Home Office Setup & Equipment

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. There’s nothing quite like a reliable pair of over-ear noise-canceling headphones to block out distractions, but with options ranging from budget buys to $500+ premium models, finding the right pair can feel like a challenge. The Sony WH-CH720N, an entry-level over-ear option, hit the sweet spot, offering comfort, long-lasting battery life, and good automatic noise canceling (ANC)—and right now, they’re nearly half off. You can pick them up for $92.95 (down from $179.99) from Amazon. Sony WH-CH…

Windows users contend with a lot of updates. There's a new update every month on the stable channel, and every week on the Windows Insider channel. But not all updates are created equal. Some are mission-critical, with important security patches you won't want to miss. On the other hand, some can create issues themselves, introducing bugs or new features you don't want. Until now, there wasn't much you could do when an update showed up. You could try to delay, but you'd be forced to install it a week later, sometimes in the middle of important work. With the latest Insider update, however, Microsoft is trying to fix that. Now, the company is testing a roundabout way to de…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Soundcore Boom Go 3i Portable Bluetooth Speaker has dropped to $49.99 from its usual $79.99, and price trackers suggest this is the lowest it has reached so far. It is a compact, palm-sized speaker designed for portability, weighing just about 380 grams. There’s also a built-in silicone strap, which is basic but practical, letting you loop it onto a bike handlebar or hang it at a campsite without needing extra accessories. Soundcore Boom Go 3i …

Apple AirPods have always supported Bluetooth, so you can pair them with any phone, tablet, or computer you like—whether or not it's made by Apple—for basic audio listening. Until now, though, getting the full set of features on these earbuds, including head gestures and all the rest, required using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. That's now changed with the arrival of LibrePods, an app that actually launched a couple of years ago but that's now available on the Google Play Store. Previously, to get LibrePods to work, you had to jailbreak your Android device and sideload it. That's no longer necessary—you can just install it like any regular Android app. According to developer K…

Apple is undoubtedly behind in the AI race. "Apple Intelligence" has fewer features and less utility than similar products from competitors; the company has no chatbot of its own; and we're still waiting on the AI-powered Siri upgrade Apple first revealed back in 2024. And yet, much of that could change with iOS 27. The update is shaping up to be a bit of a catch-up moment for Apple, as rumors suggest we'll finally see both the updated Siri as well as Apple's attempt at a ChatGPT-like chatbot. And it now seems there's a good chance the update will also include new photo editing features that could directly compete with others across the AI market. Photos is getting "Appl…

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…

Amazon Prime Day 2026 is sure to be the biggest online sale of the year, and it's coming a bit sooner than you may have expected. In a press release yesterday, quickly issued after the sale's timeframe was revealed in Amazon's own first-quarter earnings statement, the company confirmed this year's event will be held in June. This is the first time Amazon has moved its biggest sale of the year earlier since the height of the pandemic in 2021. Amazon doesn't usually announce its sales months beforehand, typically waiting until at most a month out to give shoppers a heads-up on when a shopping event will take place. But after this early news drop, it's likely the other major…

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…

DuckDuckGo has been my default search engine for years. Its big selling point is that it doesn't track you nearly as much as Google does, but there's more to DuckDuckGo than that privacy claim. You can use DuckDuckGo to anonymously try AI chatbots (including ChatGPT and Claude), filter out AI-generated images from results, and shorten URLs without leaving the site. If you're using DuckDuckGo, try these 10 hacks to make the most of the search engine. Turn off AI features to simplify your search experienceDuckDuckGo recently added a bunch of AI features, but, luckily, you can turn off most. To disable AI-related features in DuckDuckGo, go to the search engine's settings pag…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. In my years reviewing speakers, I've learned a couple of things: Reputation and price get me to buy it, but if I dig the look, I'll keep using it over better options. This is what Marshall speakers, in general, nail. They look great while still doing their basic job as a portable speaker well. Right now, the Marshall Emberton III is $129.99 (originally $179.99), its lowest price yet, according to price-tracking tools. Marshall Emberton III Portable Bluetooth Speakers, Wireless, IP67 Rating …

Google Meet is an accessible and easy-to-use virtual meeting platform for casual users and Workspace customers, hosting everything from team check-ins to large presentations and town halls. It plays nice with everything else in the Google ecosystem, so if you or your employer are locked in, it's likely a top choice for video conferencing. Here are 10 hacks to get the most out of Google Meet. Use meet.new to quickly launch an unscheduled meetingIf you need to start a video call at a moment's notice, you can open Google Meet and hit New meeting > Start an instant meeting—or you can simply type meet.new into your browser. This link automatically launches a meeting; no ad…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Every wearable these days will tell you how you slept and how well recovered you seem to be for the day’s activities. But it’s rare to get clear guidance or ideas on what you should do based on those scores. Ultrahuman, which makes smart rings, is trying a new approach: serving you different workout videos based on what it thinks you’re up for. Ring Charger: Power up Your Ultrahuman Ring | Convenient and Easy Charging Solution …

Meta is officially rolling out new parental controls that make it easier to keep tabs on the conversations teens are having with the company's AI. Meta revealed the news in a blog post on Thursday, which comes six months after the company's original announcement. But while additional parental controls are promising, will this be enough to address the greater issues at play with young users and AI? How Meta's new AI parental controls workAccording to Meta, parents using the "supervision" feature on Facebook, Messenger, or Instagram now have an "Insights" tab as part of supervision. If you select this tab, you'll see all the topics your teen or teens have been chatting with…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. DirecTV has launched for Meta Quest headsets. While there are already single-channel streaming apps like Peacock available on the headset, this is the first full TV distributor to be available for Quest users. It gives DirecTV subscribers access to over 150 live channels—CNN, HGTV, and NFL Network, etc.— and a huge library of on-demand movies and shows. Meta Quest 3 512GB Mixed Reality VR Headset with Controllers $599.0…

