Home Office Setup & Equipment

Google's AI Mode has new agentic capabilities for booking event tickets and beauty and wellness appointments, so AI will do most of the work to find and curate the best options based on your inputs. Google first launched agentic capabilities for AI Mode in August: The initial feature could help locate restaurant reservations based on inputs like party size, location, cuisine, and preferred dates and times. For example, you can enter "find me a table for 8 people next Saturday for a birthday dinner ... thinking outdoor rustic garden vibes with live music" and AI Mode will return suggestions with links to book. While they won't actually finalize the reservation for you, …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Microsoft Surface Book 3 isn't the newest model on the market, but it's one of the few laptops that can serve as both a tablet and a creative workstation, which helps explain why it initially launched at nearly $1,700. Currently, StackSocial is offering the 15-inch 2020 Surface Book 3 on sale for $929.99, equipped with 32GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, or on sale for $999.99 for the 1TB version. The smaller 13.5-inch models are also available, priced between $699.99 and $799.99. Each one is refurbished to Grade A condition, meaning it look…

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…

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…

During the pandemic, I was struggling. After graduating from college in 2019, I had an amazing job offer fall through because of the lockdown. I felt completely rudderless at a time when I thought I had it all figured out. Since we were all stuck inside together for months, there was no hiding my internal distress from my family. Fortunately, my parents recognized this even more than I did. That year, they gave me a gift that pulled me out of that pit, reignited my passion for creating, and set the journey in motion that led me to my career today as a professional creator and video producer. That gift was the Cricut Explore, and this device literally changed my life. W…

2025 was another big year for music. We had new albums from Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Tyler the Creator, and, of course, Huntrix (of KPop Demon Hunters fame), just to name a few. You may have listened to any number of new albums that came out this year, mixed in with music that released any time over the last century. You might not even remember what you were listening to back in January. But Apple Music remembers, and will serve in up to you in your 2025 Apple Music Replay. Like last year, your Replay is available in your Apple Music app. If you're relatively new to the streaming service, that might sound obvious—especially if you've previously used a service li…

Anker launched a pair of "2-in-1" earbuds under its Soundcore brand at CES 2026, and it has a unique feature: They can be worn in two ways by adjusting the ear hooks. When you want active noise cancellation, you can wear it in-ear, and when you don't, you can adjust the hooks for an open-ear design. This quirky product is called the Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro—and you can already buy it for $150, which includes a launch discount of $30. When it comes to CES announcements, I'm always wary of vaporware, aka products that are announced but never shipped. That's why I keep an eye out for products with a shorter launch window so you can actually get your hands on the things you'r…

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. …

With a historically bad winter storm expected to bring snow, ice, and sub-zero wind chills to many parts of the United States this weekend, it's a good time to make sure you're prepared for a potentially life-threatening disaster. While winter storms are generally less deadly than hurricanes and heat waves, they can be extremely dangerous, particularly when extremely cold, wind, and ice storms cause power outages. But with a little preparation and common sense, you should be all right when it gets extra snowy and cold. Here are some tips and instructions for blizzard and winter storm survival. Who is the winter storm likely to affect? …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When you get serious about your fitness goals, one first step is usually to get your nutrition in order. You want to get enough protein to support your muscles, fruits and vegetables for health, carbs for fuel, and a total amount of calories that supports your activity and your goals without undereating or overeating. Preparing your meals ahead of time ("meal prepping") really helps with that. But meal-prepping has its pitfalls. Maybe you will get bored with your meals. Or maybe you won’t even get that far, and you’ll burn out just from the mental and physical effort of cooking a whole week’s meals at once. With that in…

Google acquired the excellent photo editor Snapseed back in 2012—not long after Apple had crowned it one of its apps of the year—and despite having plenty to offer and being completely free to use, it remains one of Google's lesser-known apps. That might be about to change. Snapseed's latest update for iOS, version 3.15.0, comes with a full camera app inside—and there's a case to be made that it's better than Apple's default Camera app. It certainly offers more in the way of manual shooting controls, with the added benefit of an entire integrated suite of editing features. Using Snapseed's built-in camera on iPhone Once you've installed or updated Snapseed to the latest …

Ever since I deleted my Facebook account, Instagram has taken its place as the social network I visit most often to check what my friends are up to. I've been on the app for something like 15 years now, and during this time, I've learned a trick or two that improve the experience (or at least make it less annoying). Here are 10 Instagram hacks that will enhance your privacy, reduce the amount of junk in your feed, help you reset your algorithm, and more. Use Instagram filters to block spam messages and comments and clean up your feed On every social media app, I like to set up filters to mute offensive keywords, but you can use keywords to block almost anything you don't…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A basic TV can only do so much with its built-in speakers. Thin cabinets leave little room for proper drivers, so dialogue sounds flat, and action scenes lose their impact. A soundbar is the usual fix, and this Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus with subwoofer and surround speaker bundle tries to solve that problem without creeping into the price range of premium home-theater gear. Right now, the open-box bundle is $219.95 on Woot, while the same configuration is listed for $414.99 on Amazon, making the discount significant. The deal also includes free …

