Home Office Setup & Equipment

Phones are valuable targets. If someone can steal your device, especially if they know how to break into it, they have access to a huge amount of your sensitive data. As such, good security features can mean the difference between losing that data, or protecting it entirely—even if your phone is long gone. Google has a number of anti-theft features baked in Android, appropriately called "Theft Protection Features." While the company isn't announcing a slate of new features today, it did announced new updates to its existing Android Theft Protection features in a post on the company's Security Blog Tuesday. Here's what's new: Google's updated Theft Protection Features for …

A recent Google Pixel feature is reportedly turning on the microphone when it's not supposed to, and Google's finally acknowledged that there's a bug. Reports started as early as last September and gained traction last week, and now, Google has removed the feature on some older phones. Called "Take a Message," the buggy feature was released last year and is supposed to automatically transcribe voicemails as they're coming in, as well as detect and mark spam calls. Unfortunately, according to reports from multiple users on Reddit (as initially spotted by 9to5Google), the feature has started turning on the microphone while taking voicemails, allowing whoever is leaving you …

Big news for runners with an Apple Watch: You can now follow Strava routes directly from your wrist. Route navigation on Strava-compatible watches isn't exactly new technology—it's just been inexplicably absent from Apple's platform until now. In a Reddit post from Strava's product team, the news was welcomed by runners, cyclists, and hikers who've long wondered why their Apple Watch couldn't do what Garmin and Coros devices have offered for years. What's new with Strava's Apple Watch appThe core update here is users can now view maps directly on their Apple Watch during activities, seeing both where they're headed and how to backtrack if they take a wrong turn. For subs…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A 77-inch OLED dipping below $1,500 doesn’t happen often. Seeing it at $1,419.99 is even rarer. That price beats the lowest tracked deal for the Samsung S85F and lands well under Amazon’s current $1,597.99 listing. This Woot deal is for a factory-reconditioned unit. In exchange, you get a 90-day Samsung warranty and free standard shipping if you’re a Prime member, while non-members pay an extra $6. The deal is live for two days or until stock runs out. Samsung OLED S85F 4K Samsung Vision AI Sm…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The JBL Flip 7 is currently $84.95 at Woot, down from its usual $149.95. That undercuts the previous low of $99.95 and, according to price trackers, makes this the cheapest it has ever been. This deal runs for the next two days or until it's sold out, whichever comes first. Prime members get free standard shipping, while non-members pay $6. JBL Flip 7 speaker …

As scammers continue to find ways to impersonate known brands, users should remain wary of spam-like emails—even if they appear to come from a legitimate company address. Ars Technica has identified a scheme that abuses a Microsoft subscription feature to send phishing emails from no-reply-powerbi@microsoft.com, a real address that the company advises users to add to their allow lists. How the Microsoft Power BI scam worksUsers targeted with this scam have received emails from an address connected to Microsoft Power BI, a business analytics platform. The messages include (fake) billing receipts with large purchase amounts from services like PayPal, Norton LifeLock, and …

If you've been scrolling through your fitness algorithm lately, you might see content creators in their "soft cardio" era. This trend sounds a lot like last year's "cozy cardio," although the way I see it used is slightly different. Where "cozy" cardio is a little more about tricking yourself into working out by establishing a comfortable, maybe even luxurious ambience, "soft" cardio has a greater emphasis on the "low effort" of it all. Whatever the wording, this type of workout is simply the latest iteration of bigger trend toward low-effort cardio, promising all the benefits of exercise without the sweat, strain, or stress. But here's the thing: While soft cardio might …

Walking is an easy way to get some exercise in your day, and it delivers mental health benefits as well. I’m one of the many people who added daily walks to my routine during the pandemic, and they improved my life so much I don’t intend to stop. But does walking do enough for your body that you can count it as cardio exercise? The answer is complicated. Walking counts as cardio in some respects: it can burn calories, it gets your heart rate up, and it counts toward the exercise we should all be getting every week. But on the other hand, it’s not going to increase your cardio fitness in the same way as a run or an intense aerobics class would. If you want to improve your…

