Amazon has rolled out a fresh wave of Kindle updates, and the Verge’s weekly newsletter, Installer, is calling them a potential home run. The new e-readers come in brighter colors, sport flatter front screens, and even offer an aluminum back option. The headline reads: “Amazon’s colorful and sturdy new Kindles.”
The Kindle Line-Up
The base e-readers are the headline act. They get flush front screens, an aluminum back option, and a range of new colors. The Paperwhite and Colorsoft Signature Editions now work with a case that has page-turn buttons. There’s also a “Kindle Click” remote to flip pages and adjust brightness.
The Verge’s writer admits their own years-old Paperwhite is still working fine. But if it suddenly broke, they’d find these new models very tempting.
“My years-old Paperwhite is still trucking along just fine, but if it suddenly broke, these would be really tempting options.”
Dots Joins the Newsletter
OpenAI’s Muse-like AI agent is now live, though the company pitches it as a work helper rather than a full personal assistant. The Verge’s writer thinks the Muse mascots still hold the edge in cuteness. The Dots are adorable, but the older mascot remains the winner.
Witcher 3 Gets a Remaster
Eleven years after its launch, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is getting a free update for existing owners. It adds visual improvements, skill changes, a new accessibility section in settings, cross-platform mod support, and more. The game is also now on Switch 2.
The Verge’s writer notes it might be time to finally dive in. The update is free, so there’s no reason not to check it out.
Bose’s New Wired Earbuds
Bose has released Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds for $99. They connect via USB-C, cancel noise, and come with an in-line remote for adjusting volume. There’s also a built-in microphone for calls, and they come in three colors.
The Verge’s writer, a huge fan of Apple’s wired EarPods, sees these as a step up in quality. At $99, they’re a cheaper alternative to the EarPods for people who want noise cancellation.
Games and Coffee Machines
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is Bandai Namco’s latest entry in its fighter-pilot franchise. The campaign is filled with optimism, and it’s become one of the best-reviewed games of the year. The Verge’s writer calls it a soaring success.
Keurig’s Alta coffee machine is a more serious purchase. It makes coffee with compostable pucks instead of recyclable pods. It also makes espresso and looks super fancy. The Verge’s writer learned firsthand the convenience of a Keurig when their toddler was a newborn, so this could be a good option for families wanting Earth-friendly pods.
The Laptop and Lamp
HP’s OmniBook 5 14 is thin and light, with 8GB of RAM, good colors, and a starting price. The Verge’s writer calls it extremely MacBook Neo-adjacent. If you want the Neo ethos paired with Windows, this might be a solid option.
Ikea’s Förlig lamp is a LED lamp that lets you swap between 10 different colors. It can be used from the floor or on a wall, and it looks kind of like a lightsaber. The Verge’s writer calls it super fun.
Scott Stein’s Homescreen
The Verge’s writer featured Scott Stein, CNET’s editor at large, in this week’s edition. Stein has been a huge admirer of Stein’s work, especially his coverage of wearables and VR, for years. The writer met him in person at Snap and Meta’s events last month.
Stein shares his randomized Home Screen setup. He uses an iPhone 16 Pro Max right now. His fixed apps include Google Calendar, Photos, Notes, Camera, Music, Gmail, GMaps, Bluesky, Phone, Messages, Mail, and Safari. Here’s the list of his fixed apps, in the order he listed them:
- Google Calendar
- Photos
- Notes
- Camera
- Music
- Gmail
- GMaps
- Bluesky
- Phone
- Messages
- Safari
The remaining apps shift based on context and frequency.
His wallpaper is also randomized, pulled from family and trip photos so he can see his kids and other odd moments when he’s out and about.
The Apps He Reads
Stein is currently reading The Intuitive Magician: Mastering Magic Through Improvisation, by Justin Higham. He describes it as technical but an exploration of where practice and fluid improvising meet. He’s also reading Stephen King and Peter Straub’s Black House, after finishing The Talisman. He loved the Dark Tower books.
He’s had an ongoing magic hobby since he was a kid. The book offers an exploration of where practice and fluid improvising meet, which feels holistic for other things.
What This Means
The Verge’s newsletter is a cheerful, unpretentious roundup of gadgets and oddities. It covers Kindles, Dots, a Witcher 3 remaster, Bose earbuds, Ace Combat, and a Keurig with compostable pucks. The tone is light, the recommendations are personal, and the whole thing reads like a friend telling you what they’ve been thinking about this week.
The Kindle updates are the main event, and the Verge’s writer clearly wants readers to know about them. The Dots are cute but not revolutionary. The Witcher 3 update is free, so it’s worth checking out. The Bose earbuds are a step up from Apple’s EarPods. The Keurig Alta is a good option if you want Earth-friendly pods.
The newsletter format works because it’s personal. The writer shares their own experiences, their own frustrations, and their own enthusiasms. That honesty carries the recommendations. If the writer likes something, the reader can trust they mean it.
The Verge’s newsletter is a good read. It’s the kind of thing you open on a Tuesday morning and feel glad you did. It doesn’t demand attention, but it rewards it. The Kindles are the main event, but the rest of the package is worth scanning too.
Source material: “Amazon’s colorful and sturdy new Kindles,” The Verge.
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