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A Mac app for true notch-heads. | Image: NotchNook

There’s a new app for Macs called NotchNook that transforms the notch on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro into, basically, the iPhone’s Dynamic Island. And after using it for a day, I’m not sure I can do without it.
Just like the Dynamic Island, NotchNook expands out from the notch, revealing a “Nook” with basic media controls (sort of like Live Activities in iOS) and other customizable widgets. Then there’s a “Tray” tab that you can drop files or apps into; it’s similar to the macOS dock, except that the tray empties when you quit NotchNook.

GIF: NotchNook
NotchNook made my MacBook Air’s notch useful.

You access this by clicking on a tab that blends in with the notch, or by swiping downward on your trackpad when your mouse cursor is over it. Or you can set it to drop down automatically when you bring your mouse over it.
NotchNook works on Macs with and without notches; for those without, you can customize it so it either looks like a full notch or simply appears as a small black sliver at the top center of your screen. The app lists other “coming soon” features, like the ability to zip or unzip files by dragging them into the app (which sounds fun and unnecessary, but that’s the vibe this app gives me anyway).

The app could still use some ironing out — I couldn’t figure out how to remove files from the Tray tab, which becomes the default tab once you put something in it. Also, swiping left or right is supposed to be like pressing the next or previous song button, but that didn’t work for me. And it only seems to support certain media apps, like Apple Music, as controls didn’t show up for other apps I tried. I also couldn’t locate a privacy policy from Lo.cafe, and the developer didn’t respond to my questions by press time.
But those issues aside, NotchNook feels like a very natural extension of macOS. I don’t feel like it does anything that I can’t already do without it, which is fine because it’s just fun to use.

A Mac app for true notch-heads. | Image: NotchNook

There’s a new app for Macs called NotchNook that transforms the notch on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro into, basically, the iPhone’s Dynamic Island. And after using it for a day, I’m not sure I can do without it.

Just like the Dynamic Island, NotchNook expands out from the notch, revealing a “Nook” with basic media controls (sort of like Live Activities in iOS) and other customizable widgets. Then there’s a “Tray” tab that you can drop files or apps into; it’s similar to the macOS dock, except that the tray empties when you quit NotchNook.

GIF: NotchNook
NotchNook made my MacBook Air’s notch useful.

You access this by clicking on a tab that blends in with the notch, or by swiping downward on your trackpad when your mouse cursor is over it. Or you can set it to drop down automatically when you bring your mouse over it.

NotchNook works on Macs with and without notches; for those without, you can customize it so it either looks like a full notch or simply appears as a small black sliver at the top center of your screen. The app lists other “coming soon” features, like the ability to zip or unzip files by dragging them into the app (which sounds fun and unnecessary, but that’s the vibe this app gives me anyway).

The app could still use some ironing out — I couldn’t figure out how to remove files from the Tray tab, which becomes the default tab once you put something in it. Also, swiping left or right is supposed to be like pressing the next or previous song button, but that didn’t work for me. And it only seems to support certain media apps, like Apple Music, as controls didn’t show up for other apps I tried. I also couldn’t locate a privacy policy from Lo.cafe, and the developer didn’t respond to my questions by press time.

But those issues aside, NotchNook feels like a very natural extension of macOS. I don’t feel like it does anything that I can’t already do without it, which is fine because it’s just fun to use.

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Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker

President Joseph R. Biden says he will stand down from his reelection bid and “focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” Biden announced his decision with a letter posted to social media (first X, then Instagram / Threads, and then Facebook) after a growing movement among Democrats and the media called for him to step aside.
Biden is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement, writing, “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.”

Harris ran for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president before dropping out and later endorsing Biden for the position. Biden named her as his running mate in August 2020, which eventually made her the first Black woman and South Asian American to serve as vice president. Harris is decades younger than Biden at age 59, which could upend a major dynamic of the presidential race thus far. If she becomes the Democratic nominee, she’d be facing 78-year-old Donald Trump, who so far has dodged the same level of criticism over his age as Biden has fielded.
If elected as president, Harris would become the country’s first female and first South Asian American president.
Here is the text from Biden’s letter about declining the nomination:

My Fellow Americans,
Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.
Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.
I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.
It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.
I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.
For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.

Biden’s announcement comes after weeks of mounting pressure from donors, Congressional Democrats, and other erstwhile allies who have publicly and privately called on him to drop out of the race.
Biden resisted calls to drop out for weeks, but in a pretaped interview with BET News that aired Wednesday, he said he’d consider exiting the race if a doctor diagnosed him with a “medical condition.” The White House announced Wednesday night that Biden tested positive for covid-19 and is “experiencing mild symptoms.”
Democratic Party insiders began expressing concern about Biden’s age and ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in the wake of the June presidential debate, during which Biden appeared confused and was occasionally incoherent. He initially acknowledged his poor debate performance but insisted he wouldn’t drop out of the race, even as former allies — including George Clooney, a major Democratic donor — called on him to step down. He once again declined to drop out in a July 8th open letter to his fellow Democrats. “We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump,” Biden wrote. “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us.”

pic.twitter.com/RMIRvlSOYw— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024

In an effort to reassure the public about Biden’s health and stamina, Biden’s campaign planned a back-to-back events blitz in the aftermath of the debate. “We really want to turn the page on this,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the Associated Press. But attempts to quell doubts from vocal voters, donors, and Democratic Party members appeared to ease worries about the president’s age.
New York’s Olivia Nuzzi recently reported on a “conspiracy of silence” among the president’s inner circle regarding Biden’s cognitive decline. Several major donors at multimillion-dollar fundraising events noticed a marked change in Biden’s demeanor in recent months, according to CNN. “He was less cogent than usual,” one person who attended Clooney’s June fundraiser for Biden told the outlet. “There’s this general sense of just, unbelievable holding your breath every time he does an event, every time he’s with people,” a top Democrat close to Biden’s advisors told CNN.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joe Biden (@joebiden)

Members of Biden’s party have been publicly and privately calling on Biden to step down from the race since the debate. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), among the most prominent Democrats who have said Biden should step down, urged Biden to “pass the torch.” In an appearance on MSNBC, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said it was “up to the president to decide if he is going to run.” Pelosi reportedly met with Biden to warn him that staying in the race could cost him — and down-ballot Democrats — the election. And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told Biden that his caucus had serious concerns about Biden’s candidacy, sources told Axios.
For weeks, Biden’s campaign and allies dismissed the dissenters within his party as being out of touch with “average Democrats” who wanted him to stay in the race. But two-thirds of respondents to a July 17th poll by the AP-NORC Center said Biden should withdraw from the race and let the party nominate a different candidate.

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker

President Joseph R. Biden says he will stand down from his reelection bid and “focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” Biden announced his decision with a letter posted to social media (first X, then Instagram / Threads, and then Facebook) after a growing movement among Democrats and the media called for him to step aside.

Biden is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement, writing, “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.”

Harris ran for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president before dropping out and later endorsing Biden for the position. Biden named her as his running mate in August 2020, which eventually made her the first Black woman and South Asian American to serve as vice president. Harris is decades younger than Biden at age 59, which could upend a major dynamic of the presidential race thus far. If she becomes the Democratic nominee, she’d be facing 78-year-old Donald Trump, who so far has dodged the same level of criticism over his age as Biden has fielded.

If elected as president, Harris would become the country’s first female and first South Asian American president.

Here is the text from Biden’s letter about declining the nomination:

My Fellow Americans,

Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.

Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.

I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.

It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.

I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.

For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.

I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.

Biden’s announcement comes after weeks of mounting pressure from donors, Congressional Democrats, and other erstwhile allies who have publicly and privately called on him to drop out of the race.