The Mac menu bar is a bit of a mess. Way too many applications want to put icons in the top-right corner of the screen, and most users only want to see a fraction of those. This is a particular problem on recent MacBooks, where the camera notch blacks out a chunk of space right in the middle of the menu bar. This is why applications for cleaning up the Mac menu bar are so popular—the clutter can feel overwhelming. Here's the thing, though: You probably don't need to leave applications like that running constantly. You can hide icons in macOS' Settings, then use a free tool once to move all the icons closer together. Here's how. How to hide icons in Mac System SettingsTaho…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Surround sound systems are not cheap, especially if you want to go for flagship options like Bose, Sonos, or JBL. However, one brand offers a complete surround sound system that is still on-par with the rest as far as quality, but offers a much better bang for your buck—that's Samsung's HW-Q990F/ZC, and right now it's 58% off on Woot for a new system. You can get it for $847.99 (originally $1,997.99), the lowest price I've seen it on sale. Samsung HW-Q990F/ZC Soundbar …

Moltbot (formerly known as Clawdbot) is the most viral AI product I've seen in a while. The personal AI assistant runs locally and connects via a chat app, like WhatsApp or iMessage. Once you give Moltbot access to your entire device, it can do things on that device for you. This the sort of thing that excites agentic AI pioneers, but worries privacy and security enthusiasts like myself. And indeed, I have significant concerns about the risks installing Moltbot on your personal machine. Since agentic AI will autonomously perform tasks based on prompts, bad actors can take advantage of the situation by surreptitiously feeding those bots malicious prompts of their own. Thi…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The 2026 Winter Olympics will kick off in Milano Cortina, Italy, beginning on Friday, Feb. 6. With more than 3,200 hours of winter sports coverage spread across broadcast, cable, and digital streaming platforms, finding what you want to watch can feel like a full-time job. So here's where and when you can watch the Olympics. Watching the Olympics is a deeply personal experience. Some love the technical precision of a perfect luge run; others dig the emotional narrative of an underdog’s journey to the podium; and some just want to catch the meme of the week as it happens. Because everyone's "perfect Olympics" is unique, I’…

Not to be outdone by Apple's "Lockdown Mode," Meta is rolling out new security features for WhatsApp designed to protect high-risk users—journalists, activists, and government officials, for example—from cyber attacks. Strict Account Settings is a "lockdown-style" mode that builds on the platform's existing end-to-end encryption, adding stronger privacy features and additional restrictions against unknown contacts. For most WhatsApp users, this level of lockdown is overkill. However, people with access to sensitive data that is potentially valuable to threat actors actually have been targeted with spyware campaigns through messaging platforms like WhatsApp, so for users …

TikTok's having a rough 2026. The app recently switched ownership from the Chinese-based ByteDance to the new "TikTok USDS Joint Venture," which, as the name implies, is a majority American-owned business entity. Any changing of the guard comes with the risk for disruptions and issues, but it seems TikTok's problems have gone beyond the usual rocky transition. First, the app itself went down, which the company attributed to a power outage at a data center. Then, users accused the platform of updating its terms of service with aggressive new tracking, blocking certain content types, and "shadowbanning" new posts from some users. It's still not clear exactly what's going o…

Have you ever wanted to browse the internet, but the thought of typing a URL into your address bar seemed just too exhausting? Now, Google's here to help. Today, the company announced a big expansion of its existing Gemini in Chrome feature, with the highlights including a new look for the AI companion, more-integrated image editing tools, and, perhaps most impressive (but also creepy), the launch of Auto Browse, which lets Gemini take the wheel when you're going online. The new side panel view Credit: Google Previously, Gemini…

It feels as though Google Chrome has been around forever, but it's actually still just a teenager: The browser launched back in 2008, originally just for Windows—though it's now made its way to macOS, Linux, and mobile devices too of course. It's a powerhouse of a browser that is more widely used than any other. In the 18 years since its release, Chrome has changed a lot: A host of features have been added and taken away down the years, and it's very possible that you don't know everything that Chrome can do, even if you use it every day. Here are my favorite hacks for Chrome, covering everything from casting tabs to playing audio and video. Change the look and feel of Go…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The GoPro Hero12 Black might not be the newest model in the lineup, but it still checks all the right boxes for action camera buyers—and at $215.99 on Woot, it’s down to its lowest price yet. That’s a steep cut from Amazon’s current $369 listing, and you’re still getting a full one-year manufacturer warranty. Shipping is free for Prime members, and the deal is live for three more days (or until it sells out). PCMag gave it an “outstanding” rating in its review, highlighting how stable and clean the footage looks. Lifehacker’s Stephen Johnson also ca…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. At $249.99 for a three-pack, the TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro Tri-Band Mesh System is sitting $150 below its usual $399.99 price, and price-trackers show this is the lowest it has gone so far. That discount matters because this is not an entry-level mesh kit. It’s built around Wi-Fi 6E, which adds access to the cleaner 6GHz band alongside the familiar 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. In practice, that means less congestion if you have newer devices that support 6E, and more consistent speeds across a larger home. The three cylindrical nodes are understated and easy …

