Amazon tackles age-old problem

Preventing underage people from ordering alcoholic beverages while not forcing young-looking but legal-age adults to fumble around in a wallet to produce an ID has always been a difficult balance. Amazon believes it has an answer.

Amazon One, the device that allows customers to pay for groceries at Amazon-owned Whole Foods by scanning their palm, has added an age-verification feature. To use the feature, Amazon One customers must upload a photo of a government-issued ID along with a selfie. Once enrolled, a palm scan produces a “21+” readout for legal-age customers.

The device is being tested at Coors Field in Denver before a rollout to other venues including bars and restaurants.

Uber, Waymo ink robotaxi deal

Uber and Waymo signed an agreement allowing consumers to use Uber’s app to book Waymo’s driverless robotaxis for a ride or to order food delivery. The service will begin by the end of the year in the Phoenix area. Waymo, owned by Google parent Alphabet, and Uber are fierce rivals, but the deal may signal an alliance in the expectation self-driving taxis will become mainstream.

Diablo IV sets sales record

Diablo IV is off to a devil of a start. Blizzard Entertainment, which also publishes the bestselling Warcraft and Overwatch franchises, says the long-awaited action game, released June 5 after being under development since 2019, is its fastest-selling title ever. Microsoft last year agreed to purchase Blizzard’s parent company, Activision Blizzard, for $69 billion, but the deal has hit snags with government regulators.

Spelling it out

Apple’s adjusted auto-correct function will fix an issue that has long irked iPhone users who, when typing out a common curse word, have had it immediately replaced with a now widely understood stand-in: “duck.” The update was met with enthusiasm on social media, with many thanking Apple for listening to users who for years complained they want to use profanity freely. — THE WASHINGTON POST