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My hand is cramping. Its not carpal tunnel or some other dubious reason thats causing the pain. Its an analog ache that is oddly satisfying in a nostalgic way. In the last few days, Ive held a pen and written more words for a much longer time than I have ever done in years. As I pushed myself to handwrite large parts of this review to spend more time with the 2024 Kindle Scribes stylus and note-taking tools, I started to feel a sensation I hadnt remembered since my teens. I often feel the urge to jot down thoughts and lists, but I never really wanted to spend longer than 15 minutes writing. And yet, Amazons new AI features for the Kindle Scribe seem to cater more to those who labor over essays or missives that they ultimately need to share with others. The Summarize and Refine tools for your notebooks, for example, can shorten and neaten up your scrawl so, I guess, you can send it to another person to read. Thats it, really. The other improvements to the Scribes writing experience are for scribbling on books, which Ill get to in a bit. Editors note: Due to the Thanksgiving holidays in the US, we haven't had the time to test every element of the Kindle Scribe 2, so we won't be assigning a review score. With that said, the product is already on sale, so we wanted to give our initial impressions and are publishing a review in progress. We will update the story with a score and more impressions once we're satisfied that we've understood all of its strengths and weaknesses. Whats changed on the new Kindle Scribe As I said earlier, most of whats new on the Kindle Scribe is internal. On the outside, Amazon did tweak the bezels not in actual size but in colors, so that theres a white rectangle surrounding the screen, within a teal green column on the side. If you opted for the tungsten version, then instead of teal green youll see dark gray. I love the new color, but its a bit confusing and makes me think the grippable area is narrower than before when in fact, its about the same. Still, this is a small complaint, if that, and one that is mostly mitigated by how fresh the new version looks. The other main change is on the Premium Pen, which now has a rubberized top for its faux eraser. Ive always appreciated how easy this was to use on the original Kindle Scribe, and Im happy to report that the updated texture doesnt get in the way of responsiveness. It certainly feels enough like erasers of my youth that every now and then I find myself subconsciously swiping away phantom dust. I will point out, though, that I had to remind myself to use the eraser on a few occasions, since I was more accustomed to simply striking out a mistake with the pen. The new Premium Pen also has a customizable shortcut button so long-pressing it can activate the highlighter, pen, marker, pencil, eraser, canvas or sticky note. Drawing on books on the new Kindle Scribe Finally, in addition to the two AI-related tools I already mentioned, Amazon also updated how you can write on ebooks. As I described in my hands-on in October, the new Active Canvas feature makes it so that once you put your pen on the page, a box will appear to contain your writing. Compared to the clunky implementation on the older model, which required you to first go to the floating toolbar on the left of every page, select the sticky note feature and then write in it, this seemed a huge improvement. In my testing so far, though, this was less impressive. The software was buggy in my experience. On one occasion, I drew a spiral over the words We had a good yarn about old times in an Agatha Christie novel. A translucent box appeared, containing my drawing in a layer above the text, with a check mark and cross at the top. Youre supposed to tap the check, which will cause the box to fully solidify and the rest of the pages words will rearrange themselves to make room. However, when I hit X by accident, the box didnt go away, and I was able to continue to add doodles all over the screen. When I flipped to a different part of the book and came back, though, it disappeared, only to reappear later when I was trying to underline something. Thats clearly just a bug, and when executed as intended, Active Canvas does work. You can resize the box, and lines will continue to reflow to make room or snap back into place. The boxes will stay where you left them, instead of disappearing under a little tag the way they did with the original Scribe. Its a slight improvement, and though I cant yet imagine how Id use it in real life, its nice to know its there. I do have to point out a couple of caveats, though. This doesnt work on samples you can tell whether the Active Canvas is supported by checking if the floating toolbox is present. The other issue, which is a bigger one, is that Active Canvas can sometimes be triggered even when youre just trying to underline something. Drawing lines under or on text will generate underlines, which will be indexed by Amazon the same way highlights are, so you can easily find them again later