Amazon announces the Kindle Scribe - 10.2" Kindle with stylus support

[WillAdams]

The AAAA battery in the stylus for my Toshiba Encore 2 Write 10 has a similar life --- it is a real pain getting a fresh battery for it, and it's simply not something I see worth tolerating, when a battery-free option is available.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The best feature is NO BUTTONS!

Only if you don't want them.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by WillAdams

The AAAA battery in the stylus for my Toshiba Encore 2 Write 10 has a similar life --- it is a real pain getting a fresh battery for it, and it's simply not something I see worth tolerating, when a battery-free option is available.

Certain makes of Alkaline only 9V mini power pack have 6 x cells similar enough to AAAA in them, just be careful of polarity. The retail cells have a fake bump at plus (+) end. The internal cells are flat at (+) and have a nub at the (-) minus end. Tear apart leaving jumper strips on the flat (+) end and fold to make a bump. The more expensive Alkaline packs use 6 stacked rounded oblong cells. The really cheap carbon packs use stacked carbon-like biscuit cells (layer cells).

But most bargain shops here sell AAAA, often in a €2 pack with 12V mini battery for doorbells and keyfobs (though keys often use a coin cell now). Widely available cheap online. Just don't waste money on Duracell or Energiser.

HOWEVER I think I read that the Kindle Scribe doesn't use a battery in the stylus; some sort of Wacom EMR system.

[WillAdams]

Yes, it's a pain buying AAAAs.

Correct, the Kindle Scribe doesn't use batteries in the stylus, since it's Wacom EMR, and there's not Bluetooth pairing --- that's why I pre-ordered the device.

Some further thoughts on this:

- curious if the stylus is compatible w/ the current generation of Wacom EMR
- surprised no one has mentioned putting maps on this for hiking --- seems a good fit --- are there any Bluetooth GPS units?
- has Amazon published precise device dimensions/CAD files? Saw the first third-party sleeve and a case on Etsy and wondering who else will make them and what other features will be offered.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by WillAdams

- surprised no one has mentioned putting maps on this for hiking --- seems a good fit --- are there any Bluetooth GPS units?

Seems kind of large for hiking.

Besides, I've been assuming this will run a kindle OS, which requires softwre installed to be signed by amazon. Why do you expect to be able to install apps or amazon to supply a hiking app or nebo (whatever that is)?

I bought a bluetooth GPS years ago. I don't know whether phones have killed them off or not.

[MGlitch]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Seems kind of large for hiking.

Besides, I've been assuming this will run a kindle OS, which requires softwre installed to be signed by amazon. Why do you expect to be able to install apps or amazon to supply a hiking app or nebo (whatever that is)?

I bought a bluetooth GPS years ago. I don't know whether phones have killed them off or not.

I'm inclined to agree, it'd be a bit large for hiking. Though if/when it's jailbroken, a hiking app could be installed. Of course without wifi/cell signal that would be rather limited. Smartphones and tablets would offer better image, better tracking, and with the battery cases or portable usb battery rechargers out there they're just a better option.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by MGlitch

I'm inclined to agree, it'd be a bit large for hiking. Though if/when it's jailbroken, a hiking app could be installed. Of course without wifi/cell signal that would be rather limited. Smartphones and tablets would offer better image, better tracking, and with the battery cases or portable usb battery rechargers out there they're just a better option.

A lot of hiking gets done in areas without cell service, much less wifi. That's where offline maps, which predate online maps, come in. Many eink ereaders have plenty of storage space for maps. The attraction of eink for hiking maps is sunlight readability and low battery usage. Dedicated handheld GPS are fine, but the screens tend to be small and also can't be used to read books at the end of the day.

Almost 10 years ago there was a (failed) crowd funded project to make a 6" eink screen tablet with GPS, walkie talkie, and solar cells.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=213065

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

A lot of hiking gets done in areas without cell service, much less wifi. That's where offline maps, which predate online maps, come in. Many eink ereaders have plenty of storage space for maps. The attraction of eink for hiking maps is sunlight readability and low battery usage. Dedicated handheld GPS are fine, but the screens tend to be small and also can't be used to read books at the end of the day.

