Home Office Setup & Equipment

You need to use a lot of quotation when discussing AI. There's "intelligence," of course, but also "thinking," which these days usually refers to a specific type of model that breaks requests into multiple steps and takes longer to process (or "think through") them. Thinking models are nothing new, but if you use Gemini, you do have new thinking "levels" to choose from when using non-thinking models. Here's how it works. As spotted by 9to5Google, there's a new "Thinking level" option at the bottom of the model selector in Google's Gemini app for iOS and Android. To be clear, this isn't the "Thinking" model listed under "Gemini 3," as this model has been available for som…

I'm totally totally cheesin over Mixtape and not cheesin at all about TikTok's AI cat videos. Scuba! If none of that makes sense to you, you're about to be educated and embettered by this week's Out-of-Touch guide, where the secret world of young people is either explained or misunderstood, depending on whom you ask. What does "cheesin" mean? And how does it differ from "cheesing?"The slang word "cheesin'" refers to smiling, particularly a big, goofy smile. It comes from the common exhortation to "say cheese!" when a photograph is being taken. Here's an examples of how cheesin is used online: The word "cheesing," with a "g" at the end, often means the same thing, but i…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Apple accessory pricing gets out of hand fast, especially once you start adding separate chargers for an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. The Anker 3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe simplifies that setup by turning everything into one compact charging block, and right now it’s down to $64.99 on Woot from its usual $129.99 price. According to price trackers, this is the lowest price it has reached so far, and it’s also cheaper than Amazon’s current $86.99 listing. You also get a 30W USB-C wall charger in the box, so you don't need to buy a separate power ada…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Sony’s SRS-XB100 is down to $43 from its usual $64.99. This is Sony’s entry-level portable Bluetooth speaker, and it shows in both good and limiting ways. It’s small, light, and built for casual use. At under 10 ounces and roughly the size of a coffee mug, it fits easily in a bag or clips onto a backpack with its included strap. The matte black finish keeps things simple, and the IP67 rating means it’s fully dust proof and can withstand submersion in water for up to 30 minutes. It’s a speaker you can bring to the pool, the shower, or a dusty worksit…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I’m so much in the habit of recording and tracking my workouts that when I started training for Hyrox, my first question was, "how will I track them?" I want to keep an eye on my heart rate, so that narrowed it down to watches rather than smart bands or rings. But which is best? I tried four different watches and found two clear winners—depending on what you want to focus on. Hyrox is, of course, the hybrid fitness sport that blends running with strength-endurance activities. (I have an explainer on it here.) A typical Hyrox or hybrid fitness workout involves cardio and strength exercises, which you’ll usually switch betw…

Microsoft Teams is a multi-use platform for chatting, calling, video conferencing, and collaboration, which means it has a lot of features, as well as integrations with other Microsoft 365 apps. If your workplace relies on Teams, there are several hacks you need to know to work more efficiently and get the most out of the platform. Use email forwarding to send attachments directly to a Teams channelIf you receive an email (and email attachment) that is relevant to a conversation happening in Teams, you don't need to send it to others' inboxes, copy and paste, or download and upload to the correct chat or channel. Instead, you can forward it directly from Outlook to Teams…

When talking to a chatbot like ChatGPT, you should never assume your conversations are private. Many chatbots, by default, use your discussions to train the underlying AI models, but even if you opt out of training, or use a temporary chat, these conversations are often stored on company servers for some limited amount of time. The general rule of thumb is to avoid sharing anything with a chatbot that you wouldn't want to come out in public. (Proprietary company information, personal secrets, etc.) But what if the chatbot in question already has your private information? What if ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude is happy to share your phone number with anyone who asks for it? Th…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Prime Day might be just around the corner, but if your shopping list has things like mattresses, outdoor furniture, or home appliances, you might be better off shopping during the Memorial Day sale. Lucky for you, the early sales are in full swing, even though Memorial Day isn't until May 25. These retailers have some of the best early deals so far. Amazon's Memorial Day Sale has discounts going up to 40% offUnsurprisingly, Amazon is one of the first retailers to start its Memorial Day sale early. They have many categories on sale, including: home a…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. XReal and ASUS Republic of Gamers announced this morning that pre-orders are open for the ROG XREAL R1, a pair of augmented reality smart glasses designed for high-frame-rate gaming paired with a ROG control dock. First shown at CES 2026, the R1s are a wearable monitor that projects a virtual 171-inch monitor with a 0.01ms response time and 240Hz refresh rate—the fastest available in AR glasses. XReal R1s are bundled with the ROG Control Dock, and are selling for $849 at Best Buy, with a release on the XReal store to follow on May 17. ASUS - ROG Ally X 7" 120Hz FHD 1080p Gaming Handheld - AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Process…

