Setting Up Your Home Office

February is cold, wet, windy and downright inhospitable to outdoor gardening—but you know you are mere weeks from the start of spring. The irises and crocuses are beginning to emerge. Like most gardeners, this fills me with both excitement and anxiety with a capital A—am I already behind? You’re not, because February is the time to catch up. So in this, the shortest of months, you have not one, but two jobs: Wrap up all the things you’ve not yet accomplished for winter, while preparing for spring. By the time we talk next month, we’ll be deep in seeding season. Get your fruit readyWe’re at the tail end of the work that’ll determine what kind of fruit harvest you’ll have.…

Most of our apps these days continue to receive AI upgrades—whether or not we actually want them. That's no surprise from a company like Google, who is among those leading the AI charge right now. If you use Chrome, Android, or Google Workspace, you've likely dealt with Gemini in some capacity. The charge, as you might expect, continues to this day. On Tuesday, Google announced a set of new AI-powered features coming to Google Photos, for both iOS and Android users. Google doesn't yet have a definitive release date for these new features, but it seems they're rolling out soon. These are largely optional—you can keep using Photos as an image library, and avoid using the A…

Apple dropped iOS 26.1 on Monday, introducing some small but meaningful changes to iPhones. But just one day after changing how alarms work, and adding options to adjust the look of Liquid Glass, the company is back at it with another update: iOS 26.2. To be clear, iOS 26.2 is not currently available to the public. Instead, Apple is now beta testing this version of iOS, allowing developers to trial the software against their apps, and report any and all issues back to Apple. While anyone can technically download this new software, I wouldn't recommend it. iOS 26.2 is not intended for public use, and, as such, it might introduce problems on your device. If you'd like to be…

While I updated my iPhone to iOS 26 as soon as I could, I haven't yet pulled the trigger with macOS Tahoe. I love my M1 iMac, but I worry that Apple's first version of this new update isn't quite optimized for the five-year-old chip, and have been waiting to see if a future version of Tahoe performs a bit better. As it happens, that next version is well on its way—and does seem improved, at that. Apple has been beta testing macOS Tahoe 26.1 alongside iOS 26.1 since September, and it dropped the release candidates for both of the updates on Tuesday. The "RC," as the name implies, is what Apple thinks is the finished version of any given software release. Barring any major…

Google I/O 2025 was chock full of announcements. The problem is, Google isn't always clear about which features are new, which have already been released, and which are coming out in the future. While there are plenty of features to look out for on the horizon, and a number still that you've been able to use for some time, there are brand new features Google rolled out immediately after announcing them. Here are all the Google I/O features you can check out right now—though some do require you to pay. Imagen 4 Credit: Google G…

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. Sometimes, Apple hosts grand presentations to announce new products and services. Other times, the company simply drops the news on a random Wednesday morning. This Wednesday morning is one such example: Following a preview on social media, Apple has announced the M5 chip, as well as three products that will kick off this new era of Apple silicon: the M5 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pros, and Vision Pro. The M5 chip The big news that unifies all updated Apple products today is the M5 chip. As the name might…

Even as children, we in the U.S. learn that June brings good things—warmer weather, ice cream trucks, and most significantly, summer break from school. As an adult, all of those things still matter to me (substitute summer break for outdoorsy weekends), but the arrival of summer produce has crept up to the top of my June list of good things. In this monthly article, I take a look at the fruits and veggies coming into season and some incredible ways you can use them. Let’s dive into June's offerings. Why seasonal and local produce is greatLong distance shipping for out-of-season produce is convenient, but there is usually a price to pay with literal higher prices or lesse…

Cleaning is one of those necessary chores that most of us don't have much enthusiasm for. It's often demanding and tedious work, and while you're taking care of it, you do so with the knowledge that you're going to have to do it all again next week. There's some good news, though, for the cleaning-averse: Modern day tech can handle a lot of these jobs on your behalf, as smart cleaning gadgets continue to get better and better. In recent years, they've become more reliable and more effective, and you've got a host of different models to choose from. This introduction to smart cleaning technology will bring you up to date on the products that are available, and what they ca…

