Amazon devices chief on the color Kindle, AI, and his first year on the job

• Is Amazon’s new color e-reader worth the premium price? GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop offers up his review of the device, which is available starting today for $279.99.

Archon Biosciences, a startup spun out of the University of Washington lab of Nobel Prize winner David Baker, raised $20 million for a technology that uses computationally designed protein structures to treat cancer and other diseases. Read more.

Microsoft reports its latest quarterly earnings this afternoon. Read more about what analysts are watching, and check GeekWire.com later for updates. 

New job cuts at F5 continue an annual pattern of workforce reductions at the Seattle-based application security and delivery company. Read more.

Food automation startup Picnic raised $5 million to boost production of its pizza-making robot. Seattle-area entrepreneur and investor Andy Liu joined Picnic’s board. Read more.

Sony is closing Firewalk Studios 18 months after acquiring the Bellevue, Wash.-based developer behind the multiplayer action game “Concord.” Read more.

It was all about AI at the University of Washington's computer science school annual research showcase on Tuesday. AI is changing how the school educates students and collaborates with other departments, relative to other big technological shifts, according to Allen School leaders. Read more.

More UW news:

• Thee university is part of a new federally selected Northwest Region Hub to support the commercialization and deployment of technologies.

• The UW generated nearly $21 billion in total impact on the Washington state economy in fiscal year 2023, according to a new analysis. 

Seattle Public Schools provided more information about why it advised families not to use a grade-viewing app created by a former student, who in turn said the app adheres to strict privacy guidelines. Read more.  

Hot Links:

• In a phone call with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Donald Trump reportedly suggested that the Seattle company give money for his presidential efforts. (The Washington Post)

• A longtime advisor to Jeff Bezos at Amazon believes the decision to kill presidential endorsements at The Washington Post was motivated by the alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk. (Fortune, subscription required)

• The transition from traditional SaaS to apps powered by AI is changing user interfaces and business models. (Soma Somasegar via LinkedIn)

• The Paul G. Allen Research Center officially opened at Providence Swedish in Seattle with a focus on prevention, exploration and treatment of cancer. (Swedish)