Setting Up Your Home Office

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Sony’s portable speakers don’t get the same attention as its headphones, but they should. This Sony ULT Field 3 is a compact, rugged speaker you can toss into a bag without worrying about it, and right now, an open-box unit is on sale for $109.99 on StackSocial. Its sale price offers features you’d normally see at a higher cost. The Sony ULT Field 3 is clearly tuned for bass, with a dedicated woofer inside a relatively small body, and you'll notice that low-end presence even at moderate volume. Turn on the ULT mode, and the bass gets more aggressive…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The 2020 HP EliteDesk 800 G6 is on sale for $319.99 at StackSocial right now. It's a compact business machine, not a modern performance PC, so the hardware is a few generations behind current systems. Still, for a home office, backup system, or simple workstation, it covers the essentials without asking for much money up front. You get a certified refurbished unit with a Grade A+ rating, which means minimal wear and a clean chassis. It also comes with a basic wired keyboard and mouse, as well as a 90-day warranty. That setup makes sense if you need …

If you're trying to access X on Friday afternoon (Eastern Time), you might be hitting a roadblock. That's what happened to me: I went to refresh my feed one last time before stepping away for the weekend, but noticed that nothing was loading. In fact, the site acted as if I had a brand-new account, and invited me to explore users to follow. But whenever I clicked anything, I'd just get errors. I thought it might have just been on my end, because when I checked Downdetector, the site said: "User reports show no current problems with X (Twitter)." Indeed, the chart was flat, minus a small spike earlier today. But the comments were full of users talking about the site not w…

AI is a divisive technology. Some of us can't stand it, and avoid it at all costs. Others are AI-curious, and dabble with certain apps or features; still others still embrace it with enthusiasm, and use the tech for as many purposes as possible. Still, though I'm aware of this AI spectrum, I'm struggling to understand who exactly would want to connect their Starbucks account to ChatGPT—so, naturally, I connected mine. Starbucks rolled out this collaboration on April 15 as a "natural, personal, and fun" way to discover new drinks to order. As someone who only ever orders a plain coffee with cream, or maybe an iced espresso, perhaps this would finally be my opportunity to b…

If you haven't thought recently about which Android apps have access to your device's location, camera, microphone, or other features, now is a good time to do a privacy audit and ensure these permissions are up to date. There's another permission type that allows apps access to system-wide resources, so while you're at it, you should check these too. Android's various types of app permissionsAndroid devices have a dedicated privacy dashboard through which you can choose how apps access private data, like your camera, microphone, call logs, location, files, calendar, and contact list (to name a few). If you go to Settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Per…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Almost everybody who sticks to their workout routine has found a type of fitness they love. That may mean Crossfit classes multiple times a week, going for a run every morning, or hiring a personal trainer to walk them through a customized workout. Everything comes with a cost, though. So let’s talk about what you’ll be spending in a variety of scenarios, from the cost of each type of gym, to the upgrades you’ll probably go for, to the comparative cost of at-home alternatives. The cost of joining a no-frills gymWhat it takes to get started: The main cost here is the membership itself. Budget chain gyms like Crunch and Plan…

When you service a niche market like e-reader enthusiasts—the kind of folks who can name five different e-ink devices that aren't the Amazon Kindle—you'd do well to pay attention to what your customers are saying, and respond accordingly. That's what Chinese tech firm Bigme had to do this week: The announcement of its latest smartphone was so poorly received, the company has now issued an apology. If you've somehow missed the tempest in this particular teapot, a few weeks ago Bigme teased the new device, calling it the "world's first" dual-screen color e-ink and LCD smartphone. It seems most Bigme fans imagined a device exactly like the one you're probably picturing: A ph…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Compared to traditional speaker setups, soundbars are an affordable alternative to upgrading your television’s sound without adding clutter to your space. Some, like the Sonos Beam Gen 1 soundbar, also come with built-in voice assistants—and right now, a new Sonos Beam is 46% off on Woot, taking it to $269 (down from $499). According to price tracking tools, this is $30 under its lowest previous price. Sonos Beam (Gen 1) Soundbar …

