Technology

TL;DR: Live stream France vs. Croatia in the UEFA Nations League for free on TF1+. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Croatia stunned France in the first leg of their UEFA Nations League quarter final, winning 2-0 at home. But it's not over yet. France will still believe that they can turn things around in the second leg.

If you want to watch France vs. Croatia in the UEFA Nations League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is France vs. Croatia?

France vs. Croatia in the UEFA Nations League kicks off at 7:45 p.m. GMT on March 23. This fixture takes place at the Stade de France.

How to watch France vs. Croatia for free

France vs. Croatia in the UEFA Nations League is available to live stream for free on TF1+.

TF1+ is geo-restricted to France, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in France, meaning you can access free live streams on TF1+ from anywhere in the world.

Access a free live stream of France vs. Croatia by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in France

4. Visit TF1+

5. Live stream France vs. Croatia for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (2-Year Subscription + 4 Months Free) $139 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch France vs. Croatia in the UEFA Nations League without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select UEFA Nations League fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for TF1?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on TF1+, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including France

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra three months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream France vs. Croatia in the UEFA Nations League for free with ExpressVPN.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 23 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 23 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: In stitches

The words are related to creating or fixing something.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are different ways you might use a needle and thread.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is NeedleWork.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for March 23

• Crochet

• Patch

• Mend

• Darn

• Embroider

• Knit

• Baste

• NeedleWork

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Guards and forwards

• Green: Mascots near San Francisco

• Blue: Cities with universities from the same conference

• Purple: Share the same first name

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: First words in basketball positions

• Green: Bay Area teams, in singular form

• Blue: SEC cities

• Purple: David _________

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #181 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• First words in basketball positions - POINT, POWER, SHOOTING, SMALL

• Bay Area teams, in singular form - GIANT, SHARK, VALKYRIE, WARRIOR

• SEC cities - AUBURN, AUSTIN, NORMAN, TUSCALOOSA

• David ________ - BECKHAM, MONTGOMERY, ORTIZ, ROBINSON

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

More mature.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

RIPER

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To uplift.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 23, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

BOOST

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A gathering place for a meal.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 23 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 23, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

TABLE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Killed.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for March 23 Hurdle Word 4 answer

SLAIN

Final Hurdle hint

An unpleasant sound made while asleep.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

SNORE

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for March 23 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: To fascinate someone

• Green: Things with extensions

• Blue: Adjectives to describe a timepiece

• Purple: Words in a popular children's handgame

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Captivate

• Green: Things with wings

• Blue: Words that modify "watch"

• Purple: Words repeated in "Miss Mary Mack"

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #648 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Captivate: ABSORB, ENTRANCE, GRAB, RIVET

• Things with wings: AIRPLANE, FAIRY, FLY, HOSPITAL

• Words that modify "watch": POCKET, SMART, STOP, WRIST

• Words repeated in "Miss Mary Mack": BACK, BLACK, BUTTONS, MACK

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 23

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Google is expanding its Play Games app for PCs to include Android games and games made specifically for PCs. The goal is to compete with well-known platforms like Steam by supporting all native PC games, providing tools for developers to make in-app purchases easier and more secure, and offering up to 15% back on earnings.

A Linux terminal does a few things, but mainly, it shows line after line of text. While that isn’t exactly the first thing you’d think would make great use of your GPU, these terminals can harness that power in some interesting ways.

Believe it or not, some gamers prefer Macs to PCs for gaming. Thanks to Apple’s M-series chips and various software enhancements, macOS has significantly improved its gaming capabilities, making it an increasingly viable option.

Looking to add some non-English films to your Netflix watchlist but don't know where to start? These Netflix Originals are some of the most popular and watched films the platform has to offer, spanning different genres and languages.

You might want to become familiar with the Taco Bell mobile app.

That's because parent company Yum! Brands are rolling out an AI chatbot that you'll use to order at the drive-thru at 500 Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC locations in the second quarter of 2025, according to a company press release. The tech, which was developed in partnership with Nvidia, allegedly "enables a more natural, seamless ordering experience" through the use of a conversational chatbot that "adapts to human speech patterns," among other things.

SEE ALSO: TikTok removes AI 'chubby' filter after body-shaming criticism

At first glance, it's unclear how this is different from the AI drive-thru ordering that has been available at some Taco Bell locations since last year. Regardless, it's clear that chain restaurants are moving in this direction, at least for the time being.

