Home Office Setup & Equipment

AI has been the tech buzzword over the last few years, but it's stolen attention from other technological advancements that are possibly more impactful in your everyday life. Take satellite connectivity for example: For most of the time cellphones and smartphones have existed, losing cell signal meant your mobile device was largely useless. With satellite connectivity, however, as long as you're within range of a satellite, you can continue to make calls and send texts. It's remarkable, for both the convenience of communication, as well as your safety. Right now, there are only a few companies leading the satellite connectivity charge, at least as far as consumer technol…

When you think about the tech companies leading the AI race, Apple is pretty much at the bottom of the list. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as far as I'm concerned. From where I'm sitting, many of us couldn't care less about the latest AI features companies are shoving into their products—we just want the products we actually use to work, and work well. But strictly focusing on AI progress, Apple is far behind rivals like Google and Microsoft. While Android and Windows are full of AI features, either through Google's Gemini or OpenAI's GPT models, Apple's first-party AI advances are much more limited. Both Google and Microsoft promote their AI assistants as a corner…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Your home is under constant threat from the elements—but especially from water. From roof leaks to burst pipes—water damage is the second-most claimed loss on home insurance policies, just below “wind and hail.” In fact, there are way more losses due to water damage than fire. And the most troubling aspect of water damage is how silent it can be. You can have a leak for a long time before the damage becomes bad enough to notice. And even if you know you have a water leak somewhere, locating it can often be difficult because water can travel a long way from the source before making its presence known. That’s why you need th…

Apple Music has been steadily getting useful new features since the release of iOS 26, and the latest changes are especially exciting. Finally, the music streaming service is adding support for offline lyrics, which will officially come in iOS 26.2 when it releases in the next few weeks (although you can try them out now via the iOS 26.2 beta). Meanwhile, in iOS 26.1, users got the ability to swipe on the mini player to go to the next or previous song in their lineup, alongside enhanced AI DJ features and playlist folders for improved music organization. These followed previous additions, such as lyrics translation, a new DJ-like feature called AutoMix, and animated cover…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. There’s something oddly comforting about holding an entire childhood in your hands. The Retropian X Handheld Retro Gaming Console is currently on sale for $89.99 at StackSocial, bringing back that exact feeling. Think of it as a portable time machine with over 20,000 preloaded games spanning more than 30 classic systems, all tucked into a body small enough to slip into a jacket pocket. No cartridges, adapters, or online sign-ins, just a black handheld with a sharp 5.1-inch IPS display and a simple mission: let you play the hits from your childhood, …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Beats Solo Buds are a popular choice in the wireless earbuds game, and right now they’re $39 (originally $69) at Walmart, which is even cheaper than Amazon’s lowest price ever of $49.95. A budget-friendly alternative to Apple’s other in-ear buds, they’re a top contender for those on a budget who still want high-quality sound. Beats Solo Buds …

Many Americans are in the middle of making hard decisions about their health insurance, in part because open enrollment, the period in which consumers can change their plan, is happening now. That means scammers are also busy contacting people, impersonating insurance providers in an effort to collect personal, financial, and medical information. Common health insurance scamsFraudsters especially love to impersonate representatives from Medicare, targeting older adults and others who qualify for the federal program with unexpected calls. As the Federal Trade Commission warns, scammers may have some of your personal information already and will ask you to confirm your Medi…

This post-Thanksgiving weekend, a growing number of Americans have pledged that they won't be camping outside stores or refreshing their browsers for deals. Instead, they're participating in coordinated boycotts that aim to turn one of the biggest shopping events of the year into a statement about economic power, inequality, and corporate influence in American life. What are the Black Friday boycotts?Two major boycott campaigns are underway during the 2025 holiday shopping season. The first, called "Mass Blackout," is a coalition effort involving grassroots groups including Blackout the System, The People's Sick Day, American Opposition, the Money Out of Politics Movement…

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…

Generative AI is changing the way we live and work in a multitude of ways, and that includes coding. The best AI bots of today can debug, refine, and create code, from a simple text prompt. You can put together a small app or website in the same way you can generate an image or write an essay with these tools. Many professional programmers are now leaning heavily on AI to help get their work done, but the door has also been opened for those without any coding experience to get involved. This is something that's been termed "vibe coding"—where you're coding on vibes, basically—and all you need to get started is an idea. But is it really as simple as simply typing out what …

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…

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…

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…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. It happens every year at my house: I wake up one morning, and as though a switch was flicked overnight, it’s suddenly cold and I have to hunt down my cozy slippers. And that’s usually when I realize I haven’t really taken any steps to winterize my house. If that also describes you, the good news is that winterizing your home isn’t a terribly complicated process. With a few affordable products and a little effort, you can button your home up and ensure that it’s going to be as comfortable as possible when those frigid winds start blowing. …

