Hello friends! you are welcome installer Number 114, Your Guide to the Best and the verge-The best stuff in the world. (If you are new here, welcome, send ark raiders Tips, and you can also read all the older versions here installer home page.)
This week, I’m reading about wind turbines And phishing scams And oboeStaying organized with the bare minimum pay attention App, lovely test aviator BlueSky customers are spending too much time researching electric snow shovelFinally upgrading my trusty podcast headphones A new beyerdynamic duo, begins my fifteenth review of superstoreAnd debating whether I should replace my iPhone 16 with an iPhone 17 or Pixel 10. I think I’m going to Pixel.
I’ve got a cool upgrade for an Apple gadget for you, a cool new AI search tool, some cool new things to check out, new Sonos gear, and much more.
And I have a question: What’s your favorite non-Big Tech technology? I’m hearing from a lot of people who, for various reasons, want to give up the tools and services of Google or Apple or Amazon or Microsoft or any number of other companies. If you have, and your experience was great, tell me about it! I’m installer@theverge.com and @davidpierce.11 on Signal, and I want to hear everything you have to say. There is still a lot to do, let’s go.
(As always, the best part of installer Have your thoughts and suggestions. What are you reading/watching/listening/playing/building with snow this week? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know anyone else who might enjoy installerForward this to them and ask them to subscribe here.)
- apple airtags. This is great timing, because all my AirTag batteries are draining. I’m most excited by the new model’s loud speaker, but it’s full of little upgrades that will make this very simple, very useful gadget just a little bit better at everything.
- yahoo scout. It’s already my favorite AI search product on the web. It has lots of links, it’s not weirdly friendly or overly complex – it’s like an auto-generating Wikipedia page on any topic you choose. Just make sure you click on the link instead of trusting the bot, you know?
- crushable. Apparently a big week for Yahoo! it is Wordle meeting of candy crushIf that makes any sense? I like the idea of a limited edition of games like this that encourage you to play just a few minutes a day. Apart from this, TIL Yahoo Games app is also present. And quite good.
- open paw. Don’t call it Moltbot or Clawbot – now it’s clearly OpenClaw. Whatever the name, this tool for controlling your device with AI and messaging apps has completely taken over the Internet. Use it carefully, but my goodness is it powerful.
- wonder man. Today I found out that Wonder Man is a thing that exists? As skeptical as I am of every new Marvel creation these days, the reviews for this series have been solid, and it’s nice that it barely wants to be a superhero show.
- shrink season 3. This show continues to do well, and I have officially reached the “I hope they make a billion episodes and I’ll watch every single one of them” stage of my fandom. Also, apparently there is also More Star power this season?!
- Halide Mark III. A big (though still in preview) upgrade to one of the best iOS camera apps. Process Zero is one of the best ways to take phone pictures if you ask me, and I’ve already discovered the new film-simulation preset, too.
- sonos amp multi. The first new Sonos hardware in a minute, and it’s not exactly a mainstream gadget: It’s for people designing and setting up huge and complex systems. But hey, if that’s you, this thing could be a godsend.
- chrome auto browse. AI agents are fast becoming table stakes for any web browser, despite the fact that they often don’t work very well. But frankly, if anyone can successfully put the pieces together and navigate the web on your behalf, it’s Google. I will test it thoroughly.
He probably doesn’t know this, but christopher mims (I believe I never referred to it as anything other than “memes”) gave me the best writing advice I have ever received. when we used to work together wall street journalWhile he is a technology columnist, he taught me a lot about how to be clear and precise, and most of all, how to say what you want to say right off the bat.
Case in point: Mims’s new book, how to do aiWhich has come to light just this week. I’ve gone most of the way through it, and so far it’s excellent; Simple, thorough, understandable, dedicated to neither explaining why AI is a god that will save us nor trying to tear it to pieces. It is exactly as the title suggests. This is very good.
I asked Mims to share his homescreen and a few things about him, just to see if he’s really gone full AI. I have good news:
phone: I had to check the settings. I know. This is an iPhone 15. I’m a “work gave me this phone” person. It doesn’t really matter these days, I can’t believe anyone cares whether their phone is newer than 2-3 generations ago unless they are constantly using it for photography or shooting video.
