Readwise Reader is the last word app for studying the web

Hello, buddies! Welcome to Installer No. 18, your information to one of the best and Verge-iest stuff on this planet. (In case you’re new right here, hiya, glad holidays, and likewise you’ll be able to learn all of the previous editions on the Installer homepage.) 

This week, I’ve been combing this listing for brand new board video games to attempt, studying about the NFL’s obsession with ping pong and the rise of chess influencers and the wacky historical past of Yahoo Pipes, watching Lupe Fiasco totally clarify how rap works, testing Anytype as a Notion different, attempting to determine methods to justify shopping for myself a Lego Polaroid, and including Us to all my phrases on Threads to welcome my European buddies. 

I even have for you a brand new approach to play Grand Theft Auto, some new AI-powered note-taking and journaling instruments, new stuff to observe this weekend, a glance into the creator economic system, and rather more.

I even have a query. We solely have yet one more Installer this 12 months, so I figured now’s the time to do it: what was your favourite factor of 2023? I promise I received’t maintain this to, like, a authorized customary of that is your solely favourite ceaselessly. However if you look again on the final 12 months, what new present / guide / weblog / app / creator entered your life that you just’re significantly glad about? Inform me one, or two, or three! Doesn’t should be new this 12 months, simply new to you. E mail installer@theverge.com, or textual content / WhatsApp me at (203) 570-8663, and inform me the whole lot. All issues Favorites, coming your means in two weeks.

(As all the time, one of the best a part of Installer is your concepts and suggestions. What do you wish to know extra about? What superior methods have you learnt that everybody else ought to? What app ought to everybody be utilizing? Inform me the whole lot: installer@theverge.com. And if you wish to get Installer in your e-mail inbox a day early, subscribe right here.)

• The NPR app. In case you gave me $100, I couldn’t let you know the distinction between the NPR One app and the NPR app, or why they each existed. Fortunately, they don’t anymore! There’s simply the brand new and good NPR app, which does a very good job of each curating tales into newsy playlists and simply enjoying the exhibits I’m searching for. 
• The GTA trilogy on Netflix. Netflix’s gaming providing is turning into actually spectacular, actually shortly. In case you’re a subscriber, you now have free entry to a bunch of fine video games, together with three all-timer GTA titles: San Andreas, Vice Metropolis, and GTA III. They’re previous, however they nonetheless rip.
• Finalist. One of many niftier to-do listing apps I’ve seen shortly. My predominant challenge with Finalist in the beginning was I hated the colour selections. With the brand new model, you’ll be able to design the app any means you need! And it’s nonetheless a super-simple and fairly intelligent duties system.
• How A lot I Make on TikTok vs Shorts vs Reels from Hank Inexperienced. No one explains the creator economic system like Hank Inexperienced. (In case you’ve by no means seen his rant towards TikTok and creator funds, go watch it.) That is an unusually sincere, and sort of bleak, have a look at how a lot cash there actually is on this sport and the place it comes from.
• Journaling Strategies in Day One. Once I wrote about Apple’s Journal app — which is out for everybody now in iOS 17.2! — I stated that Journaling Strategies, the API that combs by your pictures, actions, places, music, and extra to give you stuff to journal about, was essentially the most intriguing a part of the product. Day One, my favourite journaling app, now integrates Strategies proper into the app. It really works rather well.
• Epic’s vacation sale. This is without doubt one of the higher “free video games!” offers you’ll discover: Epic is gifting away a collection of older titles over the course of the vacation season. Proper now it’s the Future 2: Legacy Assortment, which is a large quantity of Future content material — and there are 16 extra video games left to say. I’ll be keeping track of this one over the subsequent few days. 
• The brand new Apple TV app. Every single day, I swear, my Roku TV will get a little bit slower. And each day, I get a little bit nearer to only plugging in an Apple TV. I actually like what Apple’s attempting to do with this app — common search, cross-platform suggestions, straightforward shopping for and renting — despite the fact that it’s lacking Netflix and some different vital providers. 
• NotebookLM. Google’s AI-powered notes app nonetheless doesn’t have many options, and I nonetheless don’t completely perceive why it’s not only a function of Hold or Docs… however it’s a nifty app nonetheless. Add your docs, summarize them, ask questions on them, make learning or researching a little bit simpler.
• Xbox Cloud Gaming on Quest 3. This is perhaps one of the best cause but to purchase a VR headset. In case you’re a Recreation Cross subscriber, now you can join your controller, fireplace up an enormous digital TV, and play video games from wherever. That is going to develop into a part of my bedtime routine means too shortly. 

