Setting Up Your Home Office

We may earn a commission from links on this page. “Smart” glasses have been big at CES this year, but the headset that has impressed me most is a device that helps people with central vision loss, including those who are considered “legally blind,” to see what they otherwise couldn’t. At a press event, I met a woman with macular degeneration, Liz Baker, who uses them daily—and I got to try them myself. What eSight Go is, and how it works Credit: Beth Skwarecki The device is called eSight Go. It’s a headset with little screens …

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. 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 …

When you come across an AI video on Instagram, or watch ChatGPT respond to your query, do you ever think about how that content was generated? Beyond the actual programs and prompts, generative AI takes an enormous amount of compute to support, especially as it skyrockets in popularity. As such, AI companies are looking for more power than ever, which means, of course, turning to those that make the hardware. AMD calls Helios "The world's best AI rack" During a Monday evening keynote, AMD's CEO Dr. Lisa Su showed off the hardware that will soon power everything from ChatGPT to the AI videos overwhelming your feeds. Su introduced "Helios" against a backdrop of dramatic mu…

Every year at CES, Intel and AMD announce their newest processors. This year, Intel debuted its first line of chips made with its 18a process, which stands for 18 angstroms, or under 2nm. To make that a little less nerdy, that means these chips can fit a lot of tech into a small area, which means big gains in performance. Colloquially called Panther Lake, the new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips are focused on laptops and mini-PCs. But that doesn't mean they don't put out impressive numbers. During its keynote, Intel promised "77% faster gaming performance," and for everyone actually using their PCs to do work, "60% better multithread performance." Impressively, it also sa…

There's very little privacy on the internet: Data brokers collect tons of information about you and your online activity and sell it to anyone interested in marketing to you. California residents have gained more control over their personal data than those in other states since the passage of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in 2018, and they now have a one-stop shop for requesting that their information be removed from hundreds of data brokers registered with the state (and any that do so in the future). California isn't the only state to enact stronger consumer privacy laws in recent years, but its Delete Requests and Opt-Out Platform (DROP) is the first of i…

Many people think the world is going to end in 2026. Man people think the world is going to end every year—maybe because the Bible said so, or The Simpsons said so—but this 2026-doomsday prediction seems to have a scientific basis. In a 1960 issue of Science magazine, Austrian scientist and polymath Heinz von Foerster detailed what he called the “Doomsday Equation,” a model he used to calculate the last day of civilization on earth. According to von Foerster (and probably Homer Simpson), The End is coming on Friday, November 13, 2026. Who is Heinz von Foerster?Foerster was not a crank. A pioneer in computer science, artificial intelligence, physics, biophysics, and other…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The USB-C charging port is likely to remain ubiquitous on phones for the foreseeable future—at least until the engineers at Apple figure out how to make the long-rumored portless iPhone—but this little socket is more versatile than you may have realized. Here are four other ways to put your USB-C port to use, no matter what your make and model of phone—from freeing up space on your handset to boosting your on-the-go productivity. It's almost like adding extra superpowers to your handset. Attach external storage Both iOS and Android have integr…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. As we head into 2026, many people are setting fitness goals and signing up for gym memberships. But if you have the space at home, it’s a lot more convenient to get your cardio in with an at-home treadmill and skip the crowds. While this is by no means the most advanced model on the market, the NordicTrack T Series 5 treadmill is an entry-level smart treadmill for walkers and runners, offering reliable performance and a smaller-than-average footprint. Right now, it’s 20% off at $479 (originally $599). …

If you've been following smart pet tech closely over the last couple years, you might know Pawport. I saw the company's smart pet door at the last two CES's, and was my first introduction to this specific product category. At the time, Pawport hadn't yet launched; now they have. But there's one key difference between the pet door Pawport showed off at CES 2025, and the one that eventually launched late last year. Pawport's smart pet doorIn a lot of ways, Pawport's official pet door is the product I saw last year: Pawport is made of aluminum, and is reportedly bulletproof. (The company has a model riddled with bullet holes on display). This smart door is designed to fit ov…

The HomePod is one of the most polarizing Apple devices I've ever owned. When it works, it's awesome, but if anything goes wrong, it can be a bit of a head-scratcher to troubleshoot. That's led to a bit of a mixed reception among Apple fans, but I've been buying HomePods since 2017, and know all the hacks to help make them easier or better to use. Some of these hacks are geared towards trouble-free usage, but others highlight hidden features. Let's dive right in. Ensure that the HomePod has a solid wifi connectionIn all my experience with HomePods, I've observed that the product just works a lot better when it's in a place with a strong wifi signal. For a few months, I'd …

Not to be outdone by the likes of Samsung and TLC, Amazon is joining the picture frame TV space. At CES 2026, the company announced a new line of unobtrusive smart TVs, complete with a new brand name and a redesigned FireTV OS, which will also show up on other FireTV devices. Meet the Ember Artline TV series Credit: Amazon Amazon is calling its new line of art TVs "Ember Artline." They will ship in two sizes, 55 inches and 65 inches, with pricing starting at $899 for the base model—some $200 cheaper than the list price of Samsu…

No pet owner wants to think about what might happen in the event of a fire. As a dog owner, I know I don't. But fires do happen, and pets can't follow a fire plan. Rescue Retriever wants to change that: I spoke with the company during CES' Pepcom event, and learned how they're working to make it easier for firefighters to find your pets in the event of a fire. Rescue Retriever first launched back in March of 2024, started by two brothers—one of whom is a former firefighter. The company told me that during a fire, pets tend to run to where they feel safe—maybe that's under the bed, or somewhere tucked away in a room. That makes it difficult for firefighters to locate pets …