on. Cherlynn Low for Engadget Its pretty annoying when youre trying to underline some text and the words jump away to make room for a box you never wanted to appear. It gets even more frustrating when, due to the lag, you have to wait for seconds for the box to go away after you tap the X on top of it. Worse, that bug I mentioned earlier caused the spiral and other doodles I had drawn to show up where I was trying to underline words. Thankfully, I was able to delete that when it reappeared and had no more phantom boxes. These little hiccups would be less of a problem if Amazon werent already behind itscompetitors. Similar products from companies like Kobo already offer better support for writing on books, where you can circle specific words and the drawing will stay in place (though this is wonky if you resize the text afterwards). I understand that Amazon has to manage the resizability of its content, to support people who often change up font sizes while reading. There needs to be a better way. One might be coming. At the Kindles launch event, the company did preview a collapsible margins feature, which lets you scribble in the column on either side of every book. Importantly, youll be able to resize these columns and the space in them can scroll vertically, giving you plenty of room to cram in your musings. Sadly, this feature is only going to be available in early 2025, so I wasnt able to test it out. Its also worth noting that the original Kindle Scribe, which continues to retail for $340, will be getting the Active Canvas and generative AI features, as well as the collapsible margin when that arrives. Generative AI features on the new Kindle Scribe Where things feel more finished is in Notebooks, where Amazon has had to contend with fewer limitations. This section contains your lists, jotpads and works of art. Like you could on the original, you can select from a variety of backgrounds like lines, a dot grid or even planner or calendar views. Its here that youll find the new Summarize and Refine tools, by tapping on the sparkles icon on the top menu bar. Selecting either Summarize or Refine writing will bring up the option to work Amazons magic on the page youre on or the entire notebook. After you decide, the Kindle will get to work, using cloud-based processing to generate either a summary of your words or a tidied up version of your chicken scratch. This usually took about 10 to 15 seconds, depending on the length of the source material. Once a result is returned, youll also get the option to customize the font and line spacing, as well as the ability to add it to the end or beginning of your notebook. Screenshots / Engadget I was surprised to see the Scribe make sense of a disorganized plan I made for reviews coverage that involved some lists with three in a row up top, two at the bottom and three lining the right side. The Refine tool accurately laid them out in sequential order, giving me a list of lists starting with the one I had in the top left position and ending with the tiny one titled OSes that I had squeezed in below iPads at the bottom right. The summary it returned for this example was also decent, and in all the other notes I tested I saw largely accurate results. Any mistake the system made felt reasonable, since I have horrible handwriting. Its not really the Scribes fault that it thought I wrote Addly when really I just had an extremely malformed n and a barely legible g at the end of Adding. When I did make an effort to write more neatly, the Scribe was more accurate, but that almost feels like it defeats the purpose. If Im going to try to write better for the AI so it can make my handwriting neater for others to read, then how is that different from making a greater effort for humans? As competent as the generative AI features here have been, I still remain hesitant to call them useful. Im not the sort of person that likes writing long enough to need AI summarization (to that end, youll need to have at least 25 words on a page to qualify for Summarize). I also dont generally share my handwritten thoughts with other people, though on the extremely rare occasion that I do, I could see Refine being a good start. Screenshots / Engadget The problem is that Refine isnt always accurate, and its generated result isnt editable. If I could go in and correct Addly, then I might not mind sending that document to my team. Or if that were the only mistake in the refined writing, I could share the note and tell my friends to ignore the one error. But Id have to write a whole new appendix just to clarify the mistakes, at which point I might as well type up my original thoughts. Neither Refine nor Summarize are groundbreaking new features in generative AI or even note-taking, either. Apple offers a version of Refine on the new iPadOS, while Summarize is something weve seen all over products from Google, Apple, OpenAI, Samsung and more. While I respect that Amazon has largely avoided chasing hype with its adoption of generative AI on the Kindle Scribe, I need more time and testing to better understand