Capture Your Epic Life with the New GoPro
▼ Summary
– Installer will become a subscriber-only newsletter for The Verge in a couple of weeks, requiring a subscription to access it going forward.
– Current email subscribers will continue to receive Installer for free, and non-subscribers have a few weeks to sign up via email before it goes behind a paywall.
– The author shares their current phone setup, focusing on productivity by removing distracting apps like TikTok and Instagram and organizing essential apps for daily use.
– The Installer community recommends various apps, shows, and games, including Todoist’s Ramble feature, Slow Horses, and Borderlands 4, among others.
– A new show called Version History is launching, featuring discussions about important technology products and their legacies, with episodes releasing over the next two months.
Documenting life’s greatest moments just became more accessible with the latest GoPro release, offering adventurers and everyday users alike a powerful tool for creating stunning visual narratives. This week’s edition brings you that exciting update alongside other noteworthy discoveries, from a promising email platform to captivating new games. Your incredible responses about personal list-making systems have been pouring in, next week, we’ll showcase those brilliant ideas in a special feature.
A significant shift is on the horizon for this newsletter. In approximately two weeks, Installer will transition to an exclusive offering for Verge subscribers. This move supports building a stronger community and enhancing subscriber benefits, which will now include this very publication. Current email subscribers will retain free access without requiring a full Verge subscription. If you haven’t signed up yet but want to continue receiving Installer at no cost, now’s your chance to register before we implement the paywall. Existing subscribers to both services will enjoy streamlined management through a single account. The transition is scheduled for issue 101, with updates provided as we approach that date.
Now, let’s explore what’s capturing attention this week.
Screen Configuration Insights
As someone who constantly experiments with digital tools, my phone’s home screen undergoes regular transformations. With Installer’s 100th edition approaching next week, I’m sharing my current setup today. Recent months prompted serious consideration about my phone’s purpose, leading me to remove TikTok and Instagram without regret. I’ve systematically eliminated or hidden applications designed for passive consumption, striving to make my device a tool for specific tasks rather than endless scrolling. Podcasts, music, and reading remain welcome exceptions to this philosophy.
My current configuration includes:
- Device: Blue iPhone 16, though battery performance has noticeably declined within a year
- Background: Solid black to counterbalance iOS 26’s vibrant Liquid Glass interface
- Primary applications: Google Maps, Diarly, Phone, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Camera, Messages, Notion Calendar, Workflowy, Arc Search, Joi Planner, Remind Me Faster, Craft, and Instant Notion
The first screen contains daily essentials, with Workflowy standing out as an exceptionally intuitive outlining tool that matches my thought processes. The secondary screen focuses on rapid input through Apple Shortcuts and specialized applications like Joi Planner for consolidated schedule viewing and Remind Me Faster for instant reminder creation. This arrangement hasn’t necessarily reduced my phone usage duration, but it has significantly decreased mindless scrolling, a meaningful improvement.
Community Recommendations
The Installer community continues to share fantastic discoveries across various categories:
Jim praises Todoist’s new Ramble feature: “Transforming verbal brainstorming into organized tasks with descriptions and deadlines has revolutionized my workflow.”
Brett reports: “My entire team now uses Klack for more focused and productive communication.”
Eli simply states: “Slow Horses has returned, that’s my entire week sorted.”
Pradeep shares a thoughtful suggestion: “My wife insisted I recommend Dairy Bar, created by a fellow parent to track breast milk storage and optimize usage.”
Gaming enthusiasts are enjoying Borderlands 4 (dubbed “Fourderlands” by Will), while Ryan champions Rogue Words as “the next Wordle, a addictive blend of Scrabble and Balatro mechanics.” Ian notes the enduring popularity of Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, and Srirudran recommends A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder after watching Wednesday Season 2.
Craig celebrates his new AOOSTAR 4 Bay NAS setup: “As a photographer, I’m finally eliminating Google Photos and OneDrive subscriptions while reclaiming data control through Plex media management.”
Project Announcement
I’m thrilled to introduce Version History, a new series exploring technology’s most influential products through retrospective analysis and personal reflections. Eight episodes are ready for release over the coming months, examining these innovations’ legacies and contemporary relevance. The series launches next Sunday, your viewership would be immensely appreciated.
Looking forward to connecting again next week!
(Source: The Verge)
