Hello! Welcome to Installer No. 89, your information to the perfect and Verge-iest stuff on the planet. My identify is Jay Peters, and I shall be taking good care of Installer whereas David is on parental go away. 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 penning this. I sit up for Installer each week to see what superior issues David is obsessive about and what you all are into. (Because of 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 occasion going. (In case you’re new right here, welcome, and likewise you may learn all of the outdated editions on the Installer homepage.)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 a particularly excessive stage to boost cash for charity. All through the week, I’ll tune in when I’ve a second after which discover myself watching any person obliterate a beloved basic or a recreation that I’ve by no means heard of.
The present, which you’ll be able to watch free of charge 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 up to now have been a Beat Saber showcase and a nail-biter Cuphead race. (You probably have any prompt 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 at all times, the perfect a part of Installer is your concepts and ideas. What do you wish to know extra about? What superior tips have you learnt that everybody else ought to? What app ought to everybody be utilizing? Inform me all the things: installer@theverge.com. And if you already know another person who may 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 have a look at the value: $1,999, a $100 enhance from the Z Fold 6! Too wealthy for my blood. The Z Flip 7, with its edge-to-edge cowl show, additionally looks as if a great improve.
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 8: As Victoria Song said, “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 appears like a great factor to me; I’ll at all times 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 telephone 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 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 Change 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 most likely at all times ought to have been, although 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 fundamental search engine but additionally has an AI assistant inbuilt. Browsers may very well be the following huge turf battle for AI firms, and Perplexity is beating OpenAI to the punch. There’s a catch, although: proper now, it’s solely out there to subscribers of Perplexity’s $200-per-month subscription.
- Anker’s Nano Wireless Car Charger: This new automobile charger with an extended, versatile arm seems to be like a brilliant helpful and malleable solution to mount your telephone inside your automobile. I don’t even personal a automobile and I would like this.
- Superman: I don’t have any sturdy emotions about Superman or DC Comics, however it looks as if James Gunn’s new
DC cinematic universe Hail Marymovie is actually pretty good. The Unbelievable 4: First Steps seems to be nice, too — 2025 is shaping as much as be an enormous superhero summer time.
In case you adopted the Reddit protests in 2023, then you definitely most likely acknowledge the identify Christian Selig. He was the developer of the beloved Apollo for Reddit iOS app, however he grew to become a central determine of the protests as a result of Reddit’s API adjustments 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 Pals, is an advisor to the new Digg, and just 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 acquired to meet up with him to find out about his homescreen and what he’s into.
Picture: Christian Selig
The telephone: 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 to be 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 telephone in an try to be more healthy, so it’s principally issues which can 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 approach 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 helpful, 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 be taught as a complete noob.
- I’ve been digitizing outdated VHS and Hi8 tapes from my childhood and that has been such a large 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 condo with our very restricted area, however my associate and I purchased land just 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 sincere with the group on what I take into consideration their cellular 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 acquired on board, I’ve simply type of been unhappy in regards to the fashionable state of group in social networks. Even exterior 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 for 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 planet.
- As you may think about, lots of of us have pitched me on “Reddit however higher!” pie-in-the-sky concepts through the years. 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 oldsters that make up the group at “New Digg,” I really feel that much more so. They’ve acquired some actually vivid individuals.
Right here’s what the Installer group is into this week. I wish to know what you’re into proper now as nicely! Electronic mail installer@theverge.com along with your suggestions for something and all the things, 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 wish to give a shoutout to my favourite cellular recreation designer who’s primarily based right here in Germany: Arnold Rauers and his little studio Tiny Touchtales develop some stunning, addictive mild technique video games. My favorites are Card Thief, Geo Gods, and Miracle Merchant.” — Nick
“I exploit Panic’s Nova to make web sites and actually like it. Most likely my favourite app. Mimestream can be improbable! Can’t await the iPhone model.” — Jeanne
“My favourite non-famous app is Live Soccer TV. Exhibits you the whole worldwide soccer schedule, and the listing of broadcast networks/platforms in every county airing the sport. Been on my residence 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. Good app. Hope it by no means adjustments.” — Dustin
“I’m continually shocked at any time when suggestions come up for recipe apps that Crouton just isn’t 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 ‘arms free’ mode that permits you to merely blink your eyes to maneuver to the following step of a recipe for these instances when you’ve got 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 huge 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 good and emotional with out being heavy, and her characters at all times persist with me. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August or Touch are nice locations to start out.” — 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 Unbelievable 4 is admittedly enjoyable up to now and this offers 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 alternative and have been fairly comfortable.” — Carter
“All 4 The Trip motion pictures are streaming on Criterion Channel. Very humorous, very imply comedies — and the longer BBC episodic cuts are additionally out there too, if you would like the prolonged play model (which you’ll).” — Kevin
“Regardless of my backlog, I’m testing A Solitaire Mystery, as I’ve no alternative 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. 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 current finish of the court sport 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, series 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 searching for one thing new and humorous to observe, I can’t suggest sequence 19 sufficient. Better of all, you may watch each sequence of the present for free on YouTube. Your time begins now.