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. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to upgrade your Apple Watch, the Series 10 has quietly become one of the best-value picks around. It launched in September and has already dropped to $299 on Amazon—that’s $100 off the $399 sticker price. Apple Watch Series 10 GPS 42mm Smartwatch (Rose Gold, Plum Sports Loop) $299.00 at Amazon…

I'm Lifehacker's resident marathon runner and senior finance writer—and now, I'm merging my two worlds. While running requires minimal equipment compared to other activities, the right footwear can make or break your experience—and your budget. Let's break down what various types of runners should expect to spend on shoes, which investments are worth it, and where you can save without compromising your running experience. The casual beginner ($60-$90)If you're just starting out with one or two short runs per week, or mixing running with other forms of exercise, you don't need to spend a fortune. Marketing will tempt you, but I promise, you shouldn't have to go over $100. …

Buying a house is a stressful, expensive project—something most people understand. That's why they do their diligence. The research the property and the area, they hire a home inspector, they pay a lot of money for title insurance, and they ask questions. Lots and lots of questions. Most of those questions are common sense, concerning the history of the house, the age and condition of the roof or the HVAC system, and the neighborhood. But there are some not-so-common questions that are also worth asking. These eight questions might seem a bit random, but they can alert you to big problems before you sign your life away. Was the home ever used as a business?A lot of people…

You probably know you don't have to pay to use Spotify, as long as you're good with ads. For a commercial-free experience, of course, you need to subscribe to Premium. If you ever tried to sign up for Spotify Premium on your iPhone, however, you might have noticed there was no way to do so—neither a "pay now" button, nor a link to subscribe elsewhere. The Apple taxThat's because Spotify didn't want 15–30% of the money you gave it going directly to Apple. That's how Apple's App Store works (and largely Google's, for that matter). Any payments you make within an app on your iPhone, Apple gets a cut—either 15% or 30%, depending on how much money the app in question has paid,…

Moving is something that drains you of time, energy, and money, and you probably don't want to do any extra work if you don't have to. But hear me out: You should still use a big move as an opportunity to declutter. Here is your chance to assess every item you own and make decisions about what you really need. Who knows the next time you'll be able to handle every single possession, categorize everything, and make a truly meaningful dent in your clutter? Why you should declutter right before you move First of all, decluttering before a move can actually save you money. "The biggest mistake we see people make time and time again is underestimating how much stuff they hav…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Though the marketing was a bit cagey, it's clear by this point that Ryan Coogler's latest, the critical and box office powerhouse Sinners, throws vampires into its genre-busting mix unashamedly. Set largely in 1932, the movie follows a couple of twin brothers (both played by Michael B. Jordan) returning to their backwater hometown of to Clarksdale, Mississippi to set up what they hope will be a lucrative juke joint—but not before navigating old relationships and the Klan leader who owns the sawmill that the two are looking to buy. By the midway point, all the movie's more grounded elements feed into a larger narrative blen…

There are two kinds of iPad fans in this world: those who love the tablet just the way it is, and those who desperately wish Apple would make a touchscreen Mac, already. While Apple may never bring macOS to the iPad (at least, not in my lifetime), there's reason to believe Apple's tablet might soon be closing the computing gap between it and the Mac. Could iPadOS 19 finally solve the iPad's multitasking problem? According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is planning a sizable overhaul to its tablets with iPadOS 19. Gurman's sources say the changes this year focus on "productivity, multitasking and app window management." It seems the team wants the iPad to function more …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Vegetable plants are expensive. To get the best yield out of them, you need to pay attention to more than just the soil, sun, and watering. You need to get your plants off on the right foot by planting them the right way. Here's what I mean. Choose the right plant at the nursery Credit: Amanda Blum When I first started gardening, I thought the best vegetable starts to buy were the ones that were the biggest, with flowers and fruit already on them. This would give the plant a he…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. When the new iPad Air with the M3 chip came out in March, Senior Tech Editor Jake Peterson warned you not to buy it, as its advantages didn't justify the premium price compared to an older model. But things have changed in the time since: Both sizes of the new iPad Air have dropped $100 in price, reaching their lowest levels since their release, according to price tracking tools. The 11-inch version starts at $499 (originally $599) and the 13-inch version starts at $699 (originally $799). This means they can now be picked up for less than the older…