Wallpaper: Apple’s usual “Earth is here from space at this time.” I like to be reminded that, as Carl Sagan said, we are a speck of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Apps: Google Keep, Google Tasks, Chrome, Hark, Google Maps, Spotify, Overcast, BitCam, Camera, Phone, Messages.
is in the lower left corner bitcam. If you love the original black-and-white dithering algorithm, and the way it produces high-contrast photos, this is for you. is on the right HearWhich I like because it’s the only podcast clipper/aggregator I know of and their editorial judgment is excellent.
I also asked Mims to share some of the things he’s interested in right now. Here’s what he sent back:
- blue sky It’s okay now, just don’t tell anyone.
- BBC has started posting really deep cuts from its collectionInvolved A documentary about windmills It is so beautiful that it can be displayed in MoMA.
- i live forever polytopia Addict, it calms me down.
- I recently discovered the trick of recording all of my calls as well as taking actual handwritten notes during them, which has relieved me of the pressure of capturing every detail of an interview or meeting while also enhancing my memory and understanding. Maria KonnikovaA world-class poker player who is also one of the most talented science writers of our generation A great newsletter item On the science behind why it works.
what’s here installer Community is in this week. I also want to know what you are doing right now! email installer@theverge.com Or message me on Signal – @davidpierce.11 – with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here each week. For more great recommendations, check out these answers This post on threads And This post on BlueSky.
“I have gone crazy roottrees are deadA game in which you play as an investigator in 1998 attempting to piece together a family tree. You do this using an era-appropriate Internet search engine and a stringed corkboard. Plus the soundtrack that plays is the perfect vibe.” – Jonathan
“I use Apple’s Home app to control all the smart things in the house. I installed Wemo light switches six years ago. They have never worked consistently. Recently they were replaced These are the miter-enabled taps. Be it matter or six-year-old technology, their connection to the Home app has not been broken even once. Highly recommended.” – Ryan
“The mecha comet It’s a modular Linux handheld and I’m in love with it!” – @trainsandinternet
“I’m playing Halo: The Master Chief CollectionAnd lamented how badly Microsoft dropped the ball with this iconic IP. (You had Cortana, she could have been your cool AI assistant, but you killed her?! And halo TV series! and latest halo Games!)”-Anshuman
“Watching send helpThat is, the third gory horror film I have seen in theaters this month.” – Kev
“I recently found out focusflightAnd it’s become the app I turn to when I need to dive into focused work. It’s really a nice mix of ideas, and as an aviation expert, it’s a great app for me to use when I’m trying to focus on work or some other activity. There needs to be a cut down on the number of taps required to start a session, but it’s a really solid idea having recently added a mode where you can watch clouds fly by out your airplane window while you concentrate. – Adam
“My fio snowski disc The DAP AliExpress order arrived last weekend, and I’ve been enjoying it a lot this week. It’s designed to harken back to the previous generation of music players, this time being a MiniDisc unit. Extremely small (palm-sized unit), it can accommodate a large microSD card, and has great sound quality and power output. – Brian
“The newest pokemon tcg pocket The update just released this week, so I’ll be breaking out packs and building some fun new decks. Excited to finally have a Stadium card in the game!” – Bob
“I wanted to recommend blood on the clock tower 🙂 It is a social deduction game similar to Mafia, Werewolf, or among usBut it has the added benefit of making each role useful and allowing players to participate even after their death. It’s really a pleasant moment, thank you no roll prohibited And Good Time Society Their recent games have featured a lot of dropout artists. I love seeing all the showcases of how games can be run, and I hope to get a group together to play it one day! – Jack
I’ve written about it here before, but I’ve become completely obsessed with the concept of local-first software. The idea is simple: That software shouldn’t be designed on the assumption that it’s accessing a bunch of your data in the cloud, but rather that everything it needs is already on your device. It should still have all the features you want, be available everywhere, and be fully collaborative, but it should come with all the speed and security of a group of files on your computer. Loading screens are the enemy.
Ink & Switch Team wrote a great essay About local-first software a while back, and this week I came across it CultRepo’s 10-minute YouTube doc Which exposes this concept in more depth. the whole thing just happens Understanding For me, more local-first principles are already changing how I find and use software. Files for victory.
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