Wendy's recently committed to a similar initiative, while McDonald's experimented with it (poorly) last year. It's true that human employees can and often do misinterpret orders, especially through the crackly speakers of a drive-thru, but it's very easy to imagine AI messing up orders in new and surprising ways that humans could never dream of.

However, you can order ahead in the mobile app and not have to deal with this at all, if you want to.

Ah, social media—the place to check in on old friends without the awkward small talk. But have you ever tried changing a privacy setting? It’s like trying to navigate a labyrinth of menus and submenus. What if I told you that this is intentional?

The British science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke famously said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Go back in time 500 years and show them your smartphone, and you'd probably be burned at the stake for being a witch. Even 100 years ago, the things your phone can do would have blown people's minds.

A long time ago, in smartphones that looked very different, there were SD card slots for expanding storage. That’s a long-lost feature, but it’s still surprisingly easy to use external physical storage with your iPhone or Android phone.

Monster Hunter Wilds has exploded onto the scene, reminding people that hunting gigantic beasts can be a lot of fun—both on your own and as part of a group.

Selling, gifting, or throwing out your PC? You need to wipe it first. Not doing so risks someone getting to the data on it and potentially using it to gain access to your online banking accounts, or just to snoop on your private photos.

If your personal media collection is growing, both Plex and Emby will serve you well. While they ultimately serve the same purpose, the two have several defining traits that make one more useful than the other.

One of 2025's biggest video game surprises might be getting the film treatment.

Variety reported that the media company Story Kitchen is shopping the rights for a movie adaptation of Hazelight Studios' Split Fiction. The game, which launched just a few weeks ago at the beginning of March, has been a smash hit, selling two million copies in its first week on the market. There are no named directors, writers, or actors attached to the project yet, so hold your horses on getting too excited, but at the very least, it sounds like Hollywood studios are interested.

SEE ALSO: 'Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition' review: A forgotten classic is back with a vengeance

Split Fiction is a co-op action-adventure game starring two women who get trapped in virtual worlds modeled after stories they've written as part of an evil plot by a big corporation to steal their work. The game has been critically acclaimed for its clever use of split-screen co-op gameplay, though critics have also pointed out weaknesses in Split Fiction's writing. That's an interesting combination of properties for a game that's being adapted to film. One has to wonder how the most compelling part of the game would translate to a motion picture.

As always, take announcements like this with a grain of salt. Movie adaptations of video games are announced all the time, but many never come to pass. A Metal Gear Solid movie starring Oscar Isaac has been "in the works" for a long time, with no meaningful updates on its progress in years. A studio buying the rights to something doesn't necessarily mean it's going to get made.

Still, this is a sign, if nothing else, that original IPs can still succeed in the world of video games.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Saturday, March 22, 2025:

AcrossAuction offer

• The answer is Bid.

Side of a diamond

• The answer is Facet.

School subject that anagrams to A GARBLE, fittingly

• The answer is Algebra.

Apple laptop

• The answer is Macbook.

U.S. city that's home to 71 streets with "Peachtree" in their names

• The answer is Atlanta.

Wikipedia.org and weather.com

• The answer is Sites.

Higher ed degree

• The answer is PHD.

DownOne way of resealing tortilla chips

• The answer is Bag clip.

Athlete's frigid recovery treatment

• The answer is Ice bath.

Prepared to eat, as a fish

• The answer is Deboned.

Shoes without heels

• The answer is Flats.

Brings (out)

• The answer is Trots.

Physicians' grp.

• The answer is AMA.

Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar ___ Cardi B

• The answer is AKA.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Mini Crossword.

It may come as a shock that the depths of Earth's oceans are more alien to scientists than the surface of the moon, 240,000 miles away in space.

But it's true: With cameras and sensors, spacecraft have mapped lunar landscape features over the decades. Meanwhile, charting the ocean floor has presented its own daunting challenges. The intense water pressure found deep in the abyss can crush most equipment, and the seafloor is essentially hidden from view under miles upon miles of water, which absorbs light and becomes opaque. That makes direct observations especially difficult. 

A new effort using data from a NASA-led satellite is helping to change that, providing one of the most detailed maps of the bottom of the world's oceans ever created. The SWOT satellite, short for Surface Water and Ocean Topography, is a collaboration between NASA and its French counterpart, the Centre National d'Études Spatiales. 

