The Verge Editor Shares Top Reading Tools and Community Favorites
In Installer No. 136, David Pierce highlights the most popular reading devices, apps, and reader tips from both his own experience and the community.
Reading Devices and Apps
The Verge's Installer newsletter No. 136 focuses on reading setups. Editor David Pierce uses a Kindle Paperwhite, iPad Mini, and Boox Palma 2. He reads ebooks primarily via the Kindle app, and other digital content through Readwise Reader for its strong search and organizational capabilities. For RSS, he relies on Feedbin on desktop and Unread on mobile. Physical books are purchased from Bookshop.org or local libraries.
Community Recommendations
Readers reported heavy use of library apps Libby and Hoopla. The Kindle and Apple Books apps dominate, but BookFusion and Bookshop.org's app are gaining traction. StoryGraph and Book Tracker are popular for tracking reading, with many abandoning Goodreads. Audiobook fans use Audible and Spotify Premium's 15 free hours. BookBub and Chirp help find ebook deals. For saving and syncing highlights, Readwise is common, often paired with Notion, Craft, or Obsidian, while some build custom solutions. Among RSS readers, Unread and Reeder are favorites; for saving articles, Instapaper, Readwise Reader, and Wallabag lead.
Other Highlights
The newsletter also mentions the movie The Odyssey receiving stellar reviews, the Bear 2.9 app with Workspaces, Aphera photo editor as a Lightroom alternative, note-taking app Parchment, nostalgic website The Loading Museum, and the Codex Micro shortcut button. Community tips include Cirrux email alternative, Ghost in the Shell anime on Amazon, Gravity note-taking app, and Hypertexting for RSS as a social network.
Signing Off
Pierce acknowledges newsletters are still hard to manage and invites tips. He also recommends videos on IMAX technology and 70mm film projection, describing how they explain the complexity of cinema.