For many, Microsoft Edge's only purpose is to download another browser entirely, like Chrome or Firefox. But this isn't Internet Explorer: Edge is a competent browser in its own right, whether you have a Mac or a PC. If you do use the browser, you might be pleasantly surprised by how snappy it feels after you update it—at least, according to Microsoft. Edge 134 and newer's performance gains In a Thursday post on Windows Blogs, Microsoft confirmed that, starting with version 134, Microsoft Edge is a tad faster than previous iterations. In fact, Edge 134 is up to 9% faster, when you run it through Speedometer 3.0, a benchmarking tool for web browsers. Microsoft says that wh…

The The President administration's tariffs are having swift and serious consequences on global markets. Companies are pausing sales to the United States, while others are thinking about price increases to compensate for the added tariff fees. Combine that instability with inflation and other financial insecurities, and it's a tough time for economies everywhere. Unfortunately, these increased costs of doing business don't usually end up benefitting the consumer. In fact, quite the opposite: We end up eating the extra cost. Such is the case with the PlayStation 5. Depending on where you live, it's now more expensive than ever—despite being more than four years old. PS5 pr…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. For lean protein that’s tasty, low fat, and affordable, you can't go wrong with shrimp, especially if you buy frozen. I like to do just that, and stretch it out over many meals. I think we can all agree that when you’re eating a lot of one particular thing, the best way to keep things interesting is to try new recipes and to find different cooking methods for it. And my latest shrimp obsession is to “grill” it using my waffle iron. Why waffled shrimp worksThe waffle iron is one of the most versatile appliances in your kitchen—it's good for so much more than making waffles. The benefits of using a waffle maker to cook your…

Whether you want to quickly check where a particular city is or grab an address to share with a friend, opening a full-blown maps app sometimes feels like overkill. Mappa Mini is a free Mac app by developer Lucas Raggers that lets you do a quick search without taking up all of your attention. Just click the menu bar icon and search for any business or location. You'll see right where it is in a small pop-up, without having to load any application or website. If there are multiple matches, you'll see them all in a list—click any of them to see the location in context. This is perfect for when you quickly need to check where something is. You can get more details by clickin…

Maybe you've treated yourself to a brand new MacBook Air, or maybe you want to factory reset your iMac—either to sell it on or wipe all the digital detritus off the system. Whatever the reason you're setting up a new Mac, these are the steps you'll need to follow. Apple has continually streamlined this process over the years, and with the rollout of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 Sequoia, it's now easier than ever: If you've got an iPhone or iPad available, it can take care of some of the setup process for you. First, you'll see a hello message, in a cycling selection of languages: Click Get Started, then choose the language you want macOS to use, and your country …

I am a huge fan of Peloton's various at-home workout offerings, especially the company's classic Bike and its incredibly versatile mobile app. Both of those offer me a gigantic archive of on-demand classes as well as access to live ones, all of which come in various lengths, intensity levels, and structures. Because I am an iPad baby in an adult's body, I can get bored pretty easily when I do any one thing for too long, so I rely on the 10- and 15-minute classes to spice up my life and keep me engaged. On days when I have enough time, I like to take these back-to-back—especially because Peloton offers warm-up and cool-down rides in the 10-minute length—but it's always th…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Back when I biked everywhere, I would wear my regular sneakers and slip my feet into the toe cages I’d attached to the pedals of my bike. But when I got into the habit of riding a spin bike regularly, I grudgingly switched to "real" cycling shoes—the kind with the cleat on the bottom of the shoe that clicks into a special socket on the pedal. I’ve written before about how I struggled those first few spin classes, trying to get the hang of using the rental shoes. It wasn't until I got a spin bike to use at home that I realized, after a few rides, I really needed those shoes. Why do cyclists use shoes with cleats?Serious cy…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. TCL is the anti-OLED TV brand, focusing on making the best QLEDs possible without crossing the boundary to OLEDs, which become much more expensive. The Q651G is the budget version of the QM7, which I did a hands-on review of. This more affordable model came out in 2024 and shares many of the specs and features that make the QM7 one of the best QLED TVs in value on the market. You can get the huge 98-inch version for $1,498 (originally $2,999.99) after a 50% discount, and the 65-inch is also well priced at $399.99 (originally $549.99) in case you don…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’ve been thinking about picking up a family tablet for streaming, casual browsing, or giving the kids something budget-friendly to play on, the 2023 onn. 11" Tablet Pro is worth a look—especially at this price. It’s currently going for $74.99 as an open-box deal on StackSocial. For context, the same model is listed at $128.99 on Amazon. Open Box means it’s likely been handled or returned in-store, so while the packaging might not look brand new, the tablet itself has been verified to be in good working condition. The device runs Android 13 and…

