{"id":729486,"date":"2026-06-27T16:12:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T16:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/729486\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T16:12:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T16:12:16","slug":"this-might-be-the-new-best-smart-speaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/729486\/","title":{"rendered":"This might be the new best smart speaker"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 134, your guide to the best and Verge-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 homepage<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

This week, I\u2019ve been reading about Polymarket lies<\/a> and Jalen Brunson<\/a> and the Arts and Crafts Movement<\/a>, watching Not Suitable for Work<\/a> and way too much of the World Cup, trying to catch up on The Bear<\/a> before the final season starts, playing a bunch of Hank Green\u2019s 4×3 game<\/a>, trying my absolute hardest not to preorder this amazing Stanley Kubrick collection<\/a> even though I\u2019m obviously going to, buying a bunch of new AirTags<\/a> and charging cables<\/a> during Prime Day, poring over oral histories of data centers<\/a> and Steven Spielberg<\/a>, and thinking rude thoughts about whoever decided to kill Notion Mail<\/a>.<\/p>\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

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? 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

(As always, the best part of Installer 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, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

The Google Home Speaker<\/a>. Nine months later, it\u2019s finally on sale! I mostly really like it so far<\/a> \u2014 for its size and $99 price it\u2019s a very serviceable speaker, and since all I really need is \u201cput this on my calendar\u201d and \u201cplay this song on Spotify,\u201d Gemini is a winner. Still a little worried about Google\u2019s ongoing interest in the smart home, though\u2026Star Fox<\/a>. I was very much raised by the Nintendo 64, but I confess I never really got into Star Fox. This is good news for Adult David, because now I get to experience this game \u2014 which is by all accounts a pretty faithful and solid remake<\/a> of the original \u2014 for the very first time. I have a lot of flying to do.The Atonemo NTS Radio Player<\/a>. I don\u2019t know why I\u2019m such a sucker for adorable little music players, but there\u2019s just nothing I can do about it. This one is beautiful, and I love that it both supports streaming services and offers a bunch of just-turn-it-on radio options. The NTS infinite mixtapes<\/a> always seem to hit.\u201cThe Revolt Against Technology<\/a>.\u201d Really great video from Jared Henderson about what he calls \u201cthe new Luddites,\u201d or more broadly the ongoing backlash against everything tech has become in our lives. I don\u2019t agree with everything in here, but I nodded a lot at the stuff about the future we were promised that simply never arrived.Claude Tag<\/a>. Work chat is so obviously a useful place for AI as a way to find information and accomplish simple stuff. There are going to be a lot of weird social questions to figure out here \u2014 can you @claude a request from your boss, right in-line in Slack? \u2014 but I suspect I\u2019ll end up using this a lot.Meta Glasses<\/a>. I\u2019m so torn on these. Love that they\u2019re cheaper, love that they\u2019re lower-profile, even love a couple of the styles. But\u2026 Meta. I wish I could get a pair of these that were just a camera, a microphone, speakers, and precisely nothing else. Deltarune Chapter 5<\/a>. A bunch of new content for an absolutely beloved game just dropped, and both the Steam charts and my social feeds suggest that people are into it. If you\u2019ve been in this world for a while, it apparently ties a lot of things together; if you\u2019re new, like me, it feels like the perfect time to dive in.Avatar: The Last Airbender season two<\/a>. An Installerverse favorite is back! Heard a bunch of good things about this season, too; the general consensus seems to be that nothing could or will ever top the original, but that\u2019s okay and this one\u2019s a great time. I\u2019m always in the market for shows that are just a great time.\u201cWhy Everyone Wants A \u2018Live-Service\u2019 Game<\/a>.\u201d Jason Schreier\u2019s (still new-ish<\/a>) YouTube channel is full of good reporting and good stories, but this one in particular did a really nice job of answering a really complicated question: Why does everyone keep making these huge, expensive, oversized games that keep failing miserably? I think I get it now.<\/p>\n

Three or four times a year, I decide to try and make my iPad my main computer. This is almost always Christopher Lawley<\/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

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<\/a>. (Not to brag, but I am 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

