Home Office Setup & Equipment

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Smart home technology has really changed the way we live and work in our homes, giving us more control over our environment and appliances. We can now adjust the climate, monitor our resource consumption, and stream our media anywhere in the house with a tap of the finger or a few spoken words. But that convenience and power has come with a cost, and that cost is the, well, aesthetic of some of that smart tech. Smart devices are often clunky plastic monstrosities that insist upon taking over more than their fair share of flat surfaces. If you’re hoping for a more elegant, analog look—while still enjoying the benefits of mo…

Apple is making a big change to Family Sharing with iOS 26.4: Once the update hits, you'll be able to use your own payment method in Family Sharing groups that have Purchase Sharing turned on. This might sound small, but it's a significant change to how Apple handles payments in these situations. Payment Sharing no longer exclusively goes through the family organizer Payment Sharing can be a convenient way for Family Sharing groups to take advantage of shared plans and content. That could include subscriptions, like Apple One, Apple Music, Apple TV, or Apple News+; purchased music from iTunes; movies and TV shows from the Apple TV app; books from Apple Books; or apps bo…

Most of us don’t do enough strength training to realize the health benefits it can bring. The American College of Sports Medicine has released a new guideline on strength training that gives more realistic advice than what you may have heard about strength training elsewhere. Aside from outlining the amount of training we need, the new guidelines also come with a few surprises, in the form of debunking many long-held "rules" of strength training. Among them: training to failure isn’t essential, and unstable surfaces aren’t necessary to improve your balance. I keep seeing fitness professionals celebrating these new ACSM guidelines as a major improvement on previous advice…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Some laptops are performance powerhouses, but work better as a desktop and can be bulky to travel or commute with. If you’re looking for an ultraportable laptop that still offers robust performance but isn’t a headache (or a shoulder ache) to lug around, the MacBook Air remains one of the best lightweight laptops available, with a sleek and modern design to boot. Right now, as part of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (2025, M4) is 21% off at $1,099 (originally $1,399), marking its lowest price ever. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. As a shopping writer for Lifehacker, I've learned many tricks over the years that have helped me become a savvy Amazon shopper. You do not need to be a Prime member for most of these, but becoming one will make your Amazon experience better. And yes, it's worth it—we've done the math. If your shipping is delayed, call Amazon to get free moneyIf your Amazon delivery is late, you can contact customer service and may be eligible for a refund or credit, often proportional to the product's value—especially if the order had a guaranteed delivery date. The status of an order on Amazon changes during different stages of the shipme…

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 …

Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is one of Amazon's most popular Fire TV Stick options. In fact, it's a renamed version of the 2nd Gen Fire TV Stick 4K launched back in 2023. Still, it's no slouch. It's powerful enough for 4K entertainment, and at $25 for the Amazon Big Spring Sale (down from $49.99), it's a worthwhile deal as well. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus $24.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon's Big Spring Sale has a number of different headphones on discount. You can pick up options from a host of companies and brands, including JBL, Shokz, Sennheiser, and Sony. But if you're in the market for a new pair of Beats, especially an on-ear pair of headphones, take a look at the Beats Solo 4. Amazon currently has these discounted by up to 40%, depending on the color, meaning you can pick them up for as low as $119.99. Beats Solo 4 (Black & Gold) …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Fitness watches aren't always known for being polite, but I do know of one that is actually thoughtful and effective when it tells you to take a movement break. Normally $499.99, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 is currently on sale for $369.99 as part of Amazon's Big Spring Sale. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic $369.99 at Ama…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. This year’s Amazon Big Spring Sale doesn’t have too many deep discounts on premium watches, but we are seeing some sweet deals on budget models. One worth looking at is Amazfit’s Active 2 Sport, on sale today for $79.99. It’s a fitness watch with a solid feature set, and it will cost you half the price of other brands’ entry-level watches. Amazfit Active 2 Sport …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Google hasn’t launched a new Fitbit device since 2023, instead seeming to pour all its hardware efforts into Pixel watches. But all along the company refused to confirm that Fitbit hardware was truly dead, and a new promotional video appears to show why—it looks like there’s a Whoop-style smart band on the way. What was teasedThe video was posted to Steph Curry’s Instagram page on March 31, so it’s not an April Fool’s stunt. In a few short clips, we see a gray and orange fabric band around Curry’s left wrist. He says “I’m excited for what this is going to mean for health for the world and wellness. It’s a first of its kin…

Last month, news broke about "DarkSword," a malware kit that makes it easy for hackers to scrape passwords, emails, crypto wallets, and more from your iPhone. You don't have to do much to put yourself in harms way, either: Visiting a malicious website is all it takes for DarkSword to get to work, which makes it particularly dangerous. It's not totally clear what DarkSword's risk is to the average user. Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) says it identified "multiple commercial surveillance vendors and suspected state-sponsored actors" using the malware against targets in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Malaysia, and Ukraine, appearing as if the victims were highly-specific. Th…

Gmail is one of—if not the—most popular email platform in the world. But it's not the favorite for users who care about their privacy. Google doesn't offer end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for basic Gmail users, instead opting for "Transport Layer Security" (TLS). This provides security in transit, but doesn't help once the message reaches its destination. While TLS is better than nothing, it doesn't offer the same level of security as E2EE, which scrambles messages for everyone other than the sender, recipients, and whoever else has the decryption key. As such, privacy-minded users often look elsewhere for their email needs, like Proton Mail. But Google does offer more adva…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Samsung’s Galaxy Watches have been able to measure your blood pressure for years now—theoretically. U.S. users just got access to the feature, in a phased rollout that finally reached my device. I’ll show you how to set it up, which is more complicated than you might think, and then discuss what we know about its accuracy. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (2025) 40 mm LTE $329.99 at Amazon …

