Kindle Scribe gets new features

Amazon is addressing the problem of limited note-taking features with the release of firmware updates.

Amazon released another Kindle Scribe update (firmware version 5.16.1.3), adding four features. Below is the list of the features announced in the update:

1. An overview function displays notebook pages for quick navigation. The quick navigation feature also adds the ability to insert, move or delete full pages. In the previous update, there was no notebook overview – instead, navigating between pages was done by entering the page to jump to.

2. Displaying e-book pages in two columns in landscape mode.

3. Contrast adjustment for wirelessly transferred PDF documents.

4. Windows users can send documents within Microsoft Word directly to Kindle Scribe. Word documents will support written notes on the page of a document and the insertion of sticky notes.

Amazon also announced in an email sent to Kindle Scribe users that it would soon release an update to support a lasso selection tool to circle sections or words to cut and paste them in another location. Amazon will also support the conversion of handwritten notes to text:

Simply circle around a word or paragraph to move, cut, paste and scale your notes. Convert to text feature. Convert, edit and send your handwritten notes to yourself, friends or colleagues.

Amazon is enhancing its note-taking software to match features supported by other e-notes. After the last two updates and with the release of the lasso tool and text conversion, Kindle Scribe will meet the needs of most users.

However, there is no mention of enhancing PDF support. Making the PDF software consistent between wirelessly transferred and side-loaded documents is necessary. Other PDF features needed to make Kindle Scribe a well-rounded productivity E Ink tablet include:

• The locking of the zoom level when using pinch-to-zoom to enable tapping to navigate between pages.  

• The implementation of zoom-to-width and zoom-to-height and different cropping features.

• Support for text reflow.

• The syncing of PDF documents like e-books to include handwritten notes, annotations and highlights.

• The ability to generate notebooks from handwritten sticky notes, annotations and highlights.

• Amazon needs to fix a software glitch that inverts the background of some PDF documents to black. Due to the inversion, handwritten notes do not appear (the problem exists with wirelessly transferred PDF documents).

The focus on note-taking in previous and upcoming updates indicates that the issue of limited PDF functionality is here to stay. Unfortunately, the neglect of PDF software is not limited to Amazon and includes other e-note vendors (for example, Huawei, reMarkable and Kobo).