This week's edition of The Verge's Installer newsletter, written by David Pierce, rounds up recommended apps, gadgets, films and media for readers to try. It reflects the newsletter's usual format of curated personal picks, spanning entertainment, software and productivity tools, and matters as a snapshot of what's currently generating buzz in tech and culture circles.

Highlights include praise for Christopher Nolan's new film "The Odyssey", an update to the note-taking app Bear introducing "Workspaces", the upcoming World Cup final, a podcast episode on microtransactions in gaming, a new Mac photo editor called Aphera positioned as a Lightroom alternative, and a newly launched notes-and-tasks app called Parchment from developer Chris Lawley.