Home Office Setup & Equipment

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. When you log into the Peloton app, you probably get down to the business of finding a class, whether that means searching through the absurdly large library of single classes, turning to your Stack, or following the personalized plan curated for you by the app's AI. All of that is fine and well—though generally, following a Stack or personalized plan is better, since it reduces the time you spend deliberating and dilly-dallying and gives you a clear goal for the workout—but you have another option. In fac…

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. There's much to say about Sora, which is essentially OpenAI's TikTok for AI slop. But putting my concerns aside for what appears to be a glorified deepfake machine, it's evident the app is popular. OpenAI says Sora hit one million downloads in under five days, likely fueled by interest from users seeing hyper-realistic videos going viral on social media. But with big hype, comes big risk for fraud. While OpenAI made Sora free to download, the app started out invite-only, which only built anticipation for us…

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. Sometimes, Apple hosts grand presentations to announce new products and services. Other times, the company simply drops the news on a random Wednesday morning. This Wednesday morning is one such example: Following a preview on social media, Apple has announced the M5 chip, as well as three products that will kick off this new era of Apple silicon: the M5 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pros, and Vision Pro. The M5 chip The big news that unifies all updated Apple products today is the M5 chip. As the name might…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. 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. I love going to a reformer Pilates studio for a (pricey) workout but I also love staying home to work out on my own. In the end, it just depends on my mood. Good news for people like me: Tonal is rolling out reformer-style Pilates with its new update. If you have the at-home weight training device or are considering getting one, this could be major for you. Even if you're not someone who wakes up on a Saturday morning excited to go trade $65 for 45 minute…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Garmin watches are great for running, but are a bit tricky to work with when you’re trying to track strength training in the gym. (I have some tips here on how to make the most of that strange experience.) But an app called LiftTrack makes up for Garmin’s shortcomings, giving you the Garmin-based strength experience that maybe Garmin should have given you in the first place. Workout creation makes more sense with LiftTrack Credit: Beth Skwarecki LiftTrack is an app (available f…

If you use Firefox, and you're lucky, then you might be getting a free VPN. Over the next few months, Mozilla says it will be testing a "free, browser-only VPN" for some users, but you'll need to rely on the luck of the draw if you want to try it yourself. That's because Mozilla is only enabling the feature for randomly selected users, at least for now. The announcement technically came in June, but fortunate writers at a number of different tech sites are now reporting that they're finally starting to see the feature pop up. How Firefox's free VPN comparesThe VPN, once fully implemented, would put Firefox in competition with Opera and Microsoft's own Edge browser, but ah…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 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. According to price trackers, one of Amazon’s most popular security cameras—and what we've described as a “worthwhile entry-level wireless camera”—just hit its lowest price yet. The refurbished Blink Outdoor 4 (2-pack) is now $62.99, down from $164.99, and significantly cheaper than buying new at $179.99. Like-New Blink Outdoor 4 …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. When the latest iPad Air with the M3 chip came out in March, Lifehacker 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: The new iPad Air has dropped $300 in price, reaching its lowest levels since its release, according to price-tracking tools. You can no…

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. Welcome to The Out of Touch Adults’ Guide to Kid Culture, where I make sense of youth nonsense. This week, kids are bringing hollowed-out pumpkins into Starbucks and demanding they be filled with pumpkin spice lattes; TikTok is obsessed with a fake video game called Bird Game 3; everyone’s growing the universe's AI slop-pile with videos about a fictional video game, and teens are fighting about Lorax costumes. Plus the world's police departments are issuing a warning about a prank that is not funny and you s…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The holiday season sales are around the corner, and Best Buy is the first of the major retailers to formally announce their plans. Much like their other big sales, Best Buy is having multiple events. This year, Best Buy is having six sales that you can take advantage of starting on Halloween and leading up to Christmas. Here are the details. What are Best Buy's holiday sale events?You can think of the holiday Sale Events as multiple sales spanning Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas. All six events take place in store, in app, and online. Eac…

YouTube may have been the official partner at MIPCOM this year, but AI was the unofficial winner. I attended MIPCOM in Cannes, France this year for the first time, and as someone who doesn't use generative AI in my daily life, let alone my writing or storytelling, the message to me was clear: Get on board or be left behind. AI is coming for television whether I like it or not. MIPCOM, the long-running annual global trade show for television and digital media, celebrated its 40th year last week in partnership with YouTube, furthering the bridge between the creator economy and traditional TV shows. Many influencers have already made the jump to our living room TVs—MrBeast,…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. To the disappointment of Judgment Day fans, The Rapture did not happen as predicted at the end of September, but keep your fingers crossed for November, when aliens are expected to invade. This one's a way more concrete prediction than the Rapture. Unlike Jesus, we can actually see the alien starship in our telescopes, cleverly disguised as an interstellar comet. And it's not just conspiracy theorists or Joe Rogan Podcast guests sounding the alarm—a Harvard astrophysicist kicked off the whole thing. So hold on to your butt! The ballad of 3I/ATLASBack in July, NASA spotted 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar comet about the size of M…

