Kindle Scribe (16 GB) the first Kindle for reading, writing, journaling and sketching - with a 10.2” 300 ppi Paperwhite display, includes Basic Pen +3 months of Kindle Unlimited (with auto-renewal)

I ordered this one as soon as it was announced and hadn't really realized how short on functionality it was going to ship with, but I'm still extremely happy with it so far.First up, it's a very nice Kindle device and is amazing for reading my books on. I adore the screen on it, and it's very snappy and responsive to navigate and write on. The screen size is also wonderful for reading on for my nearly 50 year old eyes that have somehow slipped into reminding me of my age by needing multi-focal lenses. One thing on this front that I miss from my Oasis is the buttons on the margin for page flipping. Those are nice on that device, although I don't hate that they're missing from this one, I just kind of wish they were there. Another thing I'm a little annoyed with is no 4G or 5G built in. I'll live without it and tethering isn't hard these days, but it's an annoyance that didn't need to exist on at least the top end models.I love the writing experience on the device, too. It's not smooth as glass like my iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil, it's much more like writing on paper. But it has a similar quick response to writing input that makes it feel pretty natural and not artificial or annoying, so Amazon have worked that part out well.The functionality is very basic at this point, which is probably the most negative aspect of the device. But it's actually SO basic that I have few doubts that this isn't in the pipeline to be addressed in software updates over the next several months. I would suggest not gambling on that if the cost is prohibitive to you because you should always make your purchase decisions on what you actually get when you buy, and not based on future promises or a naive belief that what you want will be delivered at any point. I can afford to live with my device as is, and it'll still meet the needs of why I bought it, just not optimally, if they don't add what I consider the missing functionality to it. That's not going to be true for everyone.The hardware they've used does support everything needed for all the additional features that I suspect Amazon is planning to add, if they've fully implemented it in the hardware, and at this price point, I believe they have, but I don't know it for sure.Things I think it's missing are:Pressure sensitivity for the penA wider array of writing tools (drawing tools primarily)Stroke based storage instead of converting strokes to pixelsAbility to zoom in and out of notes and drawingsHandwriting recognitionRelated to handwriting recognition, the ability to search note contentsMore organization options for notesPerhaps a second app to segment writing from drawing functions, but this isn't a want, just a speculation on how they may approach some of these features if they add themBetter Kindle integration - like having notes automatically sync to other Kindle devices and apps on other devices, more robust sharing options and integrating with other products like Office apps or drawing exports, etc.Ways to mark up a book with the pen beyond just the current sticky notes. This is a complicated ask because of the way ebooks are formatted, but it isn't unsolvable.My hope is that they are responsive to customer feedback and this becomes the premier Kindle e-ink device, and that they add this functionality to the current devices rather than milking them by only adding them to newer models. It seems more likely that they'll add most or all of the functionality to these devices, because otherwise they'd create a massive amount of customer backlash that they'd have to needlessly overcome, and that just isn't logical or necessary, so I think we'll see at least some of these features added over the coming several months to a year or two.

There is only one con: it's not waterproof. It's 2025, why isn't waterproof technology the industry standard?? Anywho.This is hands down the single best purchase I have ever made. I've been dreaming of this ever since 1999 when I won a Game Boy off a Mountain Dew bottle top at a Thunder Skate USA facility. It came with a game called Wave Rider. It was because of that infuriating game that I realized my true nature- I'm a nerdy book worm to the core. Why couldn't this game be a book? The Kindle Scribe is a childhood dream come true!My favorite feature of this device is the notebooks. I have journaled since I was 8 years old. I'm now 35. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to keep nosy noses from rifling through your most private paper thoughts? I do. I had taken to burning my journals after filling them up. No need to literally hang on to my mind garbage. I have always had too many thoughts taking up space in my head, creating the need to jot them down and make them go away.Now, with the Scribe, I can click a button and the brain baggage is instantly destroyed. No more wasting paper (the poor trees!) No more searching (and stealing!) perfect pen to write with. The Scribe comes with the perfect pen! A forever pen! I got the basic pen. A basic pen for a basic... you know.The fountain pen feature is revolutionary! I've been "perfecting" my penmanship for decades and still write little better than a chicken's left foot. Woe is me and any who have to read my scratch. No more! The best part is that the ink never runs out, it always writes perfectly smooth.I also love how big this Kindle is. I'm blind as a butt in blue jeans, so this size is a huge plus for me. With my OG Kindle, setting the font to large yielded only a few sentences per page making me feel like I was back in pre school learning to read. No more!Other bonuses-I had signed up for a free month of Kindle Unlimited before ordering the Scribe. When I did order, it came with THREE months of free KU! A total of FOUR FREE MONTHS! But it got better. I ordered an OG Kindle for my mom (who is not as blind as a butt in blue jeans) and it came with another THREE MONTHS OF FREE KU! A grand total SEVEN MONTHS OF FREE KU! I was over the moon!I had also found it on sale (January of 2024) for $270. I put an $80 dollar gift card toward it and it brought my total down to $204! Woohoo! I ordered a fancy flippy pink adjustable magnetic cover for it separately.I am in love with this device. Never have issues with battery life or charging.I will say this though; I think the Scribe was marketed to the wrong demographic. I abhor writing on books, highlighting, dog-earing, and otherwise desecrating books, so I don't give a hoot in a hay storm about the sticky notes debacle other reviewers take issue with.I use this for pure entertainment purposes; sometimes I switch from reading to simply scribbling my brains out for the fun of it. Seriously.I have no idea if this is a good buy for work related tasks and I don't care. It's perfect for keeping track of what the one year old is eating, doodle notebooks for the nine year old, and reading and scribbling until there's drool pooling and crusting at the corners of my mouth for me.Like I said, it's a childhood dream come true!The only way I'd come off my Scribe is if they made a new one that is waterproof. Which reminds me- I got the software update of the new one! Thanks amazon!Seriously, best 200 bucks I've ever spent. A year of daily use and zero complaints (except the waterproof issue- grr *shakes fist*.)I can't recommend this enough. This is THE Cadillac of reading/ writing toys for adults!