Biden resisted calls to drop out for weeks, but in a pretaped interview with BET News that aired Wednesday, he said he’d consider exiting the race if a doctor diagnosed him with a “medical condition.” The White House announced Wednesday night that Biden tested positive for covid-19 and is “experiencing mild symptoms.”

Democratic Party insiders began expressing concern about Biden’s age and ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in the wake of the June presidential debate, during which Biden appeared confused and was occasionally incoherent. He initially acknowledged his poor debate performance but insisted he wouldn’t drop out of the race, even as former allies — including George Clooney, a major Democratic donor — called on him to step down. He once again declined to drop out in a July 8th open letter to his fellow Democrats. “We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump,” Biden wrote. “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us.”

In an effort to reassure the public about Biden’s health and stamina, Biden’s campaign planned a back-to-back events blitz in the aftermath of the debate. “We really want to turn the page on this,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the Associated Press. But attempts to quell doubts from vocal voters, donors, and Democratic Party members appeared to ease worries about the president’s age.

New York’s Olivia Nuzzi recently reported on a “conspiracy of silence” among the president’s inner circle regarding Biden’s cognitive decline. Several major donors at multimillion-dollar fundraising events noticed a marked change in Biden’s demeanor in recent months, according to CNN. “He was less cogent than usual,” one person who attended Clooney’s June fundraiser for Biden told the outlet. “There’s this general sense of just, unbelievable holding your breath every time he does an event, every time he’s with people,” a top Democrat close to Biden’s advisors told CNN.

Members of Biden’s party have been publicly and privately calling on Biden to step down from the race since the debate. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), among the most prominent Democrats who have said Biden should step down, urged Biden to “pass the torch.” In an appearance on MSNBC, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said it was “up to the president to decide if he is going to run.” Pelosi reportedly met with Biden to warn him that staying in the race could cost him — and down-ballot Democrats — the election. And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told Biden that his caucus had serious concerns about Biden’s candidacy, sources told Axios.

For weeks, Biden’s campaign and allies dismissed the dissenters within his party as being out of touch with “average Democrats” who wanted him to stay in the race. But two-thirds of respondents to a July 17th poll by the AP-NORC Center said Biden should withdraw from the race and let the party nominate a different candidate.

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Image: The Verge

The CrowdStrike outage that hit millions of Windows machines on Friday has left IT workers scrambling to get their organizations’ computer infrastructure back up and running. Images and stories shared online are illustrating just how tedious and overwhelming this task is.
Microsoft and CrowdStrike don’t have a way to push a fix for the issue to crashed computers. And in many cases, systems administrators can’t repair the machines remotely, either. That leaves them working in person to do things like use a Microsoft-created tool on a USB drive, delete a specific file while in Safe Mode, or restart affected computers over and over again, hoping an update comes through.
And these things must be done for every individual computer affected.

@ninabambina5 on behalf of delayed passengers like me and IT techs who have to do this to every PC…we hate you, crowdstrike. #airport #microsoft #crowdstrike #flightdelayed #flightcancelled #bluescreen #microsoftoutage #systemoutage #airportproblems ♬ Titanic flute fail – kate dwyer

The work seems particularly visible in busy airports, where workers are trying to fix machines inside kiosks, attached to large information displays, or mounted high above the floor requiring a ladder.

IT team at the Denver airport busy manually updating CloudStrike all over the airport. Just talked to these guys, they said they’ve been here since 4am running manual updates.Wild that CloudStrike can push an update that breaks everything, but can’t push one that fixes… pic.twitter.com/lP3FVPIoS2— Morgan Linton (@morganlinton) July 19, 2024

And in one Reddit thread, people tell stories of long hours and hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of crashed machines:

Image: The Verge

The CrowdStrike outage that hit millions of Windows machines on Friday has left IT workers scrambling to get their organizations’ computer infrastructure back up and running. Images and stories shared online are illustrating just how tedious and overwhelming this task is.

Microsoft and CrowdStrike don’t have a way to push a fix for the issue to crashed computers. And in many cases, systems administrators can’t repair the machines remotely, either. That leaves them working in person to do things like use a Microsoft-created tool on a USB drive, delete a specific file while in Safe Mode, or restart affected computers over and over again, hoping an update comes through.

And these things must be done for every individual computer affected.

The work seems particularly visible in busy airports, where workers are trying to fix machines inside kiosks, attached to large information displays, or mounted high above the floor requiring a ladder.

And in one Reddit thread, people tell stories of long hours and hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of crashed machines:

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Image: Samar Haddad for The Verge

On the infinite list of possible uses for AI, “getting selfie advice from a Kylie Jenner voice clone” seems both completely off-the-wall and also pretty inevitable. So of course it does exist. It’s not a widely-available app, at least not yet; it’s an experiment from artist and programmer Dries Depoorter.
With access to a couple of APIs from OpenAI and ElevenLabs, and a little knowledge of Python, you too can up your selfie game. The app will take a photo through your webcam, then feed it to ChatGPT with a prompt asking for funny advice in the voice of Ms. Jenner. The text output is then passed to an ElevenLabs voice clone of the selfie maven, and out pops the advice:
“Ok, love the candid vibe, but let’s add some drama. Turn towards the light, lose the headphones, and think mysterious thoughts to spice it up, cuz lighting is everything, babe.”

On this episode of The Vergecast, we explore the AI-tinged worlds Depoorter has been creating. The Kylie Jenner selfie bot is just the tip of the iceberg: throughout his career, Depoorter has built all manner of quirky and provocative installations and online experiments. There’s a clock that tells you how much of your life you’ve already lived; a phone charger that only works when your eyes are closed; a mobile chat app that you can only use when your phone has less than 5% battery.
His most eyebrow-raising work, though, is around AI and surveillance. In his projects Depoorter takes unsecured webcam footage from around the world, and uses it to stalk celebrities, catch jaywalkers in the act, keep politicians honest, and generally make you question your own privacy and anonymity.
We talked with Depoorter about how he creates his work, how he thinks about the future of AI, and how he responds to the people who see his art and want to turn it into commerce. It’s a wild conversation, so check it out above. To see all of Dries’ work, head over to his portfolio.

Image: Samar Haddad for The Verge

On the infinite list of possible uses for AI, “getting selfie advice from a Kylie Jenner voice clone” seems both completely off-the-wall and also pretty inevitable. So of course it does exist. It’s not a widely-available app, at least not yet; it’s an experiment from artist and programmer Dries Depoorter.

With access to a couple of APIs from OpenAI and ElevenLabs, and a little knowledge of Python, you too can up your selfie game. The app will take a photo through your webcam, then feed it to ChatGPT with a prompt asking for funny advice in the voice of Ms. Jenner. The text output is then passed to an ElevenLabs voice clone of the selfie maven, and out pops the advice:

“Ok, love the candid vibe, but let’s add some drama. Turn towards the light, lose the headphones, and think mysterious thoughts to spice it up, cuz lighting is everything, babe.”

On this episode of The Vergecast, we explore the AI-tinged worlds Depoorter has been creating. The Kylie Jenner selfie bot is just the tip of the iceberg: throughout his career, Depoorter has built all manner of quirky and provocative installations and online experiments. There’s a clock that tells you how much of your life you’ve already lived; a phone charger that only works when your eyes are closed; a mobile chat app that you can only use when your phone has less than 5% battery.

His most eyebrow-raising work, though, is around AI and surveillance. In his projects Depoorter takes unsecured webcam footage from around the world, and uses it to stalk celebrities, catch jaywalkers in the act, keep politicians honest, and generally make you question your own privacy and anonymity.

