Home Office Setup & Equipment

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 I l…

Your phone is a one-stop shop for a lot of your personal information, from day-to-day activities logged in your calendar and email to financial data accessed via banking apps. If you let someone else use your device—whether you're showing a friend a collection of photos or allowing a stranger to make an emergency call—there's a lot you don't want them to be able to see. If you're an iPhone user, there are several features you can enable to prevent others from snooping around your device. Use Guided AccessIf you don't want someone using your device to see anything else on it, you can turn on Guided Access, which limits them to a single app (such as Phone or Photos). This…

No pet owner wants to think about what might happen in the event of a fire. As a dog owner, I know I don't. But fires do happen, and pets can't follow a fire plan. Rescue Retriever wants to change that: I spoke with the company during CES' Pepcom event, and learned how they're working to make it easier for firefighters to find your pets in the event of a fire. Rescue Retriever first launched back in March of 2024, started by two brothers—one of whom is a former firefighter. The company told me that during a fire, pets tend to run to where they feel safe—maybe that's under the bed, or somewhere tucked away in a room. That makes it difficult for firefighters to locate pets …

There's something deeply satisfying about tracking your running progress in a spreadsheet you built yourself. No algorithm showing off other people's workouts, no concerns about what happens to your data if the company pivots or shuts down. Just you, your numbers, and a system designed exactly the way you want it. And when I wrote about this earlier this year, I received some truly heartwarming messages from runners who'd been thinking the same thing. So many of us runners are tired of relying on apps, and we're instead drawn to a simple, customizable spreadsheet. Why build your own spreadsheet?Sure, there's no shortage of fitness tracking apps out there. Strava, Garmin C…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. My Canadian in-laws include a famous (I'm told) ice hockey star, and yet I've still spent more time engaging with hockey via the HBO Max streaming sensation Heated Rivalry than from the stands of any actual court or rink or whatever it is you call the place where people pass around their pucks. Not that I know any more about the game after watching, because frankly, that's not why we're here, nor is that what the buzz is all about. Heated Rivalry is all about the very horny relationship between Japanese-Canadian team captain Shane (Hudson Williams) and Ilya (Connor Storrie), a headstrong Russian playing for a different te…

I've been a fan of XREAL for a while, but outside of people who are really into AR, it's still a lesser-known company. Lifehacker has given XREAL's glasses stellar reviews before, but in the company's new collaboration with Asus, it's aiming to really expand its market. The new ROG XREAL R1 AR glasses are the first XREAL glasses aimed specifically at gaming (although its other models aren't exactly bad for gaming), and they basically put the best gaming monitor you could ever want right on your face. Essentially, you wear these like a normal pair of sunglasses, and you get a massive 171-inch virtual TV floating in a black void right in front of you. It's an OLED, so ther…

I write a lot about productivity, which means I also read a lot about it. Over the last few months, I've noticed an uptick in people discussing something called "cognitive overload," citing it as a potential reason for a decline in output. The phrase stuck out to me as one of those buzzy terms that has the potential to be overused until it's meaningless—but at its core, it certainly has a real, clear definition that can be helpful tool in maximizing productivity. Basically, cognitive overload is what happens when you're inundated with more information than your brain can process, so your brain just gives up altogether, making hard to focus on anything at all. Here's what…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Nothing, an upstart tech brand from the U.K. that makes products like phones, smartwatches, and headphones, has quickly become one of my favorites lately. Its products offer unique features and designs, and the prices are competitive. Right now, Nothing's latest budget over-ear headphones, which were released in October, the CMF Headphone Pros, are just $79 (originally $99), the product's lowest price ever, according to price-tracking tools. This is a great option for anyone looking to get budget over-the-ear headphones that punch above their weight…

