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. We're living in the best time in history for bringing karaoke to your home. I've had the pleasure of using the new Soundcore Rave 3S karaoke speaker, which turns any song into a karaoke track with the push of a button, and Ikarao's ultra-portable Shell S1 karaoke speaker to host many house parties. But if you're looking for a great deal on a more powerful speaker that is still compact and portable, consider the Break X2, also from Ikarao, currently $349.98 (originally $469.99), the lowest price it has been, according to price-tracking tools. You can…

Google is planning a new update for its upcoming Pixel 9a which includes a new feature dedicated to protecting and prolonging the phone's battery. While the goal is longevity, this new battery management feature will actually end up reducing the battery capacity of the Pixel 9a over time. It won't just be the Pixel 9a, as other Pixel series phones will eventually receive the feature too. The kicker, though, is Pixel 9a users can't turn this feature off. Why do Lithium-ion batteries need management?All lithium-ion batteries degrade over time. As you use your smartphone, and as you continue to charge it, the total battery capacity goes down. Eventually, charging your phone …

Your company’s human resources (HR) department is often pitched as an employee advocate—the place where you take problems or concerns. But most employees know by now that HR—or, in some start-up environments, "the people team"—isn’t really intended to protect you, the human resource in question. Instead, HR works to protect the company’s interests more than anything. And the way job hunting has become a grueling gauntlet of ghost jobs, endless interviews, and zero responses from HR representatives hasn’t exactly endeared HR to workers. In fact, research shows that more than 70% of employees don’t trust their HR department. While it’s true that HR departments work for and …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Spring hasn’t really been as big of an online shopping season, comparatively speaking: We've got Prime Day during the summer, October Prime Day and Black Friday during the fall, and a bunch of holiday sales during winter. But that might be changing with the recent Big Spring Sale from Amazon, in its second year. Target has decided to compete for your money as well with a Circle Week event, coming later this month. What is Target's Circle Week?Circle Week is Target’s name for its biggest sale, which used to happen once a year but, much to the dismay of Target workers, now happens multiple times a year. Usually, you’ll see …

Android is getting a new security feature that makes it harder for someone to break into your device if it has been lost, stolen, or seized. With the latest Google Play services update, Android phones and tablets will automatically restart (and require a passcode to decrypt) if they remain locked for three consecutive days. How Android auto-restart worksAndroid and iOS devices already revert to a Before First Unlock (BFU) state when restarted, requiring a user to enter their passcode or PIN before certain features—such as notifications and biometrics—are enabled. Data is encrypted and inaccessible in a BFU state until the correct passcode is entered to shift the device t…

There are now useful language translation features everywhere you look, whether they're built into your web browser or available through your AI assistant of choice. If you own a recent Google Pixel phone (the Pixel 6 or later), you've also got access to a suite of features known as Live Translate, which work across calls, texts, and media. This functionality works separately from Google Translate, and is actually built right into Android on Pixel devices. It means you can understand conversations you're having or videos you're watching in a foreign language without any additional apps, and it's straightforward to set up and use. Live Translate works quickly, too, leverag…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. There are a lot of fantastic settings to use on the Vitamix Ascent X5, but one of my favorites is the soup setting (the nut butter function is a close second). If you didn’t already know, it’s not just for blending already cooked soup. You can actually cook with the blender. It might take a moment to wrap your head around the idea, but personally, I had to see for myself to become fully convinced. Here’s how to do it. How can a blender cook soup?It turns out, if you have an engine powerful enough, you can create enough friction with the blender’s blades to heat up a few pints of liquid ingredients until it’s well into coo…

