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The Weekly Spark

Mark Kelly

Weekly tech news and updates — covering tablets, E Ink devices, and the gadgets shaping how we read, write, and create.

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#46
Yesterday · 9 min
Has the iPhone Duo Killed the iPad Mini?
Apple has finally made a folding iPhone and at first glance, the new iPhone Duo looks like it could replace two devices: your standard iPhone and your iPad mini. You carry one device, unfold it when you need more room and leave the small tablet at home. Except I’m not yet convinced that it is there. In fact, after the most recent Apple event where they launched other products as well as the iPhone Duo, I have ordered the regular iPhone 18 Pro rather than the Pro Max or the Duo, and I think I may have made the more sensible choice. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#45
September 5 · 6 min
Why Won’t USB-A Just … Die?
Whenever I’m reviewing products over at my YouTube channel, The Spark!, there’s one thing that always leaves me feeling a bit disappointed: opening the box and finding a USB-A-to-USB-C cable. The product itself might have a nice, modern USB-C port, but the other end of the cable still expects me to use USB-A. And it got me thinking: why are we still using this? 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#44
August 29 · 9 min
AI Is Making Your Kindle More Expensive
The basic Kindle has just become nearly 40 per cent more expensive in the United States, and similar list-price increases are appearing in the UK and parts of Europe. It has not gained a new screen, more storage or any major new features. Amazon has simply increased the US price of the 16GB basic Kindle from $109.99 to $149.99. The Paperwhite has also risen by $40, from $159.99 to $199.99. Amazon says rising memory and storage costs are responsible. Those costs, in turn, are being pushed upwards partly by the extraordinary amount of hardware required by the AI industry. As technology companies spend hundreds of billions of dollars building AI infrastructure, are ordinary customers already picking up part of the bill through higher prices on products such as the Kindle? 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#43
August 22 · 9 min
Did a Human Actually Write Your Book?
If I pick up a book, or open an eBook and see an author’s name on it, I assume that person wrote the entire book. Sure, they may have used an editor. Hopefully someone proofread it. Maybe the publisher suggested changes. But fundamentally, I have every right to believe the words came from the person whose name is printed on the cover. But it’s 2026, the world is going crazy over AI, and maybe that expectation just isn’t realistic anymore. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#42
August 15 · 9 min
YouTube Just Made Monetisation Twice as Hard
For years, the route into YouTube’s full Partner Programme has been fairly straightforward: reach 1,000 subscribers and rack up 4,000 hours of public watch time within 12 months. From February next year, that second number is changing rather dramatically. Instead of needing 4,000 hours of watch time, new creators will need 8,000. That’s quite a jump, particularly when the existing target can already take smaller channels months, if not years, to reach. My questions when I first heard this news was: why 8,000? How did they come up with that number? It seems rather arbitrary. The more I’ve thought about it, though, the more I think this might be about something much bigger than simply making creators work harder. I believe YouTube is planning ahead and making some seemingly tough decisions now as it lays new foundations for what the platform is ultimately becoming. Because increasingly, YouTube isn’t just YouTube. It’s television. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#41
August 1 · 9 min
Tiny E-Readers Are Taking Off!
Back in May, I wrote about a curious little trend that was beginning to emerge: the rise of tiny E-Ink readers. XTEINK had launched the X4, a pocket-sized e-reader that looked more like an enthusiast’s gadget than the beginning of a new product category (it had also not long since launched the X3). It was clever, certainly, but I wasn’t quite sure where it would ever be more than a niche within a niche. A couple of months later, I’m beginning to wonder if I underestimated it. XTEINK recently announced the X4 Pro, while BOOX has teased us with the announcement of the upcoming Picco tiny e-reader. Two companies arriving at remarkably similar ideas in a very short space of time usually means something interesting is happening. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#40
July 25 · 12 min
Why I Use a Kindle Scribe AND a reMarkable Paper Pro
The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft and the reMarkable Paper Pro Move are the two tablets I use when I want to get away from … tablets, such as my iPad. Both have colour screens, connect to the internet and allow me to read, write, annotate documents and organise my work. They even include artificial intelligence features. Neither is genuinely limited to a single function. Yet they both feel fundamentally different from the conventional tablet I use. The reason is not simply that they can do fewer things. It is that each device has one clear reason to exist, and almost everything it does supports that purpose.What does this mean for the Kindle? 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#39
July 18 · 17 min
Is the Kindle Getting a Replaceable Battery?
Manufacturers will also be expected to provide replacement instructions, make batteries available for several years after a product is discontinued and avoid using software to block compatible replacement batteries. Not every product falls under the same rules. Smartwatches and fitness trackers, for example, have recently been added to a list of exemptions because of the engineering challenges involved. But e-readers aren’t on that exemption list. That immediately raises an interesting question. What does this mean for the Kindle? 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#38
July 11 · 12 min
E-Books Should Be Cheaper… Shouldn’t They?