Earlier this week, TikTok user CatGPT posted a video of a woman in line at a store seemingly scrolling on a completely transparent phone. The caption reads "I'm sorry, WTF IS THAT???" Check it out: The video quickly took off, with over 52 million people having viewed it on TikTok in only four days. So WTF is it? A techie casually breaking an NDA by openly rocking a prototype transparent phone? The new "Plex from Nokia" (as the top comment suggests)? A casual time-traveler caught in the act? The real story behind the "transparent phone"Sorry, it's none of the above. It's exactly what it looks like: a transparent piece of acrylic shaped like a phone. Specifically, it'…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Garmin Forerunner 955 is currently on sale during Amazon's Big Spring Sale, dropping from its original price of $499.99 to $349. This is the lowest price the watch has ever been, according to price-tracking tools. Garmin's Forerunner line includes some of the best running watches on the market right now. The price drop could bring professional-grade fitness tracker within reach of both more recreational runners who have been looking for high-performance tracking. The Garmin Forerunner 955 came out in 2022 as one of Garmin's flagship fitness watc…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. There is a moment during every big move where it hits you: Moving is really freaking expensive. The expenses—from packing supplies and the truck itself to the costs related to cleaning, painting, and utility deposits—will pile up. And I'm not even including the costs of furniture that better fits your new space. Budget—and cushion your budgetI spoke to a number of moving experts—especially people who work at moving companies and have been in the business for years—and most of them emphasized budget before your move—and overestimating what you think you'll spend. Both Shannon Beller, CEO and co-founder of Wall-Russ, and Ro…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon's spring sale is halfway done, and we've done some work to single out the best deals available, but many other retailers—like Target and Best Buy—have been going tit for tat, matching prices and spinning up aggressive deals of their own. Amazon's ongoing buy-two-get-one-free sale closely resembles the same one from Target, each offering mix-and-match bundles of books, vinyls, and DVDs at discounted prices. Here's how each sale works, along with a few of the best items worth highlighting from both Target and Amazon. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Finding great travel deals is a skill, but it’s one that can be honed—if you know where to source a bargain, can be patient and flexible, and if you know you can take advantage of the 24-hour free federal cancelation policy to lock in a time-sensitive opportunity. Here are some of the best travel websites you can use to snag your next trip on the cheap. Use Skyscanner to find the cheapest flightsYes, Google Flights is more user-friendly and has cool features (like the “explore” tool to see a map of your potential destinations and their prices), but…

Neighbor relations can be fraught—a whopping three-fourths of Americans dislike at least one neighbor, although just about the same number of people report being friends with a neighbor as well. It's safe to say that most people want to be good neighbors, and are generally willing to observe little courtesies like keeping the noise down or accommodating the occasional contractor truck parked on the street. Sometimes you want to go a little above and beyond for a neighbor and do a surprise good deed. The idea of helping someone out with no expectation of reward can make you feel great, and seems like a surefire way to build a solid neighbor relationship and bank some good …

Is your iPhone, iPad, or Mac a little hard to use? Lucky for you, Apple has announced key accessibility features coming to all its devices later this year. These include Accessibility Reader, which makes small fonts easier to read, and Vehicle Motion Cues, which prevent motion sickness while using Apple devices in vehicles. If some of these sound familiar, it's because they may already be on one or two Apple devices, but are now set to come to others as well. While the company's already tipped its hat as to what's in the works, expect to hear more details during WWDC 2025, scheduled from June 9 to 13. That's where Apple usually unveils all of its annual operating system u…