We talked with Depoorter about how he creates his work, how he thinks about the future of AI, and how he responds to the people who see his art and want to turn it into commerce. It’s a wild conversation, so check it out above. To see all of Dries’ work, head over to his portfolio.

Read More 

Image: The Verge

CrowdStrike has published a new “Remediation and Guidance Hub” that collects details related to its faulty update that crashed 8.5 million Windows computers across the globe on Friday.
The page includes technical information on what caused the outage, what systems are affected, and CEO George Kurtz’s statement. It contains links to Bitlocker key recovery processes and to various third-party vendor pages about dealing with the outage, as well.

The page points to a knowledge base article (which only logged-in customers can access) for using a bootable USB key. Microsoft released such a tool yesterday that automatically deletes the problematic channel file that caused machines to blue screen.
CrowdStrike also published a blog yesterday warning that threat actors have been taking advantage of the situation to distribute malware, using “a malicious ZIP archive named crowdstrike-hotfix.zip.”
The ZIP archive contains a HijackLoader payload that, when executed, loads RemCos. Notably, Spanish filenames and instructions within the ZIP archive indicate this campaign is likely targeting Latin America-based (LATAM) CrowdStrike customers.
Later in the blog:
Following the content update issue, several typosquatting domains impersonating CrowdStrike have been identified. This campaign marks the first observed instance in which a threat actor has capitalized on the Falcon content issue to distribute malicious files targeting LATAM-based CrowdStrike customers.
CrowdStrike says organizations should only be working directly with CrowdStrike’s representatives using official channels, and should use only the guidance its support team provides.

Image: The Verge

CrowdStrike has published a new “Remediation and Guidance Hub” that collects details related to its faulty update that crashed 8.5 million Windows computers across the globe on Friday.

The page includes technical information on what caused the outage, what systems are affected, and CEO George Kurtz’s statement. It contains links to Bitlocker key recovery processes and to various third-party vendor pages about dealing with the outage, as well.

The page points to a knowledge base article (which only logged-in customers can access) for using a bootable USB key. Microsoft released such a tool yesterday that automatically deletes the problematic channel file that caused machines to blue screen.

CrowdStrike also published a blog yesterday warning that threat actors have been taking advantage of the situation to distribute malware, using “a malicious ZIP archive named crowdstrike-hotfix.zip.”

The ZIP archive contains a HijackLoader payload that, when executed, loads RemCos. Notably, Spanish filenames and instructions within the ZIP archive indicate this campaign is likely targeting Latin America-based (LATAM) CrowdStrike customers.

Later in the blog:

Following the content update issue, several typosquatting domains impersonating CrowdStrike have been identified. This campaign marks the first observed instance in which a threat actor has capitalized on the Falcon content issue to distribute malicious files targeting LATAM-based CrowdStrike customers.

CrowdStrike says organizations should only be working directly with CrowdStrike’s representatives using official channels, and should use only the guidance its support team provides.

Read More 

Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images

Within 30 minutes of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, Elon Musk did what he had previously promised not to do.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” the billionaire posted on X. So much for that vow to stay on the sidelines.
But it didn’t stop there. Days later, The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk planned on donating vast sums of his own wealth to a super PAC supporting Trump, possibly upwards of $45 million a month. (Musk later disputed the report, calling it “FAKE GNUS.”)
Whether he plans on flooding the election with cash or not, Musk’s MAGA awakening is probably pretty befuddling for his fan base. After all, Musk has staked his legacy on shifting the world to renewable energy, and Trump is widely seen as an accelerant for climate change.
Musk’s MAGA awakening is probably pretty befuddling for his fanbase
Trump also poses a unique threat to Tesla, which is the source of most of Musk’s wealth. He has said in no uncertain terms that if elected he would roll back all of the Biden administration’s investments in EV charging infrastructure and incentives. And he has made electric vehicles an attack line in his campaign, calling them expensive, overweight, and impractical.
“I have no objection to the electric vehicle, the EV,” Trump said in a recent interview with Bloomberg. “I think it’s great. Elon is fantastic. I think it’s great. I’ve driven them often and they’re wonderful. But you can’t have 100 percent of your cars electric. We can’t electrify our cities.”
And at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump said that he would end the “EV mandate” on “day one” of his administration. That could also include the new automobile standards aimed at slashing greenhouse gas emissions and spurring more EV sales.
If Trump wins and he succeeds in reversing President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the impact would be felt in Tesla’s vehicle sales. Today, anyone shopping for a new Tesla Model 3 or Model Y will likely be able to take up to $7,500 off the purchase price at the point of sale, thanks to Biden’s EV tax credit. Meanwhile, used Teslas qualify for a $4,000 tax credit. The incentives bring the price for the new rear-wheel-drive Model 3 below $30,000 — even lower when you apply state credits.
It’s no secret that Tesla’s sales have been lackluster this year. Rising competition has forced the company to slash prices, hurting its once-vaunted profit margins. And Musk’s online antics have further eroded the brand’s reputation. Tesla sales dropped 6.3 percent for the second quarter in 2024, even as total EV sales climbed 7.3 percent, according to Kelley Blue Book.
Trump also poses a unique threat to Tesla
Now Musk is risking even further bleeding by throwing his support with Trump, who will no doubt do everything in his power to eliminate EV spending if he is elected. House Republicans have already fired several shots across the bow, voting for several proposals that would roll back the IRA or scrap the EV tax credit. Trump would happily sign any of these bills if given the chance.
Of course, if Tesla’s tax credits go bye-bye, so would everyone else’s. One could argue that the legacy auto industry relies on the government’s largesse more than Tesla, which has a huge head start in EV production, has multiple factories operating around the globe, and has already built a reliable network of EV charging stations. Without the credits, the Model 3 would still likely be one of the most affordable options out there, while other automakers’ EVs would suddenly become more expensive. And their efforts to introduce more affordable models are still years away from fruition.
Musk has been a critic of the tax credits in the past, arguing that the industry should stand on its own with government handouts. He also said that the government shouldn’t be funding EV charging stations. “Take away the subsidies,” he said on X earlier this week. “It will only help Tesla.”

Take away the subsidies. It will only help Tesla. Also, remove subsidies from all industries!— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 16, 2024

But you don’t need to look too far back to see the limits of this viewpoint. Tesla got its start thanks to a $475 million loan from the Department of Energy at a critical time in the company’s history. Several experts have noted that Tesla likely wouldn’t have survived, nor turned into the global powerhouse it is today, without the federal loan. Musk’s other companies also heavily rely on government contracts, including SpaceX and its Starlink internet business.
Musk clearly has a cordial relationship with Trump; the two apparently chat a lot over the phone. And despite pouring billions of dollars into EV development, the Biden administration has always kept Musk and Tesla at arm’s length, snubbing them from White House events and omitting their names from press announcements. Musk bashed Biden as “not the friendliest” administration back in 2021.
The Biden administration has also taken a sharper look at Tesla’s autonomous driving technology, opening investigations that could potentially result in charges of securities and wire fraud. Musk is probably hoping to nip these probes in the bud by supporting Trump’s bid for the White House.
Musk clearly has a cordial relationship with Trump
If he succeeds, one can imagine some short-term successes for Tesla. The EV tax credits are scrapped, as are any investigation into the company’s self-driving claims. Corporate taxes are cut, business regulations fall by the wayside, and Tesla becomes less encumbered by allegations of labor abuse or racial and gender discrimination. Meanwhile, Musk’s pet causes like immigration crackdowns and gender conformity become the law of the land.
But there is so much more to lose, including Tesla’s stated goal of accelerating “the world’s transition to sustainable energy,” as it claims on its website. A Trump victory would be extremely bad for the planet and for the renewable energy sector. The former president has long railed against solar and wind power. And the Republican Party is a major ally of the oil and gas industry. These are not forces that will usher in a cleaner, more sustainable planet. Quite the opposite.
Musk once said that he would never get involved in politics and that, when he does, he usually has to hold his nose. Perhaps he should have followed his own advice and stayed out of this race.

Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images

Within 30 minutes of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, Elon Musk did what he had previously promised not to do.

“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” the billionaire posted on X. So much for that vow to stay on the sidelines.

But it didn’t stop there. Days later, The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk planned on donating vast sums of his own wealth to a super PAC supporting Trump, possibly upwards of $45 million a month. (Musk later disputed the report, calling it “FAKE GNUS.”)

Whether he plans on flooding the election with cash or not, Musk’s MAGA awakening is probably pretty befuddling for his fan base. After all, Musk has staked his legacy on shifting the world to renewable energy, and Trump is widely seen as an accelerant for climate change.

Trump also poses a unique threat to Tesla, which is the source of most of Musk’s wealth. He has said in no uncertain terms that if elected he would roll back all of the Biden administration’s investments in EV charging infrastructure and incentives. And he has made electric vehicles an attack line in his campaign, calling them expensive, overweight, and impractical.

“I have no objection to the electric vehicle, the EV,” Trump said in a recent interview with Bloomberg. “I think it’s great. Elon is fantastic. I think it’s great. I’ve driven them often and they’re wonderful. But you can’t have 100 percent of your cars electric. We can’t electrify our cities.”

And at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump said that he would end the “EV mandate” on “day one” of his administration. That could also include the new automobile standards aimed at slashing greenhouse gas emissions and spurring more EV sales.

If Trump wins and he succeeds in reversing President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the impact would be felt in Tesla’s vehicle sales. Today, anyone shopping for a new Tesla Model 3 or Model Y will likely be able to take up to $7,500 off the purchase price at the point of sale, thanks to Biden’s EV tax credit. Meanwhile, used Teslas qualify for a $4,000 tax credit. The incentives bring the price for the new rear-wheel-drive Model 3 below $30,000 — even lower when you apply state credits.

It’s no secret that Tesla’s sales have been lackluster this year. Rising competition has forced the company to slash prices, hurting its once-vaunted profit margins. And Musk’s online antics have further eroded the brand’s reputation. Tesla sales dropped 6.3 percent for the second quarter in 2024, even as total EV sales climbed 7.3 percent, according to Kelley Blue Book.

Now Musk is risking even further bleeding by throwing his support with Trump, who will no doubt do everything in his power to eliminate EV spending if he is elected. House Republicans have already fired several shots across the bow, voting for several proposals that would roll back the IRA or scrap the EV tax credit. Trump would happily sign any of these bills if given the chance.

Of course, if Tesla’s tax credits go bye-bye, so would everyone else’s. One could argue that the legacy auto industry relies on the government’s largesse more than Tesla, which has a huge head start in EV production, has multiple factories operating around the globe, and has already built a reliable network of EV charging stations. Without the credits, the Model 3 would still likely be one of the most affordable options out there, while other automakers’ EVs would suddenly become more expensive. And their efforts to introduce more affordable models are still years away from fruition.

Musk has been a critic of the tax credits in the past, arguing that the industry should stand on its own with government handouts. He also said that the government shouldn’t be funding EV charging stations. “Take away the subsidies,” he said on X earlier this week. “It will only help Tesla.”

But you don’t need to look too far back to see the limits of this viewpoint. Tesla got its start thanks to a $475 million loan from the Department of Energy at a critical time in the company’s history. Several experts have noted that Tesla likely wouldn’t have survived, nor turned into the global powerhouse it is today, without the federal loan. Musk’s other companies also heavily rely on government contracts, including SpaceX and its Starlink internet business.

Musk clearly has a cordial relationship with Trump; the two apparently chat a lot over the phone. And despite pouring billions of dollars into EV development, the Biden administration has always kept Musk and Tesla at arm’s length, snubbing them from White House events and omitting their names from press announcements. Musk bashed Biden as “not the friendliest” administration back in 2021.

The Biden administration has also taken a sharper look at Tesla’s autonomous driving technology, opening investigations that could potentially result in charges of securities and wire fraud. Musk is probably hoping to nip these probes in the bud by supporting Trump’s bid for the White House.

If he succeeds, one can imagine some short-term successes for Tesla. The EV tax credits are scrapped, as are any investigation into the company’s self-driving claims. Corporate taxes are cut, business regulations fall by the wayside, and Tesla becomes less encumbered by allegations of labor abuse or racial and gender discrimination. Meanwhile, Musk’s pet causes like immigration crackdowns and gender conformity become the law of the land.

But there is so much more to lose, including Tesla’s stated goal of accelerating “the world’s transition to sustainable energy,” as it claims on its website. A Trump victory would be extremely bad for the planet and for the renewable energy sector. The former president has long railed against solar and wind power. And the Republican Party is a major ally of the oil and gas industry. These are not forces that will usher in a cleaner, more sustainable planet. Quite the opposite.

Musk once said that he would never get involved in politics and that, when he does, he usually has to hold his nose. Perhaps he should have followed his own advice and stayed out of this race.

Read More 

The Suunto Sonic (left) and Wing give Shokz some real competition.

Usually, I’m all about the bass for workout headphones, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Suunto Sonic and Wing. As a city runner, I never thought too hard about wearing noise-canceling earbuds. I’d dabbled with open-ear buds in the past but mostly ran in well-lit parks where my biggest danger was dodging goose poop. It’s different in the suburbs. Recently, I was nearly pancaked by a Range Rover going at least 10 over the speed limit. I never heard it coming, even though my headphones were in ambient mode.
Which is why I’ve spent the last two months testing the $199 Suunto Wing and $149 Suunto Sonic.
Both the Wing and Sonic are bone conduction headphones — a category that’s long been dominated by Shokz (formerly AfterShokz). The Sonic is the more basic, entry-level device, while the Wing adds a few more flourishes — namely, LED lighting, a portable power bank, and head motion controls. The Wing also has slightly better IP67 water and dust resistance compared to the Sonic’s IP55 rating.

Bone conduction headphones vibrate sound waves into your skull. It helps you stay more aware of your surroundings.

Bone conduction works by sending sound vibrations through your cheekbones instead of traveling through the air and into your ear canal. Some athletes swear by bone conduction because it keeps your ears open, meaning you’ll stay more clued into your surroundings compared to any transparency mode. (As a bonus, it can help people with hearing loss listen to audio.)
I’ve known all that for ages, but I’ll admit — I’ve never cared much for bone conduction in the past. My old AfterShokz headphones weren’t comfortable at all, but the real problem was that I rely on bass-heavy running playlists. And bone conduction? It’s not the best at bass. Even so, almost getting flattened by a speeding Range Rover was as a good reason as any to give bone conduction another go.

I generally don’t love wraparound headbands, but this was more comfortable than I expected.

On that first point, I was pleasantly surprised that the Sonic and Wing were both comfy to wear. My old AfterShokz headphones had a wraparound neckband that dug into my skin, hurt my smallish ears, and never sat quite right. These headphones also have a wraparound design, but I felt no discomfort. The headphones were stable and secure during my runs and walks. Plus, the part that sits over the ear was thin enough that it didn’t cause issues when wearing glasses or headbands — a problem I’ve had with other open-ear headphones like the chunky Bose Sport Open Earbuds.
Bass still isn’t amazing, but I was stunned at how much better it sounded on the Wing and Sonic compared to my first foray into bone conduction headphones. The rumbly intro on Stray Kids’ “Megaverse” didn’t sound nearly as cool as it would’ve on my Beats Fit Pro, but it was good enough to keep me pumped. After a few weeks, I stopped noticing the difference. (It helps that Suunto offers various sound profiles, including an outside mode that boosts bass a bit.)

