Setting Up Your Home Office

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Though relatively new on the Hollywood scene (its first original film was released in 2019), Apple TV+'s slate of original films has included not just charming indies, but award-winning prestige pictures. CODA was Oscar's best picture just a couple of years ago (the first film from a streaming service to claim the honor), and the streamer's movies earned it 13 nominations for 2023, even if it got nothing for 2024. (We all have off years.) Given the complexities of film financing today, you might be excused for believing that many of these movies were typical theatrical releases—but, strictly speaking, these are all Apple T…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Let's cut to the chase: I dread running in the heat. You could say I'm a big baby about it, in fact. But as long as all my favorite marathons are in the fall (Philly, NYC, Chicago), I'll be sticking to a summer training schedule. As the temperature rises and summer approaches, runners everywhere are shedding layers and adapting their gear for the heat. After six marathons, I know what it looks like to invest in proper running gear. Here's a rundown of my favorite gear that keeps me comfortable when the sun is killing all my strength and motivation to lace up and go. Lightweight, technical running shirtsWhen it comes to wa…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. A lot of the productivity techniques and organizational hacks out there claim to make work easier and more efficient, and they really can—though you have to find just the right one for you. A few methods that originated in Japan have proven especially popular—consider the Toyota-approved Kanban scheduling method—including one of my favorites: kaizen. The man who took the philosophy mainstream, Masaaki Imai, died two years ago, but left behind a legacy of productivity and efficiency we can all learn from, because this technique not only helps you get more done, but helps you do everything better. What is kaizen?In Japanes…

Is your iPhone, iPad, or Mac a little hard to use? Lucky for you, Apple has announced key accessibility features coming to all its devices later this year. These include Accessibility Reader, which makes small fonts easier to read, and Vehicle Motion Cues, which prevent motion sickness while using Apple devices in vehicles. If some of these sound familiar, it's because they may already be on one or two Apple devices, but are now set to come to others as well. While the company's already tipped its hat as to what's in the works, expect to hear more details during WWDC 2025, scheduled from June 9 to 13. That's where Apple usually unveils all of its annual operating system u…

I am someone who is borderline obsessed with monitoring my health and fitness data. I use a smart scale, a calorie- and nutrient-tracking app, smart workout equipment, and my beloved Apple Watch to create a picture of my overall physical well-being that is as complete as possible. The only time I take my Apple Watch off is when I'm dressing up to go somewhere nice and even then, it pains me deeply. Just imagine the heart rate and calorie-burning data I'm missing out on while I waltz around in my fancy dress. It's sickening. All of these apps and devices work in concert to keep tabs on my every heartbeat and footstep, but there is a notable exception. I am usually against…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Whoop’s new 5.0 hardware launched this week, along with a premium version of the device that they’re calling the MG. Along with the launch came a new upgrade policy, requiring users to pay for what many thought would be a free upgrade. The company has walked back some of the new policy, but most users will still need to pay to get the new device. Here’s what you should know. WHOOP Peak – 12-Month Membership – 5.0 Health and Fitness Wearable – 24/7 Activity and Sleep Tracker with Heart Rate, HRV, Stress Monitor, Personalized Coaching, Healthspan – 14+ Days Battery Life …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Pixel 9 is the latest series of the Google Pixel phone lineup. They were released late last summer along with the 9 Pro and Pro XL, while the budget Pixel 9a came out this April. If you're looking for the best value Pixel and arguably the best Google phone yet, according to Assistant Tech Editor Michelle Ehrhardt's review, get the 128 GB unlocked Pixel 9a for $499 with a $100 Amazon Gift Card. It's a great perk that comes along with a new Pixel already at a solid price. Google Pixel 9a …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If your TV is stuck in the past and you’ve been itching to modernize your setup without going all in on a new screen, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen) is currently $29.99, down from $49.99. It's compact—roughly the size of a flash drive—and comes with a short HDMI extender in case your TV’s ports are not easily accessible. Setup’s a breeze, though it still uses micro USB for power, which feels a little dated in 2025. But once it’s tucked behind your screen and plugged into the wall (which it should be—TV USB ports are often too weak), you can p…

