Home Office Setup & Equipment

I can be pretty tough on AI, especially when it's used to make misinformation slop. But as cynical as I may seem, I do acknowledge that there are plenty of useful and beneficial features that AI powers. Take live translation, for instance: Not long ago, the concept of a device that could translate someone else's words directly in your ear as they spoke would seem like some far future technology. But not only is it not a futuristic technology, both Google and Apple have their own takes on the feature that users can take advantage of. That said, not all iPhone and Android users alike have been able to use live translate. Both companies have limited the feature to work with…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Bone conduction headphones (BCHs) have been around for a while, but I didn't really start using them until this year, and they've honestly changed everything for me. They have helped keep my mind occupied—usually with an audiobook—while I tackle mundane tasks while leaving me able to communicate with my wife without constantly taking my earbuds out. As I result, I've listened to more books than ever this year, but beyomnd that accomplishment, I love that I'm able to remain aware of my surroundings while listening to my music, podcast, shows, calls, or, yes, my audiobook. That's why BCHs are my tech upgrade of 2025. Why …

At CES 2026, Swedish furniture giant Ikea showed off its new Kallsup Bluetooth speaker, which will cost just $10 in the U.S. Normally, I'd be skeptical of any speaker this cheap, but the Kallsup grabbed my attention for a few reasons—chief among them that Ikea says you can chain up to 100 of them together to create the multi-speaker setup of your dreams. That aside, the hardware seems pretty basic: The speaker has a USB-C port at the back, and two buttons up top (play/pause, and pair). Chaining together Bluetooth speakers is nothing new, but this is the first time I'm seeing the ability to pair as many as 100 of them. The only reason this use case is even remotely plausi…

Nothing lasts forever, and technology is no exception. As shiny and new as your computer was when you first bought it, eventually, developers will drop support for it. There's no telling when exactly, but at some point, you'll open an app to find a message that reads something like: "This device does not support the latest version of this app. Please update your hardware." That goes for Macs, as well. You might forget that fact, since Apple's computers tend to stick around for a long time. But inevitably, the shadow of end-of-life policies comes for them, too. If you're still rocking an older Mac, I have some bad news, specifically if you use Chrome: Google is officially …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. There’s no shortage of outdoor security cameras, but finding one that balances video quality, battery life, and ease of use without pushing past $100 is rare. Right now, the Tapo MagCam 2K+ is on sale for $64.98 on Amazon, down from $89.99, which is its lowest price to date, according to price trackers. TP-Link Tapo C425 2K Wire-Free MagCam Security Camera …

Unsolicited texts are annoying—and even more so if they keep coming from a legitimate sender after you've opted out. If you received text spam from Kaiser Permanente, you may be eligible for a cash payout for each message. The healthcare company, which serves over 12.5 million members, recently settled a $10.5 million class action lawsuit filed over marketing text messages sent after recipients tried to opt out. The suit, filed in August 2025, claimed that Kaiser Permanente failed to honor opt-out requests. Those with a valid claim may receive up to $75 per qualifying text. Are you eligible for the Kaiser settlement? To qualify for a payout from this settlement, you mus…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Adding outdoor security cameras to your home setup can get expensive fast, especially once you factor in subscriptions and extra hardware. This deal on a Eufy SoloCam E30 four-pack makes that math a little more palatable. It’s currently $299.99 on Amazon, down from its usual $549.99 price, which is the lowest price it's ever been, according to price-tracking tools. That brings each camera to about $75, which still isn’t cheap, of course—but unlike many other camera brands, these don't require a monthly subscription, which is a great perk. …