A few days ago, I was looking at buying a book. That should come as no surprise to anyone that knows me. The paperback was listed, as was the Kindle version. And the price difference was… small. Now, that’s not always the case. Sometimes the Kindle version is much cheaper. Sometimes there’s a deal and it’s 99p and you feel like you’ve somehow beaten the system. But more often than now, you see an e-book and can’t help noticing it’s almost the same price as the physical book, and you find yourself thinking… why? 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#37
July 4 · 7 min
Why Have Physical Books Survived When Other Formats Haven’t?
Why is it that almost every form of media has drifted towards digital so completely that the physical version now feels like a niche product expensively released for enthusiasts and collectors… except one? Because somehow, after all these years, the humble book is still with us. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#36
June 27 · 10 min
Apple Just Raised Prices … Why?
The thing about technology is that, over time, it usually offers better value. You might spend roughly the same amount on your next laptop, tablet or phone, but it will probably come with a faster processor, more storage, a better display and longer battery life. That’s been the pattern for decades. Technology has continued to improve, while the value we’ve received for our money has generally improved with it. Lately, though, I wonder whether we’re witnessing the beginning of something different. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#35
June 20 · 12 min
When Doing Less Becomes a Feature
I’ve noticed something over the last year or two, and I can’t quite decide whether it’s a genuine shift in technology or whether I’m simply noticing it more because of the products I spend my time reviewing. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#34
June 13 · 9 min
WWDC 2026: Apple Reveals Its Latest Major Software Updates
Apple announced new AI features across iPadOS 27, improvements to Photos, Notes and Safari, updates to child safety tools, and a collection of smaller changes that may not make flashy headlines but could make everyday use a bit better. And if, like me, you use an iPad as your daily driver, those quieter improvements often matter just as much as the big showy ones. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#33
June 6 · 15 min
Do We Really Want AI in Our E Ink?
I recently reviewed the Cuneflow AI Notebook on my YouTube channel, The Spark and I wrote up a review of it on this platform too. Making this video and writing the article got me thinking a bit more deeply about something we’re going to see more and more of: the growing use of AI in E Ink products. And this raises a fairly important question. How much AI do we actually want in our quiet tech? 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#32
May 23 · 8 min
The Rise of the Tiny E-Readers
While most technology keeps getting bigger, faster and more complicated, e-readers seem to be moving in the opposite direction. Devices like the BOOX Palma, XTEINK readers, and even homemade projects are exploring the idea that reading might actually work better on smaller, simpler devices designed to compete with distraction rather than become another source of it. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#31
May 16 · 10 min
Why Physical Books Refuse to Disappear
For a brief while, it seemed obvious how this story would end. We’d already watched one format after another get replaced by something newer, smaller, and easier to live with. Vinyl gave way to tapes, tapes gave way to CDs, CDs gave way to downloads, and downloads gave way to streaming. Each new step promised less clutter, better portability, and easier access. Most of the time, convenience won. So when ebooks started taking off, along with E Ink devices like the Kindle and Kobo, plenty of people assumed physical books were next. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#30
May 9 · 8 min
The reMarkable Paper Pure Proves Less Can Actually Be More
I think reMarkable’s latest product, the Paper Pure, reveals something important about the digital paper market: progress in this space doesn’t always mean adding more. In most corners of tech, the logic is very familiar. More apps, more features, more notifications, more flexibility, more ways for one device to become six devices metaphorically glued together. The assumption is that the more a product can do, the more desirable it becomes. reMarkable seems to be arguing for something different. Sometimes the appeal is in taking things away. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#29
May 2 · 10 min
Why Are E-Ink Note-Taking Tablets So Expensive?
Kindle Scribes, reMarkables, BOOX tablets, Supernotes, and other premium digital paper devices can cost several hundred pounds. In some cases, once you add the accessories, you are well past the £700 mark. And for plenty of people, that pricing looks faintly ridiculous. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#28
April 25 · 12 min
Kindle Is Still Worth It… But Not For Everyone
Over the few couple of videos and articles, the Kindle ecosystem has come up quite a bit. First, with older Kindles losing support, and then again in my last video/article about how buying a digital book usually means buying a licence to read it rather than owning it in the same way you own a physical book. The comments on those videos over at my YouTube channel - The Spark! - have been interesting. Some people said, ‘This is exactly why you should leave Kindle and switch to Kobo.’ Others said Kindle is too locked down, or that digital books are the problem full stop. And, to be fair, there’s plenty of truth in those comments. There’s also, I think, a bit of overreaction. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe
#27
April 18 · 12 min
You Probably Didn’t Buy That Ebook
I think millions of people have tapped ‘Buy’ in an ebook store and just assumed they were buying a book. The fact is most of the time, they weren’t. What they were actually buying was permission. Permission to read a file, on approved software, through an account, inside a company’s system. 📩 Subscribe to my regular(ish) newsletter - https://markdkelly.substack.com ☕️ Buy me a virtual coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markdkelIy75 I've collated a massive list of all my favourite things on my website 👉🏻 https://www.markkelly.me/affiliate-links Get full access to The Spark! at markdkelly.substack.com/subscribe

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