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. For parents shopping for a first kids’ tablet that won’t turn into a headache or break after one drop, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids (2024) might be worth a look. It usually retails for $149.99, but it’s currently marked down to $74.99 on Amazon, its lowest price to date, according to price trackers. Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids tablet $74.99 …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. It never fails to annoy me when I tell my friends here in New York City that I am cold and they reply, "But you're from North Dakota! This is nothing compared to what you grew up with." I know. Why do you think I left the coldest state in the continental U.S. as soon as I turned 18? I hate the cold in North Dakota, but that doesn't mean I hate the cold in New York any less. Indeed, wherever I am in winter, I'm at war with the cold—midwestern cold, northeastern cold, it's all cold. This is why I've devised a number of plans to mitigate it, and the most useful of my anti-cold measures is the collection of heated accessories …

Skinny is officially back in—not that it ever really left, if you ask me. Between "what I eat in a day" videos and before-and-after transformations, there's always been this undercurrent of weight loss anxiety masquerading as wellness. "Weight loss" is assumed to be synonymous with "healthy," but that's never been the whole story. And during this time for reflection and goal-setting, I urge you to think bigger than simply making yourself smaller. If you've struggled to identify health goals beyond weight loss, you're not alone. We've been conditioned to believe that smaller bodies are the ultimate achievement, when in reality, health is so much more expansive, personal, a…

Yesterday, your phone might have been borderline unusable—at least, when you were away from wifi. That was due to Verizon's nationwide outage, which impacted roughly two million customers across the United States. If you were among them, you couldn't use your phone when you were on the go, which is sort of the idea behind cellphones in general. This included the ability to use navigation apps in your car, send emails or messages for work, or make calls outside of SOS mode, which basically limited you to emergency services. Worse, some users are still experiencing issues this morning following Verizon's official resolution, though there's likely a quick fix for that. I don…

As OpenAI scrambles to find new ways to monetize ChatGPT, it announced today that it's introducing a new, cheaper subscription tier for its AI chatbot—but that it's also adding ads to both that new tier and for free users. ChatGPT Go was first launched in India in August, and later became available to 170 countries around the world, but today marks the first time it's been available everywhere, including the United States. It marks a middle ground between the Free and Plus plans, coming in at $8/month vs. the Plus plan's $20/month, and is arguably the first "affordable" ChatGPT subscription. …

When OpenAI first announced GPT-5.2 last month, it quietly disclosed a new safety feature it called "age prediction." Considering ChatGPT proper isn't exactly an "all ages" kind of tool, it makes sense that users under the age of 18 should have protections in place to shield them from harmful content. The company says that users who indicate they're under 18 already receive an altered experience to "reduce exposure to sensitive or potentially harmful content," but if the user doesn't voluntarily share how old they are with OpenAI, how does the company enforce these protections? Here's where age prediction comes in. How age prediction for ChatGPT worksOn Tuesday, OpenAI of…

If you're in the market for a new Tesla, your fancy new electric car is going to be a little less smart—unless you pony up for a subscription. According to reporting from Elektrek and buying experiences from drivers, the company is ditching the basic Autopilot mode that used to come standard in new vehicles, and is now pushing buyers to subscribe to Full Self-Driving instead. Before, Autopilot consisted of two minor but helpful driving assist features. The first was Traffic Aware Cruise Control, which automatically adjusts speed based on the speed limit and surrounding cars, and the second was Autosteer, which helps keep you in the center of your lane. The idea was that, …

When you sign up for a subscription on Substack, you're thinking you'll receive newsletters and posts from online creators, not lose the data you share with the platform. But like any digital service, the data you provide when signing up is at the mercy of Substack, or anyone who happens to gain access to that data. Unfortunately, that's now the case. Substack may have lost nearly 700,000 user recordsAs reported by BleepingComputer, Substack recently disclosed a significant data breach. The company's CEO, Chris Best, sent users a notice of the breach this week, sharing that email addresses, phone numbers, and "other internal metadata" were shared from Substack accounts w…

Google announced two new ways for users to remove their sensitive information from the web Tuesday morning—or, at least, remove that data from Google Search. The first lets users request that Google remove sensitive government ID information from Search, while the second gives users new tools to request the same for non-consensual explicit images. Google's "Results about you" tool is getting an update Credit: Google First, Google is updating its existing "Results about you" tool, which helps users scour the internet for their …

If you want to understand a generation, look at the athletes they revere. The post-war generation's suburban conformity found a hero in baseball's ultimate company man—Stan Musial—and his 22 seasons on the Cardinals. Boomers were drawn to Broadway Joe Namath, a self-important celebrity who wasn't even a good quarterback. Gen X saw itself in Tiger Woods' stoic, lone-grinder-in-a-high-stakes-vacuum style. This year's Winter Olympics introduced the world to the first iconic athletes that express Gen Z's vibe, and they're amazing. But first, let's talk about Baby Boo Syndrome. What is "Baby Boo Syndrome"?It seems like everyone on TikTok has come down with Baby Boo Syndrome t…