how useful it might be in the long run. What I like about the Kindle Scribe 2 so far As I did with the original, I do like the Scribe a lot. It offers a smooth, convenient writing experience in a svelte, relatively light package thats just 0.22 inches thick and weighs 433 grams (0.95 pounds). None of those dimensions have changed in the second-gen model, though the 10.2-inch screen somehow seemed sharper to me, despite having the same brightness and pixel density. Reading on such a roomy canvas is a joy, although I prefer to take the Paperwhite on the go since its a lot easier on my wrist. That expanse can be helpful for those with visual impairments that might need a much larger font, for example. Ive also liked doodling on PDFs and write-on books. The latter is a category of titles in the Kindle store that are formatted so you can doodle directly on them. I borrowed a couple of these through my Kindle Unlimited subscription, and had a blast solving cryptography and Sudoku puzzles. I did see some promising books in this category, like interactive or hyperlinked planners, but the customer reviews for those put me off. There is a lot of potential in that space, though, that could make the Kindle Scribe far more useful. I just wish Amazon would invest more in the format and make a notebook you can write on that would also work with your phones calendar or reminders app and seamlessly integrate what you write on your planner into your digital universe. What I dont like about the Kindle Scribe 2 Alas, that is not a reality. And the reality is that there are quite a lot of things Amazon could stand to improve. While I can understand that finding a way to keep a loose stylus attached to a tablet is challenging, the magnetic edge that the Premium Pen can latch onto is just a precarious approach. I was walking into my apartment with the Kindle Scribe in my hand and jostled the door by accident. Two seconds later, I was wondering where the stylus had gone. It was on the floor, and when I picked it up, I noticed the nib was slanted. I didnt know if I had damaged it, and though it still worked well, I eventually saw some scratches on the Scribes screen that I suspect might not have been there had the pen not dropped due toa light knock against a doorframe. The company does include some replacement nibs in the box, so fixing this is fairly easy. Cherlynn Low for Engadget I also really wish Amazons Notebooks were more versatile. Theyre better than they were with the original Scribe, but you still cant edit them in the mobile Kindle app. You can view your Notebooks there, which is nice, but its slightly annoying that theyre listed in alphabetical order instead of based on whats recently been opened like they are on the Kindle. Amazon rates the new and original Scribes as having the same battery life that is, up to three weeks if you write for about half an hour a day, and up to 12 weeks if you read for that same amount of time. In my review of the older model, I saw battery numbers drop 35 percent in about a week with lots of writing and testing. With the new Kindle Scribe, the power level is currently at 21 percent after coming out of the box at 50 percent just a couple of days ago. I have been testing its AI, writing and annotating features pretty relentlessly in that time, and usually see the percentage fall one or two points whenever I generate an AI summary or refinement, too. Ill need much more time to get a better sense of how the new Kindle Scribes battery holds up under more normalized use, but if it behaves like its predecessor, I shouldnt need to charge it more than once every couple of months. Wrap-up Amazons new Kindle Scribe has a lot of competition from companies like Kobo, Boox and reMarkable. And with a price of $399, the new Scribe is a whopping $60 costlier than its predecessor, which will also get a lot of the new software updates. To be fair, the new Scribe comes with a Premium Pen for the price, while the cheaper model only includes a Basic Pen, so youre partially paying more for a better stylus. While I do like the new color option and slightly improved annotation capabilities, Im not sure Amazon has done enough to justify the additional cost here. Id much rather see the company focus its efforts on improving its Notebook syncing and mobile editing software, as well as investing in innovating on the write-on book format, than chase the generative AI trend. No matter how much restraint its exercised in doing so.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/kindle-scribe-2-review-in-progress-is-slightly-useful-ai-worth-the-extra-cash-140018638.html?src=rss
