Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer<\/em> No. 134, your guide to the best and Verge<\/em>-iest stuff in the world. (If you\u2019re new here, welcome, hope you\u2019re okay in all this heat, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer<\/em> homepage<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This week, I\u2019ve been reading about Polymarket lies<\/strong><\/a> and Jalen Brunson<\/strong><\/a> and the Arts and Crafts Movement<\/strong><\/a>, watching Not Suitable for Work<\/em><\/strong><\/a> and way too much of the World Cup, trying to catch up on The Bear<\/em><\/strong><\/a> before the final season starts, playing a bunch of Hank Green\u2019s 4×3 <\/em><\/strong>game<\/strong><\/a>, trying my absolute hardest not to preorder this amazing Stanley Kubrick collection<\/strong><\/a> even though I\u2019m obviously going to, buying a bunch of new AirTags<\/strong><\/a> and charging cables<\/strong><\/a> during Prime Day, poring over oral histories of data centers<\/strong><\/a> and Steven Spielberg<\/strong><\/a>, and thinking rude thoughts about whoever decided to kill Notion Mail<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I also have for you a smart speaker worth a look, a great new remake of a great old game, a couple of excellent video essays, and a Netflix hit to binge on your vacation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Oh, and two more things. One, we\u2019re off next week for the holiday weekend. And two, I have a question: What\u2019s your reading setup? <\/strong>I mean reading in the broadest sense: books, long articles, newsletters, weird zines your kids make, anything and everything. I want to know the apps you swear by, the decade-old Kindle you won\u2019t let go of, your go-to used bookstore, your favorite brand of highlighter, anything and everything. I have some thoughts on the subject, too. We\u2019ll talk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n (As always, the best part of Installer<\/em> is your ideas and tips. What are you reading \/ watching \/ listening to \/ playing \/ gluing together this week? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com<\/a>. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer<\/em>, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Three or four times a year, I decide to try and make my iPad my main computer. This is almost always Christopher Lawley<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s fault. He is always making these extremely cool, glamorous videos about how to use your iPad! Tablet life seems so peaceful and sane when Chris does it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I\u2019ve been a fan of Chris\u2019 work forever, and got excited all over again when I saw that he\u2019s been working on a new tasks \/ planner app called Parchment<\/strong><\/a>. (Not to brag, but I am <\/em>in the TestFlight.) We\u2019ll dig into the app another time, but I figured this was a good moment to ask Chris to share his iPad setup as it stands right now. Maybe I\u2019ll go full iPad again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Here it is, plus some info on the apps he uses and why:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The device: <\/strong>13-inch, 2TB M5 iPad Pro. I like working from the iPad because it is a more focused environment. I have ADHD and I can easily distract myself. A lot of people complain about the iPad because it is constrained compared to the Mac; I find that to be its biggest benefit. When I need to focus on some script writing, podcast prep, photo or video editing, or even administrative tasks the iPad is the device I grab.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The wallpaper: <\/strong>The wallpaper I am currently using is a photo I took at Bass Lake<\/a>. About 12 hours from this point, a massive snowstorm rolled in and trapped us for an extra day \u2014 it was a fantastic trip.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The apps: <\/strong>Files, Safari, Mail, Obsidian, Drafts, Parchment, Reminders, Calendar, Stocks, Notability, Codex, Siri, Reeder, Quick Reads, Final Cut Pro, Lightroom, Photoshop, Messages, Indigo, Apple Music, Overcast, PCalc, Shortcuts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Oh boy, do I love apps. That was the whole reason I started my YouTube channel almost 10 years ago.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I have to start with my beloved Obsidian<\/strong><\/a>. At its core Obsidian is a lightweight note-taking\/writing app. If you will allow me a self-indulgent plug for a second: If Obsidian seems daunting to you I made a starter\u2019s guide<\/a> for it. Obsidian also has a web clipper<\/strong><\/a> that I use for research, saving articles, and even YouTube videos. It\u2019s really good at pulling a lot of metadata.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n During Apple\u2019s OS beta season I always switch back to Reminders and Calendar as my core productivity apps. I do this so I can properly cover them in detail in the fall. I have some issues with Reminders and how long it takes to input simple stuff, but it\u2019s very powerful for a free task manager. I manage my whole business out of a task manager, and it\u2019s just this free tool that comes with our devices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I spent four years working a full-time job while trying to build my YouTube channel. I never automated my creative work, but even with a YouTube channel there is a ton of administrative work that goes behind the scenes. For years I used Shortcuts (technically it was Workflow\u2014that was what the app was called before Apple bought it). Lately I have been using agentic AI, specifically Claude Cowork<\/strong><\/a> and Codex<\/strong><\/a>. I\u2019ve been using this so much that I built a shortcut<\/strong><\/a> that jumps right into Codex. I even had Codex extract its own app icon so I could just place it in the dock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A few creative apps I use on my iPad are Final Cut Pro<\/strong><\/a>, Lightroom<\/strong><\/a>, and Photoshop<\/strong><\/a>. I did try to go all in on Apple\u2019s Creator Studio, but the