Today is the release date for the new Kindle Scribe 2, and Amazon has released a software update for the first Kindle Scribe that adds the new software features they’re advertising for the Scribe 2.
The new software version is 5.17.2, and it’s the biggest update that Amazon has released for the Kindle Scribe in a long time.
It adds the ability 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 notes. The sticky note option is still available as well to add 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 to write notes between lines of text.
They also made it so you can turn freehand highlights into nice and tidy straightened highlights, and you can now use underlines instead of highlights if you prefer.
They added new features to the Notebook app as well. There’s a new AI feature that can summarize your notes and help refine your writing. The refine option can turn your sloppy handwriting into nice, clean script. There are four font types, with options for sizing and line spacing. I tested it with one of my notebooks and it looks really nice, and it did a good job of translating my haphazard writing—surprisingly, all the words were correct.
You can download the 5.17.2 update from the Kindle Software Updates page at Amazon. Or you can wait for the update to install on its own at some point. People are always asking why the update isn’t being detected on their Kindle from the software update option from the Kindle’s main settings menu, but that’s just how they designed it to work; the update option from the settings menu isn’t meant to trigger updates when tapping on it unless the update is already downloaded to your Kindle.
FYI, Amazon still calls the new Kindle Scribe a 1st gen model because they changed so little. So far they only have one download option on the Kindle updates page. Who knows if they’ll add a different link for the new model like they did with the 2024 Kindle or if they’ll just use the same link for both.
Here’s the release notes for the new update:
Version 5.17.2 – December 2024
Here’s what’s new:
Annotation Features in Books: You can now create richer annotations in eBooks with enhanced typesetting and Word documents. Draw highlights and underlines that automatically snap to neatened annotations, or create a canvas by writing on the page or inserting one from the writing toolbar.
AI Notebook Tools: You can now recap your notes with the new notebook summarization feature, or refine your writing, converting your handwritten words into a script font for a more elegant look.
Performance improvements, bug fixes, and other general enhancements.
I would say the “new” Scribe is actually just new colour option, isn’t it? Because it looks like nothing else changed. The improved pen can work with the older version as well… So I expect the software to be the same for both even in the future as it is the same device. I mean maybe the reviews will show some differences but I doubt it.
I am really excited about this update. I don’t know how much I’ll use the Active Canvas (although I do think that’s the best way to take notes within text, if you may be reading on different devices), but I’ll definitely use the rest of the features.
Beside an In-Notebook search function, I would like the option to replace the current hand written page/notebook with the Revised Page/Notebook, instead of only being able to tack in on at the Front or Back of the notebook.