GB Kindle Scribe (Amazon’s archetypal e-reader that you tin constitute on), choosing the premium pen option, for a full of $390, oregon astir $430 with tax. It didn’t get connected merchandise time arsenic promised (it was a mates days late) but I’ve present spent respective days utilizing the Scribe to determine whether to support oregon instrumentality it.

So far, I’m torn. Here’s a leafage of Kindle Scribe notes summarizing my acquisition (and different random observations), which I’ll elaborate connected beneath (in typewritten substance for anyone incapable to decipher my scribbles).

Pros

Writing: The penning acquisition feels astir arsenic satisfying arsenic penning connected paper. There is conscionable capable friction connected the e-ink surface to make the feeling that you’re scribbling. Any lag successful the ink is truthful tiny that it’s hardly noticeable. Especially compared with an LCD surface connected a modular tablet, this feels almost like the existent thing.

Virtual pen options: Amazon offers a bully assortment of virtual ink thicknesses. I settled connected “thin” arsenic my preferred pen weight. For reference, that’s what I utilized to constitute the papers above.

Pen hardware: The premium pen seems worthy it, chiefly for the built-in eraser, which means you tin conscionable flip the pen implicit to erase thing alternatively than manually selecting the eraser mode from the on-screen menu. The customizable button, which defaults to the highlighter, is simply a bully summation but the slayer app is the eraser.

E-book integration: Although it’s not the superior crushed I’m trying the device, Amazon’s main competitory vantage successful this marketplace is its agelong past successful e-books. The quality to scribble notes portion speechmaking a publication is simply a bully bonus, though not without its shortcomings (see below).

Screen size: The 10.2-inch surface is simply a saccharine spot: tiny capable to beryllium portable, but ample capable to constitute without feeling constrained. And overall, my notes are way more accessible successful this format than scattered astir my bureau successful assorted insubstantial notepads and notebooks.

Cons

Inconsistent approaches to annotation: With immoderate record formats (such arsenic imported PDFs) you’re capable to scribble straight connected apical of a page. In different cases (such arsenic e-books) you alternatively usage a “sticky note” that opens successful a model successful the bottommost of the page. Yes, this provides much country than penning successful the margins, but it would beryllium bully to person the enactment to bash either successful immoderate situation, nary substance the record format oregon scenario.

Lack of basal record management: Want to insert a caller leafage betwixt 2 existing pages? Move a leafage from 1 notebook to another? Cut and paste a enactment of handwriting? Share an idiosyncratic leafage alternatively than nonstop an full notebook? These are immoderate of the things you can’t bash connected Kindle Scribe.

Inadvertent leafage turns: As with galore different devices of this kind, Amazon uses thenar rejection exertion to admit erstwhile your manus is resting connected the screen, alternatively giving immoderate benignant of navigational input. But thing astir the mode I clasp oregon determination my manus erstwhile I constitute makes the instrumentality crook the leafage inadvertently astatine times. I’m inactive trying to fig retired precisely what I’m doing to origin this.

Email sharing and Send to Kindle: To transportation documents backmost and distant betwixt Kindle Scribe and a machine oregon device, you email a PDF of a notebook, oregon nonstop files to Scribe utilizing Send to Kindle. This instrumentality is overmuch improved and simplified since I past utilized it, but this multi-step process illustrates 1 of the downsides of Amazon not having its ain PC operating strategy oregon smartphone level with which to integrate natively and sync seamlessly.

Battery life? I charged this instrumentality afloat connected Saturday, and it was astatine 50% astatine mid-week. Amazon says, for writing, a azygous complaint should past up to 3 weeks based connected a half-hour of penning per day, with wireless disconnected and the airy acceptable to level 13 brightness. I bash person it connected to WiFi, and yes, I person been utilizing it much than a half-hour a time successful my testing. I’ll effort turning disconnected the WiFi and seeing however it goes successful the days and weeks ahead.

Sticky notes disconnected successful export: As an experiment, I sent a web leafage to the Kindle Scribe utilizing a browser extension. I marked it up utilizing the sticky notes diagnostic mentioned above, with each enactment linked to a circumstantial snippet of text. But erstwhile sharing the annotated leafage backmost to my computer, the resulting PDF separated the sticky notes from the associated text, placing them each astatine the extremity of the document, making it hard to spot what they were referring to.

Left-hand bezel: I’m definite determination are bully method reasons for the heavy bezel connected 1 side, and I recognize that it comes successful useful successful definite scenarios for speechmaking (similar to the Kindle Oasis) but it feels unnecessary for my purposes, astatine slightest based connected my acquisition with the instrumentality truthful far. I’d similar a bladed bezel each the mode around.

Tips

I’ve been converting web pages to PDFs connected my machine and past sending them to Kindle Scribe utilizing the Send to Kindle web leafage to annotate straight connected apical of the page, alternatively than utilizing the Send to Kindle browser hold to nonstop the web page.
With the Kindle Scribe premium pen, it took maine a portion to fig retired that putting your scale digit connected the level broadside helps to debar inadvertent activation of the customizable fastener (which defaults to the highlighter).
If you subscribe to newspapers online, galore connection PDF versions of each edition. I’ve been downloading newspapers to my PC and past sending them to the Scribe, which is ample capable to spot the headlines earlier zooming in. Once you get the bent of the navigation, it’s a bully mode to work the paper.
Similarly, the surface is ample capable to work PDF books, which tin beryllium a situation connected smaller Kindle screens. I’ve been taking a caller look astatine Google Books with this successful mind.
I purchased a screen (which scope from $60 to $100) aft getting the device. Not inexpensive, they bash adhd an instant-on capability, waking the instrumentality instantly upon opening the cover, successful summation to protecting from harm and providing a fold-up stand. They connect magnetically, and the instrumentality tin autumn retired awkwardly erstwhile you unfastened the screen the incorrect way. Still, it seems worthy it.
I’m learning to make idiosyncratic Kindle Scribe notebooks for circumstantial topics, alternatively than putting a clump of things into a azygous notebook for a fixed clip period, which is my accustomed attack with yellowish notepads. This is simply a alteration successful mindset, but makes it easier to stock and export precisely what I want.

Conclusion

It’s important to enactment that my exploration of this class isn’t complete. I haven’t utilized existing competitors to the Kindle Scribe, astir notably the reMarkable 2.

But the question astatine the outset was much basic: tin the Kindle Scribe regenerate a notepad? For me, the reply close present is maybe. There’s a batch to like, and a fewer things that springiness maine pause.

Many of the shortcomings person the potential, astatine least, to beryllium addressed with aboriginal bundle updates. The quality to move, reorder, and export idiosyncratic pages would beryllium apical of my list. Given caller cutbacks successful Amazon’s Devices & Services division, I’m not counting connected it. Amazon declined to disclose its merchandise roadmap, naturally.

I’m going to support utilizing the Kindle Scribe for a fewer weeks and marque a last telephone earlier my instrumentality model is up astatine the extremity of January. In the meantime, I anticipation my acquisition truthful acold helps others retired determination who are contemplating thing similar. Email todd@geekwire.com with immoderate feedback, questions, oregon insights.

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