Something you don't see every day: a sports tech company actually giving away premium features for free. Suunto's route-planning tool lets you create and download GPX files without even creating an account. No paywall, no trial period—just open the page and start planning routes. And the tool itself works great. What you can do with the Suunto RouteplannerThe tool packs in everything you'd expect from a paid service, and then some: Route creation that uses different map types (outdoor, satellite, even specialized ones for winter and avalanche terrain) Routing that optimizes for your activity (running, hiking, cycling, mountaineering, roller skating, and more), using actua…

The launch of the Google TV Streamer marked a significant shift for the company's streaming lineup, moving away from the behind-the-TV Chromecast dongles it popularized and introducing a pill-shaped set-top box that blends in nicely on a shelf of tchotchkes. It's hiding a worthy processor, double the memory you'd get from a streaming stick, and enough storage to download what you need to run all of your apps. It even acts as a smart hub, with Matter and Thread built in. It's taken me a long time to do anything with the Google TV Streamer. I reluctantly brought it into my home after realizing something more robust, but dated, like the Nvidia Shield, would be too much to m…

Part of the fun of watching sports is that you don't know what's going to happen. TV shows and movies follow story beats, meaning you can usually get a sense for where things are heading, but sports do not work that way. The totally unexpected can, and does, frequently occur—and that's the reason people keep tuning in, whether their team is dominating or an underdog. Sometimes, though, you can't catch the game live, but still want a bit of that feeling. That's why leagues offer extended highlights, featuring all the key moments, complete with the commentary from the broadcast. These can feel almost like watching the full game, and I love catching up with them the next day…

Hitting 10,000 steps every day is a bullshit goal. Step counts can feel daunting, especially for people who work desk jobs or have physical limitations. The mere pressure to hit 10,000 steps can become its own source of stress—miss the goal by a few thousand steps, and it's easy to feel like the whole day was a wash. Rather than obsessing over hitting a specific step count, consider shifting your focus to a simpler, more achievable goal: sitting less. This reframing is not only easier to sustain, it could be just as beneficial for your health. Why you should break up sitting time"Spending the bulk of your time seated is a major contributor to increasing the risk of heart …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Those of us who only have on-street parking know the frustration of waking up on a snowy morning to find our vehicle completely buried in snow—a situation often made worse by passing snowplows that block it in even more. Digging your car out can be a challenge, but taking a few precautions and having the right tools ready can make it easier. Here’s everything you need to dig your car out when it is buried by snow. Digging your car out from the snow actually begins before the storm hits. Prepping the car ahead of time will make it a lot easier to extract from snow drifts. Here's what you need: Battery blankets. Your battery…

If you're going to go with Android rather than an iPhone for your smartphone, then Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy handsets are the two most high-profile options you've got. There are other Android phones worth considering—from the likes of OnePlus and Nothing, for example—but Google and Samsung are the most well-known. While the fundamental operating system on Pixel and Galaxy phones is the same, there are numerous differences between these two flavors of Android. They're not all obvious, though, unless you spend every day with these handsets, and that can make it tricky to decide whether you're better off going with Google or Samsung. As it happens, I use Pixel and Gala…

I've been using Firefox as my default browser for over two decades now, and during this time, I've learned a thing or two about making the most of its many features. There are some features that are turned on by default that I would recommend turning off, and some simple tweaks you can make that will greatly enhance your privacy and security. Here are all the Firefox hacks I use to make my browsing experience better, so you can try them yourself. Make the home screen truly yoursFirefox pushes the Firefox Home screen as the default whenever you open a new tab. There's nothing particularly wrong about that, but it does come with some unnecessary sponsored content, which you…