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Ubisoft's first-person shooter XDefiant, which launched less than six months ago with some success, will shut down on June 3, 2025. As part of that, the studio will close three production studios and lay off 277 employees. New downloads, player registrations, and purchases will no longer be available starting today, However, Season 3 will launch as planned and servers will remain online until June 3. Players who purchased the Ultimate Founders Pack or bought anything in the last 30 days will automatically receive full refunds within eight weeks. "Despite an encouraging start, the team's passionate work, and a committed fan base, we've not been able to attract and retain enough players in the long run to compete at the level we aim for in the very demanding free-to-play FPS market," said Ubisoft's chief studios and portfolio officer Marie-Sophie de Waubert. Ubisoft confirmed that it will close its Osaka and San Francisco studios while ramping down its Sydney site. That will result in the loss of 277 jobs, or just over half of XDefiant's team, with the other half transitioning to other parts of the company. "I want to express my deepest gratitude for your work and contributions. Please know that we are committed to supporting you during this transition," de Waubert told departing employees. At one time, XDefiant was Ubisoft's fastest growing game ever, hitting 5 million users sooner than any of its other titles and eventually counting up to 15 million players. However, it couldn't build on that success and last month, rumors began to circulate that XDefiant would be shut down. "The game is too far away from reaching the results required to enable further significant investment," de Waubert said yesterday. Ubisoft has been going through a rough patch of late. The company recently cancelled The Division: Heartland before it launched and delayed Assassin's Creed Shadows until Valentine's Day 2025, following a disappointing launch for Star Wars Outlaws. Last year, the company cancelled three unannounced projects and commenced a restructuring program that led to over a thousand layoffs.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-is-giving-up-on-xdefiant-130023396.html?src=rss
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There's a chill in the air, lights have been strung through the trees and winter coats are a daily need. All this can only mean one thing: it's Spotify Wrapped season. Today, Spotify Wrapped begins rolling out to users across the globe with a slew of new features powered by Google's AI-powered NotebookLM. To be honest, some of it is, let's say, interesting. Notably, Spotify is releasing a My Wrapped AI Podcast with two hosts discussing all your listening preferences for the year. These hosts in question are powered by the same technology that NotebookLM uses to make audio overviews. The podcasts should last three to six minutes, are shareable and available for free and premium users in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland and Sweden for a limited time. If you love listening to AI then maybe this is exciting for you but, personally, I'm happy with my usual roundup. Spotify does caveat that it might not "provide a comprehensive overview" and could mispronounce words or use inappropriate language if its in a song title, for example. Then there's the AI DJ, which brings you through the music you listened to and provides commentary. Yes, this sounds a bit like the AI podcast, but it should focus more on the actual music and how you used the DJ. It should also touch on aspects like your top artists and most listened to songs. However, this feature and a wrapped version of Spotify's AI Playlist are only available to premium subscribers. As always, you can also see how your listening choices measure up against other users. Spoiler that's not really a spoiler: Taylor Swift and her album The Tortured Poet's Department took the most streamed spots for artist and album, respectively, both in the US and globally. Women took the top five spots for most streamed albums globally, while Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter held the title of most streamed song for the US and world. Other categories of interest include the top podcasts and most viral songs, plus one interesting addition: audiobooks. Spotify has leaned heavily into audiobooks this year, rolling out a subscription solely for the medium and new tools like a sleep timer and detailed author pages. So, it's no surprise that the platform has released its first ever year-end top charts for audiobooks. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas was the top audiobook for premium users in both the US and globally a near inevitably for anyone paying even a little attention to book trends this year. Also new this year: Authors will join creators, artists, podcasters and advertisers in receiving a Wrapped all about how their readers listened to their books in 2024. As always, Spotify Wrapped is shaping up to be a bit cringe (as many new AI creations are) and the usual burst of fun. You can explore these features and more on your Spotify Wrapped or, if this has all been irrelevant to you, maybe on the just announced Amazon Music Delivered or through Apple Music Replay.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-wrapped-2024-includes-ai-hosted-podcasts-discussing-your-listening-habits-130002140.html?src=rss
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