Firmware Update New Kindle Scribe Software Update

[nathanwj]

Active Canvas is here! Also of note-- there is a different update for the 2022 scribe and the 2024 scribe. The active canvas feature works great!

Version 5.17.3 – January 2025

Here's what's new:

Side Panel Margin: You can now open a side panel margin to write notes in eBooks with enhanced typesetting and Word documents. Choose between docked or overlay settings, and tap the caret to adjust its width.

Performance improvements, bug fixes, and other general enhancements.

[Frogm4n]

Active Canvas came in with 5.17.2. This update adds the Side Panel Margin feature.

[nathanwj]

Yes, you're right-- got the names confused. I think it's technically called "Extended margins" after some research.

[axu2]

Is there any way to turn off that new side panel icon? I just want to read.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by axu2

Is there any way to turn off that new side panel icon? I just want to read.

It seems there is not. It remains even if you Hide Writing Toolbar. I think Hide Writing toolbar should also hide the extended margin icon.

The main benefits of this feature are that you can 1) create longer sticky notes, and (once these longer sticky notes are created, you can scroll them in the popup note editor and make edits to what's viewable, but you cannot expand them) 2) view all handwritten or text notes that are on the current page in the extended margin, edit/delete them, or create new ones.

Extended margin can be in 'rewflow' or 'overlay' mode (icon next to expand icon). In Overlay mode, you can't select anything (e.g. to establish insertion location for a new note), access reading options, navigate the content etc. All you can do is create/edit/delete notes.

Extended marking can be in 'narrow' or 'expanded' state. Expanded state is better for creating new notes, as otherwise you can only create narrow notes. But it doesn't allow any interaction with the displayed text (e.g. to navigate to or select an insertion point). You can select insertion point before expanding if you are in reflow mode.

If writing toolbar is hidden, you are pretty restricted in what you can do in extended margin, particularly if you have standard pen (cannot erase, change stroke type, undo). Another reason why expanded margin icon should be hidden if the writing toolbar is.

In one case (cannot reproduce) I had an existing sticky note and it did not display in expanded margin when I opened it. Tapping the note icon didn't display it. And then writing something in expanded margin corrupted the existing sticky note (overwrote it with the additional strokes).

Also when you tap on a text note in expanded margin there is a menu option to Add handwritten note (presumably at the same insertion location). But it is always disabled. Seems like a bug.

Overall it seems moderately useful, but somewhat awkward (e.g. in establishing a precise insertion point).

[Drybonz]

Yes, I also came here to find out if anyone had found a setting to hide the "margin" icon... or maybe if there is a way to roll back updates? I really just want the words of the book on my page, the way the device was when I bought it.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Drybonz

or maybe if there is a way to roll back updates?

Jailbreak, then downgrade firmware.

Threads for both are in Kindle Developers Forum

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Drybonz

Yes, I also came here to find out if anyone had found a setting to hide the "margin" icon... or maybe if there is a way to roll back updates? I really just want the words of the book on my page, the way the device was when I bought it.

It's not clear to me why it could not have just been added to the Writing toolbar, like the active canvas thing. It's another Writing related thing after all. Yes, it would then have been on side opposite of where the margin expands, but it would have been just as functional, the people who wanted to use it would find it easily, and it would not have been as distracting. And you could hide everything with the existing menu option.

I'll be sending Feedback FWIW, but assume it is likely to remain as it is. I will get used to it quickly enough.

[Drybonz]

Originally Posted by tomsem

It's not clear to me why it could not have just been added to the Writing toolbar

Yes, I completely agree... to be honest I don't even need the visual reference at all... just let me tap on the right side of screen with the pen. But yes... it could have been added to the other toolbar, or just toggle off and on with the toolbar would be fine.

[JoeC]

I agree with your comment "Yes, it would then have been on side opposite of where the margin expands, but it would have been just as functional, the people who wanted to use it would find it easily, and it would not have been as distracting".

What I find baffling is that that the "margin icon" appears to just hang there, you would have to tap on it if you wanted to know if you made a note on that page. Maybe I'm missing something.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by JoeC

What I find baffling is that that the "margin icon" appears to just hang there, you would have to tap on it if you wanted to know if you made a note on that page. Maybe I'm missing something.

You can see whether notes exist without tapping that icon. There is a small page icon that appears in the text at the point where each note is attached. You can either tap that to show that one note in a single box as was done in the previous software or use the new icon to open a larger box that covers the margin and shows several of those notes at once.

[tomsem]

The point is that nobody has claimed they prefer having the icon always there. And if it were on the Writing toolbar, nobody would complain about it not being always there since the toolbar can be hidden and minimized.

I like to think that enough people are complaining that Amazon will change it. But I am setting low expectations for it.

Kindle for iPadOS/MacOS & Windows have a visually similar way of viewing Annotations (including sticky notes on the former), but you can only add and delete Text notes with it. However it contains a full list of book annotations, so you can scroll and use it to navigate to where a given annotation is in the book. Do not know if that navigation feature would be feasible on Scribe, but in theory it would be useful.

[JoeC]

Originally Posted by jhowell

You can see whether notes exist without tapping that icon. There is a small page icon that appears in the text at the point where each note is attached. You can either tap that to show that one note in a single box as was done in the previous software or use the new icon to open a larger box that covers the margin and shows several of those notes at once.

Ahhh.... thanks!

[tomsem]

I think another improvement would be to list all annotations on a given page, more like what the iPadOS/macOS/Windows Kindle apps do.

Specifically it should show Highlights (with or without notes 'attached') so you can more easily attach notes (handwritten or text) to them. It would probably have to abbreviate them so they didn't occupy the available space. But then you could add a note directly in the expanded margin panel as you can with the aforementioned Kindle apps in their Notes panel.

As it stands, it is too easy to create notes which are more or less randomly inserted into the text such that exporting the notes will only reference a location without including any context, in the form of a phrase or sentence that's been highlighted.

But it is pretty easy to avoid this, while still being able to leverage expanded margin feature:

0) set panel state to 'overlay + wide' and close it. 'Overlay' will prevent text from reflowing when you open the panel; note that 'wide' is same width as the popup editor so there is no issue with clipping or trying to squeeze it into the narrower mode.

1) Create a handwritten note as before: select highlight, choose Note from the context menu and write something in the popup editor. If it fits into that box, you're done.

2) If you need to write more, save/close the popup editor and then open the expanded margin panel, select the note, and expand the writing area to make more space. Add the rest of the note and then close the panel.

After this, you can edit the note either in expanded margin panel or the popup editor (note will scroll in there), whichever seems preferable.

I also played with it a little in landscape 2-column. Worked better than expected.

[Tom Swift]

I, like others, came to see if there was a way to turn off this irritating icon, since I use my Scribe just for reading. As well, it doesn’t even work properly. I have to hold down the button on my pen in order to write a note. Irritating.
I hate to have to jailbreak but if Amazon doesn’t make this new change optional, I probably will have to. I don’t take notes on my Scribe; I just want to read.