The powerbank holds an extra 20 hours of charge. Kylo Ren would wear these if they could fit under his helmet.

But while the audio was better than I expected, these are still bone conduction headphones, which means they’re not great in loud environments. I was hoping these would double as passable everyday, commuter headphones, but unfortunately, listening to audiobooks or podcasts while on a loud subway or walking past honking taxis wasn’t a great experience. I had to crank up the volume, which, in turn, cranked up the vibrations until the front pieces were buzzing on my face. These wouldn’t be the first headphones I reach for if I were to run a race with cheering crowds, either. That’s a bit of a bummer, given that Suunto’s headphones are on the pricier side at $149 and $199. For reference, Shokz’s headphones range from $80–$180.
Price is also partly why, of the two, I reached for the cheaper Sonic more often. Not only is sound quality the same, but I wasn’t sold on the Wing’s extra features. The LED lights are neat, but I felt they were hard to see against my hair. (Plus, I didn’t love the Wing’s gamer Kylo Ren vibes.) As for the Wing’s head motion controls, I could never get them to work reliably. You’re supposed to be able to answer or dismiss calls, as well as skip tracks, by either nodding or shaking your head. Instead, people looked at me funny when I’d run past, furiously shaking my head because I wanted to skip to the next song.

The Wing didn’t win me over with battery life, either. Both devices have an estimated 10 hours, but the Wing also has a power bank that holds an extra 20 hours of charge. It’s nice, but is it $50 extra nice? For me, not really. I mostly stick to 30–45 minute runs, three to four times a week. The Sonic lasts me around a month before needing a charge. As for water resistance, the Sonic’s IP55 is good enough for sweat and getting caught in the rain, but the Wing’s IP67 rating isn’t good enough for the pool. (Another bummer for swimmers — neither has onboard storage, and Bluetooth doesn’t work underwater.)
Ultimately, my personal hunt for a pair of open-ear workout headphones to replace my Beats Fit Pro continues. Don’t get me wrong — my time testing the Sonic and Wing has given me a greater appreciation for bone conduction headphones and why so many people go to bat for them (to the point where I called in the latest Shokz to give them another go, too). I’m just too addicted to the bass drop to say my search ends here.

The Suunto Sonic (left) and Wing give Shokz some real competition.

Usually, I’m all about the bass for workout headphones, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Suunto Sonic and Wing.

As a city runner, I never thought too hard about wearing noise-canceling earbuds. I’d dabbled with open-ear buds in the past but mostly ran in well-lit parks where my biggest danger was dodging goose poop. It’s different in the suburbs. Recently, I was nearly pancaked by a Range Rover going at least 10 over the speed limit. I never heard it coming, even though my headphones were in ambient mode.

Which is why I’ve spent the last two months testing the $199 Suunto Wing and $149 Suunto Sonic.

Both the Wing and Sonic are bone conduction headphones — a category that’s long been dominated by Shokz (formerly AfterShokz). The Sonic is the more basic, entry-level device, while the Wing adds a few more flourishes — namely, LED lighting, a portable power bank, and head motion controls. The Wing also has slightly better IP67 water and dust resistance compared to the Sonic’s IP55 rating.

Bone conduction headphones vibrate sound waves into your skull. It helps you stay more aware of your surroundings.

Bone conduction works by sending sound vibrations through your cheekbones instead of traveling through the air and into your ear canal. Some athletes swear by bone conduction because it keeps your ears open, meaning you’ll stay more clued into your surroundings compared to any transparency mode. (As a bonus, it can help people with hearing loss listen to audio.)

I’ve known all that for ages, but I’ll admit — I’ve never cared much for bone conduction in the past. My old AfterShokz headphones weren’t comfortable at all, but the real problem was that I rely on bass-heavy running playlists. And bone conduction? It’s not the best at bass. Even so, almost getting flattened by a speeding Range Rover was as a good reason as any to give bone conduction another go.

I generally don’t love wraparound headbands, but this was more comfortable than I expected.

On that first point, I was pleasantly surprised that the Sonic and Wing were both comfy to wear. My old AfterShokz headphones had a wraparound neckband that dug into my skin, hurt my smallish ears, and never sat quite right. These headphones also have a wraparound design, but I felt no discomfort. The headphones were stable and secure during my runs and walks. Plus, the part that sits over the ear was thin enough that it didn’t cause issues when wearing glasses or headbands — a problem I’ve had with other open-ear headphones like the chunky Bose Sport Open Earbuds.

Bass still isn’t amazing, but I was stunned at how much better it sounded on the Wing and Sonic compared to my first foray into bone conduction headphones. The rumbly intro on Stray Kids’ “Megaverse” didn’t sound nearly as cool as it would’ve on my Beats Fit Pro, but it was good enough to keep me pumped. After a few weeks, I stopped noticing the difference. (It helps that Suunto offers various sound profiles, including an outside mode that boosts bass a bit.)

The powerbank holds an extra 20 hours of charge. Kylo Ren would wear these if they could fit under his helmet.

But while the audio was better than I expected, these are still bone conduction headphones, which means they’re not great in loud environments. I was hoping these would double as passable everyday, commuter headphones, but unfortunately, listening to audiobooks or podcasts while on a loud subway or walking past honking taxis wasn’t a great experience. I had to crank up the volume, which, in turn, cranked up the vibrations until the front pieces were buzzing on my face. These wouldn’t be the first headphones I reach for if I were to run a race with cheering crowds, either. That’s a bit of a bummer, given that Suunto’s headphones are on the pricier side at $149 and $199. For reference, Shokz’s headphones range from $80–$180.

Price is also partly why, of the two, I reached for the cheaper Sonic more often. Not only is sound quality the same, but I wasn’t sold on the Wing’s extra features. The LED lights are neat, but I felt they were hard to see against my hair. (Plus, I didn’t love the Wing’s gamer Kylo Ren vibes.) As for the Wing’s head motion controls, I could never get them to work reliably. You’re supposed to be able to answer or dismiss calls, as well as skip tracks, by either nodding or shaking your head. Instead, people looked at me funny when I’d run past, furiously shaking my head because I wanted to skip to the next song.

The Wing didn’t win me over with battery life, either. Both devices have an estimated 10 hours, but the Wing also has a power bank that holds an extra 20 hours of charge. It’s nice, but is it $50 extra nice? For me, not really. I mostly stick to 30–45 minute runs, three to four times a week. The Sonic lasts me around a month before needing a charge. As for water resistance, the Sonic’s IP55 is good enough for sweat and getting caught in the rain, but the Wing’s IP67 rating isn’t good enough for the pool. (Another bummer for swimmers — neither has onboard storage, and Bluetooth doesn’t work underwater.)

Ultimately, my personal hunt for a pair of open-ear workout headphones to replace my Beats Fit Pro continues. Don’t get me wrong — my time testing the Sonic and Wing has given me a greater appreciation for bone conduction headphones and why so many people go to bat for them (to the point where I called in the latest Shokz to give them another go, too). I’m just too addicted to the bass drop to say my search ends here.