lack of lens profiles in Pixelmator Pro<\/strong><\/a> specifically caused me to go back to Lightroom. For me, I can get my work done in all of these apps. They do have some features missing that their desktop counterparts have, but I make it work. It all goes back to the iPad being the platform I like to work on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n My pal Matt Birchler<\/strong><\/a> has been on a bit of a tear lately making a bunch of apps. One of his more recent ones that I have fallen in love with is Quick Reads<\/strong><\/a>. This is a read-it-later service, with support for listening to articles with really good, natural-sounding voices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I have been desperate to replace Twitter ever since its downfall. I have ended up in two places, Mastodon and Bluesky. Indigo<\/strong><\/a> combines both feeds into a single timeline. You can even post to both platforms at once. I really like it as a way to keep up with friends and people I follow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n An app that isn\u2019t on my home screen but I use a lot is the Nintendo Music<\/strong><\/a> app. I love this app for when I need to get work done. I am somebody that can\u2019t focus when music with lyrics is playing, but a completely quiet room drives me up the wall. Nintendo has done a great job curating some of the best music in video game history into one place. There is even a killer feature for some supported tracks to extend the song up to an hour. This works with a lot of overworld music; lately, I have been playing the Breath of the Wild<\/em><\/strong><\/a> and Tears of the Kingdom<\/em><\/strong><\/a> tracks. The Animal Crossing<\/em><\/strong> tracks<\/strong><\/a> are also great to work to. There is even a feature to sync the Animal Crossing<\/em> tracks with real-world time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I also asked Chris to share a few things he\u2019s into right now. Here\u2019s what he sent back:<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Here\u2019s what the <\/em>Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you\u2019re into right now as well! Email <\/em>installer@theverge.com<\/em><\/a> or message me on Signal \u2014 @davidpierce.11 \u2014 with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we\u2019ll feature some of our favorites here every week. For even more great recommendations, check out the replies to <\/em>this post on Threads<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>this post on Bluesky<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI have been looking into the Polastax<\/strong><\/a> project, which basically uses a cheap film holder to let you shoot Instax film on old Polaroid pack film cameras. It\u2019s super kludgey: You can only take one shot at a time and then you have to put it into an Instax wide body to \u2018develop\u2019 the shot. But most other ways to do this cost hundreds of dollars or require an engineering degree, this is slightly more attainable!\u201d \u2014 Richard<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWatching Star City<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (spin-off of For All Mankind<\/em><\/strong><\/a>) actually made me rewatch FAM<\/em> season 1, and there are nice call-backs. These TV shows are top notch for me.\u201d \u2014 Fabrice<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI got a pair of XReal One Pros<\/strong><\/a> and I\u2019ve been using them to watch movies and play games on the Steam Deck. Really cool tech. The way it can 3D convert any video on the fly so seamlessly is amazing. It has a very crisp image as well.\u201d \u2014 Yoinks<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cOver-the-air HD digital broadcast is still a thing and, coupled with a cheap DVR like HDHomeRun<\/strong><\/a> makes catching the World Cup when time permits super easy (and free, too!).\u201d \u2014 David<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cCurrently I\u2019m following up on some Installer advice from a few weeks ago and listening to soundtracks while I\u2019m working. It\u2019s difficult to focus, though, while the score for Into the Spider-Verse<\/em><\/strong><\/a> is pulsing through my speakers.\u201d \u2014 Ben<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/Chris-Lawley-homescreen.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400\"\/)
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![photo I took at Bass Lake<\/a>. About 12 hours from this point, a massive snowstorm rolled in and trapped us for an extra day \u2014 it was a fantastic trip.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nThe apps: <\/strong>Files, Safari, Mail, Obsidian, Drafts, Parchment, Reminders, Calendar, Stocks, Notability, Codex, Siri, Reeder, Quick Reads, Final Cut Pro, Lightroom, Photoshop, Messages, Indigo, Apple Music, Overcast, PCalc, Shortcuts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nOh boy, do I love apps. That was the whole reason I started my YouTube channel almost 10 years ago.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nI have to start with my beloved Obsidian<\/strong><\/a>. At its core Obsidian is a lightweight note-taking\/writing app. If you will allow me a self-indulgent plug for a second: If Obsidian seems daunting to you I made a starter\u2019s guide<\/a> for it. Obsidian also has a web clipper<\/strong><\/a> that I use for research, saving articles, and even YouTube videos. It\u2019s really good at pulling a lot of metadata.