Since early Thursday morning, Bluesky has been experiencing intermittent downtime. It's not unusual for a platform to go through outages, of course. If you check in with Downdetector every now and then, you'll see how often users of websites big and small report issues with the service. In most cases, some bug or small issue has gummed up the works behind the scenes, and it doesn't take long for the platform's engineers locate the problem and issue a fix: downtime over. But that doesn't seem to be the case with Bluesky—at least, not this time. Bluesky was hit with a DDoS attackOn Thursday at 7:47 p.m., Bluesky posted an update on its official Bluesky page. The post says …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Although many wireless outdoor security cams come with a hefty price tag, there are a select few from reliable brands that are affordable enough to buy in multiples for full-home coverage while still taking advantage of popular features, and when you opt for a refurbished one from Amazon, that value is boosted even further. This refurbished Arlo Essential 2K Cam (2nd Gen) is a great example, and right now it’s 64% off at a record low of $24.99 (originally $69.99) on Amazon. Renewed Arlo Essenti…

Gemini has long been able to connect to other Google apps, but earlier this year those integrations were made tighter and more seamless with a feature called Personal Intelligence. Now, Personal Intelligence is expanding into Google Photos and picking up AI image creation capabilities, courtesy of the Nano Banana 2 model. The idea is that you don't have to manually select a picture in Google Photos and tell the AI to do something with it. Instead you just type a prompt such as "create a cartoon showing my family enjoying our favorite activities," and Gemini will do the rest—mining your Google Photos library for the relevant information and people. Another example prompt G…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. In many ways, Yellowstone is the Platonic ideal of a Taylor Sheridan joint, combining a neo-western vibe with an incredibly detailed sense of place, a nonpolitical exploration of the tension between individual rights and the collective forces of society, and some really banger lines delivered by Kevin Costner as badass patriarch John Dutton. It’s no wonder the show was a huge hit that keeps spawning prequels and spinoffs. If you can’t get enough Yellowstone, we’ve already offered up suggestions for other TV series you could be streaming. If you need more Big Sky-esque drama, the good news is there are plenty of books, movi…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Anker Solix C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station with a 400W solar panel is down to $829.98 (from $1,116.99) on Amazon—its lowest price, according to price trackers. Anker has been building out its Solix line as a more serious push into home backup, and the C1000 Gen 2 sits in that space where it is still portable but capable enough to handle essential appliances. It weighs just under 30 pounds, so it isn't something you’ll carry all day, but it is manageable to move from room to room or load into a car. …

The Artemis II moon mission was a full success. Its crew of four astronauts splashed down safely on earth last week after traveling further into outer space than any humans before them. Like most Americans, I followed the mission with a sense of wonder and pride that felt out-of-place in 2026–this was actual history being made, and even my blackened heart swelled. But not everyone was excited; some people are not buying this whole "orbiting the moon" thing and are convinced that the mission never happened. Everyone is lying, the images and videos we've seen are bogus, and spaceflight doesn't even make sense. I've spent a lot of time digging into the many conspiracy theo…

What do you primarily use Spotify for? Enjoying music? Keeping up with your favorite podcasts? Listening to audiobooks? Well, the next time you open it (at least on Android) you might just use it to shop for a book—not just an ebook, mind you, but a physical book. Spotify is officially a bookseller As reported by TechCrunch, Spotify is now selling physical books on its Android app to users in the U.S. and the U.K., with plans to roll out the feature to iPhones next week. The company first announced the initiative back in February, revealing that it was partnering with Bookshop.org to facilitate the transactions. This isn't your typical corporate agreement, either: Booksh…

Last week, one of my meekest, weakest friends (said with love) asked me to go boxing with her. This may have been wildly out-of-character for her, but for me, it confirmed a trend I’d already been noticing. Boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and all other sorts of combat-style workout classes are having a mainstream moment. In many ways, this is nothing new—how could I erase the legacy of Tae Bo nation?—but I’m not the first to clock an uptick in “fight-style” workouts across social media and gym class offerings these days. So what's actually driving this trend? And more practically: Even if you're not planning to step into a ring, what can you take from the way fighters train…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Ever since our house flooded in the middle of the night (though thankfully before we fell asleep), my wife and I have been diligent about setting up water alarms all over the house, so we'll receive crucial warning the moment something leaks or backs up. Well, the other night, the alarm under the kitchen sink went off while the dishwasher was running—and, sure enough, there was water gushing out of the sink drain. Luckily, I was able to turn off the water and clean everything up before it totally ruined my cabinets and floors. I started my investigation into the problem, and about three seconds later, it was obvious: My s…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Furbo 360° cat camera and Furbo 360° dog camera allow for full pet monitoring and interaction; the treat tosser acts as the primary camera with 360-degree rotation and a wide view, while the second, more compact camera acts as an additional fixed vantage point for extra room coverage. They both have features like 4X HD zoom, two-way audio, and night vision, as well as AI alerts for barking, activity, and emergencies, so pet owners can stay in the loop, earning the device a PCMag Editor’s Choice Award. There’s even a daily diary that records a ti…

