Hello! Welcome to Installer No. 89, your information to the perfect and Verge-iest stuff on the earth. My title is Jay Peters, and I might be caring for Installer whereas David is on parental depart. All of us right here at The Verge are very excited for him and his household, and he’ll be again later this yr.
It’s an enormous honor to be scripting this. I stay up for Installer each week to see what superior issues David is obsessive about and what you all are into. (Due to everybody who despatched over their favourite non-famous apps to get me began. Maintain studying for a few of these!) I’m actually excited to maintain the get together going. (In case you’re new right here, welcome, and in addition you’ll be able to learn all of the previous editions on the Installer homepage.)
This week, as I’m at round this time yearly, I’ve been obsessive about the annual Summer season Video games Executed Fast speedrunning marathon. In case you’ve by no means watched, the occasion is an annual, weeklong, always-on livestream of individuals enjoying video video games at an especially excessive degree to lift cash for charity. All through the week, I’ll tune in when I’ve a second after which discover myself watching any individual obliterate a beloved basic or a sport that I’ve by no means heard of.
The present, which you’ll be able to watch totally free on Twitch, usually ends very early within the morning on Sunday, and you’ll watch replays on the Video games Executed Fast YouTube channel. My two favourite runs to date have been a Beat Saber showcase and a nail-biter Cuphead race. (When you’ve got any steered runs I ought to watch, let me know — possibly I’ll characteristic them in a future Installer!)
Anyway, let’s dive in. This week, I’ve for you some new Samsung foldable telephones, a check-in with the developer of one of many nice Reddit apps, and extra.
(As at all times, the perfect a part of Installer is your concepts and ideas. What do you need to know extra about? What superior tips have you learnt that everybody else ought to? What app ought to everybody be utilizing? Inform me the whole lot: installer@theverge.com. And if you recognize another person who may get pleasure from Installer, inform them to subscribe right here. It’s free, and also you get it a full day early!)
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Foldables have by no means actually me, however even I’m extraordinarily impressed by simply how skinny the Z Fold 7 appears. However then I take a look at the worth: $1,999, a $100 improve from the Z Fold 6! Too wealthy for my blood. The Z Flip 7, with its edge-to-edge cowl show, additionally looks like a great improve.
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 8: As Victoria Music stated, “the squircle has taken over”: Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Traditional now have circle faces set in rounded sq. our bodies. The change means the watches can sit flatter in your wrist, which seems like a great factor to me; I’ll at all times take a thinner watch over a bulkier one.
- Nothing Cellphone 3: This was technically introduced final week, however Installer took the week off for the July 4th vacation within the US, so I’m together with it now. Nothing is touting this cellphone as its “first true flagship” — although maybe essentially the most noticeable factor about it’s its uncommon digital camera structure.
- Nothing Headphone 1: Nothing introduced its first pair of over-ear headphones final week, too, and so they look like a good pair of cans. The translucent design isn’t my cup of tea, however props to Nothing for making an attempt one thing funky and new.
- Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 3 + 4: This sport places remakes of two classics into one bundle, and it’s superior. I’ve been enjoying on my Swap 2 — the place it runs fairly effectively! — and have had a blast reliving my youth. Seems that I’m fairly rusty now, however fortunately, the sport has some useful settings to make issues simpler for the much less expert amongst us.
- HBO Max: Max is HBO Max once more, prefer it in all probability at all times ought to have been, though HBO Max isn’t an incredible title, both.
- Perplexity’s Comet browser: The AI “reply” engine’s new browser naturally makes use of Perplexity as its major search engine but in addition has an AI assistant in-built. Browsers might be the following massive turf battle for AI corporations, and Perplexity is thrashing OpenAI to the punch. There’s a catch, although: proper now, it’s solely obtainable to subscribers of Perplexity’s $200-per-month subscription.
- Anker’s Nano Wi-fi Automotive Charger: This new automotive charger with an extended, versatile arm appears like an excellent helpful and malleable method to mount your cellphone inside your automotive. I don’t even personal a automotive and I need this.
- Superman: I don’t have any sturdy emotions about Superman or DC Comics, however it looks like James Gunn’s new
DC cinematic universe Hail Marymovie is definitely fairly good. The Implausible 4: First Steps appears nice, too — 2025 is shaping as much as be a giant superhero summer season.
In case you adopted the Reddit protests in 2023, then you definitely in all probability acknowledge the title Christian Selig. He was the developer of the beloved Apollo for Reddit iOS app, however he turned a central determine of the protests as a result of Reddit’s API modifications had been going to be so cost-prohibitive that they compelled him to close Apollo down.
I’ve gotten to know Selig, and these days, he works on an app referred to as Pixel Buddies, is an advisor to the brand new Digg, and lately posted an incredible PC construct video that has greater than 2.5 million views. (Sure, he does poke enjoyable at one other, let’s say, notorious PC construct video.) I bought to meet up with him to study his homescreen and what he’s into.
Picture: Christian Selig
The cellphone: iPhone 15 Professional Blue Titanium 128 GB
The wallpaper: I’m fairly positive it’s simply one thing random somebody posted on Twitter ages in the past that I saved. However I really like how easy it’s, and I really like the way it appears on the house display with the default iOS blur utilized.
The apps: I attempt to hold issues easy and positioned in an easy-to-reach space. I don’t hold social media apps on my cellphone in an try and be more healthy, so it’s largely issues which might be helpful: car apps (nonetheless a bit chilly in Canada, so gotta love with the ability to preheat your car), with Overcast for podcasts, Microsoft To Do (née Wunderlist) for my to-dos, ChatGPT as a result of it’s 2025, YouTube as a result of I spend manner an excessive amount of time there, Pixel Buddies as a result of it’s an app I construct so I prefer to have it good and useful, the Chess.com app for passing a while, and the alpha for Digg, which has been a ton of enjoyable to make use of.
