Amazon just pushed the Kindle Scribe into productivity device territory. Starting February 12th, the company's rolling out Send to Alexa Plus, a feature that pipes your handwritten notes and documents straight into its Alexa Plus AI assistant. The system can then summarize your scribbles, generate to-do lists, create calendar events, or help you brainstorm—turning the e-ink tablet into something closer to a digital assistant than just an e-reader with note-taking tacked on.
Amazon is making a play to reposition its Kindle Scribe lineup as legitimate productivity devices. The new Send to Alexa Plus feature, launching today for both the Kindle Scribe and the color-enabled Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, bridges the gap between analog note-taking and digital task management in a way the company hasn't attempted before.
Here's how it works: you take notes on the Scribe's e-ink display or import PDF documents, then send them to Amazon's AI-powered Alexa Plus assistant. The AI processes your handwriting or document text and can generate summaries, extract action items into to-do lists, create calendar events, set reminders, or even help you brainstorm next steps. It's Amazon's answer to the growing demand for devices that blur the line between consumption and creation.
The Verge's Sheena Vasani spent about a day testing the feature, primarily for caregiving tasks. Her verdict? It works best when you need to digest information into something actionable. The AI accurately summarized both handwritten notes and PDF documents, though she noted some limitations that Amazon will likely need to address as users push the system harder.
This launch matters because it represents a strategic shift for Amazon's hardware division. The Kindle Scribe debuted as an e-reader with note-taking capabilities—a hedge against the reMarkable and other digital paper tablets eating into Amazon's reading ecosystem. But Send to Alexa Plus transforms the device's value proposition entirely. You're no longer just marking up books or jotting down thoughts. You're feeding an AI system that can turn those inputs into structured, actionable data.