Why do I still carry a wallet? My iPhone can handle just about anything you used to need a traditional wallet for. Most (if not all) of my purchases are made via Apple Pay or QR code, my phone holds all of my pictures, and most of my receipts go straight to my email. Basically the only I keep my wallet around is to carry my ID. Once my state starts supporting Apple’s digital ID feature, however, things will change between me and my wallet—provided that support ever comes. Since iOS 15.4, Apple has allowed you to add a driver’s license or other state ID to your iPhone’s digital wallet. That doesn’t mean you’ve been needlessly carrying your ID around since then—states have …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Samsung announced the latest Galaxy S25 Series back in January, and later that same month, teased a fourth, thinner phone, the Galaxy S25 Edge. In May we learned more about the device Samsung is calling the "slimmest Galaxy S Series ever." The phone came out at the end of that month, and surprisingly, it's already 40% off, matching the lowest price it has ever reached according to price tracking tools. Yes, right now you can get the 512GB Galaxy S25 Edge for $729.99 (originally $1,219.99). It's a great price for a lightweight yet powerful phone. …

You know a theory is janky when even its Wikipedia page has “(pseudoscience)” in its title. That’s the case with so-called “biorhythms,” or periods of 23, 28, and 33 days that supposedly predict how mentally, physically, and actively on-point you’ll be on any given day. The concept of biorhythms is all over social media and has been for years, so you might think there's some legitimacy to it, but it's essentially hogwash. There are, however, other ways to track your “peaks” in productivity that are more scientifically sound. The difference between a biorhythm and circadian rhythmThe idea behind biorhythms is that over the course of month-long periods, your physical, emoti…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deep work is a concept most popularly defined by Cal Newport, who wrote the aptly titled Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. As he tells it, deep work is a state where you find the ability to focus completely on a demanding task without letting distraction get in your way. If you can get the hang of it, you’ll get more done in less time and ultimately end up feeling more fulfilled. On his website, Newport observes that it’s rare to see someone feel energized and happy after sending emails, but there’s a sense of fulfillment that comes from sustained focus on more meaningful tasks. How do you achiev…

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 Windows 11 laptop for everyday use that’s under $150, the bestselling Lenovo IdeaPad 1i 14" Laptop is a smart choice – and right now, it’s $129 (originally $249.99) at Walmart. Lenovo IdeaPad 1i 14" Laptop $129.00 at Walmart $2…

While I updated my iPhone to iOS 26 as soon as I could, I haven't yet pulled the trigger with macOS Tahoe. I love my M1 iMac, but I worry that Apple's first version of this new update isn't quite optimized for the five-year-old chip, and have been waiting to see if a future version of Tahoe performs a bit better. As it happens, that next version is well on its way—and does seem improved, at that. Apple has been beta testing macOS Tahoe 26.1 alongside iOS 26.1 since September, and it dropped the release candidates for both of the updates on Tuesday. The "RC," as the name implies, is what Apple thinks is the finished version of any given software release. Barring any major…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. It's impressive when new flagship TVs that came out this year drop in price months after their release, but when they also happen to be the best OLED TV your money can buy, it becomes a bargain (well, if you can afford it). The 65-inch LG G5 OLED TV is $1,996.99 (originally $2,496.99), the lowest price it has been since its recent release, according to price-tracking tools. The bigger 77-inch and 83-inch series are also at their lowest prices right now. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The JBL Charge 6 is currently available for $169.95 at Walmart, down from its original $199.95. That small drop might not look dramatic on paper, but considering this model only came out recently, it’s one of the better deals you’ll find on a premium portable outdoor speaker. JBL Charge 6 $169.95 at Walmart …

Computers are supposed to be unambiguous. When you click a function, that function is supposed to do what it says it does. So, when you click "Update and shut down" on your PC, you assume your PC will install any available updates, then shut down. Simple. As you might expect from this headline, that isn't actually the case. For some reason, when you choose "Update and shut down," Windows only listens to the first half of the command. Sure, your updates will download and install, but if you watch your computer, you'll see that it doesn't shut down, but restarts instead. That might come as a surprise, especially if you walked away from your PC under the assumption that it w…

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 pair of on-ear ANC headphones from a premium brand, here's a deal to check out: The Bose QuietComfort Headphones are currently $199 (originally $359) in every color. This represents a 45% discount and the lowest price ever for these well-reviewed headphones, according to price tracking tools. Bose QuietComfort Headphones …

If you're keeping up with generative AI, especially generative AI video models, then you've probably heard about Sora, OpenAI's short-form AI video app. Even though the app has only been available for a bit over a month, you've probably seen Sora videos on your other feeds—whether you realized it or not. Sora is capable of producing hyperrealistic AI videos that can be hard to distinguish from clips of actual reality. It doesn't help that the app's "cameo" feature lets you insert real people into these videos, leading to confusion and creating a risk of spreading misinformation. While the memes might be fun, if you ask me, there's really not much good that can come out o…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you've ever tried to tackle a DIY project with just the hammer and screwdriver you bought at a convenience store, you’ve already learned the most important lesson: The right tools make all the difference. The difference in effort it takes to complete a job when you have exactly the tool you need for it is startling. There are plenty of fancy power tools that you probably didn't know about, but the humble hand tool can be transformative, too. If you’re planning some work around the homestead, consider picking up some of these simple but powerful specialty tools that will make your project easier. Cabinet jackI’m a solo …

I’ve been enjoying Shuffalo, a quick daily word game from the New Yorker that I can’t help but compare to the New York Times’s Wordle, which is so popular we publish hints for it every day. But it really feels like an improvement on a different New York Times game, Spelling Bee—quicker and with more useful hints. What is Shuffalo? Shuffalo lives on the New Yorker games page, with a different puzzle each day. For each day’s puzzle, you get a collection of letters that you have to form into a word. First you get four letters, and you need to use them all to make a four-letter word. Once you do that, a fifth letter is added, then a sixth, and so on up to eight. Get that fa…