Hello, everyone! Welcome to Installer No. 133, your source for the finest and most Verge-focused items around. (New readers, greetings, happy belated Juneteenth, and you can find prior issues on the Installer homepage.)

This week I read about Sam Bankman-Fried along with PE Guy and admin nights (which we should all try together sometime), listened to Paul McCartney on Song Exploder, navigated iOS 27 beta issues to enjoy the improved Siri, attempted another switch to YouTube Music without success, used free trials for World Cup coverage, upgraded my camera with the Elgato Prompter, and tested an unusual inexpensive headband for quicker sleep. Results remain unclear so far.

I also have recommendations including the latest Pixar film worth seeing, an improved phone grip, a solid Android update, a refined Windows laptop, and plenty more. Here we go.

(Your suggestions remain the highlight of Installer. What are you watching, reading, playing, listening to, or doing this week? Share everything at installer@theverge.com. Forward this to anyone who might enjoy it and encourage them to subscribe here.)

The Drop

Toy Story 5. The villain is an iPad, which I appreciate. Reports indicate the film succeeds as both an engaging tale and a balanced examination of screen time benefits and drawbacks. Discussions of device habits often miss the mark, yet Pixar handles it well. I plan to catch it in theaters Saturday morning.
Lettera. Plenty of markdown tools exist currently, yet few match the text handling quality from Shiny Frog, creators of the excellent Bear app. This editor is still in beta but performs quickly and reliably for me. I expect to rely on it frequently.
The PopSockets Low-Pro Grip. I may rank among the strongest advocates for PopSockets and phone grips in general. (Phones can feel awkward to hold.) I have used the kickstand version recently but will happily switch to this thinner new option along with my $40.
Mastodon 4.6. I do not use Mastodon as much these days, but this update could draw me and others back. Collections provide a smart solution to discovery and search challenges while easing entry for new users. You can also enable email delivery of posts. Fediverse, indeed!
Snap Specs. $2,195 for smart glasses! Quite bold. I admit I remain doubtful many will choose them due to size, design, and cost. Still, Snap grasps how people prefer to engage with technology better than most, so I will not dismiss them yet.
Android 17. Arriving soon on Pixels: simpler reaction video capture, floating app windows for effective multitasking that I hope iOS adopts right away, and an integrated controller for foldable gaming. As usual with Android, features appear selectively across devices, yet the direction looks promising.
VSCO Studio Pro. VSCO produces quality photography tools, and this app for batch editing large photo sets stands out. The option to apply one photo's look across others proves highly practical! The upcoming subscription approach does not appeal, but the overall direction from VSCO does.
“The Music Industry is Broken.” A strong Drew Gooden video exploring shifts in music due to streaming, AI, ticketing issues, and related factors. Some elements suggest frustration with broader systems, yet Drew covers the changes effectively and explains why they feel negative.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 8. A new Surface Pro exists too, but the standard Surface Laptop has long stood out as one of the top Windows options. If the latest Qualcomm chips deliver as expected, this model should serve well for varied tasks. It also appears excellent in green.
Songs of The Dead. The start of a new series coauthored by Installer favorite Brandon Sanderson under The Strata Wars, this novel blends music, magic, time, space, and more. Some critics found it overwhelming while others enjoyed it greatly. Many of us appreciate Sanderson's work.

Josh Cajas recently joined The Verge as a producer for The Vergecast. (It now releases daily and offers neat merch, in case you missed it.) Previously Josh held various roles including work in the US House of Representatives, time in a notable band, and creation of many interesting projects with more ahead. He is also genuinely good company.

I enjoy having new Verge team members share their homescreens early to reveal their true selves before joining a group of mechanical keyboard enthusiasts and task list app fans. Here is Josh's homescreen along with details on his apps and reasons:

The phone: I use a Google Pixel 10.

The wallpaper: A photo I captured last year in Japan showing the Kiyomizu-dera shrine at sunset (taken on my Pixel 9 Pro XL). Kyoto looks stunning, particularly then, and I visited during cherry blossom season.