While I’ve known about the aquafaba (chickpea brining liquid) hack for a while, I’ve always thought of it more for folks with food allergies. Why would I, a happy egg eater, ever need to use it to replace eggs? Well, here we are. Egg prices don’t seem to be coming down anytime soon, and if you’re as reliant on the ovum as I am, you may be looking for ways to cut costs. While I’ll still be splurging on the real thing for perfect, jar-scrambled eggs, I’ll be using aquafaba for these other egg-related recipes. Chickpea liquid gets its magical binding properties from the starches that leach out of the bean and into the brine. When cooked, the water evaporates and you’re left …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. You’ve seen it at the end of hundreds of recipes: “Add salt to taste.” Whether it’s beef stew or a chocolate chip cookie, salt is a seasoning we often lean on as an inoffensive way to wake up the palate. But, like it or not, sometimes salt needs help. (Coming from a long-time salt worshiper, this is saying a lot.) For a surefire way to kickstart your tastebuds, crack open the MSG. I do it on a regular basis. What is MSG? Though the misinformation about MSG is waning, there are still plenty of folks who’ve heard (and believe) that it’s poisonous, leads to health problems, or is bad for you just because. This is incorrect. O…

Tax season is now open, and the last thing you want to do is pay money to, well, prepare your return and pay your taxes by April 15. Thankfully, more taxpayers are eligible to file their taxes for free this year thanks to the expansion of the IRS' new Direct File program alongside its long-standing (but income-capped) Free File partnerships. Here are all the ways to file your taxes for free in 2025. IRS Free FileIRS Free File is one of several free filing options provided by the IRS. With Free File, you complete your tax return using guided software via a partner site, which then e-files it with the IRS. Most commonly used federal tax forms and schedules are available t…

Screenshots are a core pillar of the smartphone experience. When you come across something you simply must share with friends, family, or followers, taking a screenshot is often the fastest way to do so. But if you recently bought a brand-new Android phone, and especially if you’re coming from an iPhone, you might have no idea how to take screenshots. Unlike iPhones, which are all made by Apple, Android phones come from many different manufacturers. You might be trying to figure out how to take a screenshot on your Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, OnePlus, Nokia, or Motorola. All are running Android, but each deals with Android in its own unique way. Luckily, screenshot sho…

