The Verge's weekly roundup: new iPad mini, Alexa photo frame and a revived notes app

David Pierce, an editor at the technology site The Verge, has published the 150th edition of his weekly newsletter "Installer," which collects his picks of new devices, apps, games and videos. This issue is shorter than usual because the author spent the week on a family vacation in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.

New devices

Pierce singles out Apple's new iPad mini tablet. He notes that it lacks a ProMotion display, but says he is pleased by the thinner and lighter body and by the functional water and dust resistance.

Amazon's Alexa Photo Frame costs $200. It is a digital photo frame that can also serve, when needed, as a smart home hub and timer. The author finds it more appealing than the $500 Echo Show 16.

He also mentions the Matic Serene robot vacuum, priced at $1,700. He considers that price excessive, though he says the promise of quieter operation appeals to him.

Software and games

The note-taking app nvAlt has received its first update in a long time and now runs on modern Macs. Its developer is also working on nvUltra, currently in beta. Director Rian Johnson, together with his preferred cinematographer, has created Chromagraph, a camera app for processing iPhone photos.

Readwise Books is an app for buying, reading and tracking books. Among games, Pierce mentions Phantom Blade Zero, currently high on the Steam charts, and No Man's Sky, which has come to iOS and costs $20.

Reader recommendations

Readers suggest the series VisionQuest, the call-coordination app CallMe, the daily logic puzzle Clues By Sam, the Vivaldi and Librewolf browsers, and the YouTube channel Digging the Greats. Pierce closes by recommending Byron Seven's video about designing a laptop bag.