Hello! Welcome to Installer No. 89, your information to the most effective and Verge-iest stuff on the earth. My identify is Jay Peters, and I will probably 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 12 months.
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. Hold studying for a few of these!) I’m actually excited to maintain the social gathering going. (In case you’re new right here, welcome, and in addition you’ll be able to learn all of the outdated editions on the Installer homepage.)
This week, as I’m at round this time yearly, I’ve been obsessive about the annual Summer Games Done Quick speedrunning marathon. In case you’ve by no means watched, the occasion is an annual, weeklong, always-on livestream of individuals taking part in video video games at an especially excessive stage to lift cash for charity. All through the week, I’ll tune in when I’ve a second after which discover myself watching someone obliterate a beloved basic or a recreation that I’ve by no means heard of.
The present, which you’ll watch without cost on Twitch, sometimes ends very early within the morning on Sunday, and you’ll watch replays on the Games Done Quick YouTube channel. My two favourite runs to this point have been a Beat Saber showcase and a nail-biter Cuphead race. (When you’ve got any advised runs I ought to watch, let me know — perhaps 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 all the time, the most effective 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 another person who would possibly get pleasure from Installer, inform them to subscribe 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 just how thin the Z Fold 7 looks. However then I take a look at the value: $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 very good improve.
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 8: As Victoria Song said, “the squircle has taken over”: Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Basic now have circle faces set in rounded sq. our bodies. The change means the watches can sit flatter in your wrist, which appears like a very good factor to me; I’ll all the time take a thinner watch over a bulkier one.
- Nothing Phone 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 probably the most noticeable factor about it’s its uncommon digicam format.
- Nothing Headphone 1: Nothing introduced its first pair of over-ear headphones final week, too, they usually seem like a decent pair of cans. The translucent design isn’t my cup of tea, however props to Nothing for attempting one thing funky and new.
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4: This recreation places remakes of two classics into one package deal, and it’s superior. I’ve been taking part in on my Swap 2 — where it runs pretty well! — and have had a blast reliving my youth. Seems that I’m fairly rusty now, however fortunately, the sport has some helpful 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 all the time ought to have been, regardless that HBO Max isn’t an awesome identify, both.
- Perplexity’s Comet browser: The AI “reply” engine’s new browser naturally makes use of Perplexity as its predominant search engine but additionally has an AI assistant inbuilt. Browsers may very well be the subsequent large turf battle for AI corporations, and Perplexity is beating 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 Wireless Car Charger: This new automotive charger with an extended, versatile arm seems like a brilliant helpful and malleable strategy to mount your cellphone inside your automotive. I don’t even personal a automotive and I need this.
- Superman: I don’t have any robust emotions about Superman or DC Comics, nevertheless it looks like James Gunn’s new
DC cinematic universe Hail Marymovie is actually pretty good. The Incredible 4: First Steps seems 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 definately in all probability acknowledge the identify 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 pressured him to close Apollo down.
I’ve gotten to know Selig, and these days, he works on an app referred to as Pixel Pals, is an advisor to the new Digg, and lately posted a great PC build 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 received to meet up with him to study his homescreen and what he’s into.
The cellphone: iPhone 15 Professional Blue Titanium 128 GB
The wallpaper: I’m fairly certain it’s simply one thing random somebody posted on Twitter ages in the past that I saved. However I like how easy it’s, and I like the way it seems on the house display with the default iOS blur utilized.
The apps: I attempt to preserve issues easy and positioned in an easy-to-reach space. I don’t preserve social media apps on my cellphone in an try to be more healthy, so it’s principally issues which are helpful: car apps (nonetheless a bit chilly in Canada, so gotta love having 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 method an excessive amount of time there, Pixel Pals 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 just a few 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 study as a complete noob.
- I’ve been digitizing outdated 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 expertise. I’ve a really beginner setup at my house with our very restricted area, however my companion and I purchased land lately and are excited to go down the photo voltaic route and hopefully acquire some vitality independence.
And about his function at Digg:
- What an advisor means on this case is mainly simply being brutally sincere with the crew on what I take into consideration their cell app (what’s nice, what sucks, what may very well 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 received on board, I’ve simply form of been unhappy concerning the trendy state of group in social networks. Even exterior of the Reddit API stuff, Reddit itself simply feels increasingly more these days like a company shell of its former enjoyable, vibrant community-based self. Kevin Rose appeared so jazzed about the potential for imagining a group for the folks of the long run, and that actually spoke to me as one thing that I additionally needed to see exist on the earth.
- As you’ll be able to think about, quite a lot of of us 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 received some actually vivid folks.
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, try the replies to this post on The Verge, this post on Threads, and this post 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 cell recreation 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 Merchant.” — Nick
“I exploit Panic’s Nova to make web sites and really find it irresistible. In all probability my favourite app. Mimestream can be improbable! Can’t await the iPhone model.” — Jeanne
“My favourite non-famous app is Live Soccer TV. Reveals you the whole 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 12 months, I pay for the advert free improve. Good app. Hope it by no means modifications.” — Dustin
“I’m continually shocked each 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 is able to be it. Even higher, it’s low cost — solely $14.99/yr and has some extremely cool options like ‘palms free’ mode that lets you merely blink your eyes to maneuver to the subsequent step of a recipe for these occasions when you will have rooster juice throughout your fingers.” — Justin
“All of Claire North’s books are improbable! Her stuff is tremendous unique: sci-fi-ish however extra about large concepts like time, reminiscence, and identification. 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 sensible and emotional with out being heavy, and her characters all the time keep on with me. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August or Touch are nice locations to begin.” — Dave
“I do know it’s been out for some time, however my complete household is hooked on Marvel Snap. The brand new season with The Incredible 4 is admittedly enjoyable to this point and this offers my youngsters issues that assist them tickle their mind with logic. Additionally, all of the totally different variants for the playing cards are actually cool to see.” — WALL-E
“Been utilizing Folio as my Pocket alternative and have been fairly blissful.” — Carter
“All 4 The Trip films are streaming on Criterion Channel. Very humorous, very imply comedies — and the longer BBC episodic cuts are additionally obtainable too, if you’d like the prolonged play model (which you’ll).” — Kevin
“Regardless of my backlog, I’m testing A Solitaire Mystery, as I’ve no selection however to play something from the Baba Is You developer.” — Tristan
“Simply made the swap to the Pixel line from iOS, and I’m actually digging attempting a brand new OS. Exterior 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 current finish of the newest collection 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, series 19, was my favourite set but: the forged of comedians (the primary to characteristic an American, Jason Mantzoukas) had been all hilarious, and the duties had been ridiculous.
In case you’re in search of one thing new and humorous to observe, I can’t advocate collection 19 sufficient. Better of all, you’ll be able to watch each collection of the present for free on YouTube. Your time begins now.