Home Office Setup & Equipment

Microsoft has released its April 2025 Patch Tuesday update, which fixes 134 malicious bugs across its systems—including one zero-day exploit. Windows and Microsoft users should ensure their devices are up to date with the latest patches. Patch Tuesday updates for April 2025One of the vulnerabilities fixed this month was a zero-day, which is a flaw that is exploited or publicly disclosed before an official patch is released by developers. The active exploit—labeled CVE-2025-29824—is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) Driver. The flaw, which was identified by the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center, allowed attackers to g…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The old cliché "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies perfectly to the first-generation Google Pixel Watch. Released in 2022, Google's first smart watch looks great, is designed to work with FitBit's infrastructure, and is one of the best deals for Amazon's Big Spring Sale. You can pick one up for $129.99, 61% cheaper than the regular list price of $329.99, and the lowest price this model has ever sold for. Google Pixel Watch …

Generative AI has advanced to the stage where you can ask bots such as ChatGPT or Gemini questions about almost anything, and get reasonable-sounding responses—and now renowned gadget repair site iFixit has joined the party with an AI assistant of its own, ready and willing to solve any of your hardware problems. While you can already ask general-purpose chatbots for advice on how to repair a phone screen or diagnose a problem with a car engine, there's always the question of how accurate the AI replies will be. With FixBot, iFixit is trying to minimize mistakes by drawing on its vast library of verified repair guides, written by experts and users. That's certainly reassu…

The Shortcuts app comes preloaded on the iPhone and can be used to set up quick automations; you can set up shortcuts that can execute multiple options at the same time. For example, you can connect to your HomePod and play instrumental music while dimming your smart lights, all at once, with a tap. If you're new to the Shortcuts app, start here with seven recommended automations. Strangely, Apple never offered a shortcut action for simply opening an iMessage thread. In iOS 18.4, though, Apple is fixing that mistake. And because Shortcuts is so well integrated across the entire iOS software, you can then add this shortcut to the Lock Screen, the Control Center, and even t…

If you're an Android Auto user, you may already know that setting up phone notifications while you're driving isn't as straightforward as it could be—though Google has recently made a settings tweak that should simplify things. On the one hand, you don't want to miss important messages or calls, but on the other you definitely don't want to put yourself and other road users at risk by getting distracted while driving. A careful balance is needed, and it's important to know what options are available on your phone. If you're a Pixel user, Do Not Disturb is handled by Modes, which you can find by tapping Modes in Settings. Pick Driving, and if you enable the While driving t…

After months of beta testing, DuckDuckGo's AI integrations are going live for everyone and getting some upgrades at the same time: They're free to use (with certain limits), and stay in line with DuckDuckGo's commitment to user privacy (you don't have to create an account to use them, and your searches aren't tracked). As with Google, Bing, ChatGPT, and others, you can now get AI answers to your web searches at DuckDuckGo. They appear in a small box with an Assist label attached, but they aren't as prominent and don't show up as often as they do on Google or Bing—DuckDuckGo is aiming for a less-is-more approach to the feature. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Finally, AI is being put to good use, without taking anyone's job (I think?). The Soundcore Rave 3S uses a unique AI feature to turn any regular song you play over Bluetooth into a karaoke track by digitally removing the vocals. I praised it highly in my review, and I've had a lot of fun making it a centerpiece at my parties this year. Right now, the speaker has gotten its first significant discount—you can pick one up for $299.99, $50 of the usual price. Soundcore Rave 3S …