NotebookLM is Google's more sophisticated, research-focused AI tool, built on the same underlying models as Gemini but with an interface that's less chatty and friendly. Like Gemini, it regularly gets upgrades and new features, and the latest update adds "cinematic" video summaries. One of the tasks NotebookLM is perfect for is collecting a bunch of information together in a notebook—PDFs, web links, YouTube videos—and then having it explained and summarized (it's a great study tool in that respect). You may remember that a couple of years ago it added the ability to generate realistic-sounding podcasts called Audio Overviews from your notebooks. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ (128GB) is currently $499.99 (down from $649.99) on Amazon, and price trackers confirm this is the lowest price it has ever reached. According to PCMag’s “excellent” review, the Tab S10 FE+ works well as a general-purpose tablet for both entertainment and productivity, making it one of the best tablets you can buy in 2026. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ 13.1” 128GB WiFi Android Tablet …

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 iPh…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I’m not a real cyclist, I say to myself as I buy a cheap, basic exercise bike. I’m not that into spinning, I say to myself as I replace that bike a year later (it wore out from constant use). I’m not dressed like a silly cyclist, I say as I strap into my cycling shoes. And I climb on the bike and proceed to ride for an hour in normal, unpadded shorts. Because I’m a dumbass. Look, sometimes I am at the forefront of smart and important hacks, like rinsing out my exercise gear in the shower or bringing back sweatbands. And sometimes it takes me forever to start following the advice that every single cyclist impresses onto beg…

Bad news, Prime subscribers: Starting April 10, Amazon will lock Prime Video streaming quality to 1080p for "basic" users. If you want to continue watching Prime Video content in 4K as you have been, you'll need to pay an extra $4.99 per month. Otherwise, your Prime Video shows and movies will look just a bit fuzzier than you may be used to. It's part of a number of changes Amazon is making to its streaming services next month. On April 10, Amazon will start offering customers a new "Prime Video Ultra" plan. This option will be ad-free and will come with streaming up to 4K in both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. You'll also be able to stream up to five devices at once (as …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Apple's AirPods Pro might be its most premium, expensive earbuds, but that doesn't mean they're hogging all the features. While they have the interchangeable ear tips, heart rate sensor, and the ability to be used as hearing aids, there are plenty of features you might assume to be "pro" that you can get on Apple's standard earbuds. Case in point: noise cancellation. If all you need is a pair of earbuds that can block out the sound around you (without spending $249), consider the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, which are currently on sale…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Eufy ExpertSecure System E10 is down to $899.99 from $999.99. Unlike a single camera or doorbell, this is a full home security bundle meant to cover multiple entry points right out of the box. You get a video doorbell, a 360-degree outdoor camera, an indoor camera, motion and entry sensors, plus a keypad and key fob. That means you can set up coverage for your front door, yard, and inside the house without piecing together different products. It also leans toward a plug-and-play setup, with devices pre-configured so you’re not spending hours pa…

The aptly named Binge is a new app for iPhones, iPads, and Macs that has set its sights on Letterboxd. Like that popular movie-centric social media platform, Binge gives you a way to track what you've watched and what you want to watch. But whereas Letterboxd sticks mostly to movies, Binge covers both movies and TV shows, and adds "jump scare warnings," an innovative feature Letterboxd can't match (though in testing it out, I experienced mixed results). Keeping tabs on my viewing is something I very much need help with, and while I've had a Letterboxd account for a while, I don't log into it or update my viewing history very often. Because it offers one spot to track bot…

Claude's plug-ins for third-party services, known as connectors, have previously covered work-focused apps such as Gmail and Slack. Now, it's adding a whole host of lifestyle apps to its Connectors catalog, including Spotify, Uber, Tripadvisor, Audible, Instacart, Intuit TurboTax, and AllTrails. There are more connectors on the way as well, Anthropic says, with the aim that you can do more inside the Claude chatbot interface. It's not dissimilar to the ChatGPT app store, which lets you add apps such as Photoshop and Apple Music. But do these plug-ins really offer the convenience that Claude claims? And is the experience any better than just using the apps themselves? Find…

Slack is one of the most commonly used business messaging apps—beyond basic communication, the service has plenty of built-in features that can help you be both more productive and less overwhelmed by the volume of messages you receive. These are the top tips and tricks to use Slack efficiently. Create sections to organize your sidebar If you have dozens of channels and DMs to keep track of and a long sidebar list that requires scrolling, you can create custom sections to keep related conversations together and prioritize those you need most at the top. You can create, for example, a section for conversations with just your team or a grouping of channels and DMs related…

The AI chatbots are coming for your smart home. Both Alexa+ and Gemini for Home are now rolling out to users who've opted in to the upgrades, replacing standard Alexa and Google Assistant, respectively. Once you get access, they'll do everything we've become familiar with from these next-gen AI assistants—natural language conversations, complex queries and responses, various hallucinations—while retaining all the previous smart-home functionality, whether that's turning off lights or checking in on video doorbells. I got access to these two upgrades within the space of a week, giving me the opportunity to test them against each other. With an Amazon Echo Show, a Google Ne…

You don't necessarily need an app to see where an aircraft is at any given time—if you type the airline and flight number into Google, it'll show you the arrival and departure information and where it is en route based on data pulled from Flightview (which also has a standalone app). However, there are a handful of native and third-party flight trackers, both paid and free, that provide live updates and other alerts so you have the most current information when you travel, often faster than the airlines themselves. Here are five of my favorite recommendations. Flighty costs money but can be more accurate than your airline's own app Flighty is an iOS app with robust flig…