I can't stand when a subscription tells me its "monthly" price, when, in actuality, the plan charges me annually. Sure, when you divide the yearly cost by 12, the price looks better, but if I'm paying all at once for the year, then it's really not that amount per month. It's all a way to get more customers in the digital door, and I'm sure it works—even if I'm not happy about it. Apple's new plan improves annual subscriptions While this pricing isn't going anywhere anytime soon, there is a positive change on the way—for most of the world, anyway. As highlighted by MacRumors, Apple is giving developers a new type of subscription plan to market to their users. In addition …

Since the release of the original Avatar in 2009, James Cameron’s epic interstellar franchise has taken over popular culture with the brute force of an RDA battalion invading a distant moon. It has grown from a single movie into an omni-franchise—a $10 billion entertainment ecosphere that includes three feature films, two AAA video games, seven primary comic book series, a Disney theme park, and even a Cirque du Soleil show. Given the movies’ collective nine-hour runtime and a 150-year internal timeline, keeping track of the lore of Pandora can be a lot; Cameron’s world-building is famously obsessive, involving everything from a fully functional alien language to scientif…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Not everyone is looking for a five-star TV experience. Sometimes, a decent TV at the right price is good enough. That's exactly what the Hisense QLED E6QF Fire TV can offer, and right now, the 50-inch class is just $236.97 (originally $379.99), dropping to the lowest price it has ever been, according to price-tracking tools. Other bigger sizes are also discounted, including the 55-inch, which is $299.99 (originally $429.99). This is one of the best deals for budget TVs right now. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’re looking for a gaming laptop with solid 3D performance, the 2025 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 AI Gaming Laptop is one of your top options. Gamers love it because it combines high-end performance with an ultra-fast display refresh rate, and right now, the price isn't bad either: This Windows laptop is 25% off on Amazon, bringing it down to $1,639.99 (originally $2,199.99). 2025 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 AI Gaming Laptop …

Earlier this month, Nikkei Asia reported that the ongoing memory crisis was not slowing down anytime soon. RAM supply is currently in extreme demand, as AI companies are scooping up the hardware to power their ever-growing data centers. Unfortunately, there are only so many memory manufacturers in the world, and only so many resources available to actually manufacture those chips. There are really only three key players—SK Hynix, Micron Technology, and Samsung—and while all are ramping up production as much as possible, it doesn't appear to be enough to meet demands for the immediate future. Samsung can't meet memory demand this yearNow, Samsung is officially confirming a…

My fellow Lifehacker writer Beth Skwarecki is a weightlifter. I'm a marathon runner. Together, we make one reasonably competent Hyrox athlete—and in four weeks, we're going to find out if that's enough. Beth and I are competing together in a Hyrox doubles race on May 29, in something of a joint experiment in just how little training you can get away with before showing up to one of these things. Hopefully, we can each bring our respective strengths to the floor, cover for each other's weaknesses, and survive. Hopefully. What is Hyrox, anyway?If you haven't encountered Hyrox yet, here's the short version: It's currently the trendiest fitness-race-sport-competition-lifestyl…

It's no secret that Apple is way behind in the generative AI race. While other companies, like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have had major wins over the past three and a half years, Apple has stumbled to find its footing, rushing to release features with varying levels of success. Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing, depending on who you ask. While Microsoft has shoved its AI products into as many apps and services as possible (to the degree that the company has since had to back off), Apple users have largely been able to ignore Apple Intelligence if they wish. As it happens, Apple was a bit too eager to oversell its AI endeavors. Back in 2024, Apple hadn't really …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. JBL's portable speakers are known for their long-term durability, superb sound quality, and solid bang for the buck in terms of features. One crowd favorite is the JBL Flip 7, released in 2025. Right now, a new JBL Flip 7 is 43% off and down to $84.95 on Woot (originally $149.95). JBL Flip 7 $84.95 at Woot $149.95 Save $65.00 Get Deal …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Google’s Pixel phones have spent the last few years becoming the default recommendation for people who want a straightforward Android experience without dealing with heavy software skins or overloaded features. The Google Pixel 10 Pro continues that approach, though its original $1,219 price made it harder to justify against competing flagship phones. Now, Amazon has dropped the unlocked 512GB model to $969 (its lowest price yet, according to online price trackers), and that makes it easier to appreciate what Google actually does well here. Goo…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A good OLED gaming monitor still costs more than most mid-range GPUs, which is why this Acer Predator X27U deal stands out. At $369.99, down from $549.99, this is the lowest price the monitor has hit so far, according to price trackers. Acer Predator X27U OLED Gaming Monitor $369.99 at Amazon $549.99 Save $180.00 Get Deal …

Virtual meetings are essential to remote work—but they can also be tedious. If Zoom is your video conferencing platform of choice, there are lots of hidden features you can tap to make meetings more efficient for hosts and engaging for participants. Here are the best tips and tricks for getting the most out of Zoom. Use self-selected breakout rooms to create a virtual networking eventVirtual networking is already awkward, and potentially even more so if you send people to random breakout rooms to force conversation. While meeting participants are commonly assigned to breakout rooms automatically, Zoom has a feature that allows individuals to choose their breakout and mov…