Read More 

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 46, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, hope you like silly gadgets, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
This week, I’ve been writing about Apple betas and AR gadgets, reading about Donald Glover and the scourge of meetings and what it takes to feed the Olympics, admiring Christian Selig’s keyboard layout, watching Hard Knocks and The Beekeeper, and trying (and failing) to perfect my blueberry muffin recipe.
I also have for you a couple of great iOS apps that are finally available on Android, a new way to play some classic Nintendo games, an expensive new camera, and stuff to watch this weekend both at home and in theaters.
This week’s a little heftier than usual, both because there’s a lot going on and because I’m getting ready to go on vacation. Installer will come as usual next week and then off for two weeks before we’re back on August 17th ready to rumble. So, just in case you’d otherwise run out of stuff to do, I figured I’d leave you with some extras. Let’s get into it.
(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What do you want to know more about? What awesome tricks do you know that everyone else should? What app should everyone be using? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here.)

The Drop

Notion Calendar for Android. I still really hate the app icon, but other than that, this is one of the best-looking and generally sharpest calendar apps out there. It’s especially great if you’re also a Notion user, but even if not, I think it’s an upgrade on Google Cal.

Claude for Android. Over and over the last few weeks, I’ve been hearing people talk about how much they like Claude 3.5 Sonnet — even more than they like ChatGPT. I like Claude’s app a lot, too, especially its ability to import and understand screenshots.

The TinyPod. It’s a case for an Apple Watch that makes it look like an iPod, and even as I type that, it sounds totally ridiculous. But you better believe I will be buying this thing and seeing if it turns my Watch into the music-playing, message-sending dumbphone of my dreams.

Wild Wild Space. We think of space as, like, a grand beautiful unknown. But in so many ways, it’s becoming just another place for companies to try and conquer. This HBO series (based on a great Ashlee Vance book) is a particularly epic — and somewhat terrifying? — startup story.

UTM SE. I would’ve happily bet you $10 that Apple would never approve an app that just straight-up emulates a Windows computer. I’m glad to have lost that bet! UTM SE can do retro games, but it can also do all kinds of other stuff. (Just don’t expect it to, like, actually replace your computer.)

EA Sports College Football 25. After 11 years, it’s back and apparently as good as ever. The story of this game is a hilariously perfect tale about the internet, capitalism, and fame, but ultimately, I’m just excited to finally turn my alma mater into the football juggernaut it very much is not.

Overcast. A big update this week to one of the best podcast apps for Apple devices. Marco Arment, the developer, is right when he says it’s noticeably faster in almost every way, and Overcast does things like Smart Speed and volume enhancement better than anything else.

The Canon R5 Mark II. Photographers and camera nerds have been waiting for this one for a while, and with good reason. The R5 II is faster for photos, more functional for video, and has a new autofocus system that sounds pretty great. $4,300 ain’t cheap, but awesome cameras never are.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. A bunch of classic video games, chopped up and put back together into tiny new pieces all designed to be played at blisteringly fast speeds. Such a cool idea and a great new spin on some old faves.

Skywalkers: A Love Story. I can’t get enough of those YouTube videos of people parkouring their way around skyscrapers and abandoned buildings, even if they do stress me out. This Netflix doc is a lot of that kind of stuff and a love story, all in one.

Dyson’s OnTrac headphones. Glad to see Dyson go a little less, uh, Bane-ish with its second set of headphones. The OnTrac are super expensive — $500! — but look pretty good, and I’m rooting for anything going this hard on customization.

Twisters. Here’s a weekend plan for you. This afternoon, watch Twister, which holds up shockingly well 28 years later. (The effects still rip, too.) Tonight, go see Twisters, which has gotten solid reviews and looks like exactly the kind of movie that should be seen in a huge, loud movie theater. Then, hit me up and tell me if you liked it. Sound like a plan?

Screen share
Ryan Gilbert runs one of the newsletters I read every single week. It’s called Workspaces, and every week, it features some interesting person talking about how they work and how they’ve set up their desk to work for them. I am, uh, forever obsessed with desk setups and never tire of seeing how other people think about their spaces.
Homescreens are kinda like desk setups, I think, in that they reveal a lot about the person who created them. So, I asked Ryan to share his homescreen to see what I might learn from him — and what he’s learned from all those interviews.
Here’s Ryan’s homescreen, plus some info on the apps he uses and why:

The phone: iPhone 14 Pro.
The wallpaper: My wife and I during our engagement pictures. I like how subtle and distraction-free it is as a background with it mostly just being a light shade (light mode > dark mode for everything btw).
The apps: X, Slack, Camera, Clock, Overcast, Weather, Google Maps, ESPN, Spotify, Notion, Peloton, USGA GHIN, Campsite, LinkedIn, Apple Sports, Messages, Gmail, Safari, Phone.
So, as you can tell, my homescreen is a bit unorganized. I actually like it that way. You’ll notice that Twitter is top left in prime real estate and outside of the “Social” cluster of apps in the bottom right. Fortunately or unfortunately (I’ll let you decide), Twitter is a big part of my day-to-day work, so I treat that as more of a work app vs. social. All of the apps in the “Social” cluster are the apps I use with friends — things like Snapchat or Instagram. You will also see random apps like Product Hunt and ESPN Fantasy Football being tossed in there. Not everything has to make sense.
I also have both ESPN and the new Apple Sports app on the homescreen. I’d love to move away from ESPN, as their app has become extremely bloated and slow, so I’ve been trying to force the Sports habit more and more.
I love Overcast. It’s where I listen to all of my podcasts. I like to keep this separate from where I listen to music (Spotify).
Gmail… I am not an inbox zero kind of guy.
I also asked Ryan to share a few things he’s into right now. Here’s what he sent back:

USGA GHIN: The app that has probably never been featured here before! It’s for keeping track of my golf scores and handicap.
I still play Wordle every morning. I like to think it gets my creative juices flowing, but really, it’s just a way to avoid checking email for an extra few minutes.
My wife and I try to go hiking ~twice per week. We really like to spend as much time outside as possible during the summer. Being from Wisconsin, you need to enjoy it while you can!

Crowdsourced
Here’s what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you’re into right now as well! Email installer@theverge.com or message me on Signal — @davidpierce.11 — with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here every week. For even more recommendations, check out the replies to this post on Threads.
“Terrifying Questions is a great philosophy podcast by Futurama writer Eric Kaplan and professor Taylor Carman. Each week, they discuss a philosophical question. It’s smart, funny, and interesting but without being inaccessible. The first episode from a year ago about ChatGPT is a great place to start.” — Jonathan
“Fable! It has been great for me and got me into reading again!” — Ataya
“I feel a little late to the party but watching Scavengers Reign, which is on Netflix outside the US. Honestly one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. Rarely does sci-fi feel this alien or unknown. Even if you don’t like sci-fi, watch it for the incredible music alone!” — Alex
“Star Trek Prodigy season two on Netflix has blown me away. Season one was good, but season two is one of the best seasons of Star Trek (so far).” — J
“I’m trying out Company of Heroes 3 on the PS5. Consoles get a bad rap for RTS games, but it’s only because porting playable controls takes more effort. Haven’t played enough to have an opinion on CoH3 yet, but EndWar and Halo Wars on the 360 were both great to control.” — Ian
“I can’t get over Omnivore’s text-to-speech article reader! I had started off using ElevenLabs’ Reader app to read articles to me, and though their voices are more realistic, I just looove the way Omnivore switches voices for a quoted passage. No idea when Omnivore made this update, but I’m obsessed!” — Roxxy
“Been really enjoying what AEW has been up to recently, definitely coming out of some creative doldrums. They have a storyline where Toni Storm is the champ playing a black-and-white movie star (literally her intro and promos are B&W). They’ve been doing an All About Eve thing with her protege Mariah May who just turned on her. And they just had a 59-minute match with Will Ospreay and MJF that was an amazing piece of storytelling. I’ll watch wrestling even when it’s mid, but this has been great!” — Richard
“Recently upgraded an old iPod Classic gifted to me by my GF’s dad! I put in a new backplate, faceplate, touch wheel, battery, and SD card expansion module for it. Joining the ‘single-purpose’ tech trend we’re on.” — Stefan
“Reading The Battle of the Beams, the story of the development of radar during WW2 and the countermeasures to it. Some incredible tales, really eye-opening.” — Peter
“Ordered a pair of Dayton Audio B40 speakers. They sound like $50, but like… a really good $50. Dayton’s B452 and 652 speakers were long-reigning champs of the ‘beginner audiophile,’ and it’s cool to see this update.” — Emmet
“I’ve been playing around with the Flow Minimalist Launcher. So far, it has led to me reading before bed instead of scrolling and, at least for now, prevented me from buying a Boox Palma.” — Zachary

