The Verge Makes Its Browser Pick
If you've been in the market for a new browser, one of the tech world's most trusted publications just made a call: Vivaldi 8 is the one to beat.
The Verge's Installer newsletter — a weekly guide to the "best and Verge-iest" tech in the world — highlighted Vivaldi 8 as its new go-to browser in its 129th edition. The column, written while its author was deep in a Parks and Recreation rewatch during a sick week at home, still managed to pack in an impressive list of things worth paying attention to in tech right now.
What Is Vivaldi?
Vivaldi is a Chromium-based browser developed by former Opera engineers, known for its deep customization options and built-in tools like a tab manager, note-taking panel, and email client. It's long been a favourite among power users who want more control over their browsing experience without jumping into more technical alternatives.
Version 8 appears to be the update that's tipped the scales for The Verge — a publication not known for switching browser allegiances lightly.
More Picks From Installer No. 129
Beyond the browser recommendation, the Installer newsletter flagged several other tech items worth keeping on your radar:
- NextSense Smartbuds — sleep-tracking earbuds that the writer has been testing overnight, a product born out of a Google moonshot project
- Outerline — a Markdown writing app currently in beta, positioned for writers who want a cleaner, distraction-free experience
- Flipper One — the anticipated follow-up to the cult-favourite Flipper Zero multi-tool gadget, which the writer is eagerly scoping out use cases for
The newsletter also touched on reading material around Nick Fuentes and a piece about clowns — because Installer is nothing if not eclectic.
Why It Matters
Browser recommendations from credible tech outlets carry weight in an era when Chrome dominates market share but increasingly faces scrutiny over privacy, memory usage, and Google's advertising interests. Alternatives like Firefox, Arc, Brave, and now Vivaldi 8 continue to chip away at that dominance by offering users something different — whether that's privacy-first defaults, beautiful design, or sheer feature density.
Vivaldi 8's appearance at the top of The Verge's picks suggests it's doing something right. If you haven't tried it yet, it's free to download and worth a spin.
Source: The Verge — Installer Newsletter No. 129