I couldn't live without copy and paste—it's core to the way I write and work—but it's a pretty abstract feature when you think about it. Copy something and it goes... somewhere. Then you can paste it. Oh, and if you copy a second thing the first thing is gone. This is a problem solved by clipboard managers. These applications let you review everything you've copied recently and even select an older item to paste it. They work well, but generally require a lot of context switching. What if you want to copy multiple things and then paste them later, all in the order you copied them, without having to open a clipboard manager and choose the items in order? There's a free and…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon's new soundbar came out this year, and it's tailored for people looking for an easy setup that is both user-friendly and affordable. Right now, the 3.1 channel Fire TV Soundbar Plus with Subwoofer combo is $289.99 (originally $374.99), the lowest price it has ever been, according to price-tracking tools. Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus with Subwoofer 3.1 channel, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, clear dialogue …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If your kitchen counter is currently housing a Vitamix blender, you know that you can whip up some serious soups, sauces, and nut butters in that thing. In fact, my Vitamix's hot soup function is one of my favorite ways to use it. But it is almost summer, and I am no longer in the mood for soup. Now I crave chilled treats. Can my favorite blender, the Vitamix Ascent X5 go from hot soup to sorbet? Yes, and surprisingly well. Here’s how to make yourself a frozen dessert in this amazing blender. The Vitamix is not an ice cream machineIt’s important to note that the Vitamix is a blender, and not an ice cream machine. Most ice…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Some people don't need to have both a TV and a monitor in their office or bedroom. There might just not be enough space, or money might be a factor. If this sounds like you, consider the beautifully designed Samsung M8, a smart monitor that doubles as a TV and a gaming hub, currently $399.99 (originally $699.99) after a 43% discount. SAMSUNG 32-Inch M8 (M80D) Resolution: 4K, HDR: HDR10+, Features: Gaming Hub. …

If you've ever wished the text-to-speech feature on your Mac worked better, Spokenly might be the solution for you. It's a free Mac application that lets you use modern AI transcription right on your Mac for free—just trigger the application with a keyboard shortcut, say what you want to type, and watch as it appears on the screen. Whatever you feel about modern AI, it's hard to deny that it's good at turning the spoken word into text. Whether it's real-time transcription or creating a transcript for a video or audio file, the open source Whisper engine is accurate and fast. Spokenly is a free application that lets you use this technology on your Mac. Install the applicat…

Hallucinations have always been an issue for generative AI models: The same structure that enables them to be creative and produce text and images also makes them prone to making stuff up. And the hallucination problem isn't getting better as AI models progress—in fact, it's getting worse. In a new technical report from OpenAI (via The New York Times), the company details how its latest o3 and o4-mini models hallucinate 51 percent and 79 percent, respectively, on an AI benchmark known as SimpleQA. For the earlier o1 model, the SimpleQA hallucination rate stands at 44 percent. Those are surprisingly high figures, and heading in the wrong direction. These models are known a…

Alongside a couple of new Surface devices, Microsoft has also announced a number of notable upgrades on the way for Windows 11, covering the Start menu, Copilot AI, and core Windows utilities such as Paint and the Snipping Tool. The Start menu changes are significant, and I wrote about them last month when they were first spotted in hidden code. The menu is becoming bigger, more customizable, and more usable, with the option to see all apps immediately—and several options for how those apps are arranged on screen. If you don't want to see recommended shortcuts (to recent files, for example), these can be hidden. You can also increase the size of the pinned apps p…

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 mini laser projector, the Hisense C2 Portable Laser Projector is at its lowest price yet, according to price-tracking tools, down from $1,999.99 to $1,699.99. A compact setup for small living spaces or trips, this impressive projector boasts quality comparable to that of a high-quality TV. While it doesn’t have the same quality as pricier models like the Hisense C2 Ultra, it’s a space-saving projector for casual viewing or a lag-free gaming experience. Hisense C2 4K Mini Projector…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I used to regularly read more than 125 books a year, each meticulously logged on my Goodreads profile. I read during my commute and to wind down at night. I always had a paperback in my bag or an audiobook in my ears. Then I got a smartphone. Then I got on Twitter. Then the 2016 presidential election happened. Then there was a pandemic, and for a while I stopped commuting altogether. With every year, it seemed like there were more things to spiral about online, and less hours in the day to relax with a novel or read some stimulating non-fiction. Suddenly I found it hard to meet my much more modest reading goals, which dro…

