Toy Story Has The Right Take On Tech

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Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 133, your guideline to nan champion and Verge-iest worldly successful nan world. (If you’re caller here, welcome, happy belated Juneteenth, and besides you tin publication each nan aged editions astatine nan Installer homepage.)

This week, I’ve been reference astir Sam Bankman-Fried and PE Guy and admin nights (which we should wholly each do together 1 of these days), listening to Paul McCartney connected Song Exploder, trudging done nan bugs of nan iOS 27 beta successful bid to usage nan bully caller Siri, erstwhile again trying and failing to move to YouTube Music, free trial-hopping my measurement done nan World Cup, yet upgrading my camera setup pinch nan Elgato Prompter, and seeing if this strange, inexpensive headband tin thief maine autumn dormant faster. So far… inconclusive.

I besides person for you nan caller Pixar movie worthy your time, a amended measurement to clasp your phone, a bully upgrade for Android users, a beautiful caller Windows laptop, and overmuch more. Let’s do this.

(As always, nan champion portion of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you watching / reference / playing / listening to / doing during commercials this week? Tell maine everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you cognize personification other who mightiness bask Installer, guardant it to them and show them to subscribe here.)

Toy Story 5. The bad feline is an iPad! I emotion it. And by each accounts, nan movie wholly useful some arsenic a communicative and arsenic a thoughtful look astatine nan existent pros and cons of screentime. We often talk astir instrumentality usage successful each nan incorrect ways; time off it to Pixar to get it right. I’ll beryllium successful nan theatre Saturday morning.
Lettera. Markdown editors are a dime a twelve correct now, but hardly anybody does matter editing amended than Shiny Frog, nan folks down nan awesome Bear app. This matter editor is successful beta, but it’s already ace accelerated and unchangeable astatine slightest for me. Gonna usage this a lot.
The PopSockets Low-Pro Grip. I mightiness beryllium nan world’s astir fervent protagonist of PopSockets, and of telephone grips of each kinds. (Phones are not comfortable to hold!) I’ve been utilizing nan kickstand PopSocket for a while, but americium going to gladly waste and acquisition it, and my $40, for nan super-thin caller model.
Mastodon 4.6. I don’t walk that overmuch clip connected Mastodon anymore, but this mightiness thief triumph maine (and immoderate others) back. Collections are a clever measurement to lick Mastodon’s large find and hunt problem, and a bully measurement to thief group get started connected a caller societal network. Plus, you tin fto group motion up to get your posts sent via email. Fediverse, baby!
Snap Specs. $2,195 for a brace of smart glasses! Wild. I confess I americium not astatine each convinced anyone’s going to want these — they’re large and wonky and measurement excessively expensive. But I besides deliberation Snap understands really group really want to use exertion amended than conscionable astir anybody. So I’m not penning these disconnected conscionable yet.
Android 17. Coming soon to a Pixel adjacent you: an easier measurement to seizure guidance videos, floating app windows that look for illustration a very useful multitasking strategy that I dream iOS copies immediately, and a built-in controller for playing games connected foldables. As ever pinch Android, it’s only immoderate features, for immoderate phones… but I for illustration wherever Android is headed.
VSCO Studio Pro. VSCO makes bully photography stuff, and this app, which is made for editing immense sets of photos each astatine once, is very clever. “Make each my different photos look for illustration this photo” is conscionable specified a useful editing trick! I’m not chaotic astir nan looming subscription exemplary here, but I for illustration what VSCO’s making.
“The Music Industry is Broken.” Really bully Drew Gooden video astir really nan business of euphony is changing acknowledgment to streaming services, AI, ticketing monopolies, and more. There’s decidedly immoderate “you’re conscionable huffy astatine capitalism” going connected here, but Drew does a bully occupation astatine hitting connected each nan ways things person changed, and why it each feels bad.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 8. There’s a caller Surface Pro, too, but I person agelong thought nan much normal Surface Laptop (not to beryllium confused pinch nan Ultra) was 1 of nan champion Windows devices retired there. If nan caller Qualcomm chips are arsenic bully arsenic advertised, this should beryllium a really useful all-purpose laptop. And it looks great in green.
Songs of The Dead. The opening of a caller bid coauthored by Installerverse favourite Brandon Sanderson, called The Strata Wars, this book is astir euphony and magic and clip and abstraction and a cardinal different things. Some reviewers seemed to find it a spot much, but others loved it. And I cognize a batch of america emotion Sanderson.

Josh Cajas conscionable joined The Verge this week arsenic a shaper connected The Vergecast. (Which is now publishing each day, and has cool merch, did you know??) Before he joined us, Josh had galore lives: He worked successful nan US House of Representatives, he was successful an highly cool and bully band, he has made galore cool things and will make galore much pinch us. He’s besides conscionable bully people.

I for illustration to person caller Verge folks stock their homescreen pinch america early successful their tenure to spot who they genuinely are earlier they’re dropped into a squad afloat of mechanical keyboard weirdos and to-do database app maniacs. So here’s Josh’s homescreen, positive immoderate info connected nan apps he uses and why:

The phone: I person a Google Pixel 10.

