Setting Up Your Home Office

We may earn a commission from links on this page. For many of us, New Year's Eve represents not just the climax of a long holiday season, but also a time to simultaneously reflect, and to look forward to what's ahead—sometimes with optimism, sometimes with sheer dread. (Lately, mostly dread.) Movies have frequently recognized the simultaneously hopeful and perilous nature of the time. It can be a period of reassessment, or renewal, or massive change. This selection of choice New Year's Eve movies reflects that range of possibilities, including everything from romance and murder, to comedy and tragedy, to wild sex and heartbreaking loneliness. When Harry Met Sally (1989) …

It’s well-established that physical clutter impairs your productivity and focus, going as far as to make you exhausted, stressed, and burnt out, which is why decluttering your workspace is key component in a lot of productivity techniques. In this day and age, though, your "workspace" isn't always (or, in some cases, even) an office or desk. Your phone and computer are your workspace. That's where you spend most of your work day looking and interacting—and when it's cluttered, you can feel discombobulated, the same as you might with a messy cubicle. It's time to stop thinking only about decluttering the physical world and make a better plan to keep the digital one in good…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If exercising more is part of your New Year’s resolution and you need earbuds that won’t slip out or die mid-session, the JBL Endurance Race 2 are worth a look at their current $49.95 price. They launched at $89.95, and online price trackers confirm this is the lowest price they’ve hit so far. JBL Endurance Race 2 ANC Sports Wireless Earbuds (Black) …

Thanks to my gig teaching spin classes, I have a front-row seat to a reliable annual phenomenon: My classes are packed for the first few weeks of the year as people make New Year's resolutions—but by mid-February, I'm back to teaching normal-sized groups of people who are grateful the "January joiners" have cleared out. I'm always sad to see the new faces go, though, because I do think it's possible to set a New Year's resolution and stick to it, even if it's not the norm. There are plenty of self-betterment goals you can set as a new year approaches, both in and out of the gym, but no matter what you endeavor to do, it's important to have an implementation strategy that…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Winter weather can be miserable, but there is one huge perk: snowball fights. Any time a deep carpet of snow gets dumped on us, you can count on a bunch of kids (or young-at-heart adults) engaging in epic snowball fights, sometimes involving surprisingly well-engineered snow forts and sophisticated tactics. This is the 21st century, however—if you’re still fighting your snowball fights with nothing but your bare hands and a sense of determination, you’re missing out. We can’t all be Buddy the Elf, shotgunning perfectly made snowballs like some sort of winter weather Terminator—but we can invest in some of the most fun snow…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you're anything like me, you spend 90% of your time using your laptop with it docked and plugged into a monitor (or two). And if you're at that point, you might be wondering why you even bother having a screen attached to your computer at all. If so, HP's got your back. Announced at this year's CES, the HP Eliteboard G1a looks like a normal keyboard on the outside, but on the inside, it's got a whole Windows PC. That's not exactly a new concept, but with the experimental days of Windows XP long behind us, it's mostly been reserved for less powerful, Linux-based single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi. That's great …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. While I was covering CES, the big consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, I gave myself a side quest: try on every exoskeleton I could find. I kept seeing them at booths and events, promising to help me walk farther without fatigue, or reach my athletic potential as I'm (judging from their marketing videos) sprinting up a mountain. I ended up testing six of them—four assisted me at the hip, one at the knee, and one at the ankle. Exoskeletons first landed on my radar as I was considering products for the Best of CES awards. I was helping to judge "age tech"—devices designed to help people as they age—and devices that assist…

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…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. On Monday, Apple released a new AirTag—but you wouldn't know that from looking at it. The new AirTag is visibly identical to the old one, despite dropping nearly five years later. But the point of this refresh wasn't to introduce a new design, or even a remarkably improved tracker. Instead, Apple added a couple subtle upgrades that benefit new buyers, without displacing existing AirTag users. There are two key improvements here: The first impacts Precision Finding, Apple's system to guide you to lost items. Your device uses its ultra wideband (UWB) chip to give you detailed directions to the location of your AirTag, inclu…

To avoid a court proceeding, Google has agreed to a $135 million class-action settlement over its data collection practices with Android. News of the settlement was first reported by Reuters. Upon approval by a judge, the settlement could see Android users in the U.S. getting up to $100 each, provided they qualify. The settlement was filed in San Jose, California on Tuesday evening, and focused on claims that Google collected unnecessary cellular data from customers even when Google apps were closed, location-sharing was disabled, and screens were locked. The lawsuit alleges that Google collected the data with the intent of "conversion," a legal term that in this case wou…