Continuing the steady stream of news about the upcoming Switch 2 console, Nintendo has now revealed that it's improved the console's ability to find lost Joy-Con controllers. The company demonstrated this in a video posted in the Nintendo Today app, which is available on Android and iPhone. How to locate missing Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-ConsTo find your missing Switch 2 Joy-Cons, go to the home screen, open the Controllers menu, and select Search for controllers. Now, select the missing controller to start your search. If you don't have the Nintendo Today app, check out this Bluesky post to see the feature in action. A similar feature was available on the original Nintendo …

If you’re like most folks, you use your home's entryway to hang a few coats, store an unruly pile of shoes, and give you a place to drop your keys and the mail when you walk in. If you have the space, you might use it as a full-fledged mud room—a space to shed your wet coats, boots, and umbrellas before stepping into the house proper. But your entryway could be a lot more than that—especially if you live in a small space and need to make use of every inch of square footage. Just because it’s a space you and your guests pass through on the way to somewhere else doesn’t mean you can’t use it for other purposes. And you can enhance the space for the guest experience as well,…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The kitchen tends to be the heart of the home—it’s where we gather to share meals, nibble on snacks, and talk about our day. It’s also a pretty dangerous place. Aside from open flames, slippery floors, and flammable gas that is literally pumped into our homes, the innocuous little appliances that crowd our countertops can also represent real dangers. More than 150,000 people head to their local emergency room every year after an accident involving a household appliance of some sort. Small appliances might seem safe enough sitting on your kitchen counters, but they can be extremely dangerous if defective, misused, or placed…

FX's highly acclaimed hit series The Bear returns to Hulu in June for its fourth season, picking up right after the events of season three, when Carmy received the Chicago Tribune's review of his fine-dining restaurant. The main cast—Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Ayo Edebiri, to name a few—are reprising their roles in pushing The Bear forward. All 10 episodes will drop on June 25. Call Her Alex (June 10) is a Hulu original docuseries following "Call Her Daddy" podcast host Alex Cooper in preparation for her first tour with a behind-the-scenes look at the events that shaped her journey. Similarly, Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything (June 23) uses archival fo…

Last month, Google announced Veo 2, the company's latest AI video generation model. This model is currently capable of generating eight-second videos, as long as you pay for Gemini. If you pay for Google One AI Premium, you also have access to Whisk, an image generator that, via Veo 2, now lets you animate those images, too. (Free users are left out for now.) I wouldn't blame you if you assumed that whenever Google inevitably made Veo 2 free, Pixel users would get it first. After all, that's sort of Google's M.O.: Release new features first for the company's own smartphone line, before rolling them out to other devices and platforms. But with Veo 2, the company isn't doi…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. When it comes to speakers, Sonos has the best reputation and the best companion app on the market. If you're interested in seeing what the hype is all about, it's a great time to test the waters, as Sono's entry-level speaker, the Sonos Roam 2, has reached a record low price, according to price tracking tools. The portable, waterproof device is on sale for $134 (originally $179) at Amazon, part of a small Sonos sale that also includes the a discount on the larger Sonos Move 2 (also currently at its lowest price ever). …

"I'm Feeling Lucky" has been a core feature of Google Search since the company launched in 1998. Most of us, of course, choose the typical Search experience, scrolling through the various links until we find the URL we're looking for. But when you're feeling confident that your search query has a clear destination, I'm Feeling Lucky can direct you straight there. I admit, I haven't used the button much through all my years of googling. Truth be told, I hardly ever go to google.com—once browsers integrated Google Search with the address bar, I began searching directly from there. But whenever I do find myself on Google's homepage, it's nice to see I always have the option…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’re looking for a home security camera that doesn’t cost a fortune but still delivers sharp video and smart features, the TP-Link Tapo C120 might be worth a closer look. At $24.99 (down from $39.99), it undercuts a lot of competition while still offering 2K video, color night vision, and voice control via Alexa and Google Assistant. TP-Link Tapo Indoor/Outdoor Home Security Wi-Fi Camera C120 …