If you're an Android user, you can now design what shows up on your contacts' caller ID when you make calls in the Google Phone app. The Calling Cards feature is getting an upgrade that brings it more in line with Apple's customizable Contact Poster on iOS. Google's Calling Cards updateGoogle first introduced Calling Cards for the Google Phone app last year, which allowed users to manually create full-screen calling cards for individual contacts with photos and customizable text. The feature was originally designed to have these cards show up on your device when contacts call you, but it didn't allow you to create your own card to broadcast when you call other users. No…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. There's nothing sweeter than listening to your favorite album or watching your favorite movie with pristine audio. And if you're a true audiophile, few brands approach the quality Sonos can offer. Right now, Sonos is offering major discounts in the lead-up to Amazon's Big Spring Sale, and the Sonos Beam G2 + Sub Mini combo in particular stands out; it's currently $749, a 25% drop from the $998 list price and the lowest price it yet reached, according to price tracking tools. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you’re grossed out by the idea that you might be bitten by a tick this year (chances are good, to be honest), now is the time to get yourself a bottle of permethrin spray. Permethrin-treating your shoes and pants is one of the simplest ways to set up a barrier between hungry ticks and your delicious, blood-filled flesh. Repel Permethrin Clothing & Gear Insect Repellent, 6.5 fl oz $4.97 …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A novel solution for connecting to the internet on the go, the TP-Link Roam 7 travel router is down to $98.99 (originally $139.99), which is its lowest price ever, according to price trackers. This is not a full-size home router but, as the name suggests, a compact travel companion that measures roughly the size of a paperback book, with foldable antennas so it slips easily into a bag. TP-Link Roam 7 BE3600 Wi-Fi 7 Portable Travel Router …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you find a tick on yourself, it’s totally normal to want to climb out of your skin and burn it and live your life with your bones and muscles on display. Since I wasn't able to do that the last time I tried, I’m glad to report there is a safe, effective, hands-off way to remove the tick from your skin. More than one, in fact. Put down the matches, though. And the soap, and the alcohol. Those can make a tick release itself, but they also make the tick vomit its stomach contents into your bloodstream. That’s gross and it increases your risk of catching tick-borne diseases like Lyme. Instead, you need specialized equipment…

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…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Budget TVs have improved dramatically over the years, and the Hisense Class U6HF Series Fire TV is a good example of what you can get today for a "budget" price. While it won't be the same quality as what higher-end QLED or OLED budget TVs can offer, they make up for that with a much cheaper price. Right now, the 75-inch Hisense Class U6HF Series Fire TV is $549.99 (originally $758), the second-lowest price it has been, according to price-checking tools. 75-inch Hisense U6HF Series Fire TV …

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 my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. The iPhone Air is a brand-new type of phone for Apple, shrinking down the iPhone’s internals into the thinnest form factor yet, at just 0.22 inches thick. Despite all that, Apple is promising up to 27 hours of video playback, which is just three hours fewer than it’s estimating for the iPhone 17. Honestly, I'm skeptical—and I’m not alone in that. Most of the phones I test don’t quite live up to their official battery life estimates, which are always done in …

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. If you think fitness trackers are just about step counting and heart rate, get with the times. This week, performance wearable Whoop announced it will integrate clinical laboratory testing directly into its ecosystem, partnering with Quest Diagnostics to launch Whoop Advanced Labs this fall. This adds to a growing trend of more and more wearables aiming to be comprehensive, one-stop health platforms. How Whoop will track bloodworkWhoop members will be able to purchase Quest's clinical laboratory testing, sc…

Red light therapy devices are everywhere—from lamps, to full-body mats, to those glowing face masks flooding my social media feed. I usually see red light therapy advertised for "younger-looking skin," but I'm not interested in these devices as a means to slow down aging—I'm interested in them as a recovery-obsessed athlete with very sore muscles. These gadgets promise to boost athletic performance, speed muscle recovery, and reduce inflammation, all by bathing your body in specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light. But do these trendy tools live up to the hype, especially for muscle recovery? What red light therapy advocates claimRed light therapy devices typic…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A Costco membership usually pays for itself, but this deal makes it even easier to justify: You can get a one-year Costco Gold Star Membership, plus a $40 Digital Costco Shop Card, on sale for just $65 on StackSocial right now. That effectively drops the cost of membership to just $25 for the year, and it's sent straight to your inbox within two weeks of redemption. If you were planning to shop there anyway, it’s a no-brainer, but this offer is only available to new members or those whose membership has expired for at least 18 months. The Gold Star …

Holiday shopping season is ripe for scammers, as consumers rush to find and take advantage of some of the best discounts of the year, and potentially overlook red flags that signal fraud. Security researchers are warning of an uptick in scams capitalizing on the Black Friday and Cyber Monday hype. Fraudsters know that they can prey on shoppers' sense of urgency and excitement for limited-time, exclusive deals—and AI is making these campaigns even more difficult to spot than usual. New data from McAfee suggest that nearly half of Americans have come across an AI-powered scam while shopping, from deepfakes impersonating celebrities pushing promotions to near-flawless spoof…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. It's Cyber Monday, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before the sales are over. Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find. Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. If you've been curious about s…

At last year's CES, Sony's press conference showed off products from all over its portfolio, including a first look at The Last of Us season 2. This year, it was all about the Afeela, an electric car Sony's making in collaboration with Honda that it's been teasing for years, but is now finally getting ready to release. Sony has big plans for Afeela. Previews have been less about hard specs like mileage or speed and more about the company's plans to change how we look at cars. Previously, that's included demo'ing integrations with other Sony services like Crunchyroll and themes for the car's interior based on Sony brands. Just last month, the company confirmed it would sup…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Mini PCs are great for people who want minimal desk setups, but aside from the Mac Mini, they're not really something that appeals to the average user. Most are boring and still-slightly-chunky boxes, come from lesser-known companies like Geekom, and are built either for enterprise or thrifty gamers. What's a Windows user who doesn't want to swap to Apple to do? This year, Lenovo's launching a new Mini PC with some of that Apple sleekness, to try to fill that niche. Unveiled at CES, the Lenovo Yoga Mini i is a cute little circle that fits in the palm of your hand and weighs just about 1.3 pounds (with small variations depe…