Hello, buddies! Welcome to Installer No. 81, your information to the perfect and Verge-iest stuff on the earth. (Should you’re new right here, welcome, blissful Lastly Feels Like Summer time Week to at the very least everybody who lives close to me, and likewise you possibly can learn all of the previous editions on the Installer homepage.)
This week, I’ve been studying about tech bro group chats and the history of ChatGPT and The Rest is History, questioning if perhaps I ought to buy a Xiaomi car whereas concurrently configuring a Slate Truck I by no means find yourself reserving, marveling over Steven Soderbergh’s filmmaking skills, testing out the Limitless Pendant, hanging out in courthouses for US v. Google, and dusting off my Mario Golf abilities due to the latest N64 replace in Delta.
I even have for you a terrific new companion to a terrific power-user Mac app, the perfect Marvel film in years, a brand new telephone and new headphones to strive, some bizarre AI and a few good AI, the highest-tech planter you’ve ever seen, and way more. Let’s dig in.
(As at all times, the perfect a part of Installer is your concepts and suggestions. What are you into proper now? What ought to everybody else be watching / studying / enjoying / shopping for / constructing / listening to / throwing in a tote bag this week? Inform me every part: installer@theverge.com. And if another person who would possibly get pleasure from Installer, ahead it to them and inform them to subscribe right here.)
- One Million Chessboards. From the creator of One Million Checkboxes, one of many web’s most weird and riveting social experiences, that is much more enjoyable: 1,000,000 chessboards, all enjoying directly. And as soon as I found you possibly can transfer items between boards, my mind actually started to soften. I obtained into this gorgeous early, and it’s been actually enjoyable to see it take off.
- Meta AI. I don’t know, y’all. Is an countless social feed of AI-generated stuff a good suggestion or a deeply horrible one? I’ve a idea, however I’m attempting to remain open-minded. I do know that I’d fairly use Meta AI in its personal app as a substitute of inside Instagram. In order that’s one thing.
- Kayak.ai. That is the form of AI I’m extra bullish on. It’s a conversational interface on a bunch of structured knowledge — accommodations, flights, rental automobiles — so you possibly can simply describe the journey you’re on the lookout for fairly than cope with a billion drop-downs and menus. This one’s not excellent, however I already prefer it higher than the traditional reserving expertise.
- Raycast for iOS. Raycast continues to be the primary app I set up on a brand new Mac, and whereas the iOS app isn’t almost as highly effective — proper now it’s actually simply an AI chat instrument and a approach to sync notes — it’s nonetheless been a useful addition to my homescreen. Hoping there’s tons extra to return right here. (Should you’re new to Raycast, Chris Lawley simply made a great video about his setup that has a number of good suggestions.)
- Thunderbolts. Is Marvel… again? I didn’t anticipate the critiques on this film a couple of bunch of lesser-known antiheroes to get rave critiques, and but by all accounts that is the perfect factor since Endgame. And I’ll watch Florence Pugh in something.
- Shokz OpenDots One. The ear-clip headphone design is basically rising on me, and these new $200 ones seem like the right factor for sticking on one ear throughout canine walks and boring conferences. And the truth that they’re interchangeable, so you possibly can put both one in both ear? Sport changer.
- The Nothing CMF Phone Pro 2. The primary CMF Telephone was among the many coolest low-cost Android telephones I’ve seen in years, and the brand new mannequin follows it nicely. It’s much more modular (although annoyingly probably not backwards appropriate), has extra cameras, and stays extraordinarily good to have a look at. I’m very unhappy this isn’t formally coming to the US.
- Letter Lock. A brand new each day (and single-player) sport inside Phrases With Mates, which does an excellent job of being straightforward to know however laborious to grasp. I discover the WWF app to be fully hideous, and I’m nonetheless opening it on daily basis to play this.
- Wonder Blocks. The parents behind the pleasant Chook Buddy now have a little bit nature-in-a-box equipment that I think even I may efficiently hold alive. It’s a Kickstarter, however the firm’s legit, and it already smashed its backing aim. Should you don’t need the entire setup, you will get the extraordinarily cool Petal digicam by itself.
The perfect a part of Installer is, and at all times has been, all of you. This complete factor simply actually doesn’t work with out your suggestions, your questions, and your suggestions. And a really cool factor that has been taking place increasingly is that a few of you, my buddies on the market within the Installerverse, have began sending me your extraordinarily rad homescreens in response to the oldsters we characteristic right here. So we’re leaning in: As soon as a month or so, along with all of the cool people we characteristic on this house, I’m going to begin that includes you as nicely! Should you like and need to share your homescreen, hit me up. I’ll ping you again for more information, and we’ll characteristic as many cool Installer people as we are able to.
First up, we have now Zach Schiffman, who along with being an Installer subscriber additionally occurs to be my colleague at Vox Media. (Is that this dishonest on my new concept instantly? I don’t know. Perhaps.) Zach is a social media editor for New York Journal, and from my expertise with New York people which means he’s, like, terminally cool and cultured. And his homescreen… I imply, you be the decide. Right here it’s, plus some data on the apps he makes use of and why:
The telephone: iPhone 15 Professional.
The wallpaper: It’s Street, Dresden by the German expressionist painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. It’s additionally the wallpaper on my laptop and my iPad. I had a unique Kirchner portray (Playing Naked People) for a very long time, however just lately obtained sick of it, and I really like the 2 girls greeting me on daily basis.