I'm always a little surprised any time I hit a dead zone. It's 2026; we've had cell phones since the '80s; modern 5G connections can rival home internet speeds; and yet, there are still way too many parts of this country that aren't covered by cellular networks. While those cellular networks might not necessarily expand to cover the entire country any time soon, it is possible that, in the near future, you'll be hard-pressed to find a part of the U.S. where you can't make a phone call. These carriers are working to end dead zones in AmericaOn Thursday, Verizon published a press release featuring a pretty significant announcement: The big three cellular networks (AT&T…

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 …

Because the Mail app is built into all Macs, iPhones, and iPads, it becomes the default choice for many Apple users. For some, the simple interface is the biggest attraction, but that doesn't mean the Mail app is a simple piece of software. After decades of active development, Mail is full of powerful hidden features that are lurking just below the surface. These Apple Mail hacks can help you manage and organize your email—and hopefully reduce the stress that comes along with it. Disable "categories" to restore Mail's original design Credit: Khamosh Pa…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The Shortcuts app for iOS was introduced all the way back in 2018, and in the years since, more and more shortcuts have become available—both added by Apple and shared by Shortcuts users. Shortcuts, in case you've never used the app, essentially lets you put together mini apps that connect a trigger (like a time of day or a button push) with an action (like opening an app or turning off wifi). With a vast number of triggers and actions available, there are lots of potential possibilities here. The best way to explain how Shortcuts works is to give you a few examples of what it can do, and how these little connectivity tool…

With AI infrastructure demands continuing to push up memory prices, it's tough to find good value for your tech purchases right now—though the Lifehacker team is always trying its best to help out—and buying used or refurbished can save you a substantial amount of money. That's the big advantage, but there are downsides: You're not getting a brand new device, which means it might not look pristine, and it could come with issues or technical faults attached. The SSD inside a two-year-old laptop won't be quite as speedy as one inside a new model, for example. It's something of a gamble, then, but you can make sure the odds are in your favor by knowing where to buy from and …

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…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. At $199.96 for the four-camera kit, down from $349.99, the Eufy Security EufyCam C35 bundle is currently at its lowest price yet, according to price trackers. Eufy’s biggest advantage remains local storage—the included HomeBase Mini stores footage locally with 8GB of built-in storage, and both the hub and cameras support microSD cards if you need more room. You can still pay for cloud storage if you want (starting at $3.99/mo for a single camera or $13.99/mo for 10 devices), but unlike many competing systems, you are not forced into it just to acces…

Over the past few decades, “functional” fitness has been seen as everything from a niche practice, to a trend, to a joke. The styles of training that call themselves “functional” vary as well, from bodyweight exercises to Hyrox training. So what is functional fitness really? Functional fitness is more a buzzword than a style of trainingIf you ask somebody who coaches functional fitness, they’ll probably tell you that it’s about doing exercises that will help you in everyday life. Maybe that means doing farmer’s walks with heavy dumbbells so that you’ll be strong enough to carry all the groceries in one trip. Maybe it’s doing hundreds of air squats so you can bend down to …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. After my wife and I bought our home and it came time to get a TV, we knew we wanted one like Samsung's The Frame—we didn't want the focus of our living room to be an ugly black box when not in use. We ended up going with Hisense's first CanvasTV, and we love it. This year, Hisense released the 2026 S7 CanvasTV, and right now, 50-inch model is $798.99 (originally $1,299.99) after a $500 discount. That's the lowest price it has ever been, according to price tracking tools. Art Mode, Anti-Glare Panel, Dolby Vision HDR, Hi…