Signing off
A while back, when I was working on a story about a woodworking computer maker, I learned about the designer Tom Sachs’ concept of “Always Be Knolling.” Knolling is a really specific system that involves laying all your stuff out at specific angles, but I take the broader idea as: don’t make cleaning and organizing into A Thing, just always be doing it. I’ve been trying to adopt this recently, and it is awesome. When I’m on a phone call, I tidy up my desk. When I’m waiting for something to export, I tidy up my desk. A few seconds at a time, I barely even notice, and my workspace is cleaner than ever. Now I just have to figure out how to Always Be Knolling with, like, laundry and dishes. Then I’ll be unstoppable.
See you next week!

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 46, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, hope you like silly gadgets, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)

This week, I’ve been writing about Apple betas and AR gadgets, reading about Donald Glover and the scourge of meetings and what it takes to feed the Olympics, admiring Christian Selig’s keyboard layout, watching Hard Knocks and The Beekeeper, and trying (and failing) to perfect my blueberry muffin recipe.

I also have for you a couple of great iOS apps that are finally available on Android, a new way to play some classic Nintendo games, an expensive new camera, and stuff to watch this weekend both at home and in theaters.

This week’s a little heftier than usual, both because there’s a lot going on and because I’m getting ready to go on vacation. Installer will come as usual next week and then off for two weeks before we’re back on August 17th ready to rumble. So, just in case you’d otherwise run out of stuff to do, I figured I’d leave you with some extras. Let’s get into it.

(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What do you want to know more about? What awesome tricks do you know that everyone else should? What app should everyone be using? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here.)

The Drop

Notion Calendar for Android. I still really hate the app icon, but other than that, this is one of the best-looking and generally sharpest calendar apps out there. It’s especially great if you’re also a Notion user, but even if not, I think it’s an upgrade on Google Cal.

Claude for Android. Over and over the last few weeks, I’ve been hearing people talk about how much they like Claude 3.5 Sonnet — even more than they like ChatGPT. I like Claude’s app a lot, too, especially its ability to import and understand screenshots.

The TinyPod. It’s a case for an Apple Watch that makes it look like an iPod, and even as I type that, it sounds totally ridiculous. But you better believe I will be buying this thing and seeing if it turns my Watch into the music-playing, message-sending dumbphone of my dreams.

Wild Wild Space. We think of space as, like, a grand beautiful unknown. But in so many ways, it’s becoming just another place for companies to try and conquer. This HBO series (based on a great Ashlee Vance book) is a particularly epic — and somewhat terrifying? — startup story.

UTM SE. I would’ve happily bet you $10 that Apple would never approve an app that just straight-up emulates a Windows computer. I’m glad to have lost that bet! UTM SE can do retro games, but it can also do all kinds of other stuff. (Just don’t expect it to, like, actually replace your computer.)

EA Sports College Football 25. After 11 years, it’s back and apparently as good as ever. The story of this game is a hilariously perfect tale about the internet, capitalism, and fame, but ultimately, I’m just excited to finally turn my alma mater into the football juggernaut it very much is not.

Overcast. A big update this week to one of the best podcast apps for Apple devices. Marco Arment, the developer, is right when he says it’s noticeably faster in almost every way, and Overcast does things like Smart Speed and volume enhancement better than anything else.

The Canon R5 Mark II. Photographers and camera nerds have been waiting for this one for a while, and with good reason. The R5 II is faster for photos, more functional for video, and has a new autofocus system that sounds pretty great. $4,300 ain’t cheap, but awesome cameras never are.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. A bunch of classic video games, chopped up and put back together into tiny new pieces all designed to be played at blisteringly fast speeds. Such a cool idea and a great new spin on some old faves.

Skywalkers: A Love Story. I can’t get enough of those YouTube videos of people parkouring their way around skyscrapers and abandoned buildings, even if they do stress me out. This Netflix doc is a lot of that kind of stuff and a love story, all in one.

Dyson’s OnTrac headphones. Glad to see Dyson go a little less, uh, Bane-ish with its second set of headphones. The OnTrac are super expensive — $500! — but look pretty good, and I’m rooting for anything going this hard on customization.

Twisters. Here’s a weekend plan for you. This afternoon, watch Twister, which holds up shockingly well 28 years later. (The effects still rip, too.) Tonight, go see Twisters, which has gotten solid reviews and looks like exactly the kind of movie that should be seen in a huge, loud movie theater. Then, hit me up and tell me if you liked it. Sound like a plan?

Screen share

Ryan Gilbert runs one of the newsletters I read every single week. It’s called Workspaces, and every week, it features some interesting person talking about how they work and how they’ve set up their desk to work for them. I am, uh, forever obsessed with desk setups and never tire of seeing how other people think about their spaces.

Homescreens are kinda like desk setups, I think, in that they reveal a lot about the person who created them. So, I asked Ryan to share his homescreen to see what I might learn from him — and what he’s learned from all those interviews.

Here’s Ryan’s homescreen, plus some info on the apps he uses and why:

The phone: iPhone 14 Pro.

The wallpaper: My wife and I during our engagement pictures. I like how subtle and distraction-free it is as a background with it mostly just being a light shade (light mode > dark mode for everything btw).

The apps: X, Slack, Camera, Clock, Overcast, Weather, Google Maps, ESPN, Spotify, Notion, Peloton, USGA GHIN, Campsite, LinkedIn, Apple Sports, Messages, Gmail, Safari, Phone.

So, as you can tell, my homescreen is a bit unorganized. I actually like it that way. You’ll notice that Twitter is top left in prime real estate and outside of the “Social” cluster of apps in the bottom right. Fortunately or unfortunately (I’ll let you decide), Twitter is a big part of my day-to-day work, so I treat that as more of a work app vs. social. All of the apps in the “Social” cluster are the apps I use with friends — things like Snapchat or Instagram. You will also see random apps like Product Hunt and ESPN Fantasy Football being tossed in there. Not everything has to make sense.

I also have both ESPN and the new Apple Sports app on the homescreen. I’d love to move away from ESPN, as their app has become extremely bloated and slow, so I’ve been trying to force the Sports habit more and more.

I love Overcast. It’s where I listen to all of my podcasts. I like to keep this separate from where I listen to music (Spotify).

Gmail… I am not an inbox zero kind of guy.

I also asked Ryan to share a few things he’s into right now. Here’s what he sent back:

USGA GHIN: The app that has probably never been featured here before! It’s for keeping track of my golf scores and handicap.
I still play Wordle every morning. I like to think it gets my creative juices flowing, but really, it’s just a way to avoid checking email for an extra few minutes.
My wife and I try to go hiking ~twice per week. We really like to spend as much time outside as possible during the summer. Being from Wisconsin, you need to enjoy it while you can!

Crowdsourced

Here’s what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you’re into right now as well! Email installer@theverge.com or message me on Signal — @davidpierce.11 — with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here every week. For even more recommendations, check out the replies to this post on Threads.