Garmin displays a real-time stress level from 0 to 100. Oura calculates "daytime stress" and resilience metrics. For Whoop, it’s the stress monitor; for Fitbit, a "stress management score." However it’s branded, some version of a “stress score” has become ubiquitous across smartwatches and wearables. This number is marketed as a window into our internal emotional state, turned into quantified proof of how our day is really going. The only issue: these numbers aren’t all that accurate. What your "stress score" actually tells youThe scores lighting up our wrists aren't measuring what most of us think they're measuring. When you check your smartwatch and see that your stress…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. I really adore my Series 10 Apple Watch. But if I hadn't upgraded last year, I would have gone for the Series 11, just for the extra battery life upgrade. I usually like to wait for discounts before upgrading, though, and if you're like me, Amazon has some good news: While the Series 11 only came out four months ago, it's already down to its lowest price ever. You can get the 42mm Series 11 model for $299 (down from $399) and the 46mm Series 11 model for $329 (down from $429). That's a discount of $100 across the board. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Samsung Odyssey line is designed for gamers who want a blend of speed and immersion, and its consistently popular monitors are known for high refresh rates, low-input lag, and crisp visuals that perform more smoothly in a fast-paced world than a standard display. The 32" Samsung Odyssey G50D S27DG50 is a flat, entry-level alternative to some of the line’s pricier curved monitors, and right now, it’s 42% off at $249.99 (down from $429.99). 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G50D S27DG50 Monitor …

A workout habit has a way of building momentum: Once you’re doing something, anything, it’s easy to build on that. Video workouts are a simple way to get started, but if you're having trouble following along, I'm here to help. Below are some ways to make common exercises more accessible, and what to do if you can't get through a whole video yet. If you can’t squatLots of “easy” bodyweight programs ask you to perform a squatting motion without any added weight. But if that’s already more than you can do, try one of these instead: Sit in a chair, and stand back up. Lean your back against a wall and slide down until you’re in a sitting position (this is called a wall squat…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you're like most people in 2026, you don't have cable and only miss it occasionally—mostly when there's a specific live sporting event taking place and you need a way to catch it. What if you could get cable for a single day, then ditch it? That's the basic idea behind Sling's 1 Day Pass. For $5, you can get a day's access to ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and a few more channels besides. That array will cover quite a few nationally broadcast sporting events. Unfortunately, like most everything related to watching live television in the age of streaming, this is more complicated than I'd like. A 1 Day Pass is only available for Sli…

It hasn't been a month since the U.S. arm of TikTok came under new ownership, and already American users are getting an exclusive feature. In a surprise move, the app today introduced a new "Local Feed" specific to U.S. users, ostensibly aimed at helping Americans see content from their immediate area. Technically, it's similar to the "Nearby Feed" that was introduced in the U.K. and Europe in December, though this specific iteration might differ in the minor details, like the name, and more importantly, which data it accesses. Specifically, the company wants access to your GPS data to power the Local Feed, but it's not making it transparent how exactly it will be used. T…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. An ultra-wide curved gaming monitor with ridiculous specs is every gamer's dream, but they (usually) don't come cheap. The 57-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G9, one of the best ultra-wide gaming monitors on the market, is currently on sale for $1,499.99 (originally $2,499.99 at launch)—that's its best discount this year, according to price-checking tools. Samsung 57" Odyssey Neo G9 Series Dual 4K UHD 1000R Curved Gaming Monitor, 240Hz, 1ms with Dis…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Augmented reality smart glasses blend digital content directly with the physical world, enabling hands-free device use, but a persistent pain point remains: Low brightness can make them unusable in certain settings. Many models max out at 400 to 600 nits, but a rare few exceed that, making them more practical in different conditions—like the Viture Luma Pro AR glasses, which can hit 1,000 nits of brightness. Right now, the Viture Luma Pro AR glasses are over $200 off during Amazon's early President’s Day sale, bringing them to an an all-time low of…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Impeccable period vibes are a highlight of Ponies, the Peacock spy show starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson. They play a couple of housewives living in Moscow with their CIA agent husbands, at least until their spouses are killed under mysterious circumstances. In order to get to the bottom of things, the two convince the Moscow station chief that they could be useful as agents themselves. He figures, hey—who'd ever suspect a couple of secretaries? You can stream Ponies on Peacock, and then stream these stories of other unexpected spies. The Americans (2013 – 2018) Set during the Cold War 1980s, and cr…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Last-minute Presidents’ Day sales are the perfect time to stock up on gaming monitors that normally have a much higher price tag, and right now, an award-winning model from Alienware (dubbed “one of the best curved gaming monitors on the market” by PCMag) is $200 off. The Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor is 28% off at $499.99 (originally $699.99), marking its lowest price ever as the holiday discounts wind down. Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor …

