Setting Up Your Home Office

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When the cold weather arrives, there’s a tendency among homeowners to focus on the interior—namely, our personal comfort and the utility bills. That’s perfectly sensible—no one wants to shiver in their own house, and no one wants to be slammed with an enormous utility bill, either. But the exterior of your house is just as important. Heavy snow and icy buildup during extended periods of severe cold can really take a toll on your house. Snow and ice combined with melt/freeze cycles during sunny periods can do some serious (and often completely silent) damage to your home in a variety of ways, from water intrusion through y…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Zendaya is busy. Euphoria, which she produces in addition to starring in, is finally set to return for its third season on April 12, four years after our last visit to East Highland, and nearly seven since it premiered. As frustrating as these between-season breaks can be, they leave plenty of time to explore other tales of the wild lives of high schoolers. It's all relative, though: While growing up in never a picnic, there's drama, and then there's drama. These 15 streamalikes vary widely in tone and style, but they all make clear that being a young person in the 21st century is not f*cking easy. Stream the first two se…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you need a pair of basic, true wireless earbuds at a low price and don’t need features like noise cancellation, the Sony WF-C510 earbuds are worth considering. Known for their comfort and balanced sound, these affordable buds check most of the everyday features people are looking for (like Ambient Sound Mode and multipoint Bluetooth) at a fraction of the cost—and right now, Grade A refurbished Sony WF-C510 wireless earbuds is available on Woot for $34.99, which is less expensive than their lowest recorded price on Amazon, according to price-track…

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…

Phones are valuable targets. If someone can steal your device, especially if they know how to break into it, they have access to a huge amount of your sensitive data. As such, good security features can mean the difference between losing that data, or protecting it entirely—even if your phone is long gone. Google has a number of anti-theft features baked in Android, appropriately called "Theft Protection Features." While the company isn't announcing a slate of new features today, it did announced new updates to its existing Android Theft Protection features in a post on the company's Security Blog Tuesday. Here's what's new: Google's updated Theft Protection Features for …

A recent Google Pixel feature is reportedly turning on the microphone when it's not supposed to, and Google's finally acknowledged that there's a bug. Reports started as early as last September and gained traction last week, and now, Google has removed the feature on some older phones. Called "Take a Message," the buggy feature was released last year and is supposed to automatically transcribe voicemails as they're coming in, as well as detect and mark spam calls. Unfortunately, according to reports from multiple users on Reddit (as initially spotted by 9to5Google), the feature has started turning on the microphone while taking voicemails, allowing whoever is leaving you …

Big news for runners with an Apple Watch: You can now follow Strava routes directly from your wrist. Route navigation on Strava-compatible watches isn't exactly new technology—it's just been inexplicably absent from Apple's platform until now. In a Reddit post from Strava's product team, the news was welcomed by runners, cyclists, and hikers who've long wondered why their Apple Watch couldn't do what Garmin and Coros devices have offered for years. What's new with Strava's Apple Watch appThe core update here is users can now view maps directly on their Apple Watch during activities, seeing both where they're headed and how to backtrack if they take a wrong turn. For subs…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A 77-inch OLED dipping below $1,500 doesn’t happen often. Seeing it at $1,419.99 is even rarer. That price beats the lowest tracked deal for the Samsung S85F and lands well under Amazon’s current $1,597.99 listing. This Woot deal is for a factory-reconditioned unit. In exchange, you get a 90-day Samsung warranty and free standard shipping if you’re a Prime member, while non-members pay an extra $6. The deal is live for two days or until stock runs out. Samsung OLED S85F 4K Samsung Vision AI Sm…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The JBL Flip 7 is currently $84.95 at Woot, down from its usual $149.95. That undercuts the previous low of $99.95 and, according to price trackers, makes this the cheapest it has ever been. This deal runs for the next two days or until it's sold out, whichever comes first. Prime members get free standard shipping, while non-members pay $6. JBL Flip 7 speaker …

As scammers continue to find ways to impersonate known brands, users should remain wary of spam-like emails—even if they appear to come from a legitimate company address. Ars Technica has identified a scheme that abuses a Microsoft subscription feature to send phishing emails from no-reply-powerbi@microsoft.com, a real address that the company advises users to add to their allow lists. How the Microsoft Power BI scam worksUsers targeted with this scam have received emails from an address connected to Microsoft Power BI, a business analytics platform. The messages include (fake) billing receipts with large purchase amounts from services like PayPal, Norton LifeLock, and …

If you've been scrolling through your fitness algorithm lately, you might see content creators in their "soft cardio" era. This trend sounds a lot like last year's "cozy cardio," although the way I see it used is slightly different. Where "cozy" cardio is a little more about tricking yourself into working out by establishing a comfortable, maybe even luxurious ambience, "soft" cardio has a greater emphasis on the "low effort" of it all. Whatever the wording, this type of workout is simply the latest iteration of bigger trend toward low-effort cardio, promising all the benefits of exercise without the sweat, strain, or stress. But here's the thing: While soft cardio might …

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…

The Mac menu bar is a bit of a mess. Way too many applications want to put icons in the top-right corner of the screen, and most users only want to see a fraction of those. This is a particular problem on recent MacBooks, where the camera notch blacks out a chunk of space right in the middle of the menu bar. This is why applications for cleaning up the Mac menu bar are so popular—the clutter can feel overwhelming. Here's the thing, though: You probably don't need to leave applications like that running constantly. You can hide icons in macOS' Settings, then use a free tool once to move all the icons closer together. Here's how. How to hide icons in Mac System SettingsTaho…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Surround sound systems are not cheap, especially if you want to go for flagship options like Bose, Sonos, or JBL. However, one brand offers a complete surround sound system that is still on-par with the rest as far as quality, but offers a much better bang for your buck—that's Samsung's HW-Q990F/ZC, and right now it's 58% off on Woot for a new system. You can get it for $847.99 (originally $1,997.99), the lowest price I've seen it on sale. Samsung HW-Q990F/ZC Soundbar …

