Home Office Setup & Equipment

Short form videos are addicting. They're also often low quality, AI-generated, misinformation, or some combination of the bunch, and may have a negative impact on our attention spans and mental health. In short, they're just not that good for us. It's bad enough for grown adults to control their scrolling habits, but it's another thing entirely for children, which poses quite the a challenge. It's easy enough to ban short-form video apps entirely, like TikTok. But what about apps that have short-form content as just one pillar of the overall package? Take YouTube: You might not mind your child having limited access to the app or site to watch long-form content you approv…

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…

A new phishing scam is targeting Apple Pay users, attempting to lock them into phony support calls or emails that could see them handing over their passwords and credit card numbers. The news was first highlighted by AppleInsider and involves warnings that look suspiciously like official Apple messaging. While AppleInsider's report doesn't link to any specific user complaints of this happening, it does include example screenshots, and reports matching AppleInsider's description have popped up on both Reddit and Apple's official support forums over the last 30 days. The scam might come over either email or text, and usually warns the recipient about a potentially fraudule…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. LG has some of the best OLED TVs on the market, from entry-level models that suit a lower budget to ultra-premium, high-tech options. If you want OLED-quality performance from a reliable brand without breaking the bank, the LG B5 is an intuitive smart TV with the brand’s signature vivid color, contrast-rich visuals, and strong gaming features. Right now, this 77-inch LG B5 OLED TV is $1,500 off at Best Buy in a Presidents Day Deal, bringing its original $2,999.99 price tag down to $1,499.99. LG…

While I generally consider Chrome to be a mature, feature complete browser, it's great to see that Google is still making meaningful additions to it. With its latest update, Google Chrome for desktop now has three new productivity features: Split View, PDF annotations, and the ability to save downloads directly to Google Drive. These features are targeted at both regular and enterprise users, the company says, so you don't need to worry about Workspace exclusivity. Let's take a look at each new feature and how you can best use it. Split View lets you boost your productivity …

The newest Galaxy series is officially here. Samsung announced its latest batch of flagship phones During its big Unpacked 2026 event. The company had announced as much ahead of the presentation but was silent on the name, though few will be surprised to learn this year's phones are the Galaxy S26 series—specifically, the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26 Ultra. While the new devices look similar to last year's models, there are some new features and changes (including ones exclusive to the S26 Ultra) that may make them worth upgrading. The S26 series comes with new Galaxy AI features …

Amazon's Wish List feature is a versatile way to tell other people what gifts you're interested in. That might be a gift registry for a baby shower, or letting your friends and family know what you want for your birthday. But it's also commonly used for online creators to receive gifts from fans or for someone in need to receive donated items from strangers online who want to help. Up until now, we could rely on Wish List as a secure way for strangers to send items, without worrying about setting up a post office box. But going forward, Wish List now runs the risk of telling fans exactly where the creator lives—unless the creator takes action. Amazon is putting addresse…

Back in January, I wrote about Meta's plans to test subscription services for some of its platforms. The idea is to keep the current experience of each app the same (that is, free of charge), while adding new features users can access for a monthly fee. It's not a bad compromise—if you hate the idea of paying for Instagram or WhatsApp, you can keep using the apps as you always have. If you like the new features, you can pay for them. Heck, maybe Meta will make enough money from subscriptions to end its data collection business! (Hey, a guy can dream.) Now, it seems that Meta is moving forward with WhatsApp's premium subscription. According to WABetaInfo, the company is…

Tax time is high season for scammers, who target taxpayers with fraud campaigns ranging from IRS impersonation to "ghost" preparers that take your money and run. In fact, the IRS publishes its annual "Dirty Dozen," a list of the tax scams consumers should be especially aware of. And this year's list reveals that, as with romance scams and scams targeting travelers, AI is making tax scams appear more sophisticated—and harder to spot. AI is facilitating tax scamsOne of the IRS' top scams for 2026 is AI-powered impersonation by phone: fraudsters are using AI tools for voice cloning and caller ID spoofing so recipients believe they are talking to a legitimate IRS representat…

For the past several years, multiview has been one of YouTube TV's best features, especially for sports fans like myself. Multiview allows you to watch up to four livestreams at once and toggle between them (and their audio) when something exciting happens. At its initial launch for March Madness in 2023, multiview was restricted to certain preselected channel combinations, but YouTube confirmed in January of this year that a fully customizable multiview was on the way. It's now available to some subscribers—myself included. Trying out YouTube TV's multiview With customizable multiview, you can select up to four channels across content categories, so you're not limited…

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…

Sometimes the help you need doesn't fit in one of the pre-recorded number dial options, and speaking with a human on the other line is really what you need. With Best Buy's Techtober sale on the horizon, many shoppers will likely need some assistance. I have found that it's easy to get a hold of someone in customer service to help you—here is the easiest way to do so. How to speak to a Best Buy customer service representativeBest Buy's Contact Us page has a lot of different options that will make your head spin, but if you just need to talk to someone ASAP, call 1-888-BEST BUY (1-888-237-8289). When the recording picks up, say "speak with a live agent" or press "0." You'l…