If you use Google Chrome, listen up: You may be running malicious extensions without even knowing it. As reported by The Hacker News, cybersecurity researchers with Socket's Threat Research Team have identified 108 extensions available in Google Chrome that steal login credentials, user IDs, and browsing data. All 108 extensions route that information back to servers controlled by a single operator, despite these extensions being published by five different developers (GameGen, InterAlt, Rodeo Games, SideGames, and Yana Project). These extensions collectively have around 20,000 installations, which isn't a massive pool of targets considering Chrome's 3.62 billion users, b…

The aptly named Binge is a new app for iPhones, iPads, and Macs that has set its sights on Letterboxd. Like that popular movie-centric social media platform, Binge gives you a way to track what you've watched and what you want to watch. But whereas Letterboxd sticks mostly to movies, Binge covers both movies and TV shows, and adds "jump scare warnings," an innovative feature Letterboxd can't match (though in testing it out, I experienced mixed results). Keeping tabs on my viewing is something I very much need help with, and while I've had a Letterboxd account for a while, I don't log into it or update my viewing history very often. Because it offers one spot to track both…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Creatine is a rare thing in the world of workout supplements: It actually works, plus it’s cheap and safe. (Protein and caffeine are about the only other common supplements you can say that of.) If you’re trying to build muscle or lift the heaviest things around, you might want to get into the habit of taking creatine every day—but there are, of course, some caveats. What does creatine do?Creatine supplies quick energy in your muscles for short, intense bursts of power. You may have heard of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which stores energy in our cells. (One main reason you eat food: to be able to make ATP.) When our musc…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Working from a laptop all day usually means juggling tabs, resizing windows, and constantly switching between apps. A second monitor helps, but it’s not always practical if you’re moving between home, office, and travel. The Mobile Pixels Trio 3 Pro aims to solve those problems by turning your laptop into a three-screen setup that travels with you, and it's currently on sale for $449.99 on StackSocial. It works across most systems, including macOS, Windows, Linux, and even devices like the Nintendo Switch or Samsung DeX. The appeal is straightforwa…

Apple Music has an edge among music streaming services in specific categories, including sound quality, music organization, and lack of ads. While it may not be the best option out there for all users, it offers a solid experience (especially if you're on iOS). Here are the tips, tricks, and hidden hacks to get the most out of Apple Music. Import songs directly from other streaming services to Apple MusicMoving from one music streaming service to another can be a huge hassle, not least because you won't want to lose all the playlists you've curated in the transition. There are third-party services that facilitate transfers, but Apple Music has a direct import feature pow…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The JBL Tune Buds 2 True Wireless Noise-Canceling Earbuds are currently on sale for just $39.99 on StackSocial, down from their usual $109.95 price. They're open-box models, meaning the earbuds were excess retail inventory or store returns that have been checked for functionality and repackaged. The packaging may show signs of handling or extra stickers, but the earbuds themselves are verified to be in brand-new condition. For just $40, you get the earbuds, a charging case, a USB-C cable, and three sizes of silicone ear tips. The listing also includ…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I've always been the kind of person who needs to write my thoughts down, for fear I'll forget my latest brilliant idea. I used to keep multiple notebooks at the ready for this purpose, but they would invariably get lost, get messy or damaged, or just be too annoying to keep organized. I switched to using apps, but I never built the muscle memory to keep it consistent, and opening a phone has never been good for my productivity. Then I learned about the Rocketbook Core reusable smart notebook. I tried it out, and now it has replaced all my productivity apps and my paper notebooks—and the best part is, it's super affordable…