While there are a lot of chat apps out there, WhatsApp is the undeniable leader of the pack. The app has over three billion monthly active users, constantly messaging and calling one another across the globe. However, currently those calls are all happening over the mobile app, or maybe the desktop app. Though WhatsApp does have a web app, the service has never supported audio or video calls outside of its downloadable apps—until now. You can now make calls from the WhatsApp web app According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is slowly rolling out audio and video calls to its web app. At launch, the functionality is coming to individual chats with users who elect to enroll in the…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom Play borrows the same compact, round design as the brand’s more expensive models, like the Wonderboom 4, but dials back on a few key features to hit a lower price point. Currently at $36.99 on Woot—its lowest price yet according to price trackers and well below the $89.99 list price (and $59.49 on Amazon)—this deal runs for two days or until it sells out. Ultimate Ears Wonderboom Play …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Samsung’s fan editions are meant to give you most of the flagship experience without the flagship price—and the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE does just that. Right now, it’s down to $509.99 from $709.99; a price drop that, according to price tracking tools, marks its lowest price yet. That puts it well below the regular Galaxy S25 while keeping much of the same look and software. Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 256GB Unlocked Phone (JetBlack) …

I'm a bit of a broken record when it comes to personal security on the internet: Make strong passwords for each account; never reuse any passwords; and sign up for two-factor authentication whenever possible. With these three steps combined, your general security is pretty much set. But how you make those passwords matters just as much as making each strong and unique. As such, please don't use an AI program to generate your passwords. If you're a fan of chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini, it might seem like a no-brainer to ask the AI to generate passwords for you. You might like how they handle other tasks for you, so it might make sense that something seemingly s…

Be careful what you share with ChatGPT these days: It'll remember everything you say. That's because OpenAI is rolling out a new update to ChatGPT's memory that allows the bot to access the contents of all of your previous chats. The idea is that by pulling from your past conversations, ChatGPT will be able to offer more relevant results to your questions, queries, and overall discussions. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, announced the changes on X, touting the usefulness of AI systems that know everything about you: This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. ChatGPT's memory feature is a little over a year old at this p…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The kitchen tends to be the heart of the home—it’s where we gather to share meals, nibble on snacks, and talk about our day. It’s also a pretty dangerous place. Aside from open flames, slippery floors, and flammable gas that is literally pumped into our homes, the innocuous little appliances that crowd our countertops can also represent real dangers. More than 150,000 people head to their local emergency room every year after an accident involving a household appliance of some sort. Small appliances might seem safe enough sitting on your kitchen counters, but they can be extremely dangerous if defective, misused, or plac…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you're in the market for a new Apple Watch, the Series 10 is currently $100 off during Amazon's Big Spring Sale. Normally priced at $399, the current discount brings the smartwatch down to just $299. This is as low a price as this watch ever gets, according to price-tracking tools. The Series 10 is a solid staple of the Apple smartwatch ecosystem. There are plenty of reasons that make this watch the best option for most people. It's smaller and lighter than previous models, and the screen is bigger, brighter, and faster than earlier series. Lif…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Garmin has launched a new feature in its Connect app (the companion app you use when you sync your watch to your phone). It’s called Garmin Trails, and it purports to help you find hiking trails near you. With a Connect+ subscription, you can even sync courses for those trails to your map-enabled watch. It sounds pretty great. Unfortunately, its selection of trails is pretty disappointing at launch—it doesn't even suggest I try out my own favorite trails. How to access Garmin TrailsYou don’t need a Connect+ subscription to search for trails, filter for features, and look at the routes and reviews of trail—all of that come…

When Apple's AirTags first launched, I thought that the devices would prove to be useless once the novelty wore off, but after using them for about a year, my assumption has proved to be wrong. AirTags have quite a few useful hidden features that make the product worth checking out even if you're someone who doesn't lose things often. Here are the best hidden features of your Apple AirTags. Rename your AirTags It sounds obvious, but you really should rename your AirTags to make it easy to identify each item they're attached to. Instead of having them named "Pranay's AirTags #1," you can change it to something like "Pranay's Blue Backpack." To do this, go to the Find My a…

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. iOS 26 has been out for a few days now, and with it, a bunch of convenient little tweaks to how you use your phone. Not everything’s a keeper, and I’ve already written about how to disable the new Liquid Glass transparency effects or fix Dark Mode icons that appear tilted. Still, there are things to like about this update, even if you have to go out of your way to turn some of them on. After spending a couple nights tweaking iOS 26 to my preferences, here are my favorite new features in Apple’s latest …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Tariffs on products being imported to the U.S., especially from China, Canada, and Mexico, have been a hotly debated topic in the news, and many people are predicting a hike in prices on things like tools and materials for DIY projects as the tariffs are enacted. There is a lot of conjecture about how to keep your home improvement and DIY projects prices down, with many commentators advising people to simply “buy American"—but that probably won’t work. The economy is increasingly international, with parts of almost everything made in the U.S. being imported from all over the world. Most tools made in the U.S., even from…