Here it is, plus some info on the apps he uses and why:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The device: 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

The wallpaper: 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

The apps: 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

Oh boy, do I love apps. That was the whole reason I started my YouTube channel almost 10 years ago.<\/p>\n

I have to start with my beloved Obsidian<\/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<\/a> that I use for research, saving articles, and even YouTube videos. It\u2019s really good at pulling a lot of metadata.<\/p>\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

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<\/a> and Codex<\/a>. I\u2019ve been using this so much that I built a shortcut<\/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

A few creative apps I use on my iPad are Final Cut Pro<\/a>, Lightroom<\/a>, and Photoshop<\/a>. I did try to go all in on Apple\u2019s Creator Studio, but the lack of lens profiles in Pixelmator Pro<\/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

My pal Matt Birchler<\/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<\/a>. This is a read-it-later service, with support for listening to articles with really good, natural-sounding voices.<\/p>\n

I have been desperate to replace Twitter ever since its downfall. I have ended up in two places, Mastodon and Bluesky. Indigo<\/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

An app that isn\u2019t on my home screen but I use a lot is the Nintendo Music<\/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<\/a> and Tears of the Kingdom<\/a> tracks. The Animal Crossing tracks<\/a> are also great to work to. There is even a feature to sync the Animal Crossing tracks with real-world time.<\/p>\n

I also asked Chris to share a few things he\u2019s into right now. Here\u2019s what he sent back:<\/p>\n

I just finished 007: First Light<\/a>. What a fantastic game. As somebody who has seen every 007 movie a few times (yes, even Die Another Day), I loved this version of Bond. What a great game. I\u2019ve been really into 3D printing lately. I got a Bambu Lab A1<\/a> for Christmas. I had been printing Gridfinity<\/a> almost nonstop, organizing my office\/studio. I finally finished that. Now it\u2019s time to do the rest of the house. Lastly, 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. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you\u2019re into right now as well! Email installer@theverge.com<\/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 this post on Threads<\/a> and this post on Bluesky<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been looking into the Polastax<\/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

\u201cWatching Star City<\/a> (spin-off of For All Mankind<\/a>) actually made me rewatch FAM season 1, and there are nice call-backs. These TV shows are top notch for me.\u201d \u2014 Fabrice<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a pair of XReal One Pros<\/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

\u201cOver-the-air HD digital broadcast is still a thing and, coupled with a cheap DVR like HDHomeRun<\/a> makes catching the World Cup when time permits super easy (and free, too!).\u201d \u2014 David<\/p>\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<\/a> is pulsing through my speakers.\u201d \u2014 Ben<\/p>\n

\u201cJust started Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike<\/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

\u201cRE: PopSocket Low-Pro Grip. OhSnap<\/a> did it first, and it\u2019s great!\u201d \u2014 Deb<\/p>\n

\u201cLately I\u2019ve gotten into fountain pens and inks. I love, love, love the online shop by Italian company Stilo & Stile<\/a>. Inks are swatched and so are most of the fountain pens, plus you can whittle it down to every nook and cranny! JetPens<\/a> has a terrific online store as well. Probably two of the best online stores I\u2019ve run into.\u201d \u2014 Elif<\/p>\n

The game On-Together<\/a> is kind of having<\/a> a moment right now<\/a>. Though I\u2019m not even sure I\u2019d call it a game. It\u2019s just an online space: You join a server, walk around for a while, find a spot to sit, and sit. Sit a while, get tickets, buy new stuff for your avatar. That\u2019s it! But there\u2019s something about the idea of this sort of digital co-working that really seems to work for people \u2014 it\u2019s not at all a new concept, but I think there\u2019s something really cool about the way On-Together actually makes these spaces feel communal.<\/p>\n

Right next to this game\u2019s popularity is the concept of \u201cadmin nights<\/a>,\u201d which is basically when you get together with a bunch of strangers to accomplish all your boring tasks together. I love this idea! We should do an Installerverse admin night one of these days. I have\u2026 a lot of boring tasks to accomplish. And in general, I think there\u2019s something powerful about finding even these very low-touch ways to be together. We should all do that more.<\/p>\n

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