Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is an E Ink tablet for reading and writing

theverge.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 167 posts

Re: Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is an E Ink tablet for reading and writing

#101

Post by B1FF_PSUVM »

benji_is_me wrote: post #90
anonporridge wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reMarkable would have been lovely to have during my university days. A laptop can be a source of distraction during lectures, and paper isn't as easily searchable.

I used my reMarkable 2 tablet all throughout university (I only recently graduated). Searchability is an area that e-ink tablets can surely solve, although the reMarkable's software wasn't particularly helpful in this regard (perhaps it has improved now). You can only convert 1 page at a time using their OCR and they only recently added the ability to tag documents. My favorite feature was actually simple: I don't ha…

Thanks, this is very helpful.

I recently looked for an excuse to get a reMarkable 2, and couldn't find one for me ... maybe next time I'm tempted.

Re: Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is an E Ink tablet for reading and writing

#102

Post by jmcphers »

devindotcom wrote: post #60
jmcphers wrote: post #13

I was really hoping for a Kindle with USB-C and page turning buttons; inexplicably this still does not exist.

FYI the Kobo Libra 2 is just this if you don't need the Amazon ecosystem. If you do, you're out of luck for now though.

The main reason I stick with Amazon is that it has the best integration with my local library, which is where I get 90% of my books. Like most libraries, they are OverDrive based.

I can check out a book from the library on my phone and have it appear wirelessly on my Kindle moments later. Last I checked all non-Kindle devices require you to basically download an .epub file onto your computer and then sideload it with a cable to check out a library book, which is too much hassle for something I do several times a week.

Re: Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is an E Ink tablet for reading and writing

#103

Post by jmcphers »

themadturk wrote: post #48
jmcphers wrote: post #13

I was really hoping for a Kindle with USB-C and page turning buttons; inexplicably this still does not exist.

The Oasis, with page-turn buttons, hasn't been refreshed since mid-2019; the latest Paperwhite, with USB-C port, was released two years later. I expect the next Oasis will have USB-C.

I was really hoping for a new Oasis in this announcement! I currently use a Voyage, a long-since-discontinued Kindle that was a hybrid of the Paperwhite and the Oasis, with a symmetric design and haptic page turn "buttons" on the left and right bezels.

With the arrival of the Paperwhite Signature Edition I'm wondering if Amazon is going to phase out the Oasis line entirely, just as they did with Voyage. It can't be selling that well as virtually every feature is now as good or better on the Paperwhite line.

Re: Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is an E Ink tablet for reading and writing

#104

Post by B1FF_PSUVM »

AlanYx wrote: post #74
criddell wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fujitsu Quaderno is one you can still get and is supposedly pretty good.

The current (gen 2) Quaderno A4 is really excellent and pretty inexpensive ordered from Amazon JP given current exchange rates.

I tried to look it up - https://www.amazon.co.jp/s?k=fujitsu+quaderno+a4 - and only the smaller A5 seems to be available

Re: Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is an E Ink tablet for reading and writing

#105

Post by alephxyz »

e-_pusher wrote: post #83
tiahura wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remarkable 2 doesn't have a backlight. Kobo's software is fine (mostly), but the design or manufacturing seems to be a notch below. On my Kobo the touchscreen is enragingly inaccurate. And, direct access to the Amazon library is not an insignificant advantage.

What do you mean by the kobo screen being inaccurate? Is this for the stylus of the touch itself? I was considering buying a kobo but this comment scares me a bit now.

I've had 3 kobos and never encountered touch screen issues. Just make sure not to drop it down a staircase.

Re: Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is an E Ink tablet for reading and writing

#106

Post by pedalpete »

rchaud wrote: post #7

Boox e-ink tabs do the same thing, but they're Android underneath so it's not locked down to Amazon and dependent on partnerships with Microsoft to add an export button.

My Boox is about 3 years old now. Most of my reading is done in the Kindle app, and I enjoy the writing experience, but feel there are ways that an Amazon device could provide better integration with note taking in the books I'm reading.

I'm starting to notice the battery on my Boox doesn't last as long as it used to, so I'll probably replace it with a Kindle.

I got the Ratta Heart of Metal Pen to use with my boox, and it's a really nice writing experience, and I don't have to replace tips (I found the boox tip didn't last very long). Just added a screen protector and it's been great. https://supernote.com/products/heart-of-metal-pen

Re: Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is an E Ink tablet for reading and writing

#107

Post by jawon »

cstross wrote: post #66
yamtaddle wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right—that, but stick a big e-ink display above it. USB port and bluetooth so you can use an external keyboard (though a compact attached keyboard/stand isn't a bad idea, even if it's kinda a shitty keyboard). Like this, but instead of printing your finished line to paper it "prints" to e-ink: https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzY1WDEwMjQ=/z/IA8AAOSwQ59ZZBmO/$... But, you know, not huge.

The Freewrite folks are currently doing a fundraiser on Indiegogo for Freewrite Alpha, their take on the Alphasmart concept, only using e-ink: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/freewrite-alpha-distracti... (I personally wouldn't touch one -- I need multiple lines of text in order to frame my thoughts in context, never mind that I like being able to dive online to do impromptu research as I write -- but I can see it…

Exactly this. About 7 years ago I bought a secondhand Alphasmart and started using it. I loved it for what it was but I had to stop using it because I could not see enough of what I had written.

I’m now using a Pi with a monitor in portrait mode and FocusWriter to write. It is a fantastic single purpose writing device. But I would pay money for something similar with reasonable screen real estate I could stick in a bag.

Re: Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is an E Ink tablet for reading and writing

#108

Post by ThrowawayR2 »

clint wrote: post #18
Aromasin wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait... you can't read PDF's? This seems like insanity to me? Why would they not enable such a basic and fundamental feature?

Everyone thinks they want to read a PDF on something that isn't a desktop or an A4 sheet of paper, and then they try it and realize that there are basically no PDFs that are laid-out in a way that could be feasibly consumed on such a device. In addition to that, writing heuristics to try and make it possible to unify the experience of reading any arbitrary PDF is such a quagmire/shitshow that basically no one is will…

Automatic text reflow for PDFs on e-readers have worked just fine as far back as the Sony PRS-500 from the late '00s. It wasn't anything resembling fast but it was adequate.

Re: Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is an E Ink tablet for reading and writing

#109

Post by filmgirlcw »

I have a Remarkable 2 and a Boox Note Air (the first one), so I’m definitely going to get the Scribe. I love my Oasis but this will really seal things.

I love my Boox so much. And the Remarkable has a lot of potential and is a beautifully designed device. But if anyone is going to be able to make this category more mainstream, it is Amazon. Also looking forward to the hacks that will come to it if there are enough users.

Re: Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is an E Ink tablet for reading and writing

#110

Post by filmgirlcw »

kcartlidge wrote: post #52
DennisP wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But you can strip Amazon's DRM too, so I don't see why the two platforms aren't equivalent.

For me the main difference I've found is that ebooks stripped of DRM tend to end up in EPUB form as the presumption is you're ensuring the books remain accessible on future platforms so you're going for an open and 'standard' format. At which point it's then common to tidy up things like the book metadata (eg correct the genre or add a series identifier). That in turn means the DRM-free EPUB version becomes the bette…

But once you DeDRM in Calibre, it’s literally one click to convert it to ePub. My workflow for removing DRM from all my Kindle books is literally to just use Calibre, the plugins and then convert. It takes the exact amount of time it would take for using a Kobo device.

Side-loading ePub on Kindle is now a thing btw with the personal document system. So you can literally just email files to your Kindle address.

Post reply on HN