This week is a mix of familiar frustration, some genuinely sensible software decisions from Amazon, a new tablet that’s trying very hard to look like it belongs in E-ink territory, and a quieter iPadOS update that’s more about dependability than spectacle.
Still No Kindle Scribe in the UK
Here in the UK, we’re still completely in the dark when it comes to launch dates for the new Kindle Scribe models, particularly the Scribe Colorsoft. What’s slightly comforting, in a shared-misery kind of way, is that even in the US Amazon is still dragging its feet with one of the new Scribe variants. The front-light-free model, which is meant to be the cheapest entry point into Amazon’s E-ink note-taking ecosystem, still hasn’t properly landed.
On paper, I understand why this model exists. Remove the front light, lower the price, and suddenly the Scribe looks more appealing to students or people working almost entirely in bright environments. But personally, I couldn’t use a device like this. Lighting conditions are never as predictable as you think. Early mornings, evenings, winter light in the UK, cafés, trains — all of that matters. For me, a front light isn’t a luxury. It’s essential.
That’s subjective, of course, and I’d be genuinely interested to know whether others feel the same way or couldn’t care less. But I do wonder whether Amazon is overestimating how many people are happy to live without it.
Kindle Software Updates Coming
While the hardware situation continues to stall, Amazon does at least seem to be making smarter moves on the software side. One of the more welcome changes is the arrival of system-wide dark mode on the Scribe Colorsoft. It’s something users (in the U.S. at least) have been asking for since launch, and for a device built around long reading and writing sessions, it really should have been there from day one.
More importantly, these improvements aren’t limited to the newest devices. Older Kindle Scribe models are set to receive the newer home screen, Google Drive and OneDrive integration, and even selected AI features that were introduced with the 2025 Scribe. If you’re still using a 2022 or 2024 Scribe, you’re not being abandoned. Some of the headline features are making their way down the line, which is exactly how this should work.
Innovative AI Features
Across the wider Kindle range, Amazon is also rolling out new AI-powered reading tools. One is called ‘Story So Far’, which offers a quick recap if you return to a book after a break, without spoiling what comes next. Another, ‘Ask This Book’, lets you highlight passages and ask questions about characters or scenes, again without revealing future plot points.
Amazon says these features should arrive early this year, and if you’re using the Kindle app on iOS, you may already have access to them. That all sounds encouraging, although if you live outside the US it’s hard not to feel a little cautious. Amazon’s track record with feature parity isn’t great, and UK users are still waiting on security and smart-home features from Amazon Echo devices that U.S. customers have had for quite a while now. Maybe that’s bitterness talking, but experience suggests it’s worth tempering expectations.
Interestingly, one of the most meaningful Kindle changes this week has nothing to do with AI at all.
DRM-free Books on a Kindle?
From January 20th, 2026, Amazon will allow DRM-free books to be downloaded in EPUB or PDF format. That’s a big deal if you manage your library on a computer or use tools like Calibre, because it makes moving books between devices far simpler. I don’t personally do this, but if you do, this is a genuinely useful shift.
This only applies to DRM-free titles, so it won’t cover most mainstream Kindle books. But for independent authors who choose to go DRM-free, and readers who support them, this is real progress. Considering Amazon started 2025 by removing the “Download and Transfer via USB” option, it’s refreshing to see 2026 begin with the company giving a little ground back, even if it’s limited.
Note A1 Nxtpaper - a Kindle Scribe Colorsoft Killer?
All of this does raise an awkward question, though. With the Scribe Colorsoft still unavailable in the UK, is this even the tablet I should be waiting for?
TCL has just revealed a new device called the Note A1 Nxtpaper, and while the tablet itself isn’t especially remarkable, the display is. This is the first TCL device to use what it calls Nxtpaper Pure technology, and it pushes right up against E-ink territory.
This isn’t E-ink however and that’s ann important to be clear about. Instead, it’s a full-colour display with an anti-glare, anti-reflection, anti-fingerprint finish, designed to feel and look far closer to paper than a typical LCD tablet. The goal is to reduce eye strain while keeping colour depth and responsiveness intact. It’s why some people are already talking about it as a potential alternative to colour E-ink devices.
Where Amazon’s colour Kindles rely on Kaleido technology, which can only display colours in the thousands, Nxtpaper Pure works with a full 16.7 million colours. Visually, especially in black and white, it can resemble a Kindle screen reasonably well, but the underlying technology is completely different.
Unlike Kindle devices, which are tightly focused on reading and writing, the Note A1 runs Android with TCL’s own software layer. That brings stylus tools, AI features, live translation, and all the usual tablet tricks.
The result is a device that’s trying to be everything at once: tablet, e-reader, sketchpad, organiser, and even a light laptop replacement. For some people, that flexibility will be exactly what they want. For others, especially those who value how distraction-free Kindles are, it may feel like too much.
TCL will be showing the Note A1 Nxtpaper at CES 2026, which is when we’ll see whether this is just another clever display experiment or a genuine challenge to Amazon’s colour E-ink direction.
iPadOS 26.3 Public Beta
To round things off, there’s also been some quieter movement in the iPad world. Apple has started rolling out the public beta of iPadOS 26.3, and this is very much a refinement release. The focus is on security, system stability, and under-the-hood improvements rather than headline features.
One particularly interesting change hasn’t really been advertised at all. Buried inside recent versions of iPadOS and macOS is a new Wi-Fi performance feature that appears to improve bandwidth between supported iPads and Macs. There’s no toggle in Settings and no marketing push, but the result is better wireless performance, especially on busy networks.
If you use an iPad as a main device, syncing files, working in the cloud, or transferring media, these small improvements matter. They don’t grab attention, but they make daily use feel more dependable, which is arguably far more important.
That’s all folks!
If you’ve spotted any other E-Ink or iPad stories I’ve missed, I’d love to hear about them. Leave a comment or email me directly at markfromthespark@gmail.com, and I’ll consider it for the next edition.
And as always, if you’d like to support my online endeavours you can either become a paid Substack subscriber or buy me a digital coffee – link below:
Connect with me: X | Instagram | Threads
Subscribe to my YouTube channel: The Spark
Buy stuff: Affiliate Page
