is editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired.
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Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 98, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, please tell me if you bought an orange iPhone, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
I also have for you a new set of smart glasses, a browser you should check out, an interesting new AI product from Google, and some important viewing and listening about the internet.
And I have a question for you: what lists do you keep, and how do you keep them? I want to know all about your to-do lists, your bucket lists, your grocery lists, your movies to watch, your favorite places to eat pasta, all the lists you keep. Why do you keep them, and how do you maintain them? I am a huge list-maker, and I’ll share mine if you share yours.
(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you watching / reading / listening to / playing / building out of toothpicks this week? Tell me everything: [email protected]. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, tell them to subscribe here.)
The Drop
Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer Gen 2 . Meta’s new Meta’s new smart glasses with a screen look like a technical achievement, but if you’re in the market for smart glasses, the simple model seems like the right one. The upgraded version is more expensive at $379, but comes with double the battery and a bunch of other upgrades too. It’s still not a must-have device, but I really like mine.
Skate . I’ve been waiting for this game for a while, and it mostly delivers: it’s a big, open space in which you mostly just wander around jumping over stuff, and it’s very fun to do so. The game is still in early access, and there’s only so much to do so far, but I’m having fun. I’ve been waiting for this game for a while, and it mostly delivers: it’s a big, open space in which you mostly just wander around jumping over stuff, and it’s very fun to do so. The game is still in early access, and there’s only so much to do so far, but I’m having fun.
American Sweatshop . A thriller about a content moderator is both a genius premise and a very 2025 one. It’s about what people do, what people post, and how it changes all of us online. Reviews are good, A thriller about a content moderator is both a genius premise and a very 2025 one. It’s about what people do, what people post, and how it changes all of us online. Reviews are good, it sounds pretty intense , and I’m ready for it.
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