Amazon has released a software update 5.17.2 for the first Kindle Scribe that introduces the new software features they’re promoting for the Scribe 2. It includes the capability to write notes directly on ebooks. You can write notes anywhere on the page and it will automatically reformat the page to wrap the text around your handwritten annotations. The sticky note option is still present as well to place handwritten notes outside of the page. If you don’t want to write directly over the text, you can also use the writing toolbar to add a blank section of space, which Amazon calls Canvas, to the page for writing notes between lines of text. They also made it possible to transform freehand highlights into neat, straightened highlights and you can now use underlines instead of highlights if that’s your preference. New enhancements were also added to the Notebook app, including an AI feature that can summarize your notes and help refine your writing.

DVDFab has released the BookFab AudioBook Creator - Windows program for audiobook creators that costs $59.99. The AI-powered software quickly converts text to audio files using 20 different AI voices in English and Japanese. Creators can easily correct pronunciations of difficult words and customize the text reading rules. Abbreviations in the text can also have custom spoken output associated with them. The 20 voices can have their expressivity, prosody, silence gaps and speech speed tuned for the perfect vocal performance in English or Japanese. Human voice actors can be cloned in a future update of the software. The program also allows full customization of your audio with adjustable Prosody, Expressivity and Silence settings. You are in control of the speed, loudness, etc.

Amazon Bookstore is not good at recommending interesting books. So the company has recently unveiled a new Discover tab on Kindle Unlimited service. It lists a bunch of bestsellers that you might want to download. On the main Discover page are two abs: Genre and More. Genre lists the main categories that someone might want to explore, such as mystery, romance, memoir, fantasy and science fiction. Once you select a genre, it will display several popular books, but you can also further refine your search by choosing a sub-genre. This will only show books you would enjoy in various categories. Clicking on More will allow you to filter books by starred ratings, so if you click on five stars, it will only display books where most users have rated a particular book very highly. You can also sort by popularity, which is selected by default, but sorting alphabetically is also an option.

Amazon has discreetly unveiled new capabilities for Send to Kindle for Mac. This official software package enables Macintosh users to effortlessly send PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, RTF, HTM, HTML, PNG, GIF, JPG, JPEG, BMP and EPUB files to the various Kindle 2024 models and the Kindle Scribe. There is additional functionality today, with a completely new update. It has just added support for USB file transfers and the required drivers. The USB Manager feature functions with Intel and Mac M1-M3 computers running MacOS 12. Amazon probably prepared this support documentation before the new M4 Mac Mini, iMac and other systems were revealed last week. I am confident the new Send to Kindle for Mac will accommodate M4; if you manage to get it to work, please share your thoughts below. So Mac users will no longer need to install unreliable third-party programs or drivers simply to use the USB feature to send digital content to the Kindle from a Mac system. It seems Amazon is finally providing Mac users with some focus.

The all-new Kindle Scribe 2024 merges all the advantages of Kindle with a robust note-taking gadget. It will feature mostly the same software interface existing Scribe users are familiar with but with a few notable differences. The new integrated AI-powered notebook (English-only) enables you to quickly summarize pages and notes into precise bullet points in a handwritten-style font that can be shared from the notebook section. You can also enhance your notes in a handwritten-style font so they’re clear while preserving the appearance and feel of handwriting. You can jot your thoughts directly into the book when inspiration strikes. Your note becomes part of the page and the book’s text dynamically adjusts around it—whether you increase the font size, modify the font style, or alter the book layout, the note remains visible precisely where you want it, so you never lose any meaning or context. The new stylus feels like a real pen and the new soft-tip eraser feels just like a pencil.

PocketBook has released new e-note device PocketBook Color Note with 10.3-inch Kaleido 3 display priced at $599. It uses the Mobius display technology that uses a plastic-based thin film transistor (TFT) - it's an older E Ink display technology that is rarely in use now even though it has its own advantages. Also it has reduced screen resolution. It stands at 227 PPI for B/W displays and drops down to a quite dismal 76 PPI when viewing color content (most color e-notes featuring Kaleido 3 come with 300 PPI B/W and 150 PPI for color). The new device includes mono speaker, an integrated mic and display rotation sensor. It supports text-to-speech and can recognize 6 audiobook formats and 24 e-books, comics and manga formats. It also comes with a slightly less capable 1.5 GHz quad-core CPU compared to the 2.3 GHz octa-core CPU that renders service in the InkPad Eo and has 4000 mAh battery.

The latest generation of Kindles, including the illustrious Kindle Paperwhite, the poetic Kindle Scribe 2 and 1 and the rumored Kindle Colorsoft (which may or may not be able to interpret hues you can’t even see), all share one curious trait: they no longer appear as external drives when you plug them into your PC or Mac. No, Amazon has quietly guided them away from the freedom of USB file transfer, much like a chaperone at a particularly rowdy school dance. The purpose? Probably to keep DRM in its rightful, invisible place and to discourage you from gallivanting off with files to dubious pirate websites. Meanwhile, the old guard—venerable 9th-generation Kindles and the like—still proudly show up as drives when connected, happily helping their owners sideload and backup ebooks as if this whole "new file system called MTP" business were nothing more than an annoying rumor.

Spotify is a cheeky, upstart musician in the concert hall of digital audiobooks, where giants like Audible and Storytel already hold court. Today it has taken a bold step onto the international stage, waving an audiobook flag in the direction of France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. With the subtlety of a tap dancer in a library, it’s now offering up a smorgasbord of literary voices from the likes of Gaël Faye, Maylis de Kerangal, Joël Dicker, Suzanne Vermeer and Saskia Noort—names that somehow sound better when whispered over a strong coffee. Premium subscribers in these newly inducted territories can dive into over 200,000 titles (that’s roughly one long book per day for 548 years), with a clever option to snag any elusive non-Premium titles à la carte. Meanwhile, non-subscribers are free to purchase anything they fancy, because, well, Spotify’s nothing if not accommodating.

Chinese producer Onyx has launched a new compact e-reader, Onyx Boox P6 Little White Horse. P6 has a rounded design, although the display size remains at 6.13 inches. It features 128 GB of storage, expandable to 1 TB via microSD cards. This should provide sufficient space to store all your e-books, audiobooks, or other material in one location. It operates on Android 13 and supports the installation of third-party apps. The device’s power source is the 3,950 mAh battery, which the company states is sufficient to last 30 days with 2 hours of daily use. It measures 160 × 80 × 8 mm in size, exactly the same as the Palma. One of the key features of the new P6 is the integration of an AI Smart Key on the left spine. Pressing the AI button will activate the AI assistant, which can assist with various tasks, answer your questions and allow you to share content easily.

Amazon has introduced Kindle Colorsoft - its first color e-reader. Rather than relying on the E Ink technology that powers other color e-readers, like Kobo, Amazon chose to build the entire stack in-house. Color is produced with an E Ink Kaleido color filter applied to the screen itself, combined with the front light. It’s a shift from the usual sort of backlighting we see in tablets, which is both a drain on battery and can affect sleep patterns when reading directly before bed. As with monochrome E Ink, the technology effectively generates an image that stays static until the page is refreshed. Amazon says the goal was to create colors that are gentle on the eyes, similar to print. Battery life does take a hit here, but that’s mitigated to some extent by the new oxide back pane, along with a larger battery than the one found on the Paperwhite. When not using color for things like comics and page highlights, the page maintains the same monochromatic design seen on other Kindles.