Meta just released AR and VR glasses that you might actually want to wear

Hello friends! Welcome to Installer No. 54, Your Guide to the Best and Edge-The worst thing in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, we’re so glad you found us, and you can also read all the back issues on the site Installer home page.)

I read about this week AI error AND sports betting AND Jony Iveclearing my schedule for the new season The Great British Bake Off, supervising Sicario AND Pirates of the Caribbean AND A Quiet Place: Day One on airplane screens as their directors intended, by subscribing on Instagram Hasan Minhaj’s new show on YouTubeand I just troll people non-stop Vergecast cuts through New Pocket Casts feature.

I also have some new Meta goodies for you, a mobile game that will consume all your free time, some highly anticipated new videos, the best Spotify feature ever, and much more. There’s so much going on! Let’s dive in.

(As always, the best part Installer these are your ideas and tips. What are you doing now? What should everyone else be reading/watching/playing/trying/building with clay this week? Tell me everything: [email protected]. And if you know someone else who might like this Installertell them to subscribe here.)

• Meta 3S mission. My biggest issues with the Quest 3 are price and bandwidth, and this new model seems to solve both. It was back in the “totally reasonable game console” range and transitional demos were what it looked like A lot sharper than before. They look great, although not as good as…
• Limited edition Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer. I already have two pairs of Meta smart glasses (don’t ask), but I still covet this clear pair. They’re more expensive and actually ruin some of the good, no-gadget vibes of other models, but they look cool so good.
• BalatroMobile. This might be the most recommended thing ever Installer — I swear, every week someone tells me how much this poker roguelike has taken over their life. And now it’s available on your phone! $10, no data collection, no microtransactions, my screen time will soon hit the ceiling.
• Wolves. This Clooney-Pitt Apple TV Plus movie has a fascinating story that says a lot about the future of Hollywood, but I also love big budget movies where movie stars make cool statements. This seems to be exactly the case.
• New Year Ultra. This week I helped review Google TV Streamer and I’m really enjoying it. But I’m also excited to see Roku continue to push the envelope – the new one doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s faster and better, and that’s a very good thing.
• Wild Robot. I really want to tell you to go to Megalopolis this weekend, but all indications are that this movie is total crap. But people seem to love this animated movie about an orphaned robot, which sounds sweet and delightful and feels like something I’d watch 100 times.
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. A Zelda game… where you can play as Zelda. This is a dream! This game doesn’t seem as big, awe-inspiring, or platform-defining as Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, but it sounds just as smart and fun.
• Spotify’s AI Playlist feature. This is terrible news for my ongoing quest to leave Spotify: AI playlists anyway Great. Now that this feature is available in the US, I use it to name a few bands or songs and to determine the general mood, and select a few dozen songs that, at least for now, seem to always be a hit. Spotify is very, very good at this part of the music game.
• Social studies. Being a child is hard work. In this documentary, we talk to a group of students about how… maybe not always harder, but definitely more complicated, social media has made being a child in 2024. It’s also the work of a good team, which excites me.
• Nothing opens the ear. Nothing’s headphones were really solid, and as I’ve recently and aggressively made the switch to open-ear headphones, I’m excited to see what these sound like. They look very cool! Big week for transparent gadgets.

Fun fact: Joanna Stern that’s the main reason I got the job Edge in first place. (The story is long and, if I remember correctly, it’s about how she played a fairy in a movie? But I promised her I wouldn’t tell it.) She is currently a magazine columnist Wall Street JournalEmmy Award winner and most recently creator of Joannabot, an AI chatbot that will tell you everything you need to know about the iPhone 16. (And apparently it will do other things too, if you’re smart enough, but again: let’s leave that alone.)

I asked Joanna to share her home screen because she had just reviewed the iPhone 16, which is her Just I had to set the home screen. And since he’s constantly using new gadgets and switching between things, I was curious about what always made it to the top of the pile.

Here’s Joanna’s home screen and what apps she uses and why:

I’m uploading my home screen AND on the Control Center screen because I’m proud of the work I’ve done in Control Center. I can nominate him for an award. But what I’d really like to do is use this as a forum to complain about the universal connectivity widget in the new Control Center in iOS 18. I don’t like it. I like the single buttons so I can easily turn them on and off or long press to get there. Unfortunately they got rid of the single Wi-Fi button, but I read on this great site that it returns in iOS 18.1.

