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. The first-generation Sonos Beam has dropped to $260.93 at Woot for an open-box unit, and according to price trackers, that’s the lowest price this soundbar has hit so far. For comparison, the same model is still sitting around $488 on Amazon, where it has never dropped below $299. The “open box” label here is also less risky than it sounds. Woot says the packaging may have been opened for testing or display purposes, but the soundbar itself is new and still covered by a standard 12-month manufacturer’s warranty. Shipping is free for Prime members, w…

If you have a Microsoft account that uses SMS for two-factor authentication, you may soon have to choose a more secure method for logging in. As reported by Windows Latest, the company is ditching text-based authentication codes for personal accounts, stating that these are "now a leading source of fraud." Users will be prompted to set up a passkey instead. Microsoft is trying to eliminate passwordsMicrosoft has already started moving toward a password-less environment—last year, the company made passkeys the default on new accounts at setup. Now, it is phasing out SMS codes for 2FA and account recovery in favor of passkeys, authenticator apps, and verified backup email …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The 65-inch Toshiba C350 Fire TV is down to $264.99 on Amazon right now, which is half off its usual $529.99 price and the lowest it has dropped so far, according to price trackers. At this price, it sits in the same territory as many smaller budget sets, but with a much bigger screen. The main appeal here is simple: You’re getting a straightforward 65-inch 4K TV with Amazon’s Fire TV platform already built in—and because of that, setup is pretty painless if you already use Amazon devices. Once you sign in with your Amazon account, Prime Video recom…

The word “calorie” may bring up thoughts of nutrition labels and treadmill readouts, but really calories are just units of energy. Your car runs on gas, your house runs on electricity, and your body runs on food energy. So how many calories do we burn each day, and how many should you burn? Let’s dig in. You actually burn most of your calories at restCalories aren’t only burned during exercise. It takes energy to keep the lights on, so to speak—for your heart to beat, your brain to think, your cells to repair themselves, and more. In fact, most of our calories are burned doing these maintenance chores. Scientists call this baseline calorie burn our "basal metabolic rate,…

It's no secret that Google, like most big tech companies, has gone all-in on AI. The company believes it is the future, and, as such, has injected the technology into every one of its products, none more visibly than Google Search. Over the past two years, Google has introduced AI summaries that seek to answer your questions, pulling the information from websites that fewer and fewer users are actually visiting and reading for themselves. Given this trend, it should hardly come as a surprise that during I/O 2026, Google announced "a new era for AI Search." This "era" essentially marks an expansion of its investment in AI in Search: In addition to rolling out its new Gemi…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Earlier this month, I strapped on two different Garmin watches to race a 10K—a mid-range model on one wrist, a premium one on the other—to see how they stacked up. This time, I branched outside of Garmin's ecosystem. For the Brooklyn Half-Marathon, I wore the Garmin Forerunner 970 ($749.99) on my right wrist and the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro ($449.99) on my left, pitting one of the most trusted running watches in the game against Amazfit's more affordable and most ambitious claim to the long-distance running space. Here's how it went. Garmin® Forerunner® 970, Premium …

Google announced a lot of updates at I/O 2026. The company's first modern smart glasses (dubbed "Intelligent Eyewear) are coming later this year, as is Google's Universal Cart shopping assistant. There's even a brand-new AI model, Omni, that can create any output from any input, which should do wonders for our AI-generated misinformation problem. But not everything Google announced on Tuesday is available now (or for free, for that matter). Most of the new Workspace features, for example, require some type of subscription, as do many of the AI enhancements coming down the pike. If you want to test out Omni today, you can, but you need to pay for one of Google's AI subscri…

I'm strongly in favor of using password managers to store your credentials, but, so far, I've resisted the prompts that ask me to switch to passkeys—even though passkeys are better than passwords in just about every way. You don't need to remember or store a long string of random characters if you use passkeys, because they don't actually use a password at all. Instead, you use your device's authentication method, such as a face scan, a device passcode, or fingerprint unlock, to log in to your accounts. Passkeys are also more resistant to phishing attacks because your password manager won't let you use a passkey to log in to dummy websites created by scammers. Despite the…

