Viwoods has released AI ​​Paper Reader - smartphone-like e-reader/notebook. It features a black-and-white E INK Carta 1300 display with a resolution of 824×1648 pixels. The display features a front-facing backlight for nighttime reading, speaker, Bluetooth 5.1 and two microphones for voice communication. As the name suggests, the device supports AI models (ChatGPT 5 / Gemini-2.5-flash / DeepSeek-R1). It also supports SIM cards for 4G data only, as well as 2.4G and 5.0G Wi-Fi. The device is equipped with a USB-C port and a 2580 mAh battery. The dimensions are 159.39 x 80.27 x 6.7 mm and weighs - 138g. Perhaps the device's biggest advantage is its Google Android 16 operating system, which guarantees Google Play apps will work for the next 5-8 years before the OS becomes obsolete. The pre-installed reader supports PDF, EPUB, MOBI, AZW3 and EPUB3 formats. It costs $279.

Kobo has released new firmware for the new Kobo Libra Color, Kobo Clara Color and Kobo Clara BW models, as well as the first-generation Elipsa. This firmware adds support for the new Kobo Remote Page Turner feature - the remote control device for turning pages that Kobo will release later this year. If you're unsure how to use a remote control for an e-reader, take a look at the image. Such remotes from Chinese manufacturers have been around for a while, but they're unreliable and require constant reconnection. The update also adds a new Bluetooth settings icon to the top of the status bar for easy access (since the remote works via Bluetooth).

Spotify has introduced a Recaps feature for audiobooks, allowing users to listen to a summary of the book up to the place where they finished reading. The Recaps button is located at the top of the audiobook page. Spotify stated that recaps will appear after users have listened to 15-20 minutes of a book and will be updated regularly as they listen. The company added that Spotify does not use audiobook content to train its models and that recaps do not reproduce the original text. Recaps is currently in beta testing and is available on iOS for a limited number of English-language titles, with plans to expand it over time. Earlier this year, Amazon launched a similar feature, Kindle Recaps, for text-based ebooks.

Amazon has released a new firmware update for Kindle 11th and 12th generation e-readers, Kindle Scribe and Kindle Colorsoft. It adds only one new feature: a preview window for destination pages in links (similar to Wikipedia). The preview can be opened by long-pressing internal links in a book. The update also includes various performance improvements, bug fixes and other general enhancements. Some users in social media report that the update has improved overall interface speed, including page turning and menu response.

OverDrive and Pocketbook have released Libby app for PocketBook e-readers. This app allows users to borrow e-books and audiobooks from public libraries. For now you can download ebooks to read them offline, but the press release states that a web browser is required to listen to audiobooks (recall, that Kobo also does not support downloading audiobooks from libraries using Libby). The app also allows users to manage their accounts and use multiple library cards simultaneously. Currently, the app is only available for PocketBook Era Color, but it is promised to become available for the entire PocketBook e-reader and e-notes lineup soon.

Amazon has launched Kindle Translate, a machine translation service for authors using Kindle Direct Publishing. Currently, the service only translates texts from English to Spanish and from German to English. Language support will expand over time. Of course, artificial intelligence isn't perfect, meaning it can introduce errors. To address this, Amazon allows authors to review translations before publishing. Unless an author is simply using the service to expedite the translation of their work into another language they speak, this AI-powered review won't be of much use; a human translator will still be needed to ensure maximum accuracy. Readers will see AI-translated works clearly labeled "Kindle Translate." Kindle Translate will compete with many other AI-powered translation services and tools on the market.

Bigme has released two new budget e-paper smartphones: Hibreak S BW and Hibeak S Color. Both are priced under $300, which makes them ideal for those looking to save money while still getting a fully featured phone running Android 14. The 5.84-inch E Ink display makes reading very comfortable. Built-in camera + OCR allows to easily convert paper materials into e-books with adjusted font size. This feature can be useful for students and professionals who often have to quickly read and understand handouts. The built-in 3300 mAh battery provides long battery life.

Popular library organizer software Alfa Ebooks Manager has added very interesting feature (as for desktop software) - full-text search, i.e. you can now search through all your book texts from a central search-form. It's quite useful for teachers, scientists, engineers and all other knowledge workers that want to source information from multiple books in their field. To enable full-text search in Alfa you need first add books to Index. You have 4 options depending on your needs: add all books by one click (but this may take a lot of time if you have thousands of books); using File Parser you can select needed books and add them to the Index; in the Scan you can check the box "Index Files" and add all new books to the Index; or add books to the Index manually one by one from the book card.

Eazeye unveiled Paper 2.0, an eInk tablet that combines ereader, photo frame with built-in voice-activated AI for note-taking, real-time transcription and simple Q&A. The developers promise privacy at both the hardware and software levels. Paper 2 features a 10.3-inch reflective LCD display with a resolution of 1920 × 1440 pixels. A backlit display allows to read in the dark. The tablet is powered by a 6000 mAh battery, which provides approximately 67 hours of reading time with the backlight off. Paper 2 runs the Android operating system and supports apps from Google Play. The included stylus allows to take notes, handwriting and editing PDFs. The device, stylus and flip case are available for approximately $379.99.

Onyx Boox has unveiled the international version of its supercompact e-reader Palma 2 Pro. It features 6.13-inch E-Ink display with warm or cool light, that allows comfortably read even at night. The device has a fingerprint-reading power button, volume and page-turn buttons and a smart button. Key strengths are Android 15 as operating system and full access to the Google Play Store, hybrid slot for SD or SIM cards. Palma 2 Pro supports the Inksense stylus for taking notes or editing PDFs. A USB-C port is used for charging and data transfer. The device is powered by a 3950 mAh battery and its dimensions power it are 159 x 80 x 8.8 mm and it weighs 175 g. The price is $400