Welcome to Installer No. 133
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 133, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, happy belated Juneteenth, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
This week, I’ve been reading about Sam Bankman-Fried and PE Guy and admin nights (which we should totally all do together one of these days), listening to Paul McCartney on Song Exploder, trudging through the bugs of the iOS 27 beta in order to use the good new Siri, once again trying and failing to switch to YouTube Music, free trial-hopping my way through the World Cup, finally upgrading my camera setup with the Elgato Prompter, and seeing if this strange, cheap headband can help me fall asleep faster. So far… inconclusive.
I also have for you the new Pixar movie worth your time, a better way to hold your phone, a nice upgrade for Android users, a lovely new Windows laptop, and much more. Let’s dive in!
(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you watching / reading / playing / listening to / doing during commercials this week? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here.)
- Toy Story 5. The bad guy is an iPad! I love it. It completely works both as a story and as a thoughtful look at the real pros and cons of screentime. Pixar gets it right where others often miss the mark. I’ll be in the theater Saturday morning.
- Lettera. Markdown editors are a dime a dozen right now, but hardly anyone does text editing better than Shiny Frog, the folks behind the great Bear app. This text editor is currently in beta, but it’s already super fast and stable. Gonna use this a lot.
- The PopSockets Low-Pro Grip. I might be the world’s most fervent supporter of PopSockets. Phones are not comfortable to hold! I’ve been using the kickstand PopSocket for a while, but I’m excited to trade it for the super-thin new model.
- Mastodon 4.6. I don’t spend much time on Mastodon anymore, but this update might win me (and others) back. Collections are a clever way to solve Mastodon’s big discovery and search problem. Plus, you can let people sign up to get your posts sent via email. Fediverse, here we come!
- Snap Specs. Priced at $2,195 for a pair of smart glasses! While I am skeptical about their appeal, Snap has a track record of understanding user needs, so I’m not dismissing these just yet.
- Android 17. Features like an easier way to capture reaction videos and floating app windows seem promising for multitasking. This version is only available on selected devices, but I like where Android is headed.
- VSCO Studio Pro. An app designed for editing large sets of photos quickly. It’s very clever, but I’m a bit wary of the looming subscription model.
- “The Music Industry is Broken.” A compelling video by Drew Gooden about how streaming services, AI, and ticketing monopolies are reshaping the music landscape. It’s thought-provoking, to say the least.
- The Microsoft Surface Laptop 8. A stellar addition to the Surface lineup, especially if the new Qualcomm chips perform as expected. It’s visually appealing, particularly in green.
- Songs of The Dead. A new series coauthored by Brandon Sanderson, this book intertwines themes of music, magic, and time. Feedback varies, but Sanderson’s fanbase is sure to be thrilled.
Josh Cajas just joined The Verge this week as a producer on The Vergecast. (The Vergecast is now publishing daily and has cool merch!) Josh has a varied background, including work in the US House of Representatives and an impressive music career. He’s a gem.
New team members in The Verge like to share their homescreen setups with us early in their tenure. It gives us insight into their personalities before they’re thrown into a team full of mechanical keyboard enthusiasts. Here’s Josh’s homescreen, plus some info on the apps he uses:
The phone: I have a Google Pixel 10.
The wallpaper: A photo I took last year during a trip to Japan at the Kiyomizu-dera shrine at sunset during cherry blossom season.
The apps: Settings, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Keep, Phone, Messages, Edge, Camera, Play Store, Photos, Translate, TrainTime, ChatGPT, Focus Friend, and Snipd.
I use the Microsoft Launcher to customize my home screen and ditch the At a Glance widget. I’m also utilizing KWGT for building custom widgets. My first page covers essentials like work apps and socials, while my second focuses on fitness and productivity.
Here’s what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you’re into right now as well! Email installer@theverge.com or message me on Signal — @davidpierce.11 — with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here every week.
Here are some highlights from our community:
- “I just watched Cunk on Life, and I laughed so hard I gave myself hiccups.” — Kelly
- “Enjoying Young Sherlock on Amazon Prime, it’s stylish and fun!” — Logan
- “I’ve been using Wildbirds and I love it!” — Michiel
- “Currently playing Xenoblade Chronicles: Def. Edition and it’s a blast.” — Connor
In other news, Google Calendar now has more colors! This allows for much more personalized and efficient planning of your days. I’m tempted to move away from traditional to-do lists to a more calendar-centric life approach.
For more exciting insights and updates, check out the full article on The Verge: Here.
Image Credit: www.theverge.com