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. To make the most out of next week's Prime Big Deal Days, you need to be an Amazon Prime member, which costs for $139 per year or $14.99 per month. Being a Prime member comes with a lot of perks, like faster shipping on many items and access to Prime Video streaming, but a lesser-known feature is that you can share all those membership benefits with your family and only pay one membership fee. You can add one other adult and up to four kids to your Ama…

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. Drugs, death, and depravity are probably what come to mind whenever you hear about the dark web. Or, is it the deep web? Is it both? You might find yourself conflating the two terms, with the assumption that both the dark web and the deep web are the same place—a spot people flock to for reasons that include illegal and/or generally shady activities. But while the dark web is a part of the deep web, the deep web isn’t really the dark web. The "regular internet" is the surface web I need to start this e…

Apple might be dead last in the AI race—at least when you consider competition from companies like OpenAI, Google, and Meta—but that doesn't mean the company isn't working on the tech. In fact, it seems most of the work Apple does on AI is behind the scenes: While Apple Intelligence is, well, there, the company's researchers are working on other ways to improve AI models for everyone, not just Apple users. The latest project? Improving AI image editors based on text prompts. In a paper published last week, researchers introduced Pico-Banana-400K, a dataset of 400,000 "text-guided" images selected to improve AI-based image editing. Apple believes its image dataset improv…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’ve been planning to tighten up your home security without spending much, the Blink Wired Floodlight Camera is worth a look. It’s selling for $49.99 (down from $99.99), which is its lowest price yet, according to price trackers. Blink Wired Floodlight Camera $49.99 at Amazon …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over. 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 m…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A wired floodlight camera isn’t something most people buy on impulse, but the Eufy E340 makes a good case for acting while the price is right. It’s now down to $139.99 from $219.99, which is its lowest price ever, according to price trackers. Eufy E340 Wired Floodlight Camera $139.99 at Amazon …

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Safari is better than Chrome. Apple's default browser runs faster, is less cluttered, offers privacy features Google would never contemplate, and doesn't try to cram AI down your throat. But that doesn't mean Safari is perfect. Like all browsers, it works better if you install the right extensions. Here are a few I've found in the past year or so that make the best browser even better. Block ads and other clutter Credit: Justin Pot The internet is increasingly useless without a good ad…

Raycast is one of the best things to happen to Windows. It brings one of my favorite Mac apps to Microsoft's operating system. In fact, I've enjoyed using Raycast for Windows so much, I can't see myself going back to the non-Raycast life. This app is free to download and use, though there is an optional paid subscription for those who want certain additional features. What is Raycast? Credit: Pranay Parab At its heart, Raycast is an app that lets you search for apps and files stored in your computer. It stays hidden until yo…

New products tend to add features, not take them away. That isn't always the case with Apple, however. The company has a long history of removing functions from one generation of devices to the next, whether that's removing the disc drive from its MacBooks back in 2012, or taking away the iPhone's Home button in 2017. Some of these changes are good, some are controversial, while others are undone altogether: MagSafe and HDMI both found their way back to MacBooks after all. It's not often I hear about Apple removing software features from one generation of product to the next, however. So, imagine my surprise when I saw a number of headlines this morning asserting that th…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. For a lot of people, the appeal of a streaming stick is simple: You have an older TV that still works, but the software is dated or missing entirely. The Roku Streaming Stick HD (2025) fits that exact situation, and right now it’s selling for $15.99 on Amazon. Marked down from $29.99, it’s just a buck over its all-time low (according to price-trackers), and that makes it a tempting plug-and-play upgrade if you're tired of fiddling with HDMI cables or watching Netflix on a laptop screen. PCMag gave this streaming hub an “excellent” rating, largely …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. When shopping for OLED TVs, brightness is a crucial factor, because it helps overcome ambient lighting and delivers better-looking HDR content. Samsung’s brightest OLED TV thus far, released in 2025, is the S95F, praised for its picture quality and surprisingly impressive sound. Right now, a 65-inch refurbished Samsung 65-Inch S95F OLED TV is just $1,899, which is over $1,000 off its list price. Refurbished Samsung 65-Inch S95F OLED TV …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The refurbished HP EliteBook 840 G7, originally released in 2020, is on sale for $244.99 on StackSocial right now. And while it's not brand new, it’s far from outdated. With a 10th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, it still holds up well for everyday tasks like web browsing, document editing, streaming, and Zoom calls. It runs Windows 11 Pro smoothly, which isn’t a given for older machines. And the 14-inch Full HD display delivers clear, bright visuals without looking washed out, making it suitable for both work and casual …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The MacBook Neo might just eclipse the iPhone Air as the most interesting Apple product in years. This machine offers buyers the full macOS experience, in their choice of fun new colors, for $599 ($499 for "students"). Not so long ago, Apple's cheapest laptop, the MacBook Air—long priced at $999, but increased to $1,099 with the launch of the current M5 model—felt like a good deal. Now, you can get a machine that includes all of Apple's latest Mac features for as little as half the price. Of course, the Neo isn't a MacBook Air. To get the price of a Neo down to $500 or $600, Apple had to make some concessions, like using…