If you're an Android Auto user, you may already know that setting up phone notifications while you're driving isn't as straightforward as it could be—though Google has recently made a settings tweak that should simplify things. On the one hand, you don't want to miss important messages or calls, but on the other you definitely don't want to put yourself and other road users at risk by getting distracted while driving. A careful balance is needed, and it's important to know what options are available on your phone. If you're a Pixel user, Do Not Disturb is handled by Modes, which you can find by tapping Modes in Settings. Pick Driving, and if you enable the While driving t…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon's Memorial Day sale is in full swing, featuring deals on garden, sports, beauty, home items, electronics, and more. A particular sale that stood out to me, as a deals writer who frequently reviews headphones and speakers, is the one on Beats products. While it's not uncommon to see Beats products with a good discount, it is rare to see the newest product (the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2) included in the sale. Right now, you can get the Beats Pill, Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, and the Beats Studio Buds+ for up to 41% off. All of these options are at t…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Garmin Fenix 8 $799.99 at Amazon $999.99 Save $200.00 Get Deal …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, 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. Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices an…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Most of Beats by Dr. Dre's lineup of headphones and earbuds are on sale right now. The brand has been slow to release new products since the acquisition by Apple back in 2014, but the good news is that even its newest product (the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2) are included in the sale. At the moment, you can get the Beats Studio Pro, Beats Solo 4, Beats Studio Buds, Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, and the Beats Studio Buds+ for up to 51% off. Most of these options are at or matching their lowest prices ever, according to price-tracking tools. Beats Studio Pros a…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The deals from Amazon's Big Spring Sale have been surprisingly good so far, even though the sale is not supposed to start until this Wednesday, March 25. As is the case with other big Amazon sales, I'm going to make your life a little easier and highlight all the deals as our team covers them. All of our recommended deals have been vetted using price-tracking tools, so you can trust that the sales we're talking about are actually good deals, and not just hype designed to fool you. You can read more details about the spring sale here, like what to ex…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Attention Kindle readers: Amazon may soon end support for your e-reader. Now, if you recently acquired a Kindle—recently meaning anytime in the past 10 years—you don't need to worry. But for anyone who is still rocking an older Kindle, you might be affected. The news started spreading on Tuesday, followed by a confirmation from Amazon. In a statement to PCMag, Amazon said the following: “Starting May 20, 2026, customers using Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 and earlier will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new content via the Kindle Store.” Amazon's first ever Kindle dropped back in 2007,…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Remember when two-day shipping seemed novel? "Wow—I can order this item on Amazon on Monday, and get it Wednesday? That's amazing!" Now, orders are coming next day, sometimes as early as 4 a.m. I'm all for convenience, but how much faster do deliveries really need to get? The answer, apparently, is much faster. On Tuesday, Amazon announced two new delivery options for customers in "a growing number of cities and towns:" For over 90,000 products on Amazon's store, the company will let you choose to get the item in three hours or less. For those in select areas, you'll even have the option to get it as soon as one hour. Fo…

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 Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. At its fall hardware event today, Amazon announced a new lineup of Kindle Scribe devices, less than a year after the release of the second generation of its writeable e-reader. All three of the devices sport a new design with smaller bezels and a larger 11-inch screen, but the key takeaway is that the same display tech that powers the Kindle Colorsoft is coming to the digital notebook—along with a hefty price tag. Three new Kindle Scribes are on the wayAt …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Hopefully, you're done paying off your credit card bill from October Prime Day, but regardless, Amazon is ready for another round—a Spring sale is around the corner. Here is everything you need to know about Amazon's Big Spring Sale if you're looking for some deals. What is Amazon's Big Spring Sale?Amazon's Big Spring Sale is the spring version of Prime Day, although it lasts longer and features less impressive deals. It's a seven-day sale with deals focusing on seasonal items from winter- and spring-like apparel, travel, sports, furniture, gardening, lawn, grilling, storage, and bedding supplies. And, of course, tech. Thi…

Amazon and the White House are not getting along at the moment. A report from Punchbowl News claims that Amazon had plans to disclose how tariffs are raising the price of products across the site. It seems that when you clicked on a product, you would not only see the current cost, but also the northward effect The President's tariffs had on that price tag. The move directly contradicts the notion, oft-repeated by the administration, that the costs of tariffs are paid by the countries the tariffs are levied against. Amazon showing a tariff-related price increase would make it plain as day to consumers that they are, in fact, the ones making up the difference. The W…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. You can get thousands of free e-books over the course of 2025 if you know where—and when—to look. All year long, Amazon is offering free Kindle e-books to readers, with new opportunities popping up every month. In February, Prime members can get two free Kindle e-books from Amazon's First Reads program. What is Amazon's First Reads?Amazon First Reads is a program aimed at Prime members that offers early access to new e-books across many genres, as curated by First Reads editors (one of your many Prime Member benefits). Prime members can choose to do…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The Kindle Colorsoft is Amazon's most expensive e-reader (technically, the Kindle Scribe is more of an e-note), but that doesn't automatically make it the best Kindle. In fact, if you mostly use your Kindle for novels or even black-and-white manga rather than color comics or picture books, the Colorsoft will actively make that content look worse. While I've been banging this drum about color e-readers for a while, you don't have to take my word for it: Amazon actually used to warn buyers about this too, but has since taken that warning down. As far back as February, according to a page saved by The Internet Archive, Amazon…