"This satellite is a huge jump in our ability to map the seafloor," said David Sandwell, a geophysicist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, in a statement. 

SEE ALSO: Scientists found huge beaches on Mars likely from a long gone ocean This global map of the ocean floor is based on data from NASA's SWOT satellite. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Launched in December 2022, the satellite actually was built to measure water height across the planet’s oceans, lakes, and rivers. Though not designed for seafloor mapping, scientists have found its advanced technology can help them estimate the size and shape of structures underwater more precisely.

Scientists of many disciplines say knowing what's down there is important. Maps help ships navigate around safety hazards and guide engineers in laying underwater communication cables. They also play a role in studying deep-sea currents, tides, and the movements of Earth’s tectonic plates, those massive puzzle pieces of Earth’s crust that shift over millions of years. 

Experts have been working on mapping the ocean floor with traditional methods, sending ships across the water with sonar technology — sound waves that bounce off the bottom — to measure depth. But the process has moved at a snail's pace: Ships can only cover small areas at a time, leaving much of the ocean uncharted. 

That slow progress means scientists may not meet their goal of having a complete seabed map by 2030. 

Though satellites are swarming in low-Earth orbit, most have a resolution that isn’t as good as sonar. But the new data from SWOT is about twice as detailed as older satellite maps, making it easier to see previously unknown features. A new SWOT-based seafloor map was published in the journal Science in December. 

NASA created an animation, posted above,  of some of the new information revealed in the SWOT data, including in regions off Mexico, South America, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Purple areas highlight lower regions around higher underwater elevations, shown in green. 

The satellite’s new type of radar technology has allowed it to detect seamounts less than half the size of those previously mapped, potentially increasing the number of known seamounts from 44,000 to 100,000. These underwater mountains affect ocean currents and can create nutrient-rich areas that attract marine life.

"We won’t get the full ship-based mapping done by" 2030, Sandwell said. "But SWOT will help us fill it in."

Here's how the technology works: The satellite detects tiny changes in the height of the water. Rather than a glass-like sheet all around the globe, the sea is uneven. Submerged mountains and other geological features with more mass than their surroundings cause bumps due to slightly stronger gravitational pulls. Those slight variations can be measured with SWOT's instruments. The satellite sweeps over 90 percent of the planet as it orbits every 21 days.

The SWOT satellite sweeps over 90 percent of the planet as it orbits every 21 days. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / CNES / Thales Alenia Space illustration

SWOT apparently collected more detailed data than 30 years’ worth of older satellite missions in just one year, according to the Science paper. The new map has a resolution of about 5 miles, meaning scientists are detecting things that eluded them in the past.

The clarity has allowed scientists to detect underwater ridges known as "abyssal hills," carved in long rows by slow tectonic shifts. They're the most common topographical feature on Earth, covering about 70 percent of the ocean floor — whose water, by the way, covers about 70 percent of the planet. Because they're smaller than seamounts, past satellites have struggled to find them.

The enhanced maps could lead to new geological discoveries, such as locating active underwater volcanoes and previously unknown fault lines. There could even be rediscoveries of lost ancient lands that weren't always hidden by water. 

And there's something in it for astrobiologists, too. Many researchers have posited that the chemistry needed to start life on this planet began at mid-ocean ridges, where tectonic plates have moved apart. This activity sometimes creates hydrothermal vents, a key environment of superheated water, rich in minerals. SWOT data may help scientists pinpoint new underwater hot springs for future study, which could help scientists better understand the recipe for life, perhaps even beyond Earth.

I see you, annotators — the readers with color-coded highlighting systems and tabs sticking out of every book. Going digital with an e-reader might not seem like it's for you, but with all the advancements in the market, things are changing. I've seen it all, from the most basic Kindle to a color e-reader and now the Kindle Scribe.

Launched in late 2024, Amazon debuted the next generation of the Kindle Scribe. It's the largest in the brand's lineup and the only model that comes with a pen and the ability to write. I'd spent time with the previous generation of Scribe, so I wanted to see how Amazon improved the device. Unfortunately... it wasn't much.

Here's what I think about the Kindle Scribe and if it's worth it.

Kindle Scribe price and specs Putting the original Kindle Scribe (left) head to head with the 2024 Kindle Scribe (right). Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The 2024 Kindle Scribe is the same size as the previous generation but features a redesigned screen with even borders surrounding the screen.

