New Kindles Drop; DoorDash Adds Booze-20 States; Next iPhone Pros Drop Notch for Hole Punch Cam; GM Restarts Bolt Battery Line

Amazon has refreshed the Kindle PaperWhite tablets. There are 2 new hardware models, and a separate PaperWhite Kids version. Arstechnica.com says the kids edition comes with its own case, has adds off by default, and includes a year subscription to the Amazon Kids+ service and a 2 year warranty. The kiddo model goes for $160. Amazon will keep the $110 kids model for now. The updated basic PaperWhite is $140…a $10 bump from the older model. It does have a larger 6.8 inch screen with thinner bezels, and has a faster processor which Amazon claims gives you 20% faster page turns, and a USB-C port. The Signature Edition adds auto-brightness and Qi wireless charging. Amazon will retain the $250 Kindle Oasis model, which didn’t get a refresh. 

If you don’t like bars and pub crawls, or are a shy homebody who would like and adult beverage, but don’t want to go out, has DoorDash got a deal for you. Up to now, there have been specific home alcohol delivery services, but now you can combine it with your food delivery. Cheers! According to cnet.com, DoorDash is adding alcohol delivery in 20 states, D.C., Canada, and Australia. Which states? Glad you asked. California, New York, Washington, Idaho, Arizona, Texas, Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Iowa, Oregon, Missouri and Nebraska will get the service. You will be able to tap the alcohol tab on the app and order from restaurants, grocers, local retailers and convenience stores. DoorDash will require ID verification and will check twice….first at checkout, then again during delivery. DoorDash had allowed alcohol delivery before via DoorDash Drive, but that was only for large orders like catered events. 

There will be mad rejoicing from the tech press next Fall. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will drop the dreaded notch for a hole punch selfie camera in next year’s iPhone Pro models. Sorry regular iPhone buyers…you will continue to ‘suffer’ with the notch. I expect the joy to last about 2 minutes, before some tech reporters to start bitching about the hole being visible on the screens. In all my interactions with normal users, not ONE has ever complained about the notch! At any rate, 9to5mac.com says there is another big bump on the way for iPhone 14 according to Kuo….the Pro models will get a 48 MP wide cam! There is also a rumor about an SE model with 5G, and a new and more affordable 6.7 inch phone. It should be noted that hole punch selfie cams and cams with much higher megapixel counts have been around for several years on Android phones. A sad note…the under screen Touch ID which had been predicted has apparently been bumped now to 2023.

The good news from General Motors….they have restarted production of Bolt EV batteries, with a ‘comprehensive action plan’ they hope will ensure that drivers can safely drive, charge, and park the EVs. Engadget.com reports that the flaws in the batteries have been corrected according to the General. The big question remains, though. Will people have enough confidence to keep buying the Bolt, or has recalling every single model and advising to park 10 feet from other cars and a garage due to fire danger killed the little EV’s chance of getting any traction. LG, which makes the batteries, says they have put into place new manufacturing processes and have stepped up quality assurance…you would hope so! GM has new software a dealer can install to check for abnormalities and warn owners to get the cars in should the battery pack have issues.