Amazon has kicked off its latest hardware refresh with a double headline act: the company’s first-ever Kindle Scribe with colour support and a long-awaited upgrade to its voice assistant, now called Alexa Plus. Being a Kindle fan, this is one of the most exciting news. But, before diving into Kindles, it’s worth talking about Alexa. Amazon’s virtual helper has long been accused of being stuck in the past, struggling to keep up with Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri. Now, with Alexa Plus, the company promises an assistant that feels less like a robot and more like a conversation partner.
In early access, Alexa Plus already shows off new “agentic” skills. Link it to your Uber, OpenTable or Ticketmaster account, and you can ask it to book you a ride, make dinner reservations, or even grab tickets for a gig. You can also get it to remember details for later, whether that’s a friend’s birthday or your Wi-Fi password, and create smart home routines using natural voice commands.
Perhaps the most refreshing change is that you no longer need to “speak Alexa” to get things done. Instead of memorising specific phrasing, you can talk casually, and Alexa Plus will figure it out. That shift alone might be the breakthrough Amazon needs to put its assistant back in the spotlight. The upgraded assistant will come preloaded on new Echo speakers and Fire TV devices, all of which are already available for pre-order. Some Echo models are expected to ship in October. For now, Alexa Plus remains US-only under its early access programme, but Amazon hints at wider rollouts in the coming year.
Kindle Scribe goes colour
Now, onto the main act for book lovers. Amazon’s Kindle Scribe lineup has been completely refreshed, with the star of the show being the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, a model that finally lets readers and note-takers use colour. This marks the first time a Kindle has moved beyond the classic greyscale E Ink experience.
According to Amazon, the Colorsoft display technology is designed to be softer on the eyes than traditional LCD panels. Users will be able to highlight text in multiple colours, sketch with different digital pens, or add shading to illustrations. It’s not aiming to be a tablet replacement, but rather an evolution of the Kindle philosophy: distraction-free reading with a splash of creativity.
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