“Terrifying Questions is a great philosophy podcast by Futurama writer Eric Kaplan and professor Taylor Carman. Each week, they discuss a philosophical question. It’s smart, funny, and interesting but without being inaccessible. The first episode from a year ago about ChatGPT is a great place to start.” — Jonathan

“Fable! It has been great for me and got me into reading again!” — Ataya

“I feel a little late to the party but watching Scavengers Reign, which is on Netflix outside the US. Honestly one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. Rarely does sci-fi feel this alien or unknown. Even if you don’t like sci-fi, watch it for the incredible music alone!” — Alex

“Star Trek Prodigy season two on Netflix has blown me away. Season one was good, but season two is one of the best seasons of Star Trek (so far).” — J

“I’m trying out Company of Heroes 3 on the PS5. Consoles get a bad rap for RTS games, but it’s only because porting playable controls takes more effort. Haven’t played enough to have an opinion on CoH3 yet, but EndWar and Halo Wars on the 360 were both great to control.” — Ian

“I can’t get over Omnivore’s text-to-speech article reader! I had started off using ElevenLabs’ Reader app to read articles to me, and though their voices are more realistic, I just looove the way Omnivore switches voices for a quoted passage. No idea when Omnivore made this update, but I’m obsessed!” — Roxxy

“Been really enjoying what AEW has been up to recently, definitely coming out of some creative doldrums. They have a storyline where Toni Storm is the champ playing a black-and-white movie star (literally her intro and promos are B&W). They’ve been doing an All About Eve thing with her protege Mariah May who just turned on her. And they just had a 59-minute match with Will Ospreay and MJF that was an amazing piece of storytelling. I’ll watch wrestling even when it’s mid, but this has been great!” — Richard

“Recently upgraded an old iPod Classic gifted to me by my GF’s dad! I put in a new backplate, faceplate, touch wheel, battery, and SD card expansion module for it. Joining the ‘single-purpose’ tech trend we’re on.” — Stefan

“Reading The Battle of the Beams, the story of the development of radar during WW2 and the countermeasures to it. Some incredible tales, really eye-opening.” — Peter

“Ordered a pair of Dayton Audio B40 speakers. They sound like $50, but like… a really good $50. Dayton’s B452 and 652 speakers were long-reigning champs of the ‘beginner audiophile,’ and it’s cool to see this update.” — Emmet

“I’ve been playing around with the Flow Minimalist Launcher. So far, it has led to me reading before bed instead of scrolling and, at least for now, prevented me from buying a Boox Palma.” — Zachary

Signing off

A while back, when I was working on a story about a woodworking computer maker, I learned about the designer Tom Sachs’ concept of “Always Be Knolling.” Knolling is a really specific system that involves laying all your stuff out at specific angles, but I take the broader idea as: don’t make cleaning and organizing into A Thing, just always be doing it. I’ve been trying to adopt this recently, and it is awesome. When I’m on a phone call, I tidy up my desk. When I’m waiting for something to export, I tidy up my desk. A few seconds at a time, I barely even notice, and my workspace is cleaner than ever. Now I just have to figure out how to Always Be Knolling with, like, laundry and dishes. Then I’ll be unstoppable.

See you next week!

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Image: The Verge

Microsoft has released a recovery tool that’s designed to help IT admins repair Windows machines that were impacted by CrowdStrike’s faulty update that crashed 8.5 million Windows devices on Friday. The tool creates a bootable USB drive that IT admins can use to help quickly recover impacted machines.
While CrowdStrike has issued an update to fix its software that led to millions of Blue Screen of Death errors, not all machines are able to automatically receive that fix. Some IT admins have reported rebooting PCs multiple times will get the necessary update, but for others the only route is having to manually boot into Safe Mode and deleting the problematic CrowdStrike update file.
Microsoft’s recovery tool now makes this recovery process less manual, by booting into its Windows PE environment via USB, accessing the disk of the affected machine, and automatically deleting the problematic CrowdStrike file to allow the machine to boot properly. This avoids having to boot into Safe Mode or a requirement of admin rights on the machine, because the tool is simply accessing the disk without booting into the local copy of Windows. If a disk is protected by BitLocker encryption, the tool will prompt for the BitLocker recovery key and then continue to fix the CrowdStrike update.
Microsoft also has separate recovery steps available for Windows Virtual Machines running on Azure, and the company has also published recovery steps for all Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices over at its support site.

Image: The Verge

Microsoft has released a recovery tool that’s designed to help IT admins repair Windows machines that were impacted by CrowdStrike’s faulty update that crashed 8.5 million Windows devices on Friday. The tool creates a bootable USB drive that IT admins can use to help quickly recover impacted machines.

While CrowdStrike has issued an update to fix its software that led to millions of Blue Screen of Death errors, not all machines are able to automatically receive that fix. Some IT admins have reported rebooting PCs multiple times will get the necessary update, but for others the only route is having to manually boot into Safe Mode and deleting the problematic CrowdStrike update file.

Microsoft’s recovery tool now makes this recovery process less manual, by booting into its Windows PE environment via USB, accessing the disk of the affected machine, and automatically deleting the problematic CrowdStrike file to allow the machine to boot properly. This avoids having to boot into Safe Mode or a requirement of admin rights on the machine, because the tool is simply accessing the disk without booting into the local copy of Windows. If a disk is protected by BitLocker encryption, the tool will prompt for the BitLocker recovery key and then continue to fix the CrowdStrike update.

Microsoft also has separate recovery steps available for Windows Virtual Machines running on Azure, and the company has also published recovery steps for all Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices over at its support site.

Read More 

Gamma supports Dual Shock controls now. | Screenshot: Gamma

The Gamma PS1 emulator has gained a number of significant updates since it launched as one of the first console emulators for iPhones in May. Recent updates added a new “Enhance Audio” feature and better multiplayer support, joining other key updates over the last few weeks.
Developer Benjamin Stark (aka ZodTTD) told The Verge in an email that the Enhance Audio feature in his most recent update improves audio “using reverb and interpolation effects.” He also “added Multitap emulation” for games that used Sony’s adapter that expanded the PS1’s controller port count from two to four. (That was used for games like Crash Team Racing, NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, and more.)

Gamma, the PlayStation(tm) 1 emulator for iOS App Store, has been greatly updated with multiplayer, cheats, analog controls, no ads, disc swapping, beautiful game library cover art, and so much more!Get it now:https://t.co/dBuBEKx6UB pic.twitter.com/QkmZvfVttt— zodttd (@zodttd) July 16, 2024

In other recent updates, Stark added analog stick support for games that used the Sony Dual Shock controller and the ability to switch discs without going back to the main menu for multidisc games like Metal Gear Solid. He also introduced a new “Pro” upgrade for $4.99 that turns ads off entirely.

Gamma supports Dual Shock controls now. | Screenshot: Gamma

The Gamma PS1 emulator has gained a number of significant updates since it launched as one of the first console emulators for iPhones in May. Recent updates added a new “Enhance Audio” feature and better multiplayer support, joining other key updates over the last few weeks.

Developer Benjamin Stark (aka ZodTTD) told The Verge in an email that the Enhance Audio feature in his most recent update improves audio “using reverb and interpolation effects.” He also “added Multitap emulation” for games that used Sony’s adapter that expanded the PS1’s controller port count from two to four. (That was used for games like Crash Team Racing, NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, and more.)

In other recent updates, Stark added analog stick support for games that used the Sony Dual Shock controller and the ability to switch discs without going back to the main menu for multidisc games like Metal Gear Solid. He also introduced a new “Pro” upgrade for $4.99 that turns ads off entirely.

Read More