Amazon has rolled out software update 5.20.1, bringing a wave of exciting new features to third-generation Kindle Scribe e-notebooks and all Kindle devices released from 2024 forward.
Kindle Scribe owners will especially appreciate the standout addition: voice dictation. Now, you can simply tap the microphone icon on your keyboard and speak to type, making it effortless to dictate text for searches, annotations, or naming your notebooks.
What is included in update 5.20.1?
This feature is perfect if you love taking notes
This update also takes annotation to the next level, allowing you to add handwritten sticky notes to fixed-layout eBooks and personal documents. Access the sticky note tool from the writing toolbar or by highlighting text to open the action menu—just remember to create a notebook first so the tool appears. It also seems to include Bluetooth drivers needed for the brand-new Kindle Click Bluetooth page-turner — a new official Kindle accessory that’s basically an compact Bluetooth remote for page turning—ideal for reading under the covers, on a treadmill, or on a tray table during a flight. Compatible with all new Kindle devices, as well as any Kindle model from 2024 or later.
Alongside the software update and Kindle Click, Amazon recently announced three new Kindle models. The all-new Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, and Kindle Colorsoft are thinner and lighter with a new display stack and seamless edge-to-edge color across the lineup.
I’m particularly interested in the all-new 6-inch Kindle, the most pocket-sized Kindle ever made. With 16GB of storage, up to 6 weeks of battery life, and 30% faster book opening than the previous release, it is lighter and features a new seamless flush-front design. This follows a recent trend I’ve noticed of e-reders getting smaller and lighter.
Here’s how to get set up
To set up dictation, open any text field and tap the microphone icon on the on-screen keyboard, then start speaking and your words will be displayed as text.
To create a notebook for handwritten notes, go to the main menu, select ‘Notebooks,’ tap the plus icon, and choose a template to create a new notebook; after it’s created, the sticky note tool will appear in your writing toolbar.
To use the Bluetooth page-turner on the Kindle Click: open the Settings menu, choose ‘Bluetooth Devices’ and make sure that Bluetooth is turned on. Press and hold the button on the Kindle Click until it enters pairing mode, then select it from the list of available devices to connect.
As with most major firmware updates, version 5.20.1 also brings behind-the-scenes performance boosts, bug fixes, and overall system enhancements to keep your Kindle running smoothly. With this, and the latest Goodreads update to its rating system, it’s a great time to be a reader. Let me know in the comments what you’re reading lately.