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…

Yesterday, Apple unveiled release candidates (RCs) for its slate of upcoming updates. An RC, as the name implies, is the version of a software update Apple intends to release to the general public. Before it rolls out, though, Apple sends the update out to beta testers to see if there are any bugs or glitches that need addressing. If not, these are the updates that will hit your Apple devices sometime this month. That includes watchOS 26.2, Apple's latest OS for its line of smartwatches. While there aren't nearly as many new features and changes in this update as there were in watchOS 26 proper, there are still some key things to highlight in this RC. In fact, as noted b…

If 2024 was the year podcasts scrambled to find their footing after the massive wave of acquisitions and consolidation during the pandemic, 2025 is the year the medium truly hit its stride (and I should know...I not only write a podcast newsletter and run a podcast company, I also listen to literally thousands of hours of podcasts every year). Whatever kind of show you're seeking—from a scripted story about demon possession, to a deeply reported investigation into outlaws at sea, to a brilliantly improvised comedy series—my guide to the best podcasts of 2025 has you covered. I've divided the list into categories to help you find exactly what you’re in the mood for—and be…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. We’ve reached the end of television. Since the invention of the technology in the 1920s, TV screens have gradually grown larger, pictures clearer, and sets cheaper, until now: For all intents and purposes, we’re at the end of the road. This "nothing special" 65-inch Samsung unit, is, for most people, as good as a TV ever needs to be. It displays an image more highly detailed than most viewers can perceive from a couch-length viewing distance, its screen is as big as the average American living room can handle, and it costs less than $500. For 100 years, manufacturers and consumers have been chasing screen size and image cl…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Whether you’re looking for a more immersive sound experience (and clearer dialogue) to elevate movie nights and TV shows, or to upgrade your music listening experience, Samsung is widely known for its highly rated soundbars that combine a sleek aesthetic with a space-saving design that avoids the clutter of a full home theater system. Right now, a new Samsung Q990F soundbar is more than 50% off at $967.99 (originally $1,997.99) on Woot, making this an especially good time to invest. Samsung Q9…

While CES doesn't technically kick off until Tuesday, the conference gets a bit of a soft launch with CES Unveiled. This event hosts a ton of companies, all proudly showing off their latest products and concepts in one giant room. While there's plenty to write home about, five products in particular this year caught my eye: Tombot Credit: Lifehacker Tombot's robotic puppy, "Jennie," isn't supposed to be a pet-replacement. Instead, Jennie is specifically designed to help people with Alzheimer's. The bot is a healthcare device, a…

Not to be outdone by the likes of Samsung and TLC, Amazon is joining the picture frame TV space. At CES 2026, the company announced a new line of unobtrusive smart TVs, complete with a new brand name and a redesigned FireTV OS, which will also show up on other FireTV devices. Meet the Ember Artline TV series Credit: Amazon Amazon is calling its new line of art TVs "Ember Artline." They will ship in two sizes, 55 inches and 65 inches, with pricing starting at $899 for the base model—some $200 cheaper than the list price of Samsu…

Before this CES, I thought gaming headsets had gotten about as complex as they ever would. How many improvements can you possibly make on speakers and microphones? Well, forget all that. Apparently, the future of gaming headsets is mind-reading. In a private demo with a colleague from IGN this CES, I tested out a collaboration between HP's HyperX gaming brand and brain-computer interface company Neurable. Neurable's been at CES before, but most of its work has been in the defense and enterprise sectors. The idea behind the brand is specifically aimed at helping you nail down your focus, and now, Neurable thinks it can use that to help gamers. …

Listen up, Ford drivers: You're getting a new AI assistant this year. During a decidedly low-key CES keynote, the company announced Ford AI Assistant, a new AI-powered bot coming to Ford customers in the early half of 2026. While the company has plans to integrate the assistant into Ford vehicles directly, that isn't how you'll first experience this new AI. Instead, Ford is rolling out Ford AI Assistant to an upgraded version of its Ford app first, and plans on shipping cars with the assistant built-in sometime in 2027. In effect, Ford has added a proprietary version of ChatGPT or Gemini to its app. How Ford AI Assistant worksFord's idea here is to offer users a smart as…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Premium noise-canceling wireless earbuds don’t come cheap, and Bowers & Wilkins earbuds (a brand owned by Samsung) are definitely at the top end of that category. But in a market crowded with ANC earbuds that do little more than meet the bare minimum, these justify their price tag by leaning into thoughtful features, sound quality, and build that go beyond the basics. Right now, a brand-new pair of Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 earbuds are going for $279.99 (originally $399) on Woot, their lowest price ever. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. AI is still the big thing in the tech world, but it's no longer the big new thing. It's been around long enough that simply integrating it into your product isn't enough to make it stand out anymore, especially at the biggest tech show in the world. While I attended this year's CES, the trend I noticed over and over again on the show floor was that AI is getting weird now. From personal hologram sidekicks to a gaming monitor that basically cheats for you, here are the five weirdest AI inventions I saw at CES 2026. Razer is giving you your own personal anime girl …