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. Like most tech products, the Apple Watch has a basic model (the SE), a mid-tier model (the Series 10), and a high-end version (the Ultra 2). But the older Series 9 offers a sweet spot for those looking for a budget mid-tier option. The Series 9 offers many high-end features at a price that's closer to the price of the SE than the Ultra 2, and cheaper than the newer Series 10. Right now, the 45mm Apple Watch Series 9 is $370.99 for the GPS and Wifi version (originally $529), currently matching its lowest price since its release, according to price-ch…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’ve been looking for a wireless outdoor camera that doesn’t need constant babysitting, the Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera (2nd Gen) bundled with a solar panel is now at its lowest-ever price (according to price trackers)—$69.99, down from $99.99. Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera $69.99 at Amazon …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Bang & Olufsen’s Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) is a speaker that packs a serious punch for its size. Normally priced at $299.99, it’s down to $139.99 on Woot for the next 13 days or until stock runs out—and if you have Amazon Prime, shipping is free. Non-Prime members will have to pay $6, but either way, it’s only available to the contiguous U.S. (no shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, or PO boxes). Bang & Olufsen’s Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) …

It turns out that getting your news from robots playing telephone with actual sources might not be the best idea. In a BBC study of OpenAI, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Perplexity’s news prowess, the news organization found that “51% of all AI answers” about news topics had “significant issues of some form.” The study involved asking each bot to answer 100 questions about the news, using BBC sources when available, with their answers then being rated by “journalists who were relevant experts in the subject of the article.” A few examples of issues include Gemini suggesting that the UK’s NHS (National Health Service) does not recommend vaping as a method for quitt…

Priority Notifications is a new Apple Intelligence feature that's rolling out with the iOS 18.4 update, which is currently in beta. It's one of the last AI features that we will see with the iOS 18 update cycle, and it goes hand-in-hand with Apple's Notifications Summary feature, though they are distinct. Perhaps because of the backlash Apple got to Notification Summaries, this feature isn't even enabled by default. You have to enable it instead. How Priority Notifications WorkLike many new Apple Intelligence features, Priority Notifications uses on-device AI processing to figure out what your most important notification is at any given point. Then, it surfaces those noti…

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 budget-friendly smart doorbell, and don't mind going the pre-owned route, this (Like New) Blink Video Doorbell is now $27.99 (down from $44.99)—its lowest price yet, according to price trackers. Prime members get free shipping, while non-Prime shoppers need to hit the $35 minimum threshold for free delivery. Like-New Blink Video Doorbell …

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 budget-friendly phone that gets the job done, the Motorola Moto G Power 5G (2024, Unlocked) is currently $179.99 (down from $299.99)—its lowest price ever, according to price-trackers. Available in midnight blue and pale lilac, this PCMag Editor’s Choice winner features a vegan leather finish, which while giving it a premium feel tends to attract dust and pet hair (so a case might be a smart investment). On the upside, the textured surface provides a secure grip, making accidental drops less likely. It also packs a side-mount…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Soundbars typically fall into two broad categories: High-end options like those from Sonos, and the cheaper options that are honestly not worth the money. There is, however, a sweet spot to be found in older models from reputable soundbar companies that were good values to begin with. That's where the Samsung HW-B650 fits, and it's currently $189.99 (originally $399.99), the lowest price it has been since its release, according to price-tracking tools. Samsung HW-B650 …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Projectors are a great option for some evening entertainment inside and outdoors (once the weather warms up a bit), but they can be a little bulky. If you're looking for a smaller projector you can take with you to a party or a friend's house, consider the Nebula Capsule 3 GTV projector, currently $379.99 (originally $499.99), the lowest price it has been according to price-tracking tools. Nebula Capsule 3 GTV Projector Resolution: 1080p, Streaming: Google …

It's hard to escape AI these days. Apple just made Apple Intelligence opt out, and Google Workspace users are now seeing big, hard-to-dismiss Gemini buttons all over their apps. The world's biggest tech companies are doing their best to sell you on a generative AI future, but even when you can't turn AI off, there are steps you can take to fight back. Even outside of Workspace, Google is one of the most egregious AI pushers around. The company has tried to push its Gemini AI in almost all of its properties, even though it's shown inaccurate search results recommending everything from eating rocks to adding glue to pizza. Even if you have no interest in AI search results, …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. While I was poking around online shopping this week, I noticed a great deal: Amazon has the Dyson V8 Plus Cordless Vacuum marked down to $349.99, a 26% discount off its normal price of $469.99. A little over a quarter off doesn't usually move me, as far as sales go, but on something as expensive as a Dyson that's a solid deal. The spring and summer get dusty and allergen-y, so a strong vacuum is always a smart upgrade to make before the sneezy season hits. Dyson V8 Plus Cordless Vacuum (Silver/Nickel) …

Usually, it’s the businesses that are behind robocalls, but if you work at a nail salon or an auto repair shop, get ready for customers to start sending hordes of AI Karens your way. Google’s latest experimental AI feature, available to those who sign up for “Ask for me” on Google Search Labs, is aiming to be a sort of personal AI secretary for you. Once enabled, it’ll pop up an “Ask for me” button under certain searches, promising to call local shops for you to help you figure out availability, service costs, and the like. Clicking the “Ask for me” button will take you to a form, where you’ll fill out, for example, the make and model of your car, what services you need, …