For a very very long time, Instapaper was the most-used app on my cellphone. (This was again within the pre-TikTok period, after I spent extra time studying and fewer time scrolling. However let’s not dwell on that change.) I learn so much for work, I’ll learn any superstar profile wherever, and I’m ceaselessly searching for a greater approach to handle all of the stuff I’ve to learn.

This 12 months, sort of accidentally, I wound up doing a tour of all one of the best choices. And excellent news, there are a bunch of them! Instapaper continues to be nice; Matter is beautiful; Omnivore is tremendous highly effective; Upnext is doing a little intelligent AI stuff; even Pocket nonetheless does the job, although I dislike lots of its current design adjustments. We’re type of spoiled for selection on this division.

However I’ve discovered the one for me, at the very least for now. It’s Readwise Reader, which works on iOS, Android, and the online. It’s nonetheless technically in beta however is already completely indispensable in my life and workflow. Right here’s just a few explanation why:

• Reader can deal with the whole lot. It can save you articles, add books, add movies, import RSS feeds, subscribe to newsletters, and extra. The app does a very good job of sorting issues into the appropriate locations, so that you’re not simply caught with an enormous mass of stuff. However it could parse, retailer, and arrange virtually something of any file sort, and I find it irresistible for that.
• It’s greater than only a queue. The very first thing I cherished about Reader was the homescreen, which exhibits you classes like “fast reads,” “lengthy reads,” and “not too long ago added.” There’s additionally a Digest function that simply grabs a bunch of stuff you’ve saved and tells you to learn it at present. I attempt to get by my digest each day, and so I’m really studying stuff I saved greater than ever.
• It’s additionally sort of a note-taking app. Readwise’s authentic shtick was to compile all of your notes and highlights from locations like Kindle and Pocket right into a searchable, reviewable archive. With Reader, I can spotlight something I add, or any reside webpage altogether, and the whole lot goes into that very same notes archive — all of which might sync to Notion, Obsidian, or different note-taking apps, too. All my studying, and all my notes, now reside in the identical place.
• You’ll be able to… learn… video. I watch lots of YouTube, for, uh, journalism. Reader provides a (good however not excellent) transcript to each video you save, so you’ll be able to spotlight and take notes identical to on an article. All the pieces will get time-stamped, too, so you’ll find it later. It’s so useful.
• It’s tremendous quick. One cause I’ve stopped utilizing Reader previously is that the app was sort of sluggish. A kind of apps that all the time felt prefer it was working, what I imply? However not too long ago it has been slimmed down and sped up, and now it feels fairly zippy — besides when it’s loading the AI voice to learn an article aloud, which takes ceaselessly, however I don’t look after that function a lot anyway.

I solely have two ongoing points with Reader, actually. One, it’s not essentially the most enticing app; it feels extra Productiveness Software than Stunning Studying House, ? (I hate the app icon, too. Fingers crossed there’s a greater one coming.) And two, it really might need too many options for my style. You’ll be able to add tags, there’s an Inbox and a Feed and Library and a Later and an Archive, there are one million Views, simply determining the place the whole lot goes takes some time. Oh, and a bonus third factor: it’s not low-cost. The entire Readwise service — notice syncing, Kindle integration, all that — prices $8 a month. Nicely price it, in case you ask me, however not low-cost. 

Talking of: in case you use this hyperlink, I feel you’ll get two free months earlier than you begin paying as a substitute of only one. Give it a whirl, let me know what you assume and what you employ to learn in your units!

Tom Warren’s dwelling workplace is most likely cooler than yours. It’s undoubtedly cooler than mine! He has a teleprompter, an outrageously cool custom-built PC, some sick wall artwork, and extra. Tom is a setup connoisseur, along with being The Verge’s predominant authority on all issues Microsoft, and I admire him for each issues.

In order for you all of the desk-setup deets, you’ll be able to discover them right here, on Reddit, or ping Tom on Threads. However I wished to know if he cares for his small display as a lot as the massive ones, so I requested him to share his homescreen with us.

Right here’s Tom’s homescreen, plus some data on the apps he makes use of and why:

The cellphone: iPhone 15 Professional.

The wallpaper: It’s one among The Verge ones I feel. (Editor’s notice: it’s this one.)