In January, the FBI made headlines after it raided the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson. It was a shocking case of law enforcement not just overriding one journalist's privacy, but the integrity of the entire news organization. The devices the FBI seized—which included personal devices as well as a Washington Post-issued laptop—contained Natanson's personal contacts, correspondences, and the Slack channels of the Washington Post itself. But while the FBI was able to access some of the devices, it was not able to access Natanson's iPhone. That's because the device was in Lockdown Mode, which prevented the FBI's Computer Analysis Response Team (CART) from …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. In the world of exercise, variety abounds. You can lift light weights, or heavy weights, or no weights at all. If you don’t lift at all right now, it doesn’t matter much where you start. But that doesn’t mean that all of these options are equivalent. Light weights can build muscle, but they do not have the same benefit as heavier weights. It takes different workouts to get the most benefit out of light weights versus heavy weights. And heavy weights can do some things that light weights can't. I'm going to unpack all of that below, but right now the most important thing I want you to understand is that it's not correct wh…

Threat actors don't have to work that hard to obtain sophisticated malware to deploy against unsuspecting targets. A new spyware platform known as ZeroDayRAT is reportedly being sold on Telegram, complete with customer support and updates. According to mobile security company iVerify, this aggressive spyware grants full remote control over devices running Android 15 through 16 and iOS versions up to iOS 26. Once deployed, it allows everything from user profiling and location tracking to live surveillance and financial theft. What ZeroDayRAT can gather from your deviceThis spyware has wide-ranging capabilities that, according to iVerify, have traditionally been found on …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Smart rings are already having a strange year. In January, I saw smart rings taking on all kinds of tasks at CES, looking like some kind of wave of the future. Then I came home and discovered that the brand-new Luna smart ring I was reviewing had already been pulled off the U.S. market. I think it’s time to take a look at why the smart ring market is so weird, where I see its potential, and what I miss about the earlier days of this technology. The lawsuit that’s keeping some smart rings off the U.S. market To understand why some rings have disappeared (or aren’t launching here), you need to know about a U.S. Internatio…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The Garmin Forerunner 970 is the newest and best Forerunner watch (aka Garmin's flagship running watch line). It’s an improved version of the Forerunner 965, though it does come with a shorter battery life and a higher price tag. Whether that tradeoff is worth it depends on what you're looking for. For data-driven racers and endurance athletes who want to track, analyze, and optimize every aspect of their performance, the 970 is one of the best watches out there. My full in-depth review is still in the works, but a few standout features are already making a strong impression. …

If Steam is one of your gaming apps of choice, then you might not typically spend too much time interacting with the program—you probably want to get straight to the gaming. Take a few minutes to dive into the settings and features on offer though, and there's a lot to explore. From remapping gamepad controls to launching games with custom restrictions applied, here's what's possible. (Note: The tips below are based on the current Steam client for the Windows desktop, but you should find comparable options on the other Steam apps too.) Run a privacy audit to prevent strangers from learning about your gaming habitsYou need to pay attention to your privacy on Steam as well …

It's officially the end of an era for the Samsung Galaxy community: Samsung is discontinuing its messaging app. If you're a Samsung Messages user, the company says you should plan to migrate to Google Messages to "upgrade your messaging experience." This deprecation isn't taking effect immediately, however. According to Samsung's official end of service announcement, the company will discontinue Samsung Messages in July 2026. That means you still have roughly three months to keep using the app, if it happens to be your messaging client of choice. That said, the company is encouraging users to set Google Messages as their default messaging app today to "maintain a consis…