I additionally requested Christian to share a couple of issues he’s into proper now:
- I’ve gotten into chess these days, and that’s been a ton of enjoyable to mess around with and be taught as a complete noob.
- I’ve been digitizing previous VHS and Hi8 tapes from my childhood and that has been such an enormous rabbit gap to go down, however so, so cool and satisfying to see the outcomes of.
- I’m tremendous into all issues photo voltaic and battery know-how. I’ve a really beginner setup at my condo with our very restricted area, however my associate and I purchased land lately and are excited to go down the photo voltaic route and hopefully acquire some power independence.
And about his function at Digg:
- What an advisor means on this case is mainly simply being brutally trustworthy with the crew on what I take into consideration their cellular app (what’s nice, what sucks, what might be improved) in addition to advising on their developer technique as they get into that sooner or later. No bullshit, they’ve been phenomenally receptive and humble in getting suggestions.
- As for why I bought on board, I’ve simply type of been unhappy concerning the trendy state of group in social networks. Even outdoors of the Reddit API stuff, Reddit itself simply feels an increasing number of these days like a company shell of its former enjoyable, vibrant community-based self. Kevin Rose appeared so jazzed about the potential of imagining a group for the individuals of the longer term, and that basically spoke to me as one thing that I additionally wished to see exist on the earth.
- As you’ll be able to think about, a whole lot of people have pitched me on “Reddit however higher!” pie-in-the-sky concepts over time. Kevin was the primary one to come back to me with concrete plans for a contemporary, community-based platform that felt prefer it had precise wooden behind the arrow. And having now talked to the parents that make up the crew at “New Digg,” I really feel that much more so. They’ve bought some actually vibrant individuals.
Right here’s what the Installer group is into this week. I need to know what you’re into proper now as effectively! E-mail installer@theverge.com along with your suggestions for something and the whole lot, and we’ll characteristic a few of our favorites right here each week. For much more nice suggestions, take a look at the replies to this publish on The Verge, this publish on Threads, and this publish on Bluesky.
This week’s part is a mixture of everybody’s favourite non-famous apps and a few extra typical suggestions.
“I need to give a shoutout to my favourite cellular sport designer who’s based mostly right here in Germany: Arnold Rauers and his little studio Tiny Touchtales develop some stunning, addictive gentle technique video games. My favorites are Card Thief, Geo Gods, and Miracle Service provider.” — Nick
“I exploit Panic’s Nova to make web sites and really adore it. In all probability my favourite app. Mimestream can also be unbelievable! Can’t await the iPhone model.” — Jeanne
“My favourite non-famous app is Reside Soccer TV. Exhibits you the entire worldwide soccer schedule, and the checklist of broadcast networks/platforms in every county airing the sport. Been on my dwelling display for ages now. It merely does what it says it does. No fluff and for five {dollars} a yr, I pay for the advert free improve. Excellent app. Hope it by no means modifications.” — Dustin
“Obsidian and Anybox.” — Peter
“I’m continuously shocked every time suggestions come up for recipe apps that Crouton shouldn’t be talked about. To me, if Apple had been to have made a recipe app themselves, this may be it. Even higher, it’s low-cost — solely $14.99/yr and has some extremely cool options like ‘fingers free’ mode that means that you can merely blink your eyes to maneuver to the following step of a recipe for these instances when you could have rooster juice throughout your fingers.” — Justin
“All of Claire North’s books are unbelievable! Her stuff is tremendous unique: sci-fi-ish however extra about massive concepts like time, reminiscence, and id. She does a very good job of bringing out the nuances and real-life emotions and penalties of the roles her characters have. It’s good and emotional with out being heavy, and her characters at all times keep on with me. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August or Contact are nice locations to begin.” — Dave
“I do know it’s been out for some time, however my entire household is hooked on Marvel Snap. The brand new season with The Implausible 4 is absolutely enjoyable to date and this provides my children issues that assist them tickle their mind with logic. Additionally, all of the completely different variants for the playing cards are actually cool to see.” — WALL-E
“Been utilizing Folio as my Pocket substitute and have been fairly completely satisfied.” — Carter
“All 4 The Journey motion pictures are streaming on Criterion Channel. Very humorous, very imply comedies — and the longer BBC episodic cuts are additionally obtainable too, if you need the prolonged play model (which you’ll).” — Kevin
“Regardless of my backlog, I’m testing A Solitaire Thriller, as I’ve no selection however to play something from the Baba Is You developer.” — Tristan
“Simply made the change to the Pixel line from iOS, and I’m actually digging making an attempt a brand new OS. Outdoors of that, I’ve been taking a slight tech break and going again to bodily portray, studying paperbacks, and being current.” — EmpireStrikesBacktotheFuture
All week, I’ve been mourning the latest finish of the newest sequence of Taskmaster, a British comedy present the place 5 comedians should all full absurd duties and be graded on them by the present’s mercurial host. This batch of episodes, sequence 19, was my favourite set but: the solid of comedians (the primary to characteristic an American, Jason Mantzoukas) had been all hilarious, and the duties had been ridiculous.
In case you’re on the lookout for one thing new and humorous to observe, I can’t advocate sequence 19 sufficient. Better of all, you’ll be able to watch each sequence of the present totally free on YouTube. Your time begins now.
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