Phone: iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Wallpaper: This is my dog’s browser. It’s not the best shot of him, but the framing is nice and puts him in the center of the screen. My lock screen wallpaper is this amazing retro iPod made by designer Shane Levine. I purchased it through this site last year after featuring it in my newsletter.

Applications: WSJ, ChatGPT, Apple Notes, Google Maps, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Instagram, YouTube, Clock, Threads, Signal, Photos, Slack, Spotify, Phone, Safari, Messages, Gmail.

My applications are so simple that I feel so ordinary. I work (Slack, Gmail). And message (News, Signal). I listen and watch different things (YouTube, Spotify). I use social media (Threads, Instagram). I’m working more (Google Docs, WSJ). If it’s not on the main home screen, I usually just look for it.

Before iOS 18, I had a stack of weather and time zone widgets on my home screen, but I moved it to another screen. Maybe I’ll move it back. Maybe not. You have to live a little.

I also asked Joanna to share some of the things she is currently interested in. Here’s what she shared:

• The devil at his elbow. I’m currently listening to this audiobook written by my incredibly talented friend Valerie Bauerlein. It’s all about the Murdaugh murders. The text, the details, the whole thing is so engaging. I’m just sitting in the garage waiting for the chapter to be ready.
• Full swing. I know I’m late to the popular Netflix series Golf, but I started playing golf again this summer and I love the stories of these players and how psychological the sport is.
• Take your pet to school. My 3-year-old loves this book. I don’t want to spoil it, but animals are taking over Maple View Elementary School and, well, Miss Ellen is pissed.

Here’s what Installer the community is engaged this week. I also want to know what you are doing now! E-mail [email protected] or message me on Signal – @davidpierce.11 ​​​​– with your recommendations on everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here each week. For even more great recommendations, check out the answers at this post on Threads.

“Seaslides. It’s a match-three (or four!) game, but also so much more: there’s real strategy behind your moves to beat the higher levels, but it never feels unfair, and while there are in-app purchases and upgrades, you can buy to make the level easier, but you actually never have to do this. It’s the most addictive and mobile-friendly game I’ve ever found, and a gem that I recommend without reservation.” -Jamie

“Gisnep is another casual puzzle game, this time by David Friedman Ironic Sans. It looks like a crossword-like grid, but the words just flow across and wrap around. The goal is to reveal both the quote and the source by filling in the letters in the vertical columns. I have already involved many of my friends.” – Kyle

“Satisfactory Version 1.0 was released about a week ago. A great group of developers have successfully created a game that feels like work but is also fun. If you love conveyor belts and stay up all night, this might be for you. – Matt

“I can’t believe you didn’t mention switching to OmniFocus! As a long-time “variable task manager,” this app is a staple in my rotation.” – Pedro

“I recommended it before Application in the air as a great travel companion, but unfortunately it is closed. If you are looking for an alternative, Reckless is excellent, especially when it comes to travel statistics, and they are creating an importer for App in the Air users.” –Vivian

“We watched English teacher on FX. Non-stop laughs and so far each episode has been better than the last. Certainly one of the funniest shows on TV.” – Danial

“I was gifted Humanscale FR300 ergonomic footrestwhich is a very technological sounding name for a very manual/mechanical rocking footrest. It is very pleasant to use. I also stood on it sometimes… which I’m not sure is safe, but it sure is fun! – Wisdom

“I often put it in my Amazon cart Black Milan loop for the Apple Watch Ultra 2. I came this close to buying it about three times. Now it is out of stock. Even Apple says it will ship in early November.” – Scott

“I have played with various LLMs using LM Studio. I integrated it into mine Obsidian a vault that helps you summarize and organize things in specific formats. It was incredibly cool!” – Cody

I’ve been traveling non-stop for the past two weeks and I’d just like to quickly show off my #1 new travel hack: a wall charger that also doubles as a large… portable battery. I have this Anker modelwhich costs $55, charges a USB-C and USB-A device simultaneously, and also charges itself so I can get 10,000 mAh of power when there’s no outlet nearby. (There is also newer with two USB-C ports and even faster charging, but lower battery capacity.) It’s huge and heavy, but it’s something and the long cable is now the only charger I travel with, and that’s the only reason my gadgets survived trains and flights by plane. Here at Installerwe love a sensible charging strategy and it’s as sensible as it gets.