The apps: Settings, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Keep, Phone, Messages, Edge, Camera, Play Store, Photos, Translate, TrainTime, ChatGPT, Focus Friend, Snipd.

I rely on the Microsoft Launcher to remove the At a Glance widget and search bar while enabling icon theme packs. I have mainly applied Flight Pack, Retro Mode - Neon, and Viral for a unified appearance. KWGT works well for a custom Apple Music widget and utility bar. The Google Photos widget that changes throughout the day is also nice, and my dog Butters appears in the screenshot!

The first page holds my core items (work apps, social platforms, streaming services) plus a favorites folder for shopping, banking, and dining. With baseball season underway, my MLB app sees frequent use, though less this year given the Mets' performance.

The second page focuses on fitness and productivity. As a dedicated Pixel Watch user, my Google Health widget takes center stage next to the MyFitnessPal widget for calorie tracking. Focus Friend by Hank Green ranks as my top productivity tool, combining Tamagotchi-style pet care with a focus timer. You collect beans for staying off your phone and spend them on your Bean Friend's space. For podcasts, Snipd has stayed with me since launch thanks to its expanding AI tools like transcripts, summaries, clips, and insights that simplify note-taking and show catch-up.

I also asked Josh for a few current interests. Here is what he shared:

I am watching Mindy Kaling's new Hulu series Not Suitable for Work, which proves surprisingly enjoyable even for someone who skips most sitcoms. As a longtime Seinfeld fan, it captures a similar vibe of adults navigating NYC life, updated for today.
I have recently explored YouTube Shorts, and AsamaPOV stands out among creators. If you want to virtually stroll through Japanese restaurants without travel, this is the one. His chats with owners and cooks feel warm, and the food looks fantastic.
I return often to PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale on my PS Vita. As a PlayStation enthusiast at heart, I enjoy the gameplay, stages, and finishers here even if it differs from Smash Bros. PaRappa the Rapper's moves especially stand out.

Crowdsourced

Here is what the Installer community enjoys this week. I would like to hear your current favorites too! Email installer@theverge.com or reach me on Signal at @davidpierce.11 with suggestions on any topic, and we will include some top picks here weekly. For more ideas, see the replies to this post on Threads and this post on Bluesky.

“I recently watched Cunk on Life. It is a BBC comedy and documentary about life from an absurdist view, created by Charlie Brooker of Black Mirror. I laughed so much I gave myself hiccups.” — Kelly

“I am really enjoying Young Sherlock on Amazon Prime. It shows Guy Ritchie nearly at his peak with stylish British crime stories, quick dialogue, humor, and plenty of fun.” — Logan

“I have used Wildbirds since its closed beta, and it delivers everything bird enthusiasts seek from Instagram but improved.” — Michiel

“I am playing Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 and hope these games evolve at some point.” — Connor

“I am preparing for a technical exam and loaded all materials into Claude. It organized everything into daily 30-minute study segments emailed over two weeks. Each message ends with a short quiz prompt. It started a bit awkward but works well now.” — Ian

“I have been using the Dirty Little Zine site to create small photography zines. It offers a simple, affordable, and enjoyable method to move photos from digital space into the physical world.” — Mark

“I finished the Silo book series ahead of the next season arriving in July.” — Chris

“I am reading through Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force sci-fi novels. They feel energetic and humorous with some rough edges, and I am enjoying them thoroughly.” — Carlo

“I have resumed PowerWash Simulator after work. Watching The Mandalorian and Grogu recently revived my interest in Star Wars, so I look forward to the PWS2 Star Wars DLC next month.” — Salt Palace

Signing off

Some quietly significant Installer-related news emerged this week: Google Calendar now supports more colors! Beyond Google's limited green and blue choices, you can apply 200 custom colors to organize your schedule. The update is rolling out and could truly alter my daily planning. I have considered dropping a to-do list altogether and managing everything via calendar instead. I still aim to become a one-text-file person, and now I can style my calendar as desired. I am resisting the temptation to overdo the color-coding, though it will likely happen. For now I am back to intense timeblocking and feeling capable.

See you next week!

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David Pierce