Home Office Setup & Equipment

Whenever you have a bunch of looming tasks—as many of us do at the start of the new year, when everyone actually "circles back" on the things we've been putting off—having a structured to-do list is an essential part of getting everything done. Determining what goes on that list and in what order, though, is a task all its own. I've covered a lot of ways to do that, but if you're stuck with a high volume of important responsibilities, you need an approach that matches the complexity of what you're trying to do—and that's where the RICE method comes into play. What is the RICE method of prioritization?RICE, as you probably guessed, is an acronym. Here's what it stands for:…

The Kindle has become the default e-reader for many bookworms, and I get it. I've used Kindles for well over a decade, and I've enjoyed using my latest Paperwhite quite a bit. It helped me read more than 30 books last year, so I'm not complaining. The basic Kindle setup is okay, but if you learn your way around the device's gestures, hidden features, and additional services, you can really get a lot out of this unassuming reading device. Kindle Gestures that you really should knowThere’s only one button on the Kindle. Everything else happens using touch. And like every touchscreen device, there are countless gestures you need to know to use the device. The most obvious …

This weekly trip through the youth pop culture landscape takes us from turmoil in Stranger Things fandom, where many fans refuse to let the show end, to the kids' Wild West of Roblox, where age-verification is changing the landscape in a massive way, and all the way to Africa, where online mega-celebrity IShowSpeed is livestreaming a fascinating travelogue that people are watching all over the world. What is "Conformity Gate?"The final episode of Netflix sci-fi series Stranger Things aired on Dec. 31 and it seems that many fans are not happy (shocking, right?). Some feel that the finale left too many loose ends, some that it all happened too easily, or that it was rushed…

If you have a Family Account through Google, you might assume you can control what your child can see or do on their device. You can, but, as it happens, only up to a certain point. When your kid turns 13, Google will send them an email, letting them know they can choose to disable your supervision over their account. You get an email too, but they don't need your permission to lock you out of their device. Once they decide they're ready for a relatively complete Google Account experience, it's their choice to make. Despite being Google's official policy, this situation was not common knowledge. Following a relatively viral LinkedIn post about the subject, parents were p…

Microsoft has released its "Patch Tuesday" update for January, and you should ensure your computer receives these security fixes as soon as possible. This update addresses 114 vulnerabilities in total, including three zero-days (bugs that have been actively exploited or publicly disclosed before an official fix is available from the developer). As reported by BleepingComputer, security flaws were found across the following categories: 57 elevation-of-privilege vulnerabilities, three security feature bypass vulnerabilities, 22 remote code-execution vulnerabilities, 22 information disclosure vulnerabilities, two denial of service vulnerabilities, and five spoofing vulnerab…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. As is usually the case after Consumer Electronics Show (CES), older flagship tech products drop in price—including TVs like OLED models, QLEDs, and budget-friendly options. In other words, the coming weeks are a great time to upgrade if you're looking for bargains on older flagship models. One of the best deals I've found so far is on the Samsung S85F, an entry-level OLED TV that was already on the low end of the price spectrum before this latest discount. Right now, you can get the 65-inch series for $1,197.99 (originally $1,797.99) or the 77-inch…

Another wave of malicious browser extensions capable of tracking user activity and compromising privacy have been found across Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, some of which may have been active for up to five years. The campaign, known as GhostPoster, was identified by Koi Security in December and included 17 Firefox add-ons designed to monitor users' browsing activity. Threat actors planted malicious JavaScript code in the extension's PNG logo, which served as a malware loader to retrieve the main payload from a remote server. Researchers at LayerX have found an additional 17 malicious extensions across multiple browsers that have collectively been installed more than 840,00…

If you're a Pixel owner, you may want to update your settings for Phone by Google. 9to5Google reports that a handful of users have experienced a bug with the Take a Message feature that records and sends audio to callers as they are leaving a voicemail. Take a Message is a recently introduced feature for the Phone app that activates when the recipient is not available to answer (or declines the incoming call). The caller hears the following: “The person you have called is not available. Please leave a message after the tone.” If you, as the recipient, tap the Take a message notification on your device, you can see a transcript of the audio in real time and hit Answer if …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The 65-inch TCL QM7K is currently selling for $797.99, down from $999.99, and price-trackers show this is the lowest it has dropped so far. The QM7K isn’t a stripped-down budget model—it’s a mini-LED TV with full-array local dimming, wide HDR format support, and brightness levels that push past 2,000 nits. In practice, that means HDR highlights pop, contrast stays controlled, and the screen remains usable even in rooms with a lot of daylight. It doesn’t reach the extreme peak brightness of TCL’s higher-end QM8, but for most living rooms, the differe…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Does your gym bag reek? You’re not alone, but it doesn’t have to be this way. With proper care, you can keep your workout gear stink-free. The key is to do yourself a favor and start taking care of everything before it starts to smell. But even if you’ve already let things get bad, I have some tips for you. I'll get into specifics below, but first, it can help to understand why the gym stink develops on clothing and other items that contact your skin. You sweat into them, but it's not the sweat itself that is the problem. It's the bacteria that feed on your sweat. So you'll need to either get rid of the sweat before the ba…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. There's a certain level of performance you expect from active noise-cancelling earbuds (ANC) or headphones—even if they are "budget" priced. If you're looking for a great pair of ANC earbuds for a price that won't make you cry if you lose them, consider the Anker Space A40, currently $44.98 (originally $99.99 at launch). I've been using these earbuds for over a year and cannot recommend them enough for the price. Soundcore by Anker Space A40 …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. January 2026's ten most-streamed TV series are a balanced group, including six reality-based dramas and four fantasy/sci-fi hits. One the side of realism, we've got medical drama vérité The Pitt, a pair of spy shows (The Night Manager and Ponies), and a gay hockey romance in Heated Rivalry. The fantasy side includes the post-apocalyptic black humor of Fallout, the suburban supernatural series Stranger Things, and a trip back to Westeros with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. A more important running theme this month: These shows are all critical darlings, including a couple perfect Rotten Tomatoes 100% winners (The Night Man…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Beats Powerbeats Pro have been on the market for years, and they remain a go-to option for people who work out and want earbuds that stay in place. At launch, they cost $249.95. Right now, they are $134.95 on Woot, and you can use code CNN2025 at checkout to take an extra $5 off. For comparison, refurbished units are selling for $149.97 on Amazon, which makes this new pair the better value. This deal runs for the next eight days or until stock runs out. Prime members get free standard shipping. …