The apps: Cellphone, Clock, Images, Digital camera, App Retailer, Telegram, Messages, Settings, Slack, YouTube, Google House, Discord, Instagram, Unread, Twitch, Xbox, WhatsApp, Outlook, Chrome, X, Threads, Bluesky.

The 2 widgets are sensible ones that rotate between Spotify and my 30-min electrical energy value on the appropriate, and my calendar and the climate on the left. The electrical energy one is there to watch one of the best occasions to run home equipment and cost my EV, as a result of electrical prices within the UK spiraled after the invasion of Ukraine. I even have fast entry to my safety cameras by Google House, which itself has widgets for sensible dwelling controls. I’ve X, Threads, and Bluesky multi functional simply accessible folder as a result of I can’t resolve which one replaces Twitter!

I additionally requested Tom to share just a few issues he’s into proper now. Right here’s what he shared:

• The Wombles. I used to be an enormous fan of The Wombles rising up as a child, so after I’m not listening to EDM loudly in my headphones, you’ll discover me listening to an episode of The Wombles on BBC Sounds. It’s delightfully stress-free, because of the voice performing of Richard E. Grant.
• TeeDee. TeeDee got here on my radar when he did a mixture of Dave and Secondcity’s “I Wanna Really feel” final 12 months. Since then I’m totally invested in his SoundCloud as a result of he continually produces absolute bangers.
• The Finals. I’m obsessive about The Finals for the time being. It’s a damaging first-person enviornment shooter that’s blowing up on Twitch and Steam. It’s a giant break from the same old Name of Responsibility, Overwatch, or battle royale formulation, and I can’t cease smiling after I discover some new approach to explode buildings within the sport.

Right here’s what the Installer group is into this week. I wish to know what you’re into proper now as properly! E mail installer@theverge.com together with your suggestions for something and the whole lot, and we’ll function a few of our favorites right here each week. 

“I used this shelf app referred to as Anybox. This app is a field to shortly entry any sort of merchandise: picture, textual content, doc, and hyperlinks. The app permits customization for default motion primarily based on saved merchandise sort, we will preview, copy, share, and so forth.” — Krishna

“Watching Fisk on Netflix. This Australian quirky comedy simply launched a second season this month. I like the brief 25-minute episodes, makes it straightforward to observe and revel in.” — Carter

“As you have been speaking about media group / assortment apps, please take a look at the game-tracking app developed by IGN referred to as Playlist. It’s free and I’m liking it.” — OK

“Analogue Duo baybee.” — Chris

“AI wallpapers on the Google Pixel! I’ve been hooked on creating AI wallpapers and it feels just like the mixtures are really countless. Going from an AI-generated portray of a mountain and spaceships to a surreal citadel fabricated from muslin with totally different shade shades is wildly enjoyable!” — Michael

“Listening to The Vergecast podcast on how Twitter formally died this 12 months and Watching Blue Eye Samurai on Netflix. I extremely suggest it to anybody who likes animation.” — Paul

“If it hasn’t been talked about but, or even when it has, you need to take a look at the present Scavengers Reign on Max. Sensible and freaky sci-fi wonderfulness!” — Edward

“Utilizing Calibre to subscribe to newsletters / newspapers and have them seem on my kindle each morning offers me a lovely little ‘sluggish web’ expertise whereas I sip my espresso.” — Jon

“This week I found Mammoth, an insanely beautiful Mastodon app. Till now I’ve not been in a position to see previous Ivory. Additionally Longplay is an excellent iOS app to rediscover my album assortment in Apple Music.” — Chris

“Spotify audiobooks. I do know you don’t personal the audiobooks after however it’s actually handy to get 15 hours without cost. It’s sufficient to get me by at the very least one medium-sized guide every month. I take advantage of it with Libby and Audible to learn a bunch through the month!” — Harrison

This week, The Verge revealed one among my favourite packages we’ve ever executed, all about the loss of life of Twitter. The tales are good, learn all of them, however severely, y’all: it’s important to go to The Nice Scrollback of Alexandria and spend a couple of minutes / hours / months scrolling by hundreds of one of the best tweets of all time. The listing reorders each time you open the web page, and if there’s a backside of the listing, I positive haven’t discovered it. Twitter was really a deranged, horrible, great place. And in case you get to the 3944 tweet (you’ll understand it if you see it), simply know that I laughed for totally quarter-hour at that tweet. I hope you do, too.

We’re off subsequent week for the vacation. Hope you will have a fantastic one, and see you in two weeks!