I spent last week covering the ups and downs of OpenClaw (formerly known as Moltbot, and formerly formerly known as Clawdbot), an autonomous personal AI assistant that requires you to grant full access to the device you install it on. While there was much to discuss regarding this agentic AI tool, one of the weirdest stories came late in the week: The existence of Moltbook, a social media platform intended specifically for these AI agents. Humans can visit Moltbook, but only agents can post, comment, or create new "submolts." Naturally, the internet freaked out, especially as some of the posts on Moltbook suggested the AI bots were achieving something like consciousness.…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. You've probably heard of the upstart tech brand Nothing, but if you haven't, here's a TLDR: The U.K.-based company aims to make products like cellphones and headphones that incorporate innovative features and designs, but come in at a lower price point than tech giants like Apple and Samsung. Last summer, the company released its newest smartwatch, the CMF Watch 3 Pro, which incorporates AI features powered by ChatGPT, and you can currently pick it up at a major discount. Originally $99, you can get the CMF Watch 3 Pro for $44.99 at Woot—a 65% disco…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Right now, the factory-reconditioned model of the JBL Bar 1300X is $819.99 at Woot. That’s nearly $280 off from its usual $1,099.99 price on Amazon, and even below its previous low of $899.95, according to price-trackers. The reconditioned label here means it’s been tested and cleared to work as intended, not that it’s missing parts or support. Prime members get free shipping, and availability is limited to about three weeks or until stock runs out. JBL Bar 1300X Soundbar …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. At $239, down from its usual $299, the Nothing Headphone (1) is currently at its lowest price ever, according to price trackers—and that might just be the nudge you needed if you’ve had your eye on them. Nothing Headphone (1) $239.00 at Amazon $299.00 …

Android users will soon be able to use tracking devices to coordinate lost luggage recovery directly with airlines. The feature, one of many announced as part of Google's March Pixel Drop, generates a Find Hub link for compatible trackers that can be shared with airlines to help locate bags that have gone missing transit. Apple rolled out a similar feature for AirTags in late 2024, called Share Item Location. iOS users can temporarily share the location of a Find My accessory with their airline to help find lost luggage. It's important to note that AirTags (and other tracking tags, including those compatible with Android's Find Hub) aren't real-time trackers, as they gen…

I've worked out of my basement apartment as a content creator and videographer for several years now. As a result, I’ve had to find creative and unique ways to maximize space and find effective (yet inexpensive) gear to create my videos at the highest level possible. Sometimes, that can seem pretty overwhelming, especially if you’re just getting started. But you really only need to focus on three things: audio, video, and lighting. Here's some of how I built my home studio, what I use to make videos like the one you can watch right now in this story, and how you can do the same, even in a small living space. Start with gre…

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 market for fitness bands competing with Whoop is beginning to fill out, and the latest one I’ve gotten my hands on is the Polar Loop. (I recently reviewed Amazfit’s Helio Strap and Garmin’s screenless tracker, which turned out to be a sleep-only specialty device.) My full review of the Polar Loop will have to wait until I have more data, but right away I noticed some significant physical differences between the Polar Loop and its competitors. Below is a …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. While tech companies might increasingly seem to think I want media created by AI for no specific purpose other than to fill time, all I really need is tech that automates the tedious parts of entertainment. Collecting and organizing the movies I actually want to watch, streaming music throughout the house, or creating the ambiance I need to immerse myself in a show. For actually useful home entertainment tech, here's where smart home gear can be helpful for watching TV and movies, listening to music, or playing games. Whatever your media of choice, the time you spend watching shows, listening to music, or playing games is …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. As far as tablets go, the Amazon Fire Max 11 is a well-designed crowd-pleaser with a large, vibrant display. Right now, you can get it for 38% off as part of the Amazon Fire Max 11 Productivity Bundle, which includes a keyboard case and stylus pen that transforms it into a fully functional laptop complete with essential accessories for design, studying, and everyday use. Amazon Fire Max 11 Productivity Bundle …

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. As we get closer to the big sales from Walmart, Target, and Best Buy that October Prime Day brings, early deals start popping up. Right now, you can find many early deals on Amazon and Amazon-owned brands, many of which are matching Prime Day prices (and you don't need to be a Prime Member to take advantage of them). The Active Noise Canceling (ANC) Amazon Echo Buds are one of the best…

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. Though Apple might still be struggling to keep up with its tech competitors in the AI race, one feature it rolled out ahead of companies like Google or Samsung was Notification Summaries. With Apple Intelligence, your iPhone can truncate lengthy messages and alerts into succinct summaries that are meant to be read at a glance. The idea is, rather than sift through a sea of notifications, you can simply scan your missed alerts and get up to speed quickly. In execution, however, it's been a bit of a disaster.…

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. Sora, OpenAI's TikTok for AI slop, is currently the number one free app on the iOS App Store. The app makes it possible for users to generate hyper-realistic short-form videos from simple AI prompts. If you find your TikTok or Instagram feeds to feature a few too many posts made by humans, Sora offers you a feed devoid of any manmade content: Everything you see, from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman roasting a Pikachu on the grill, to speeches from Martin Luther King Jr. about Xbox Game Pass, is entirely fabricated and…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is on October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. If you're hoping to catch the future early, you should check out these XReal One AR…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. There are tons of big-ticket items for less on sale right now. But if…