Hello! Welcome to Installer No. 89, your information to one of the best and Verge-iest stuff on this planet. My identify is Jay Peters, and I might be caring for 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 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. Preserve studying for a few of these!) I’m actually excited to maintain the celebration going. (In the event 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 time Video games Finished Fast speedrunning marathon. In the event you’ve by no means watched, the occasion is an annual, weeklong, always-on livestream of individuals enjoying 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 anyone 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 Finished Fast YouTube channel. My two favourite runs to date have been a Beat Saber showcase and a nail-biter Cuphead race. (You probably have any recommended 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, one of the best 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 the whole lot: installer@theverge.com. And if you already know 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 seems. However then I take a look at the worth: $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 like a superb improve.
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 8: As Victoria Track 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 appears like a superb factor to me; I’ll at all times take a thinner watch over a bulkier one.
- Nothing Telephone 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 digicam format.
- Nothing Headphone 1: Nothing introduced its first pair of over-ear headphones final week, too, and so they appear to be a good 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 Professional Skater 3 + 4: This sport places remakes of two classics into one bundle, and it’s superior. I’ve been enjoying on my Change 2 — the place it runs fairly nicely! — 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 most likely at all times ought to have been, although HBO Max isn’t a fantastic identify, both.
- Perplexity’s Comet browser: The AI “reply” engine’s new browser naturally makes use of Perplexity as its foremost search engine but in addition has an AI assistant inbuilt. Browsers may very well be the subsequent huge turf warfare for AI firms, and Perplexity is thrashing OpenAI to the punch. There’s a catch, although: proper now, it’s solely accessible 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 seems like an excellent 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, but it surely looks like James Gunn’s new DC cinematic universe Hail Mary movie is definitely fairly good. The Unbelievable 4: First Steps seems nice, too — 2025 is shaping as much as be an enormous superhero summer season.
In the event you adopted the Reddit protests in 2023, then you definately 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 modifications have 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 known as Pixel Buddies, is an advisor to the brand new Digg, and lately posted a fantastic 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 acquired to meet up with him to find out about his homescreen and what he’s into.
Picture: Christian Selig
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 screen with the default iOS blur utilized.
The apps: I attempt to maintain issues easy and positioned in an easy-to-reach space. I don’t maintain social media apps on my cellphone in an try and be more healthy, so it’s principally issues which can be helpful: automobile apps (nonetheless a bit chilly in Canada, so gotta love with the ability to preheat your automobile), 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 Buddies 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 a number of issues he’s into proper now:
- I’ve gotten into chess currently, 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 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 house, however my accomplice and I purchased land lately and are excited to go down the photo voltaic route and hopefully achieve some power independence.
And about his function at Digg:
- What an advisor means on this case is principally simply being brutally trustworthy with the group 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 acquired on board, I’ve simply form of been unhappy concerning the trendy state of neighborhood in social networks. Even exterior of the Reddit API stuff, Reddit itself simply feels increasingly more currently like a company shell of its former enjoyable, vibrant community-based self. Kevin Rose appeared so jazzed about the potential of imagining a neighborhood for the individuals of the long run, and that basically spoke to me as one thing that I additionally needed to see exist on this planet.
- As you’ll be able to think about, loads of of us have pitched me on “Reddit however higher!” pie-in-the-sky concepts over time. Kevin was the primary one to return 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 neighborhood 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 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 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 wish to give a shoutout to my favourite cell sport 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 Service provider.” — Nick
“I exploit Panic’s Nova to make web sites and actually adore it. In all probability my favourite app. Mimestream can also be implausible! Can’t watch for the iPhone model.” — Jeanne
“My favourite non-famous app is Stay 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 residence display screen 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 modifications.” — Dustin
“Obsidian and Anybox.” — Peter
“I’m continually shocked each time suggestions come up for recipe apps that Crouton will not be talked about. To me, if Apple have 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 ‘fingers 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 hen juice throughout your fingers.” — Justin
“All of Claire North’s books are implausible! Her stuff is tremendous authentic: sci-fi-ish however extra about huge concepts like time, reminiscence, and identification. She does a extremely 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 at all times persist 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 complete household is hooked on Marvel Snap. The brand new season with The Unbelievable 4 is de facto enjoyable to date 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 comfortable.” — Carter
“All 4 The Journey films are streaming on Criterion Channel. Very humorous, very imply comedies — and the longer BBC episodic cuts are additionally accessible too, if you’d like the prolonged play model (which you’ll).” — Kevin
“Regardless of my backlog, I’m trying out A Solitaire Thriller, 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. 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 most recent 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) have been all hilarious, and the duties have been ridiculous.
In the event you’re in search of 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.