The wallpaper: A photograph I took past twelvemonth during a travel to Japan of nan Kiyomizu-dera shrine astatine sunset (shot connected my Pixel 9 Pro XL). Kyoto is incredibly picturesque, particularly astatine that clip of day, and I was fortunate capable to drawback it 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 usage nan Microsoft Launcher to ditch nan At a Glance widget and hunt bar, and to fto maine usage icon taxable packs. I’ve mostly utilized Flight Pack, Retro Mode - Neon, and Viral to springiness my apps much of a cohesive look. KWGT has besides been awesome for building a civilization Apple Music widget and inferior barroom connected my homescreen. I besides emotion nan Google Photos widget cycling passim nan day, and my canine Butters makes an quality successful my screenshot!

My first page covers my essentials (work apps, socials, streaming services) and a favorites files for shopping, banking, and food. Since it’s shot season, my MLB app typically gets a batch of use. Not truthful overmuch this year, though, pinch nan measurement nan Mets are playing.

My 2nd page is for fittingness and productivity. I’m a large Pixel Watch guy, truthful my Google Health widget is beforehand and center, alongside my MyFitnessPal widget for regular calorie tracking. My favourite productivity app has been Focus Friend by Hank Green that’s adjacent parts Tamagotchi pet and attraction timer. You gain beans each clip you activate it and enactment disconnected your phone, which you tin past walk connected items for your Bean Friend’s environment. And for podcasts, I’ve utilized Snipd since it first launched and ne'er near it. Its increasing database of AI features for illustration transcriptions, summaries, clips, and insights make it easy for jotting down ideas and catching up connected my favourite shows.

I besides asked Josh to stock a fewer things he’s into correct now. Here’s what he sent back:

I’m watching Mindy Kaling’s caller show Not Suitable for Work connected Hulu, and it’s amazingly awesome for personification who doesn’t watch a batch of sitcoms. I’m a large Seinfeld guy, and it scratches that aforesaid itch of adults stumbling done life successful NYC — but make it modern.
I’ve fallen down nan YouTube Shorts rabbit spread recently, and 1 of my favourite creators correct now is AsamaPOV. If you’ve ever wanted to conscionable “walk” done section restaurants successful Japan without hopping connected a plane, this is nan feline you should watch. His interactions pinch nan owners and cooks are incredibly wholesome, and nan nutrient he gets to eat looks amazing.
I support coming backmost to PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale connected my PS Vita. I’m a PlayStation fanboy astatine heart, and while it’s nary Smash Bros., I emotion nan gameplay, stages, and finishing moves successful this game. Especially PaRappa nan Rapper’s!

Here’s what nan Installer organization is into this week. I want to cognize what you’re into correct now arsenic well! Email installer@theverge.com aliases connection maine connected Signal — @davidpierce.11 — pinch your recommendations for thing and everything, and we’ll characteristic immoderate of our favorites present each week. For moreover much awesome recommendations, cheque retired nan replies to this station connected Threads and this station connected Bluesky.

“I conscionable watched Cunk connected Life. It’s a BBC comedy/documentary connected nan taxable of “life” from an absurdist’s perspective. It’s by Charlie Brooker of Black Mirror. I laughed truthful hard, I gave myself hiccups.” — Kelly

“Really enjoying Young Sherlock connected Amazon Prime. It’s Guy Ritchie astatine his (almost) best: stylish, British, accelerated talking, crime-ridden, pinch a dash of joke and a patient dose of fun.” — Logan

“I’ve been utilizing Wildbirds since closed beta and it’s everything birders want from Instagram, but better.” — Michiel

“Playing Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and really hoping that these titles alteration astatine immoderate point.” — Connor

“I’m studying for a method exam and put each nan materials into Claude. I had it break down nan worldly into daily, 30-minute study chunks to beryllium emailed to maine complete nan adjacent 2 weeks. Each email has a punctual to do a short quiz astatine nan end. A small wonky to commencement but it’s moving good truthful far.” — Ian

“I’ve been utilizing nan Dirty Little Zine website to make pocket-sized photography zines. Cheap, fun, and easy measurement to get your photos retired of nan integer wasteland and into nan existent world.” — Mark

“Finished reference nan bid of Silo books successful beforehand of nan adjacent play coming successful July.” — Chris

“I’m presently going done Craig Alanson’s Expeditionary Force sci-fi novels, they’re kinetic and silly and a spot unsmooth astir nan edges astatine nan aforesaid time, I’m having a blast.” — Carlo

“I’ve gotten backmost into playing PowerWash Simulator aft work. I’m really benignant of excited astir Star Wars again aft watching The Mandalorian and Grogu a mates of weeks agone truthful now I americium looking guardant to nan PWS2 Star Wars DLC adjacent month.” — Salt Palace

There was immoderate sneakily big, Installerverse-adjacent news this week: Google Calendar now has much colors! Instead of conscionable Google’s bad ideas astir greenish and blue, you tin now color-code your almanac pinch 200 civilization colors. The characteristic is rolling retired now, and mightiness genuinely alteration really I scheme my days. I’ve been toying pinch nan thought of conscionable ditching a to-do database wholly and surviving my life retired of my almanac — I proceed to aspire to beryllium a one-text-file benignant of personification — and now I tin yet make my almanac look nan measurement I want it to. I’m fighting nan impulse to get way too elaborate pinch nan color-coding, though I presume that’ll happen. For now I’m conscionable backmost to timeblocking for illustration a madman. Feeling powerful.

See you adjacent week!

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