Almost 10 years ago there was a (failed) crowd funded project to make a 6" eink screen tablet with GPS, walkie talkie, and solar cells.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=213065

I use my Unihertz Jelly2 smartphone as a GPS/Glonass/Beidou receiver and connect it via Bluetooth to my Boox Poke 2 in A2 mode, which runs OsmAnd+ with monthly map updates.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Seems kind of large for hiking.

Besides, I've been assuming this will run a kindle OS, which requires softwre installed to be signed by amazon. Why do you expect to be able to install apps or amazon to supply a hiking app or nebo (whatever that is)?

I bought a bluetooth GPS years ago. I don't know whether phones have killed them off or not.

No, a traditional map case is actually maybe about 10". A phone is too small. I too have a BT GPS and also a TTL serial port GPS. Not used either for over 10 years and I never use GPS on the phone. I know where my house is

You don't actually need a GPS if you have good maps and know how to use them unless you are abducted and dropped off somewhere. You do need a navigator in a car because you can't be looking at printed, eink or GPS maps while actually driving. That's why the dashboard ones have a GPS and voice prompts as they are more navigation aids than useful maps, so one of those car dash units made portable are rubbish for hiking. They are orientated to giving driving directions on a road when driving (or I suppose possibly cycling).

You don't need annotation for maps on eink and 7.8" or more would do, but the black, white and 14 grey levels make using a real map hard, as I've used a photocopy on occasion and that is terrible compared to colour. I've used maps on laptop with a GPS but the screen resolution even on a 133 dpi 15" 4:3 screen is poor compared to a folded paper map in an approximately 10" map case.
There are no 300 dpi colour eink. Using a 300 dpi panel you either get 200 x 200 dpi or 300 x 100 dpi. On a OLED or LCD screen the subpixel colour addressing is only used to increase text sharpness in one direction, not for images (Cleartype etc).

Unless it's running the custom Android of the Fire it's not going to allow apps.

[WillAdams]

Some information from another forum, where a participant knows a person who has been testing and has access to Amazon staff:

https://forum.tabletpc.review/t/pen-...-scribe/968/27

>It is NOT pressure sensitive and all versions of the Scribe have the same digitizer.
>
>Apparently that’s done due to the materials used in the screen including the anti-glare layer.
>
>It does have decently low latency, 9ms, though not quite what Samsung hit with
>the s22 ultra which does however use some special software to achieve that.
>
>Also it is running a “customized device specific” version of Fire OS 8.
>Fire OS 8 is based on Android 11 builds.
>
>Last but not least IT WILL NOT allow 3rd party apps, at least at launch,
>though Amazon is considering it for future updates.

My thought on maps was that in the absence of 3rd party support, it would be useful to just load images of the USGS maps --- I like to keep track of which trails I've hiked at a given park or conservation area and paper maps get pretty grimy after a couple of trips.

A remaining question is if the stylus from a Kindle Scribe can be used on other Wacom EMR devices --- if so, which ones/what generation. As I noted in the past, Wacom has made non-pressure-sensitive styluses/digitizers, but it was possible to use the non-pressure-sensitive stylus (usually described as a "signature" stylus) on a pressure-sensitive digitizer (where it yielded a full pressure line).

[j.p.s]

So it's actually a Fire tablet instead of a Kindle.

[WillAdams]

E-ink display arguably makes it a Kindle, and that's the nomenclature the manufacturer has chosen.

Curious which apps will potentially work well on it once 3rd party apps are opened up.

[j.p.s]

amazon is excellent at confusing nomenclature.

[jhowell]

There was a Chinese version of Kindle that used an Android based OS and automatically ran a Kindle app that looked more like the regular Kindle UI than the Fire app. The Fire OS UI was not present. I wonder if the Scribe will work that way.

[Spinningwoman]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Only if you don't want them.

Now that Kindles all have Bluetooth for sound, I wish they would also allow the use of a Bluetooth page turner. I like to sit outside reading and once it becomes chilly, a page turned in my pocket is preferable to either buttons or tapping.