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nDuring Apple\u2019s OS beta season I always switch back to Reminders and Calendar as my core productivity apps. I do this so I can properly cover them in detail in the fall. I have some issues with Reminders and how long it takes to input simple stuff, but it\u2019s very powerful for a free task manager. I manage my whole business out of a task manager, and it\u2019s just this free tool that comes with our devices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nI spent four years working a full-time job while trying to build my YouTube channel. I never automated my creative work, but even with a YouTube channel there is a ton of administrative work that goes behind the scenes. For years I used Shortcuts (technically it was Workflow\u2014that was what the app was called before Apple bought it). Lately I have been using agentic AI, specifically Claude Cowork<\/strong><\/a> and Codex<\/strong><\/a>. I\u2019ve been using this so much that I built a shortcut<\/strong><\/a> that jumps right into Codex. I even had Codex extract its own app icon so I could just place it in the dock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nA few creative apps I use on my iPad are Final Cut Pro<\/strong><\/a>, Lightroom<\/strong><\/a>, and Photoshop<\/strong><\/a>. I did try to go all in on Apple\u2019s Creator Studio, but the lack of lens profiles in Pixelmator Pro<\/strong><\/a> specifically caused me to go back to Lightroom. For me, I can get my work done in all of these apps. They do have some features missing that their desktop counterparts have, but I make it work. It all goes back to the iPad being the platform I like to work on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nMy pal Matt Birchler<\/strong><\/a> has been on a bit of a tear lately making a bunch of apps. One of his more recent ones that I have fallen in love with is Quick Reads<\/strong><\/a>. This is a read-it-later service, with support for listening to articles with really good, natural-sounding voices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nI have been desperate to replace Twitter ever since its downfall. I have ended up in two places, Mastodon and Bluesky. Indigo<\/strong><\/a> combines both feeds into a single timeline. You can even post to both platforms at once. I really like it as a way to keep up with friends and people I follow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nAn app that isn\u2019t on my home screen but I use a lot is the Nintendo Music<\/strong><\/a> app. I love this app for when I need to get work done. I am somebody that can\u2019t focus when music with lyrics is playing, but a completely quiet room drives me up the wall. Nintendo has done a great job curating some of the best music in video game history into one place. There is even a killer feature for some supported tracks to extend the song up to an hour. This works with a lot of overworld music; lately, I have been playing the Breath of the Wild<\/em><\/strong><\/a> and Tears of the Kingdom<\/em><\/strong><\/a> tracks. The Animal Crossing<\/em><\/strong> tracks<\/strong><\/a> are also great to work to. There is even a feature to sync the Animal Crossing<\/em> tracks with real-world time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nI also asked Chris to share a few things he\u2019s into right now. Here\u2019s what he sent back:<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\nI just finished 007: First Light<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. What a fantastic game. As somebody who has seen every 007<\/em> movie a few times (yes, even Die Another Day<\/em>), I loved this version of Bond. What a great game. <\/span><\/li>\nI\u2019ve been really into 3D printing lately. I got a Bambu Lab A1<\/strong><\/a> for Christmas. I had been printing Gridfinity<\/strong><\/a> almost nonstop, organizing my office\/studio. I finally finished that. Now it\u2019s time to do the rest of the house. <\/span><\/li>\nLastly, my girlfriend and I adopted a new puppy. Her name is Riley. She is an almost 4-month-old golden retriever. She has her own Instagram account<\/a> that my girlfriend manages. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\nHere\u2019s what the <\/em>Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you\u2019re into right now as well! Email <\/em>installer@theverge.com<\/em><\/a> or message me on Signal \u2014 @davidpierce.11 \u2014 with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we\u2019ll feature some of our favorites here every week. For even more great recommendations, check out the replies to <\/em>this post on Threads<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>this post on Bluesky<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cI have been looking into the Polastax<\/strong><\/a> project, which basically uses a cheap film holder to let you shoot Instax film on old Polaroid pack film cameras. It\u2019s super kludgey: You can only take one shot at a time and then you have to put it into an Instax wide body to \u2018develop\u2019 the shot. But most other ways to do this cost hundreds of dollars or require an engineering degree, this is slightly more attainable!\u201d \u2014 Richard<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cWatching Star City<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (spin-off of For All Mankind<\/em><\/strong><\/a>) actually made me rewatch FAM<\/em> season 1, and there are nice call-backs. These TV shows are top notch for me.\u201d \u2014 Fabrice<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cI got a pair of XReal One Pros<\/strong><\/a> and I\u2019ve been using them to watch movies and play games on the Steam Deck. Really cool tech. The way it can 3D convert any video on the fly so seamlessly is amazing. It has a very crisp image as well.\u201d \u2014 Yoinks<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cOver-the-air HD digital broadcast is still a thing and, coupled with a cheap DVR like HDHomeRun<\/strong><\/a> makes catching the World Cup when time permits super easy (and free, too!).\u201d \u2014 David<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cCurrently I\u2019m following up on some Installer advice from a few weeks ago and listening to soundtracks while I\u2019m working. It\u2019s difficult to focus, though, while the score for Into the Spider-Verse<\/em><\/strong><\/a> is pulsing through my speakers.\u201d \u2014 Ben<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cJust started Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, by Phil Knight. Excited to hear the story of one of the world\u2019s biggest brands, especially right now as it struggles to adapt to the modern era of running shoes.\u201d \u2014 Ryan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cRE: PopSocket Low-Pro Grip.](\"https:\/\/theuntitled.site\/images\/_IMG_2885.jpeg\"){kind=link}