This week, the gaming community was abuzz with frustration, anger, and confusion over a supposed change in Sony's digital game policy. Reportedly, Sony was rolling out a new system, where digital games would need to connect to the internet once every 30 days in order to function as expected. When some players dug through a digital game's information page, they indeed found a timer, in the form of a "remaining time" deadline, stating how much time they had left before needing to connect to the internet again. If the player missed the deadline, they might lose access to the game, until they connect their PlayStation to the internet again. This is a pretty serious policy s…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. OLED gaming monitors have become much easier to recommend over the last year, mostly because prices have started dropping below the $500 mark. LG’s 27GX704A-B UltraGear OLED is one of the better options in that category right now, with excellent motion handling, extremely low input lag, and the glossy WOLED panel that gives games a cleaner, more contrast-heavy look than many matte alternatives. It’s also down to $477.99 on Amazon, a 40% discount from its usual $799.99 price. LG 27GX704A-B Ultragear OLED Gaming Monitor …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. Meta seems to have inadvertently revealed its full line-up of Meta and EssilorLuxottica's smart glasses ahead of tomorrow's Meta Connect 2025 event, including the long-rumored display-style smart glasses. Yesterday, UpLoadVR posted a (since removed) video they said they'd grabbed from Meta's own YouTube channel. Check it out: This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. If the video is legit (and it sure …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon's Prime Day 2025 sale was its biggest ever, stretching for four days this past July—but the company is not done with your wallet yet. The fall version of the mega-sale, known as Prime Big Deal Days, is just around the corner. Here is everything you need to know to prepare for the fall's biggest sale (at least until Black Friday rolls around. What is Prime Big Deal Days? You can think of Prime Big Deal Days as fall's answer to Prime Day. It's a two-day sale with deals in virtually every category you can think of. While Prime Day is the big…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. You can get a three-year license of Adobe Acrobat Classic (valued at $324) and a lifetime license of Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows (valued at $219.99) together on sale for $89.99 on StackSocial right now. The bundle is only available to U.S. customers, though. The Acrobat license works on both Mac and Windows, while the Office license is limited to a single Windows PC. And because these are digital codes, delivery is instant, and once redeemed, you can use the software offline without the monthly costs that come with subscriptions…

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. In a press conference totally divorced from reality as scientists and doctors understand it, President The President announced yesterday that the FDA would be warning providers and patients away from acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) in pregnancy. There were some other unsubstantiated claims about vaccines and autism mixed in, so let me break down what’s actually known and understood here. What is acetaminophen? Acetaminophen is an over-the-counter medication used to relieve pain and fevers. The flagship …

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. Earlier this month, we saw a new running world record—more specifically, running backwards. In heels. Christian Roberto López Rodríguez claimed the fastest 100m backwards in high heels with an impressive time of 16.55 seconds. I may not be setting that sort of record, but I do see running backwards crop up time and time again as a trendy idea for the average runner. Sometimes called "reverse running," it's exactly what it sounds like: runners literally turning around and jogging backwards. But does runnin…

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. This week, neurotech startup Neurable launched its MW75 Neuro headphones with a pretty seductive pitch—one that I'm not quite buying. Just slip on this pair of headphones, and you’ll gain unprecedented access to your brain's inner workings. Track your focus. Measure your mental fatigue. Quantify your cognitive performance. It's supposed to be the quantified-self movement's next frontier—moving from steps and heart rates to the most intimate data source of all: your brainwaves. If you ask me, a pair of…

As a rule of thumb, if you receive an unsolicited text, especially one claiming to include a security code, it's likely part of a phishing scheme. Such is the case with a recent spate of unprompted texts purporting to be from the crypto wallet service Coinbase. If you receive such a message, even if you have a Coinbase account, delete it. Someone is likely trying to scam you. Coinbase isn't texting you Here's how the scam works: You receive an unsolicited text message that reads "Your Coinbase withdrawal code is..." followed by a six-digit number. The message continues: "Please do not share this code with anyone. If you have no requested this, please call:" followed by…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Tinymoose Pencil Pro 2 is aimed squarely at iPad users who want the feel of Apple’s own stylus without paying Apple’s price, and it's on sale for just $29.99 on StackSocial right now. It costs a fraction of the official Pencil but still packs features that cover most daily needs. This second-generation version is made for iPads from 2018 onward and brings a few upgrades over the original, including Bluetooth support and shortcut gestures. A smart button on the side is mapped for simple actions: one press for multitasking, two presses to exit a…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. I keep a lot of valuable things in my garage. Having the peace of mind that my garage is safe (to some extent) is huge for my sanity. That's why I love the myQ Smart Garage Door Video Keypad, which keeps an eye on who's lurking around your garage door, while letting you grant access remotely to guests or for deliveries. And it's surprisingly cheap right now—discounted 50% on Amazon, to $39.99. This is the lowest price it has ever been, according to price tracking tools. myQ Smart Garage Door Vi…