The apps: Fantastical, Images, Overcast, Slack, Apple Notes, Apple Health, Gmail, Digicam, New York Occasions, Google Maps, Instagram, Spotify, Clock, Citi Bike, Barcodes, Settings, Venmo, YouTube, Substack, Riverside, Reeder, New York, Readwise Reader, CityMapper, Telephone, Outlook, Safari, Messages
The one app I’m ever behind on notifications for is Messages. It ruins my life. Outlook is the one electronic mail app that works for me as a result of I’m dragging round an historical iCloud electronic mail deal with that I’m determined emigrate from. I’ve been utilizing Fantastical and Things for years and paid for lifetime subscriptions, however I’m at all times questioning if my life could be simpler if I simply used the native calendar and reminders apps.
I’ll trip for Overcast till the day I die, and I don’t care that it’s redundant to have each the icon and the widget on my homescreen. I exploit the Riverside app to document my unusual podcast (Out of Breath) the place I interview a visitor whereas I’m going for a run in Prospect Park.
I just lately switched to the exercise app Ladder from Future solely as a result of it’s means cheaper, however I actually do miss Future’s interface. I really like Reeder and the Substack app to make amends for my newsletters and RSS feeds. I don’t get any actual information from there, it’s extra the place I learn extra specialised voices. Readwise Reader is the perfect read-later app of all time, and I’m so grateful to Installer for introducing me! The shared highlights are extraordinarily helpful for me when I’m studying New York tales, so I can pull out sections I need to use for captions / social content material.
I additionally requested Zach to share a number of issues he’s into proper now. Right here’s what he despatched again:
- I’m quick, so I can’t put on a backpack round New York or I’ll seem like a center schooler, however I’ve been placing my shoulders by way of an excessive amount of attempting to be a heavy tote bag individual. I simply obtained a Static Comp Bag from Colin Meredith — it’s a messenger bag that distributes weight higher, has nice pockets, matches my 14-inch MacBook Professional, and may be worn each crossbody or like a tote. (I obtained the rec from one in all my favourite menswear Substackers: Street Night Live.)
- I’m a musical theatre freak year-round, but it surely’s significantly fervent this time of yr with Tony campaigning in full pressure. This week, I’ve had the new cast recording of Gypsy starring Audra McDonald on repeat. If you’re additionally a reformed theatre child, I extremely advocate spending a while with New York’s Broadway Legends package from earlier this month.
- I just lately upgraded to Up First Plus from NPR. Usually I’m truly wonderful with adverts on podcasts and don’t skip, however for a each day information podcast, it’s good to shave off the three minutes and hear uninterrupted whereas I brush my enamel and pour my espresso.
- We simply obtained a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 for social movies, and I’m watching each YouTuber making Osmo Pocket 3 content material I can discover. What a beautiful little neighborhood for this unusual digicam which you can’t put down on a desk!
Right here’s what the Installer neighborhood is into this week. I need to know what you’re into proper now as nicely! E-mail installer@theverge.com or message me on Sign — @davidpierce.11 — together with your suggestions for something and every part, and we’ll characteristic a few of our favorites right here each week. For much more nice suggestions, try the replies to this post on Threads and this post on Bluesky.
“Mini PCs! They’re small, have some severe energy, and seem to be a pleasant approach to begin a house lab. Personally researching amongst the extra in style manufacturers on the market proper now like Beelink and Minisforum. Though tariffs appear to be impacting costs, which sucks.” — Cizzo
“OneCast for Xbox distant and cloud gaming. Don’t like third-party apps, however I attempted it on iOS (solely) and it really works rather well. Seems higher and sharper than the online apps (sorry net apps, I nonetheless imagine in you). It has a trial and a one time solely buy.” — Uli
“I watched this nice video about how gondolas 🚡 are rising as a public transit answer uniquely suited to Latin American cities.” — Mark
“I wished to advocate Sunderfolk as a result of it’s the primary RPG that’s lastly gotten my spouse to play video video games with me — one thing solely the Jackbox Celebration sequence managed earlier than. Sunderfolk’s intelligent use of telephones as controllers, and its very approachable, co-op fantasy world make it extremely accessible for non-gamers.” — Paulo
“Been revisiting Mixolumia (“lesbian Tetris”) just lately. It’s type of like if Tetris was more durable and prettier. It takes some follow, but it surely’s price it I believe.” — Sophie
“I stumbled throughout this YouTube video the opposite night time: “The Internet Used To Be A Place.” Sarah Baker goes into element about how the web used to exist as a bodily place, remoted to a shared laptop in a household room, that took a bodily act to go browsing, and logging off was an precise factor.” — Nicholas
“I bailed on Pinterest and have been utilizing Cosmos for organizing visible inspo. Pinterest misplaced its means and has gotten pushy and distracting. Cosmos is bringing it again to fundamentals, feels calm, and has a nice home model.” — Brooks
“I’m presently watching Loot on Apple TV, starring Maya Rudolph because the divorced spouse of a tech billionaire working along with her charity basis and struggling along with her huge wealth to slot in with ‘regular’ life, a comic book idea clearly based mostly on Mackenzie Scott / Jeff Bezos. Nice ensemble forged and extremely straightforward to observe, the funniest present I’ve seen this yr together with The Residence.” — Ben
“I’m enjoying ‘Area’ mode from the VR sport Space Pirate Trainer DX. It’s like being inside Quake in a ten x 10m enviornment. Tremendous area of interest however superior for individuals with a Quest headset and a pal with Quest.” — Filip
All of us watched Conclave over the past week or so, proper? If not, you must, that film rips. All faith apart, the Pope choice course of is totally fascinating — secretive, sophisticated, frankly form of bizarre, and massively essential in so some ways. If you wish to know the way it all works, CPG Gray’s “How to Become Pope” video is a extremely nice primer. There’s additionally a long doc on Max concerning the historical past of popes, which can also be form of the historical past of the Catholic Church. And in an especially 2025 flip of occasions, you possibly can bet on who will be the next pope. As a result of you possibly can wager on every part. The following conclave begins subsequent week, and I might be prepared for it.