Amazon recently announced a significant update to its Kindle e-reader lineup, introducing a new model with a color display for the first time. Since the Kindle’s initial release in 2007, the devices have featured black-and-white screens. The latest model, named the Kindle Colorsoft, is equipped with a display that maintains clear, vibrant colors even when users zoom in on images. Priced at $279, the Kindle Colorsoft is now available for preorder and is set to begin shipping on October 30.
Additionally, Amazon has unveiled several other updates to its Kindle lineup. This includes a refreshed Kindle Scribe, priced at $399, which now incorporates enhanced note-taking features. The company also introduced an updated Kindle Paperwhite at $159 and announced the 12th generation Kindle, available for $109. During a press event in New York, Panos Panay, Amazon’s devices chief, described these updates as the “largest single refresh that the Kindle lineup has ever had.”
The Kindle Scribe, launched in 2022, includes a pen that allows users to jot down notes, create to-do lists, and write directly on book pages. The new feature, Active Canvas, enables note-taking directly on e-book pages, with the text automatically adjusting to accommodate the notes. Users can also annotate in the margins and hide their notes for later reference.
A novel addition to the Kindle Scribe is its integration of generative artificial intelligence to summarize note pages into a concise list. This feature is powered by Bedrock, a software tool that gives access to large language models from Amazon and other companies, including Anthropic and Stability AI. Preorders for the Scribe are open now, with shipments starting on December 4.
The newly updated Kindle Paperwhite offers improved speed and a larger 7-inch display, compared to the previous model’s 6.8 inches. Meanwhile, the 12th generation Kindle is touted as Amazon’s most compact e-reader yet, featuring a brighter display. Both models became available starting Wednesday.