My fellow Lifehacker writer Beth Skwarecki is a weightlifter. I'm a marathon runner. Together, we make one reasonably competent Hyrox athlete—and in a little over one week, we're going to find out if that's enough. Beth and I are competing together in a Hyrox doubles race on May 29. It's something of a joint experiment to see just how little training you can get away with before showing up to one of these things. Hopefully, we will each bring our respective strengths to the competition, cover for the other's weaknesses, and survive. But before we're put to the test, let's take a look at what proper Hyrox prep looks like, and the bare minimum you can (probably) get away w…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Sony WH-1000XM6 are one of the best premium headphones of 2026, and right now, Amazon is offering them with a $60 discount and a $30 Amazon gift card. You're not likely to see these headphones drop any further in price anytime soon, even with Prime Day around the corner. So if you've had your eyes on the XM6, this is likely the best deal you'll get for a while. Sony WH-1000XM6 Noise Canceling Headphones $30 Amazon Gift Card $398.00 at Amazon …

Netflix's June lineup has a little something for everyone: true crime docs, sports series, comedy films, reality TV, and more. First, the live-action fantasty series Avatar: The Last Airbender (June 25) returns for its second season at the end of the month. Netflix is also launching a Survivor-style competition show—Outlast: The Jungle (June 10) lands 16 players on a remote island to play for a $1 million prize. Following its May slate of soccer content in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup, the streamer is hosting The Hot Seat (June 3), a comedy roast featuring World Cup winners from France 1998 and France 2018 alongside stand-up comedians. The Rest is Football (June 10)…

Love it or hate it, the Apple ecosystem has its perks. Take "Handoff," for example: If you have at least two connected devices, such as an iPhone and a Mac, you can start a task on one and carry it over to the other. You can start reading an article in Safari on your iPhone, then pick it up when you get to your Mac. Or, say you're on a FaceTime call on your Mac, but you have to run; you can simply switch to your iPhone to keep the conversation going, without having to call them back. It isn't perfect, but it works, it works. Android doesn't quite have the same setup. While some functions work across devices, like transferring calls, users with an Android phone often don't…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A good set of cordless tools will give your DIY projects polish, save you time, and make your life easier. But quality tools can be expensive. I use Milwaukee 18-volt tools in my personal tool kit and I’ve used them for everything from fixing my bathroom sink to building a deck. The batteries last at least 10 years without needing to be replaced, and the tools are comfortable to grip for long periods of time. There are some good Memorial Day deals at Home Depot on the tools I swear by. This Milwaukee six-tool bundle is 50% off right nowIf you’re sta…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 (Dual Battery Bundle) has dropped to $329.99 on Amazon from its usual $419 price, and according to price trackers, it’s just 99 cents above its all-time low. That makes it one of the more compelling alternatives to the GoPro Hero 13 Black right now, especially for people who want usable 4K footage rather than headline-grabbing 8K specs. The good news is that the camera is genuinely very good at that—it can record 4K at up to 120fps for smooth slow-motion clips, and the footage looks sharp without going overboard on artificial …

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. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Asus ROG Ally is a Windows 11-based handheld gaming console, and right now, a refurbished unit is down to $389.99 at Woot—the lowest price ever recorded for it, according to price trackers. For context, the same device (used) costs $665 on Amazon, and the lowest it's ever been is $449.99. This deal runs for another four days or until the stock runs out. Shipping is free for Prime members, and Woot only ships within the lower 48 states. Asus ROG Ally $389.99 at Woot …

1Password is one of our favorite password managers, especially for users who are new to password management tools. It has a handful of unique features and hidden hacks that keep your data safe and secure while also making it accessible when you need to log into an account, make an online payment, or view a sensitive document. Here's how to get the most out of your 1Password subscription. Enable Travel Mode to hide your more sensitive data at border crossings Travel Mode is one of 1Password's most unique features, and it's especially useful for anyone concerned about keeping their data private when crossing international borders. When Travel Mode is enabled, password vaul…

Google I/O 2026 is finally here. On May 19, 2026, Google will take the stage in California to announce all the new software (and perhaps some hardware) initiatives the company has been cooking up over the past year. While it will undoubtedly focus considerable attention on AI, Google may have some other announcements up its sleeve as well. If you're looking for the most up-to-date information on each and every one of those announcements, you've come to the right place. From now until Google I/O concludes, I will be updating this live blog with all the updates I come across. That includes any leaks and rumors that pop up in anticipation of the show, as well as all of the…

It's been a good few months for Android-to-iPhone sharing: Late last year, Google figured out how to get AirDrop working with the Pixel 10, and since then, the functionality has spread to many other Android handsets. Many more models will be picking up the same capability in the coming months. Apple hasn't invested quite so much time in iPhone-to-Android sharing, but we can't have everything. At least there's now support for end-to-end encryption over RCS, rolled out with the iOS 26.5 update. There's more good news for those who want to share from Android to iOS, and who aren't getting the AirDrop feature (or don't have it yet): Google is pushing out an improved sharing m…

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…

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…

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…

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…