The term 'Mac power user' is a bit vague and almost sounds exclusionary, but I'm here to tell you that if you regularly use your Mac, you absolutely are a power user. You don't need to exclusively be using command line tools or keyboard shortcuts to be a power user. Even though I use my Mac all day, every single day, I keep discovering new shortcuts, awesome apps I'd never heard of, or just general tips that I hadn't come across until now. So, if that sounds like you, you absolutely are a Mac power user, and I'm here to share some tips that have helped me optimize my workflow over the past few years. From setting up automation routines to save time, to a faster way to la…

Big news for Peloton fans: As of this week, you can watch plain old YouTube on your Bike, Bike+, Tread, or Row. Now, you may be saying, "YouTube TV was already an option in my Peloton's Entertainment tab. What's the big deal?" The big deal, my friend, is that YouTube TV is a subscription television service and YouTube is, well, YouTube. This new integration allows you to watch standard videos on the platform, the same as you would on your phone or computer. How to access YouTube on the Peloton You access YouTube the same way you access other non-class features, like scenic rides or my beloved Lanebreak game: through a special tab in the menu on the bottom of your screen…

Disney+ has sophomore seasons of two significant series coming in April. The second installment of Lucasfilm's Emmy-nominated thriller Andor—the prequel to Rogue One and set five years prior—tells the origin story of Rebel spy Cassian Andor and the formation of the Rebel Alliance. Diego Luna reprises his role from the film and the first season of the series. A three-episode premiere is set for 6 p.m. PT on April 22, with additional episodes dropping weekly on Tuesdays until mid-May. Also on the April schedule is season two of Doctor Who. Ncuti Gatwa stars as the Doctor, who is on a quest to get Belinda Chandra (played by Varadu Sethu) back to Earth. Millie Gibso…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. A new update to Garmin watches brings a rucking activity, with a pack weight setting, to the Instinct 3 (both regular and Tactical), the Fenix 8 series, and the Enduro 3. Rucking is also available at launch for the new Forerunners, the 570 and the 970. The same software update also brings breathing variation detection to a wide variety of watches, including Vivoactive, Venu, Lily, and Forerunner models. Rucking—walking with a weighted pack—is both a fitness activity for people looking for a little exercise, and a necessity for many hikers and backpackers. But without a specific activity or pack weight setting, the only ob…

In a move that should surprise no one, Meta—the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads—wants to monetize its websites. Threads, which launched two years ago, had somehow mostly avoided showing ads until now, only allowing a limited number to certain users in the US and Japan. But the site has become quite popular since then, so now, it's time for it to start contributing to the family business. Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced this update in a Threads post this week, which reads, "Ads are rolling out more broadly on Threads today, and our goal is still for them to enhance your overall experience. We’re closely monitoring and will continue listening to yo…

If you're a Switch fan, you might know that Nintendo dropped a pretty significant update this week. Version 20.0.0 introduced a number of new features and changes for Nintendo's consoles, including virtual game cards and GameShare, and set the stage for the launch of the Switch 2. However, the update brought with it something Nintendo did not intend: instability. It turns out that after updating to version 20.0.0, some Switch users ran into error codes when booting up their consoles—specifically, Error Code: 2206-1015, which caused some Switches to crash. While it doesn't appear to be affecting most Switches, the problem was bad enough for Nintendo to acknowledge it via …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. When Google first dropped the Pixel Buds A-Series, they packed a lot into a pretty small price tag. Now that they’re down to $59.99 (from the original $99.99), they feel even more approachable if you’re looking for simple wireless earbuds that get the basics right at a low price point. Google Pixel Buds A-Series $59.00 at Amazon …