If you ask me, graphic design peaked in 2001 with Windows XP's bright blue taskbar and green start button. Every UI design choice since was made by cowards. OK, you might not share my passion for the Windows XP taskbar, which is fine (I guess). But maybe you miss the simple grey aesthetic of Windows 2000, or the comforting orb of Vista. Whatever your taskbar preference, you can bring it back with RetroBar, a free, open source application that replaces the taskbar in Windows 11 with something better. (It will also work if you're running an older version, including Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10.) To get started, download the application from Github. There's an i…

Some people have fully stocked bars—the rest of us make do with a rotating cast of liquors and ingredients. If that's you, Drinkable is a totally free app that tells you which cocktails you can make with the ingredients you have on hand. Even better: it works offline, perfect if you're stranded in a cabin with a well-stocked bar but no wireless signal (it happens, believe me). This application, available for iOS and Android with no ads or in-app-payments, includes a catalogue of over 150 drinks. This means you could use it to quickly look up the recipe for all of the common cocktails. To get started, install the app from Google Play or the App Store. You can start searchi…

I've tried all kinds of time-tracking apps over the years and they can be helpful, but it's easy to get bogged down in the numbers. Sometimes all you need is a little self-awareness about how long you've been on the computer, either all day or during the current session, without the burden of long-term metrics. Pandan is a totally free Mac app from indie app developer Sindre Sorhus that that does exactly that. The application mostly lives in the menu bar, telling you how long your current computing session has been. You can click the menu bar icon to see how long the previous session was and how long you've been on your computer today. …

Bluesky has steadily been replacing X (formerly Twitter) for me, but I've really missed the ability to bookmark posts for future reference. While X still has Twitter's old bookmarks feature, the only way to save a Bluesky post is to like it, since you can access a list of your liked posts on your profile page. That's not always convenient—what if you dislike something, but want to be able to find it again later, say if it's an article about bad but important news? That's where Kyst comes in. It's a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that lets you save Bluesky posts in one click. Installing Kyst and signing in …

As much as Apple keeps hyping them up, those 4K 60fps videos will chew through your iPhone's storage space like you wouldn't believe. When you get to the point where you have to choose between keeping videos of your kids and clips from that beloved once-in-a-lifetime vacation, you have a problem. But I've got a solution—not all videos need to be stored at full quality, at all times. There are many ways to go about compressing your iPhone videos, but like most things in life, the simplest option is often the best. Kompresso is a free to use, native iPhone app that uses the powerful processor on your smartphone to compress files. This means there's no need to upload or shar…

Quick Look is one of my favorite Mac features, so much so that I always use a third party app enable it on my Windows PCs as well. It allows you to preview files on your Mac without opening them. You can select any file in Finder and press the Spacebar key to preview it. This means I can press one button to quickly look at videos, listen to audio files, view images, or read documents. While this feature is great, I've always been annoyed that it doesn't work well with folders— until now. By default, Quick Look will tell you how many files are in a folder, but doesn't actually tell you which files are in it. Thankfully, a new free utlity named Folder Preview closes that ga…

The Leader Key is a popular concept in coding, and it essentially works like a hotkey. In old-school text editor VIM, a leader key is a shortcut starter, a first button to begin a special command. For example, it's similar to how you might enter the "#" key on your TV remote before pressing a code, to enter a hidden menu. Now, The Leader Key Mac app brings the same concept to your entire Mac. You press a predefined shortcut, and then a single key afterward to quickly execute a mapped action. In practice, this means you might press the Globe key and the Right Command key, then S to quickly open the Safari browser. It's similar to the default keyboard shortcuts you're prob…

There's nothing worse than opening a PDF and realizing you can't use the search function or even highlight text. This typically happens when a PDF was created by scanning a paper document—it's just a series of images. Most modern scanning software uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) so that words are both searchable and selectable but sometimes you'll run into documents where this didn't happen. In those cases, the free and open source OCRmyPDF is perfect to have around. This is a command line application that quickly converts any PDF file into a PDF/A file complete with optical character recognition, meaning you'll be able to search the text. Even better, it's compl…

Building a Spotify playlist isn't exactly difficult, but it can be tedious, especially if you want to assemble a mix with dozens or even hundreds of songs. Spotlistr is a free tool that can do the work for you—it can automatically turn any list of songs into a Spotify playlist, even if it's just in simple text format. You paste the text containing your list of songs, let the app run, check that the tool identified the right songs, and click a button. A playlist appears. Even better, Spotlistr can convert a playlist for pretty much any other music streaming service, including YouTube, Soundcloud, Reddit, and Last.fm. To get started, go to Spotlistr.com and sign in using …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’re considering a smartwatch with top-tier health tracking and rugged durability, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (Bespoke Edition) is now $249.99 (down from $329.99), its lowest price yet, according to price trackers. SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch 7 Bespoke Edition $249.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-pri…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Garmin Forerunner 955 is currently on sale during Amazon's Big Spring Sale, dropping from its original price of $499.99 to $349. This is the lowest price the watch has ever been, according to price-tracking tools. Garmin's Forerunner line includes some of the best running watches on the market right now. The price drop could bring professional-grade fitness tracker within reach of both more recreational runners who have been looking for high-performance tracking. The Garmin Forerunner 955 came out in 2022 as one of Garmin's flagship fitness watc…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A factory-reconditioned Garmin Venu 2 Plus is on sale for $259.99 on Woot for the next five days or until it sells out—whichever comes first. Garmin Venu 2 Plus $259.99 at Woot $449.00 Save $189.01 …