Amazon’s 2026 Kindle refresh brings new Kindle, Paperwhite, and Colorsoft models with different prices, displays, battery life, and features.

The post Amazon’s New Kindle Lineup Compared: Kindle vs Paperwhite vs Colorsoft appeared first on TechRepublic.

Kindles once let your thumb turn pages, but physical buttons disappeared from most of Amazon’s newer readers. That might not seem like a big loss until you’re holding a Kindle and trying not to disturb your comfortable grip. Amazon’s Kindle Click remote and Page Turn Cover offer two ways to bring that familiar press back, without adding buttons to the Kindle itself.

Of the two, Kindle Click makes the most sense when the device isn’t in your hands at all. Prop your Kindle on a pillow or a stand, pull a blanket over your shoulders, and the next page is a button press away. Other e-reader brands, including Boox, have already explored remotes, but Amazon’s Bluetooth version works without clipping a mechanical gadget onto the screen.

Designer: Amazon

The $34.99 Kindle Click has two large, tactile buttons for moving forward or back, with smaller controls on the side for changing the screen brightness. Press both side buttons to put the Kindle to sleep, or change which main button turns forward in the settings. Its rounded body fits either hand, and a woven wrist lanyard keeps it nearby when you get up.

There’s still a little maintenance involved. Amazon says the rechargeable battery lasts for weeks, but the USB-C cable and adapter aren’t included. More importantly, Kindle Click only pairs with models released in 2024 or later. That leaves out plenty of readers who might want it most, including owners of the 2022 Kindle and 11th-generation Paperwhite. At least it doesn’t demand a particular cover.

The Page Turn Cover takes the opposite approach. Instead of leaving the Kindle propped up, you hold it like any other folio-covered reader, with page-turn buttons built into the case. Fold the front back flat, and those controls remain part of your grip. The cover attaches magnetically and uses pogo pins to connect, so there’s no separate battery, Bluetooth pairing, or charging routine.

That simplicity carries through to the materials. The cover opens and closes to wake or sleep the Kindle, while a microfiber lining sits against the screen. Amazon says its plant-based leather contains more than 70% renewable biomaterials, with polyurethane making up the remainder. Graphite, Seaglass Green, and Fig offer three different looks, and both the cover and compatible Kindles carry an IPX8 water-resistance rating.

But the buttons come with a rather narrow invitation. The $79.99 cover fits only the 2026 Paperwhite Signature Edition and Colorsoft Signature Edition, so older Kindles and the standard models are out. That’s a considerable price for something that won’t fit most Kindles already in use. If you prefer reading without a case, the extra layer might also feel like an awkward trade.

Amazon hasn’t put physical page-turn buttons back on the readers themselves, and that distinction matters. The remote keeps your hand warm under the blanket while the Kindle stays put; the cover gives your thumb somewhere familiar to land when you’re holding it. Neither approach will suit every Kindle owner, but it’s nice to choose where the buttons belong instead of reaching for the screen again.

The post Amazon Gave Kindles Their Missing Buttons Back, as Accessories first appeared on Yanko Design.

I’m the kind of person who can set down my keys, turn around, and immediately forget where they went. Wallets, earbuds, and bags have a way of disappearing at the least convenient moment, too. A smart tracker can spare you a frantic search, but only if its battery is working and its location can still be found. That makes battery life and the ability to locate an item beyond your phone’s immediate range just as important as a good-looking design.

Designed by Samsung, the Galaxy SmartTag3 aims to address those everyday frustrations in a smaller package. Its rounded, nearly square shape gives it a clean look, while its reduced size should make it less noticeable on the things you carry. That matters more than it might seem. A tracker attached to a set of keys needs to be easy to live with every day, not just useful on the rare occasion those keys go missing.

Design: Samsung

The change in shape also raises a practical question: how will you attach it to your belongings? Samsung offers a silicone case with an integrated keyring and a loop case, giving users different ways to secure the tracker to keys or a bag. The smoother outline may look better on its own, but anyone buying one for their keys should consider which attachment will work best.

Samsung says the SmartTag3 is 35% smaller by volume and 33% lighter than its predecessor. It also retains an IP67 rating, indicating resistance to dust and water under specified test conditions. That offers reassurance if the tag gets caught in the rain, though it does not mean the device is waterproof in every situation.

Battery life may be the more meaningful upgrade for anyone who has discovered a dead tracker while looking for a lost item. Samsung says the SmartTag3 can run for up to 550 days under standard usage or up to 790 days in Power Saving Mode. Those figures are based on Samsung’s testing, not a promise that every user will get the same result. Still, a tracker that needs attention less often is less likely to let you down because you forgot to check its battery.

Finding something nearby should be easier, too. Compass View uses Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding to provide distance and directional guidance from up to 60 meters away, about three times farther than on the previous model, according to Samsung. It could help you narrow down where to look before you’re close enough to spot the missing item. Compass View is not available on iOS.

The other finding features are intended to help in different situations. If you leave a tagged bag behind, a Left Behind Alert could prompt you to go back for it, although that feature is also unavailable on iOS. Place Notification is designed to alert you when a tagged item enters or leaves an area you define. Location History and Movement Detection Alert may provide additional clues about where an item has been or whether it has moved. Together, these tools could help you notice a problem sooner and narrow down where to look.

Lost Mode addresses a different problem: helping someone return an item they find. With a compatible phone, a finder can scan the tag using NFC to see the contact information or short message you have registered. That could be useful for a bag left at a café or luggage separated from you during a trip. When an item is beyond your phone’s range, however, location updates depend on nearby participating Galaxy devices. The SmartTag3 should not be treated as a continuous, real-time GPS tracker.

The SmartTag3’s appeal is the combination of a compact design, long claimed battery life, and features that help at several stages of a search. It cannot prevent you from leaving your keys behind, and its alerts will not replace paying attention to your belongings. But if it helps you catch a forgotten bag before you get home, or gives you a useful clue when something disappears, it has done what a well-designed tracker should: made a small, stressful problem easier to manage.

The post Samsung’s SmartTag3 Refuses to Die at 790 Days Battery Life first appeared on Yanko Design.