Framework’s Laptop 13 Pro is essentially the most thrilling new PC in ceaselessly

Hi, associates! Welcome to Installer No. 125, your information to the very best and Verge-iest stuff on the planet. (If you’re new right here, welcome, ship me cereal suggestions, and likewise you’ll be able to learn all of the previous editions on the Installer homepage.)

This week, I’ve been studying about NASA seamstresses and friction and Muskism and scooters, highlighting the heck out of Jeff VanderMeer’s terrific new short story, listening to the Dissect podcast’s new season about Daft Punk, giving Firefox one other run as my go-to browser, having my thoughts blown by amazing music video directors, and nodding alongside to John Oliver on prediction markets. I’ve additionally been coping with sick youngsters and a bunch of emergency electrical work so my home doesn’t burn down. Fun occasions! Also the explanation we’re gonna do Ruthless Self-Promotion Week subsequent week — nonetheless going by means of all of your emails, thanks once more to everybody who wrote in!

I even have for you some very thrilling new PC gear, the must-see film of the Spring, a few genuinely helpful new AI apps, a high-tech postcard, and rather more. Let’s do it.

(As at all times, the very best a part of Installer is your concepts and suggestions. What are you studying / watching / enjoying / listening to / dipping in hummus this week? Tell me every part: [email protected]. And if another person who may take pleasure in Installer, ahead it to them and inform them to subscribe right here.)

Every 25 points or so on this area, I wish to share my very own homescreen. As the Installerverse’s self-appointed Head of Thing-Trying, I’m ceaselessly experimenting with new techniques, new apps, and new methods to do every part. Plus it’s a enjoyable file for me of the place my very own pondering is.

At the second? My pondering is outwardly… everywhere. This is about as unorganized as I’ve ever been, on a bunch of various ranges. My homescreen just isn’t organized deliberately, a lot as it’s only a file of my telephone habits not too long ago. (I even have manner too many unread everythings.) Here it’s, as of this week:

The telephone: iPhone 17. I really like the sage coloration, I’m form of aggravated that I’m nonetheless an iPhone consumer, however right here we’re.

The wallpaper: Blue. I had a stable black background for a very long time, so I assume this counts as sprucing issues up? Honestly, it’s too vibrant, particularly at evening — want to return to all black every part.

The apps: Coffee Pool, RB College, Memo AI, Craft, DualShot Recorder, Todoist, Google Maps, MyThoughts, Obsidian, Readwise Reader, Phone, Pocket CAsts, Spotify, Camera, Messages, Notion Calendar, the app I’m vibe-coding, Arc.

Some of those are staples: Readwise Reader, Pocket Casts, MyMind, and Arc are all apps I’ve used for a very long time and am very proud of. The relaxation are all experimental in a technique or one other.

I’m a longtime fan of Retro Bowl, an basically excellent cellular recreation, so after all I jumped on the college football game. I’m additionally a longtime fan of Coffee Golf, a enjoyable recreation to play for a few minutes a day, and the pool-shooting version is simply as satisfying. I don’t usually have homescreen video games, so these in all probability received’t reside right here ceaselessly.

As you’ll be able to in all probability see, I’m in a little bit of a productiveness app disaster. Craft, Obsidian, Memo AI, Todoist, even Notion Calendar – I’ve been attempting all of them, and plenty of extra (like Workflowy, Twos, and NotePlan) to see if I can discover a new system that works. My life has much more deadlines proper now than it usually does, so I’m leaning into a number of the concepts behind time blocking to see if schedule-maxxing works for me. So far… kinda.

(Also, that app with the 9 dots? I hate the icon, thanks for nothing Claude Code, nevertheless it’s the beginnings of the instrument I’m attempting to construct bringing all these things collectively for me. It might be helpful to precisely nobody, however I’m enthusiastic about it. More on that subsequent week.)

Lastly, when you shoot a number of video and also you haven’t tried DualShot Recorder, change that ASAP. It captures horizontal and vertical video concurrently, and is easy and fabulous whether or not you’re a content material creator or simply attempting to get movies of your youngsters on the proper side ratio. It’s not fairly my default digicam app but, nevertheless it may get there. Best $10 I’ve spent on an app in a very long time.

Oh, and the widgets: Notion Calendar is, , wonderful. Acme Weather is incredible. It’s made by the parents who constructed Dark Sky, and it has the identical capacity to inform me every part I must know — the climate, the prospect of rain, the prospect the forecast is incorrect and really it is going to rain — in about two seconds. Already my go-to climate app.

Here’s what the Installer group is into this week. I need to know what you’re into proper now as effectively! Email [email protected] or message me on Signal — @davidpierce.11 — together with your suggestions for something and every part, and we’ll characteristic a few of our favorites right here each week. For much more nice suggestions, take a look at the replies to this post on Threads and this post on Bluesky.

“I’m loving the Earth.fm app. Never felt like soundscape apps helped me focus or relax, but these nature field recordings are where it’s at for me. And it’s a beautiful app too!” — Ben

“I know I’m late to the party, but I’ve started using Nvidia GeForce Now — that thing is incredible on an iPad Pro.” — Jean-Francois

“Check out the Aviate app for Android. It’s like Flighty but for Android. It’s in early access — beautiful design.” — Guarav

“Absolutely loved Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice. One of my top movies this year. Hilarious and great action. There’s a 5 minute argument between grown men over who the best boyfriend on Gilmore Girls was. It’s Logan btw.” — Justin

“Just picked up the Aune AC55 on-ear clip headphone recently and wanted to give a shout out that this headphone style is still out there rocking, didn’t actually fade away after the 90s/00s along with American Hi-Fi, and offers an excellent alternative (along with flathead earbuds) to large over-ear sets and IEMS. The Koss KSC75 is the venerable affordable set of this style, but Aune is breaking new ground with some very high-end sets.” — Brian

“Been playing enclose.horse for a few months now. Always enjoy it since it’s a quick daily game but not centered on words/letters.” — Peter

“Clayton Morris did a video on YouTube about great games for adults with no time. Really great recommendations. Vampire Survivors and Dredge in particular are great and both are included in Apple Arcade.” — Witzke

“A new, fully native font manager called Pica for macOS dropped this week and us design nerds are freaking out about it.” — Pedro

“Space Design Warehouse is a phenomenal under the radar Mac YouTube Channel. The host Nicholas Johnson, will get as nerdy over specs and testing as you could want, while keeping it accessible and fun. Everybody episode features a Mac on fire and Dunkin’ Donuts, so not sure what else you could want. He also does inventive things like having a secondary audio track on certain videos where he just riffs what he’s thinking about.” — Clinton

The funniest factor has occurred to my YouTube over the previous couple of months. In the course of researching tales and Version History episodes, I’ve spent a number of time watching actually previous YouTube movies — and this has evidently satisfied the YouTube algorithm to ship me extra actually previous YouTube movies! Recently I’ve been reminded of a number of the nice Epic Rap Battles of History, some top-notch Lonely Island shorts, an iconic clip of Jay Z and Timbaland in the studio, and even Charlie The Unicorn. Early YouTube was a time, y’all. Mostly an excellent one.