ZDNET's key takeaways The Amazon Kindle Scribe is on sale for $259 for the 16GB version, or $299 when bundled with the folio case and adapter.
It combines the familiar features of the Kindle e-reader with a bright display and a suite of premium note-taking features.
The aforementioned features have a bit of a learning curve to fully take advantage of. $399.99 at Amazon $399.99 at Target $399.99 at Best Buy more buying choices
Amazon's latest Kindle Scribe can be considered a 2-in-1, as it's both a note-taking tablet and a dedicated e-reader. It does both well, and it stands out from the crowd because of how it combines these two features. Right now, all three configurations are 19% off, bringing the base 16GB version down to $325, one of the lowest prices we've seen.
The Scribe's physical form factor is sleek and light, with a thick grip that allows it to be easily held by either your right or left hand, as turning it upside down realigns the perspective. Along with its satisfying form factor is the Scribe's access to Kindle's already-massive library of e-books.
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The Kindle Scribe's standout feature, however, is its "Active Canvas," which allows you to take notes and scribble your thoughts directly onto the pages of your book -- something that resonates with me personally as an avid note-taker.
The newest Scribe comes with a pen that allows you to change your brush size and shape from a pen for margin scribbling to a highlighter if you'd rather emphasize certain parts of the text. The cool design element here is that the notes you draw with the pan exist on another "layer" than the book text, allowing you to edit what you write without messing with the text in the book.
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In practice, the active canvas appears as a blank space in between the text where you can jot down your thoughts. I can see this functionality being useful for certain texts, but it might be a bit distracting for others. I actually found that I preferred using the sticky notes function, which drops a tiny icon on the text that, when tapped, opens up a floating window with your notes that can then be closed.
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