Moltbot (formerly known as Clawdbot) is the most viral AI product I've seen in a while. The personal AI assistant runs locally and connects via a chat app, like WhatsApp or iMessage. Once you give Moltbot access to your entire device, it can do things on that device for you. This the sort of thing that excites agentic AI pioneers, but worries privacy and security enthusiasts like myself. And indeed, I have significant concerns about the risks installing Moltbot on your personal machine. Since agentic AI will autonomously perform tasks based on prompts, bad actors can take advantage of the situation by surreptitiously feeding those bots malicious prompts of their own. Thi…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The 2026 Winter Olympics will kick off in Milano Cortina, Italy, beginning on Friday, Feb. 6. With more than 3,200 hours of winter sports coverage spread across broadcast, cable, and digital streaming platforms, finding what you want to watch can feel like a full-time job. So here's where and when you can watch the Olympics. Watching the Olympics is a deeply personal experience. Some love the technical precision of a perfect luge run; others dig the emotional narrative of an underdog’s journey to the podium; and some just want to catch the meme of the week as it happens. Because everyone's "perfect Olympics" is unique, I’…

If you filed a claim last year as part of the Siri class action suit against Apple, your payment is on the way. According to the settlement website, class payment distribution began on Jan. 23, and many users on Reddit report that funds have landed in their bank and payment apps over the last several days. If you see a deposit from "Lopez Voice Assistant" or some variation, it's not a scam. The settlement allowed class members to opt for payment via direct deposit (ACH) as well as electronic or paper check, which will be delivered through email or regular mail, respectively. Some class members are reporting that they received their funds via a different method than they…

On Monday, I was introduced to "Clawdbot," the latest AI craze taking over tech social media channels. Clawdbot is designed to be an agentic personal assistant. In layman's terms, that means the bot can perform tasks on your behalf: You give it full access to your computer, and it can organize your inbox, code for you, or clear your calendar (allegedly, anyway). You can also talk to it from a chat app of your choice, like WhatsApp or iMessage, rather than it's own interface. Some people are even buying Mac minis exclusively to run Clawdbot from. If you're wondering where that name came from, it takes after another AI company's product. Creator Peter Steinberger says he w…

There's so much visual stuff you can customize in Android Auto. But Android Auto's capabilities go beyond aesthetics and the apps that pop up when you turn on the car. There's a hidden shortcut switch you can enable to run an action in the car that's programmed on your phone. No matter what car you're driving, if it has Android Auto, the shortcut is there. This is the Custom Assistant Shortcut, and it's been part of Android Auto since early 2021. The feature is worth revisiting now that Gemini is slowly rolling out to replace the legacy Google Assistant on Android Auto. Gemini's natural language processing enables it to handle more complex routines, so you're not just pr…

By default, your Mac doesn't allow you to control the volume levels of individual apps, something Windows has offered for years. If your alerts from messaging apps are too loud, you can either put the Mac in do-not-disturb mode to mute those alerts, or lower the system volume, but that's it. It's not ideal, since lowering system volume also impacts media volume, which can sometimes make it hard to listen to music or hear dialogue in TV shows or movies. If you could separately toggle volume levels per app, that would be ideal. Fortunately, some third-party apps allow you to do this, and this guide highlights the best of them. FineTune: A free Mac app for per-app sound cont…

Many of us choose to upgrade our smartphones every two or three years, while others pick up the latest model every year. But just because it's the norm to swap out your smartphone on a regular basis, that doesn't mean all of us do. Smartphones can last a long time, especially if you maintain it with the occasional battery replacement. But no piece of technology lasts forever. Eventually, something gives out—even if it's just the company that makes it. Even Apple, which usually offers its iPhones a number of years of updates after their original release, drops support for new features after some time. That's why your iPhone XS can't run iOS 26: Apple drew the line here thi…

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…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Anker’s Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds just dropped to $56.99 on Amazon, their lowest price yet, according to price-trackers. Normally $99.99, these true wireless earphones have been widely praised for what they offer at this price point. PCMag even named them the best budget earphones of 2023 and gave them an Editor’s Choice badge. That alone makes this deal worth a closer look, especially if you’re looking for a sub-$60 option with solid noise cancellation and more-than-decent sound quality. …

Whether you're a smart TV veteran or are somehow just now setting your first TV with an internet connection, there's a lot to learn. Modern TVs are basically computers, complete with their own operating systems and application ecosystems. That means you can tweak them to run better.—or just the way you want them to. Here are a few tips, tricks, and hacks that every smart TV owner should be aware of. Turn off motion smoothing on your smart TVWondering why every single TV show and movie you watch on your brand new TV looks like a soap opera or a cheap community theater production? It's probably because of motion smoothing. This "feature", which is the default on far too man…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Quality power tools are an investment, and if you take proper care of them, they’ll last a long time. It’s not unheard of for someone to have a decades-old drill or a circular saw that was manufactured in a previous century. Even older cordless power tools can maintain their usefulness for a surprisingly long time if you take good care of them and observe proper battery maintenance. But power tools have seen a lot of advancement in recent years. While your old warhorses might still perform their core function well enough, if your drills, saws, and other power tools are five years old or older, it’s time to consider upgradi…