According to a New York Times report, Meta plans to add facial recognition technology to its Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses. The feature, called “Name Tag” within Meta, would allow users to identify people and get information about them through Meta's AI. The feature could be rolling out as early as this year. Adding the feature is not a done deal, however. According to an internal document cited by The Times, the company is weighing the “safety and privacy risks" of introducing facial recognition as well as discussing how to navigate the response to a no-doubt controversial feature. A document quoted by The Times suggests Meta is deliberately timing a potential rollo…

Anthropic is taking steps to make it easier to switch to Claude. While the AI chatbot app is popular among developers and vibecoders, it's also been infamous for keeping its more advanced features behind a paywall (and for rate-limiting free users). But now, Claude is finally catching up to ChatGPT and bringing its memory feature to free users. The move follows Claude overtaking ChatGPT in the App Store to become the #1 most downloaded free app in the U.S., so the timing makes sense. As for what could have caused the sudden interest in the app, OpenAI recently announced that it will be working with the U.S. Department of Defense (unofficially titled the Department of War…

Let me introduce you to your good friend, sweat. Ignore the gross feel and the potential for B.O. for the moment, and think about what it does for you: When your body gets too hot, threatening to raise your core temperature over what’s healthy, little glands in your skin squeeze drops of moisture onto its surface. As soon as a breeze hits those droplets, they evaporate, taking some of your body heat away with them. This is true even during exercise. It's not the exercise that makes you sweat; exercise just raises your body heat, and it's the heat that makes you sweat. That's why you sweat without exercising on a hot day, and why you can sometimes exercise without sweatin…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. MacBook used to be largely repairable, upgradable things. If too many tabs slowed down macOS, you could add more RAM; if you ran out of storage, you could install a larger hard drive; if the battery was old, you could easily replace it. But as Apple—and the industry at large—chased thinner and sleeker designs, laptops in general became harder to work on. Companies started soldering all components together onto the board, which made it possible to produce thin and light machines, but made it impossible to upgrade them, and wildly impractical to repair. This hasn't changed all that much in the Apple silicon era. While Apple'…

While RSS readers are still worth using to this day, they're far from perfect. Most have a sidebar showing you your article sources and how many unread articles you have in them, leaving you feeling like you have to read everything in your list. If you're like me, you may have hundreds of unread articles at a time. Maybe you power through a bunch of news articles, hoping to make that number go down, or you send long-form essays to Instapaper so that you can (forget to) read them later. I'm exaggerating how big a deal this is, but I think anyone who uses RSS regularly has come up against something like this. That's what intrigues me about Current, a new RSS reader for iPho…

I'm posting this on March 17,St. Patrick's Day, the day we celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, and Irishness in general, by dancing to accordion-and-fiddle-based music, dyeing a river green, and enjoying a wee drink or three. But there's a lot people get wrong about the holiday, so allow me to clear up some myths. St. Patrick's Day wasn't always a day for partyingThe association between boozing it up and March 17 is relatively recent. St. Patrick's Day was observed in Ireland as early as the ninth century but it was largely a somber remembrance, not a celebration—it marks the anniversary of St. Patrick's death, after all. It was a day when the dietary restrictions of L…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Cardio zones aren't real—not in the way your fitness app makes them sound, anyway. Yes, heart rate zones are a way to describe how hard you're working during a cardio workout, like running or cycling. But the cardio zones everyone's always buzzing about are just a way of bucketing exercise intensity into digestible categories. They're a useful shorthand, but there are no physiological lines in the sand where your body suddenly switches from "zone 2" to "zone 3." It's a spectrum, and the specific cutoffs vary depending on who you ask (or what app you're using), what formula they rely on, and whether they measured your lacta…