These are the full specs for the 2024 Kindle Scribe:

• 10.2-inch display, up to 94 nits brightness, and 300 ppi resolution

• USB-C charging port with up to 12 weeks of battery life

• Starts at 16GB of storage, with 32GB and 64GB options available

• Premium pen included

• Comes in tungsten (dark gray) and metallic jade

• Not waterproof

All the perks of a Kindle e-reader, plus annotation Jotting down my thoughts on the Kindle Scribe... on the Kindle Scribe. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

Kindles are great e-readers — our favorite, in fact. So, it's no surprise that the Kindle Scribe has the same possibilities. You can access books through the Kindle Store or Libby. Like all Kindles, there's seamless Libby integration to make it easy to read your library books.

But it has something other Kindles don't, the ability to annotate. With an included stylus (called the "premium pen"), you can write using the notebook feature as a digital notebook. Plus, this latest generation of Kindle Scribe allows you to annotate within the margins of books. I used it to annotate long PDFs, write notes in the margins, and handwrite line edits. Once I was done, I could send the annotated document from the Kindle to my email so I could easily send it back to my colleague.

When not in use, the premium pen magnetically attaches to the Kindle Scribe, keeping it within reach.

It's the slowest e-reader in the line-up

While it offers the same ability as other Kindles to read through a vast array of books, it is noticeably slower than other models in Amazon's line-up. When Amazon announced the new generation of Kindles in late 2024, the Kindle, Paperwhite, and Paperwhite Signature Edition were all touted as the brand's fastest devices, which they certainly are.

While the Kindle Scribe's displays have been redesigned, its processor has not been updated. The Scribe often lags when starting to wake up or switching between journals and books. I also noticed some pauses when turning pages, something I never experience on other Kindles. This is especially disappointing considering the price, which is more than double that of the Paperwhite.

It's nice to write on, but the displays will ghost you After switching to the notebook section of the Kindle, you can still see book covers from my library bleeding through the screen. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

When it comes to annotating and writing on a Kindle Scribe, I love the tactile feel. The anti-glare screen and premium pen of the Kindle Scribe have a texture that emulates the feeling of writing with pen and paper. It's much different and preferential to the slippery texture of writing on an iPad with an Apple Pencil.

However, while the display has a nice feel, it suffers from a ghosting issue. The back end of the premium pen works as an eraser, so you can flip it over when you want to erase some notes. However, a shadow of your erased writing really lingers. When I exited the notebook I had erased, the shadow lingered even as I opened a new book and tried to read.

It's more expensive than an iPad

The Kindle Scribe is not a tablet. It's an e-reader with the ability to write. Why am I noting this? Because it's certainly priced like a tablet. The Kindle Scribe starts at $399.99 for the 16GB model and tops out at $449.99 for the 64GB model. Considering the recently launched 11th generation iPad with 128GB of storage starts at $349.99, the Kindle Scribe is a terrible value.

A tablet, like an iPad, has so many capabilities, like browsing social media and the web, streaming video, gaming, drawing, and even reading, with access to the Kindle app, Apple Books, and even Libby on there. Meanwhile, you're limited to just reading or writing on a Scribe — no streaming, gaming, or more. If you're looking for a distraction-free reader, maybe that's a draw. But otherwise, it's just too expensive.

Is the Kindle Scribe worth it? Kindles are usually great e-readers, but the Scribe doesn't live up to the rest of the line-up. Credit: Samantha Mangino

There's only one specific circumstance I imagine the Kindle Scribe is worth. If you're an avid annotator and want a distraction-free e-reader, the Kindle Scribe is great. It allows you to write notes in the margins of e-books or annotate PDFs, which you can then view on your computer.

But otherwise, if you're excited by the idea of an e-reader you can annotate on, look elsewhere. For $399.99, the Kindle Scribe isn't worth it with its meager performance and screen ghosting issues.

If you want an e-reader that you can annotate with, check out the Kobo Libra Colour, which costs $229.99. The Libra Colour is $170 less than the base model Kindle Scribe and comes with twice the storage. Or, if you want to spend your money on something that can do more than just read and write, swing for the iPad 11th generation, which is $349.99 — still $50 cheaper than the Scribe.

Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) $399.99 at Amazon
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