GoKawiilis 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. 122, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, go ’Zona, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
I also have for you a new way to read the internet, a new Mario movie, a more private way to do video chat, and more. Lots of apps this week! You love to see it. Let’s do it.
(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you watching / playing / reading / listening to / spreading cheese on this week? Tell me everything: [email protected]. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here.)
The Drop
Sofa 5 . A huge update to an Installerverse favorite, this app is now a great way to manage everything you want to watch, read, play, and even do IRL. I never quite made it stick when it was mostly just movies and shows, but now I think of it as like a Notion for my personal life. Apple devices only, alas, but boy do I love this app. A huge update to an Installerverse favorite, this app is now a great way to manage everything you want to watch, read, play, and even do IRL. I never quite made it stick when it was mostly just movies and shows, but now I think of it as like a Notion for my personal life. Apple devices only, alas, but boy do I love this app.
Surf . After a long beta, this feed reader / social network / timeline app finally launched, and I still think it’s a great idea. The fediverse doesn’t have to look like Twitter! It can be lots of things! Surf is one of those things. After a long beta, this feed reader / social network / timeline app finally launched, and I still think it’s a great idea. The fediverse doesn’t have to look like Twitter! It can be lots of things! Surf is one of those things.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie . The cast for this movie is just unbelievably stacked, and while the reviews aren’t great, they weren’t for the last one, either, and I loved that movie! I suspect my kid and I will watch this approximately 446 times. The cast for this movie is just unbelievably stacked, and while the reviews aren’t great, they weren’t for the last one, either, and I loved that movie! I suspect my kid and I will watch this approximately 446 times.
Hozy . I’ve only really recently come to appreciate the cozy game genre. Life is hard, y’all; it’s nice to have something calmingly mindless to do. In this case, that thing is home renovation and decoration, and it’s far more fun than it has any right to be. I’ve only really recently come to appreciate the cozy game genre. Life is hard, y’all; it’s nice to have something calmingly mindless to do. In this case, that thing is home renovation and decoration, and it’s far more fun than it has any right to be.
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