The Verge's Installer Curates Summer's Best Apps and Entertainment

The Verge’s Installer newsletter (No. 136) surfaces Bear 2.9’s new Workspaces feature as a major productivity upgrade and positions Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey as the summer’s must-see film, despite initial skepticism about whether the director could execute the ambitious scope. The curated roundup also highlights new apps, podcasts, and entertainment worth the reader’s attention in mid-July 2026.

Bear 2.9 and the Workspaces Evolution

According to Installer, Bear’s tag-based organizational system has historically felt restrictive to many users. The latest update—version 2.9—introduces Workspaces, which expands that tagging framework into a more scalable approach without sacrificing simplicity. The newsletter author frames this as a clever design solution that maintains Bear’s reputation as one of the best writing applications across Apple devices.

The upgrade matters for note-taking workflows because it addresses a common friction point: users who outgrow simple tagging systems often migrate to more complex tools, but Workspaces promises the middle ground between flexibility and usability.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Overcomes Skepticism

The Odyssey stands out in Installer’s recommendations precisely because the newsletter author expected it to fail. The framing is direct: “I expected this movie to not be great. Hot director bites off too big a story, not even Christopher Nolan can hit every time, right? WRONG.” The reversal signals that reviews came back strong and the film’s scope actually resonates with current audiences, rather than collapsing under its own ambition.

Installer recommends experiencing the film in IMAX format multiple times—a rare endorsement suggesting both cinematic ambition and rewatchability.

Supporting Media and Apps in the Mix

Beyond Bear and film, Installer surfaces a broader slate: podcasts including an episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out about gaming microtransactions; Parchment, a new notes-and-tasks app by developer Chris Lawley; and entertainment like the World Cup final and the Mario Kart World game. The newsletter also mentions setting up a Flipper Busy Bar gadget, though the author admits uncertainty about its practical use case.

This mix reflects Installer’s editorial approach—casting a wide net across productivity software, entertainment, and niche gadgets rather than focusing narrowly on a single category.

Why This Matters

For Apple ecosystem users, Bear 2.9’s Workspaces update represents a chance to re-evaluate whether the app now fits workflows that previously required third-party tools. For film audiences, the strong reception to The Odyssey signals that ambitious, big-budget cinema can still land commercially and critically, which influences which projects studios greenlight next. Installer’s curation model also reflects how tech and entertainment discovery increasingly flows through newsletters and curated voices rather than algorithmic feeds—a shift that shapes which products gain visibility and momentum in the summer 2026 media landscape.