
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 125, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, send me cereal recommendations, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about NASA seamstresses and friction and Muskism and scooters, highlighting […]

Apple and Samsung dominate the US phone market, and they’ve done so for years. Together with Google, they’ve shaped our sense of what a smartphone is and what it can do, pushing the boundaries of mobile photography, software, and processing power. But over the last few years, they’ve sat back, content to iterate rather than […]
AI may finally become more useful when it stops acting like a product and starts quietly improving the gadgets people already own.

At CES 2022, BMW debuted its BMW iX Flow concept car that could dynamically change its appearance using the same grayscale E Ink panels found in e-readers like the Kindle. It was followed by the BMW i Vision Dee concept and the BMW i5 Flow Nostokana that were both upgraded with color E Ink panels. […]
Spring has sprung, as they say, and to mark the occasion, Google is running a spring-centric promo until Sunday, April 26th. The limited-time discounts apply to a number of Google’s first-party devices, from the Pixel 10 Pro to the Pixel Buds Pro 2, as well as the wearables like the Pixel Watch 4. In fact, […]

The Xreal One Pro are the company’s best AR glasses, touting thin optics that keep out reflections so you can enjoy a crisp, contrast-rich image of whatever content you’re watching. Xreal has permanently cut their price from $649 to $599, making them $150 more than its entry-level (but still good) 1S glasses that debuted shortly […]

Imagine Google Street View, except you can walk around like it’s a video game. Now imagine you don’t need to wait for Google to come film because it’s completely DIY. Insta360, the leading maker of 360-degree cameras, is now partnered with a 12-person UK startup called Splatica to help creators do just that. Last January, […]

Where’s the Trump phone? We’re going to keep talking about it every week. We’ve reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone’s whereabouts. We’re back to being ignored, and the phone seems no closer to an actual launch. Last week Trump Mobile overhauled its website, in the process officially revealing the updated design […]

We love to muse over how “real” photography is defined here at The Verge now that generative AI is so prolific, and the World Press Photo competition might have the answer. The prestigious award celebrates the best of photojournalism, where capturing reality is paramount. The winning entry for 2026 – “Separated by ICE,” captured by […]

Portable audio and home theater upgrades can be very pricey, which is why we make a habit out of telling readers when there are good deals happening. With that in mind, here’s a friendly reminder that a heap of refurbished Sonos gear is steeply discounted, and will be until the company’s sale ends April 24th. […]