You don’t have to want to live forever (a la the millionaire-immortality-influencer Bryan Johnson) to want to live longer. I’ve seen a larger shift in the fitness industry lately, where a focus on “longevity” has replaced where you might have once seen the words “beach body.” All around us, the language has shifted from "get shredded" to "increase healthspan," from "tone up" to "build bone density." In this new era, the goal isn't just looking good at the beach, but making sure you can still walk on that beach when you're ninety. On its face, this is a welcome change. I’ll always advocate for metrics of success that are less about how you look in a mirror, and more about…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 Ultra launches with the usual Ultra series promise: the biggest screen, the most capable cameras, and the most features in the company’s lineup. It also launches with prices that reflects that ambition ($1,299.99 to $1,799.99). That said, Samsung is running an early promotion from March 16 through April 20 that can soften the blow. Buyers can save up to $720 with an eligible instant trade-in credit, or get $150 in credit without a trade-in to use toward other eligible Samsung devices. The deal applies directly through Samsun…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. It's October, which means it's time for another Prime Day sale…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best bargains, based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. Deals on smartwatches are only getting better and better during Amazon's Big Deal …

Dd 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. On the second Tuesday of each month, Microsoft issues a major security update for Windows users, known as "Patch Tuesday." Some patches are larger than others; it all depends on how many vulnerabilities researchers discovered over the past month. October's Patch Tuesday update, however, is quite large. As reported by Bleeping Computer, this latest Patch Tuesday update fixes over 170 security flaws with Windows. That includes 80 elevation of privilege vulnerabilities, 31 remote code execution vulnerabilities, …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Five years after its debut, Apple’s first M1 MacBook Air still holds up as one of the most important laptops the company ever made. Back in 2020, this was the machine that introduced Apple Silicon to the world, replacing Intel chips with a homegrown design that ran cooler, faster, and quieter. Currently, a refurbished 13.3-inch model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage is available for sale on StackSocial for $384.99. It carries a Grade-A rating, which means the condition should be close to mint, although there may be minor signs of handling, s…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The LG Gram line has built a reputation for being thin, light, and travel-friendly, and this 2022 14-inch model is currently on sale for just $389.99 on StackSocial. It's an 11th Gen Intel Core i3 laptop with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB NVMe SSD. On paper, that’s a respectable setup for browsing, multitasking, or office apps, and the 14-inch WUXGA display adds extra vertical space compared to standard 1080p panels. What makes this version different is that it ships without a traditional operating system. It’s designed as a “thin client,” ready to run Clo…

If you're getting more scam texts than your friends and family, it turns out it might be your mobile platform, at least going by a recent poll from Google and YouGov. According to Google, users on Android report receiving 58% fewer scam texts than those on iOS, and that number is even better on Pixel devices. Credit: Google That data comes from a survey Google and YouGov conducted of over 5,000 Android and iOS users across the U.S., India, and Brazil. The data says that Android users as a whole were "58% more likely than iOS u…

Google is adding one of the iPhone's most controversial features to its latest Pixel phones, but it's promising to show a bit more restraint than Apple did. Yes, as part of the November 2025 Pixel feature drop, Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 phones (excluding the Pixel 9a) are getting AI notification summaries. The problem with AI notification summariesIf you're reeling back after reading that, I don't blame you. This is one of the few AI features Apple beat Google to the punch on, and when they came out during the iOS 18.3 beta, the summaries were quickly criticized for handling hard topics like breakups with a cold tone, as well as for misreporting the news. Apple quickly pulled …

Google has officially launched its Gemini 3 Pro model, and for the first time, it's already making its way directly to the public, without making you wait months after the announcement to actually get your hands on it. On top of introducing a few new features, Google says the model has the typical increased accuracy, but also, that it finally cuts down on some of the excessive people-pleasing flattery that drives me nuts when using AI. The catch? Most features are paywalled, and one is still in the oven. For the more obvious improvements, Google says Gemini 3 Pro is at the top of LMArena with a score of 1501 points, while also demonstrating "PhD-level reasoning" on Humani…

TikTok's algorithm is infamously addicting. The app picks up on your interests quickly, and before you know it, you're falling down an hours-deep rabbit hole every time you launch it. But the algorithm doesn't always get it right: Sometimes, you end up seeing too much of one type of content, no matter how many times you hit "Not Interested." With the rise of AI-generated content, this problem only gets more frustrating. AI video generators like Sora are empowering people to produce more hyperrealistic AI slop than ever, which means you've likely encountered it on your feeds—whether you know it or not. I've certainly laughed at some AI clips here and there, but for the m…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over. Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find. Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices an…