There's something deeply satisfying about tracking your running progress in a spreadsheet you built yourself. No algorithm showing off other people's workouts, no concerns about what happens to your data if the company pivots or shuts down. Just you, your numbers, and a system designed exactly the way you want it. And when I wrote about this earlier this year, I received some truly heartwarming messages from runners who'd been thinking the same thing. So many of us runners are tired of relying on apps, and we're instead drawn to a simple, customizable spreadsheet. Why build your own spreadsheet?Sure, there's no shortage of fitness tracking apps out there. Strava, Garmin C…

Anker launched a pair of "2-in-1" earbuds under its Soundcore brand at CES 2026, and it has a unique feature: They can be worn in two ways by adjusting the ear hooks. When you want active noise cancellation, you can wear it in-ear, and when you don't, you can adjust the hooks for an open-ear design. This quirky product is called the Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro—and you can already buy it for $150, which includes a launch discount of $30. When it comes to CES announcements, I'm always wary of vaporware, aka products that are announced but never shipped. That's why I keep an eye out for products with a shorter launch window so you can actually get your hands on the things you're…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Last year, one of my New Year's resolutions was to overhaul my apartment and turn it into a cleaner, more comfortable, more organized, and more efficient space. Knowing that a messy space can negatively impact your productivity and overall mental health, I reasoned that this would actually serve the purpose of making me a more efficient, peaceful person, so I took it seriously. One major issue was quickly apparent: My kitchen is tiny, which meant it was disorganized and more or less useless when it came to its primary function, which is to facilitate my cooking. It took some creativity (and money), but I figured out what t…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The new Google Pixel Watch 4 came out in the late summer of 2025, and it's already heavily discounted. You can now get the 41mm LTE Google Pixel Watch 4 in all three colors for $349.99 (originally $449.99), the lowest price it has ever been, according to price tracking tools. It now comes with a much faster charging time, satellite SOS, dual-band GPS, and a new circular display design. Google Pixel Watch 4 (41mm, LTE, Matte Black) …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. While we’ve reviewed Anker’s Solix C800 and covered deals on the C1000—whose second-gen version even earned a Guinness World Record for being the fastest recharging portable power station in the 1,000Wh category—Anker has added another new and improved solar generator to its lineup. The brand’s newest portable power station, released in October 2025, is the Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2, and it’s currently 52% off on Amazon at $719.10 (originally $1,499). Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 Portable Power Stati…

There are a lot of apps on the market that claim to "clean up" your Mac—for a price. Some offer subscriptions, some cost a lot up front, but for the most part, they offer the same few features—wiping things like caches and logs, completely uninstalling apps, and monitoring system health. These apps all tend to be a little on the bloated side, with a lot of animations and graphics. The free, open source, Terminal-based Mole is the opposite of those applications. Running entirely from the command line, Mole couldn't possibly look less flashy, but it combines a number of different tools that can free up hard drive space on your Mac while also keeping things running smoothly.…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. My Canadian in-laws include a famous (I'm told) ice hockey star, and yet I've still spent more time engaging with hockey via the HBO Max streaming sensation Heated Rivalry than from the stands of any actual court or rink or whatever it is you call the place where people pass around their pucks. Not that I know any more about the game after watching, because frankly, that's not why we're here, nor is that what the buzz is all about. Heated Rivalry is all about the very horny relationship between Japanese-Canadian team captain Shane (Hudson Williams) and Ilya (Connor Storrie), a headstrong Russian playing for a different te…

Before this CES, I thought gaming headsets had gotten about as complex as they ever would. How many improvements can you possibly make on speakers and microphones? Well, forget all that. Apparently, the future of gaming headsets is mind-reading. In a private demo with a colleague from IGN this CES, I tested out a collaboration between HP's HyperX gaming brand and brain-computer interface company Neurable. Neurable's been at CES before, but most of its work has been in the defense and enterprise sectors. The idea behind the brand is specifically aimed at helping you nail down your focus, and now, Neurable thinks it can use that to help gamers. …

I've been a fan of XREAL for a while, but outside of people who are really into AR, it's still a lesser-known company. Lifehacker has given XREAL's glasses stellar reviews before, but in the company's new collaboration with Asus, it's aiming to really expand its market. The new ROG XREAL R1 AR glasses are the first XREAL glasses aimed specifically at gaming (although its other models aren't exactly bad for gaming), and they basically put the best gaming monitor you could ever want right on your face. Essentially, you wear these like a normal pair of sunglasses, and you get a massive 171-inch virtual TV floating in a black void right in front of you. It's an OLED, so ther…

It's easy to take this for granted, but not everyone is able to immediately look at a shooting or strategy game and find the reticle or map. Gaming UIs can get complicated, and for less-seasoned gamers, they can be pretty intimidating, too. Lenovo's new concept "AI Frame" monitor, shown off at CES 2026, aims to make some games a bit more approachable, although experts might consider it cheating. Hardware-wise, this is a normal 21:9 ultrawide gaming monitor, but it's not actually meant to be used like that. Instead, you play your game in a left-justified 16:9 rectangle that takes up most of the screen, and in the remaining space, the AI will automatically zoom in on part o…

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…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Usually, you can open a laptop screen, you can close it, and that's it. But Lenovo's newest laptop, debuting at CES 2026, can also rotate from side-to-side, open and close itself, turn into a tablet, and talk to you while doing it. That's all thanks to a small motorized hinge in between the screen and the keyboard, giving the laptop full, self-powered 360-degree movement. It's an evolution of a previous concept laptop, but now it's finally coming to market as the ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist. The idea is obviously there for a bit of a cool factor—you ca…