If you've had trouble accessing Bluesky this morning, you're not alone. The social media platform has been experiencing intermittent interruptions to service on Thursday. That's obvious from a glance at Downdetector, which shows thousands of user reports of issues with Bluesky starting at about 1:51 a.m. ET, and really kicking off at 2:21 a.m. ET. (Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Lifehacker parent company Ziff Davis.) While my Bluesky feed does seem to be working at this time, there are still issues causing downtime for users and parts of the platform, including loading notifications. As of this article, Bluesky's status page reads "We are investigating an incident w…

My most anticipated iOS 27 feature is not a new feature at all: If the rumors are true, Apple will use its next major iPhone update as an opportunity to squash bugs and improve stability across iOS. The company has already started work on this front ahead of iOS 27—with iOS 26.4, Apple fixed some key issues with the iPhone's keyboard, which users have complained about since the company initially rolled out iOS 26., and launched new settings to tone down the look of Liquid Glass in response to negative feedback from some users. But while I hope that iOS 27 is mostly a stability update, I know it won't be totally absent any new features. In fact, the rumors suggest Apple wi…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you want to turn your smartphone in a gaming handheld, there are plenty of accessories out there to try. Most, however, add full-size controllers to either side of your phone—that's great for gaming, but not so great for portability. OnePlus appears poised to try something a bit different (at least from most of the competition), by offering a gaming case you can fit in your pocket. The "Gun God" adds triggers and a cooling fan to the Ace 6 UltraIn a post on its Weibo page, OnePlus announced a new gaming accessory for its upcoming Ace 6 Ultra smartphone. The "OnePlus Gun God Game Controller" might have an awkward name…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Samsung Galaxy S26 is down to $799.99 for the 256GB unlocked version, a drop from $899.99 and its lowest price so far, according to price trackers. This is Samsung’s smallest flagship for 2026, and it leans into that idea of giving you most of the high-end experience without the size or cost of the Ultra model. The design feels familiar if you have used a Galaxy before, and is relatively compact at 6.3 inches, so it sits comfortably in one hand without feeling cramped. It also comes with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. …

Netflix's May slate is heavy on sports and comedy, including live events and documentaries in both categories. The streaming service will carry the full lineup of F1 Canadian GP weekend events, starting with spring qualifying on May 22 and ending with the race on May 24. Netflix will also host its first live MMA broadcast—Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano—on May 16. Ahead of the 2026 World Cup this summer, there are also a handful of soccer documentaries: USA 94: Brazil's Return to Glory (May 7) covers Brazil's World Cup run, while The Bus: A French Football Mutiny (May 13) looks at controversy surrounding France's 2010 bid. Several football-focused Untold UK episodes are dro…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Though I've spent years evangelizing for the Boox Palma 2, a phone-sized Chinese e-reader with an open Android operating system, my allegiances have shifted in recent months. I'm now obsessed with the tiny, slightly janky, minimalist devices put out by Xteink, another Chinese tech company. And I'm far from the only one—the Xteink subreddit is a busy place. The $69 Xteink X4 has a 4.3-inch screen and native software that's so bad, it wasn't really worth recommending until fans of the device cobbled together their own crowdsourced alternative. The $79 X3 (which is currently only available in the U.S. direct from Xteink) is l…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Robot mowers have improved dramatically over the years and are becoming a staple for the tech-obsessed with sizable yards. Instead of having to drop boundary wires around your property to prevent your robot from cutting a neighbor's yard, newer machines have advancements that allow for boundary setting with cameras and sensors. One of these newer mowers is the Eufy Robot Lawn Mower E15, and right now it's $949.99 (originally $2,299.99) after a 59% discount. This is the lowest price it has ever been, according to price-tracking tools. …

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 sh…

As powerful as LLMs can be, all have one shared weakness: hallucination. For reasons beyond our understanding, AI models have a habit of making things up, totally out of the blue. A response might be accurate, with well-cited sources and relevant information; then, all of a sudden, the AI pushes a false claim, or mistakenly interprets an ironic forum comment as fact. (That's how you end up with Google's AI Overviews recommending adding glue to your pizza.) Some LLMs may hallucinate less than others, but none are immune. That's why anytime you use a chatbot, you'll see some kind of warning on-screen, letting you know that the AI can make mistakes. Apple Intelligence, App…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The LG UltraGear 39GX90SA-W has dropped to $749.99 on Amazon from its original $1,599.99 price, and according to price trackers, this is the lowest it has been so far. It’s a 39-inch ultrawide panel that feels huge in person, especially with its 800R curve wrap that pulls you into games in a way smaller ultrawides usually don’t. Racing games, open-world titles, and anything cinematic look especially good here because the OLED panel gives dark scenes real depth and color without the washed-out look many LCD gaming monitors still struggle with. The 24…

When you share your location data with an app or service, you may assume you're sharing your exact coordinates. But that's not necessarily the case. While "precise location" sharing does indeed broadcast your literal whereabouts, "approximate location" sharing only submits your general position. It's the difference between an app knowing your home address versus seeing the neighborhood you're in, or perhaps even the town or city itself. It's a great way to balance privacy and utility: Apps that don't need all that extra location information to function simply won't get it. Back in January, Apple introduced a new privacy setting for iPhone: Limit Precise Location. While …