When Google announced AirDrop support for Pixel devices last year, it was a bit of a bombshell. For years, file sharing was just one of those things that didn't mix well between iPhone and Android. Email, texting, agreeing on a third-party app; none of the options were convenient, especially when each platform had its own easy-to-use solution: AirDrop or Quick Share. But opening up AirDrop support for Android phones bridges the gap in a meaningful way: Now, you can send a friend with an iPhone a picture, video, or file from your Pixel, and vice versa—as quickly and efficiently as if you both had the same type of smartphone. Unfortunately, in the six months since Google's…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Just renewed for a second season, Margo's Got Money Troubles stars Elle Fanning as the title's Margo, an 20-year-old aspiring writer who becomes pregnant following a brief an affair with her married English professor. Her mom, Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer), is supportive but pretty negative about Margo's future prospects, while her estranged father, Jinx (Nick Offerman), is willing to pitch in and help out now that he's out of rehab. Still, she needs money if she's going to manage it all, and so takes to OnlyFans (and, at this point, who amongst us hasn't?). Stream Margo's Got Money Troubles on Apple TV, and then check out t…

Instagram has a habit of stealing other apps' features and, in the process, making them mainstream. When Snapchat rolled out stories, Instagram did the same, and, arguably, better. When TikTok took over the world, Instagram launched "Reels," and managed to get millions (if not billions) of users addicted to short-form video. Now, Instagram is targeting Snapchat once again, taking "inspiration" from the app's most iconic feature: disappearing photos. Instagram's Instants are a bit dangerous Credit: Instagram On Wednesday, Insta…

One of the main appeals of a Chromebook is its simplicity: You've essentially just got a row of browser tabs, running web apps, with minimal background activity going on and everything instantly saved and synced to the cloud. As Chromebooks have developed though, they've add more to this basic Chrome foundation. They can run Android apps now, for example, and they actually come with several pre-installed apps that are genuinely useful. Open up the Launcher (the Google icon, bottom left), to see what's available. These are the best built-in apps you get right now, if you buy a new Chromebook Plus model—that's the slightly higher spec series, capable of supporting all the G…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Samsung’s 27-inch Odyssey G5 (G51F) gaming monitor has dropped to $159.99 on Amazon, which is the lowest price it has reached so far, according to price trackers. That’s a noticeable discount from its usual $249.99 price, and it makes a lot more sense now for anyone ready to move on from a basic 1080p setup without jumping into the much higher cost of OLED displays. It’s a flat panel (unlike Samsung’s many curved gaming displays), with a matte coating that helps minimize glare in brighter rooms, and comes with a stand that supports height, tilt, and…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. OLED gaming monitors have become much easier to recommend over the last year, mostly because prices have started dropping below the $500 mark. LG’s 27GX704A-B UltraGear OLED is one of the better options in that category right now, with excellent motion handling, extremely low input lag, and the glossy WOLED panel that gives games a cleaner, more contrast-heavy look than many matte alternatives. It’s also down to $477.99 on Amazon, a 40% discount from its usual $799.99 price. LG 27GX704A-B Ultragear OLED Gaming Monitor …

If you're an Android user or you've had an Android phone over the past nine years or so, listen up: Google just agreed to a $135 million lawsuit that you're likely a class member of. While the final payout is still up in the air, you could be entitled to up to $100. What is the lawsuit about?The lawsuit, Taylor V. Google LLC, alleges that Google was complicit in allowing Android devices to send a host of user data to Google without the permission of the users. Not only does the suit highlight the privacy implications, it also hammers Google for using up the users' cellular data. According to the details of the lawsuit, Google denies any wrongdoing in this case, but has a…