Raycast on the Mac is a powerful keyboard-based launcher. It's quite popular in Mac productivity circles, and you can think of it as a customizable version of Spotlight. You can add extensions to it, use it for math, create custom shortcuts with it, search for files, and now, of course, talk to AI, using a floating window on top of anything on your Mac. Apple users have requested an iPhone version of Raycast for a long time. But things that Raycast can do on the Mac, like access the clipboard, trigger extensions, and manage windows and files, just aren't possible on the iPhone and iPad. But Raycast for iPhone is finally here after all, and it's just the beginning. Raycast…

You know how, on old TV shows, important people will have a wall of televisions so they can keep track of everything going on in the world? It's a ridiculous concept and totally impractical. It's also something you can do. TV Wall is a free website that shows nine random TV news stations from around the world. This could be useful during an election or other unfolding international event, allowing you to see how news organizations in different countries are covering things. But I'm not going to pretend this is a practical tool. It's mostly just kind of fun to play around with. Head to the site and you'll be presented with nine channels arranged in a three-by-three grid. A…

The Nintendo Switch 2 is nearly here. If you managed to preorder Nintendo's much-hyped Switch successor, you'll be able to play new games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza starting June 5. In anticipation of the Switch 2's launch, Nintendo just rolled out a big new software update for its existing lineup of Switch consoles: the original Switch, the Switch OLED, and Switch Lite. This is version 20.0.0 of the Switch's software, and if you know anything about software, round numbers usually denote major updates. Version 20.0.0 isn't groundbreaking, by any means—this isn't Nintendo's iOS 19—but there are a number of significant changes and features to note here. P…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Strava, the superstar running/cycling app, now has a subscriber-only AI feature that will predict how fast it thinks you could run a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon. The predictions use a different method from those you might see from other sources, though. For me, Strava's predictions look less accurate than the ones I get from Garmin and Runna, but the feature is too new to say for sure how accurate they will be for everybody else. How to view your race predictions in StravaRace predictions are only available to Strava premium members. That membership runs $11.99/month or $79.99/year and also gets you mapping tool…

When you buy a new home, it’s natural to get excited about wanting to move in and settle in as quickly as possible, putting off potential renovations—even the ones that will make you happier in the space—and other home projects until later. And sure, some renovations, like kitchen remodels or additions, require a lot of planning and are best scheduled when your bank account and stress levels have recovered from the home-buying process. That said, there are some home projects that are best tackled right away—because they come with a lot of disruption, take a long time to pay off on the investment, or both. Planting treesIf your property has outdoor space but no trees, th…

Growing seeds is a relatively simple process: Bury seeds in dirt, add water, heat, and light from the sun, and in most cases, something is going to sprout. The problem is, most of us conduct this process inside, because we’re trying to get a jump on the growing season. Inside, where there’s no sun, heat is hard to control, and the most your seedlings can stretch out their new little root legs is the size of the plastic cell they’re planted in. As such, it takes some practice to grow strong, resilient seedlings, and beginners make plenty of mistakes. The good news is, most of them are solvable. Not enough light …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. This will be an extremely pedantic post, and one that I am terribly sorry to have to write. I’ve been into weight lifting (two words) for a long time, but about six years ago I got into weightlifting (all one word). It turns out these are two very different things. Weightlifting, all one word, is the sport that is contested in the Olympics in which people—wearing what look like old-timey swimsuits—pick up barbells loaded with brightly colored weights. In one of the events, the snatch, the bar is lifted from the ground to overhead in one swift movement. In the other, the clean and jerk, the bar is lifted to the shoulders a…

Earlier this year, Nvidia announced its new line of 50 Series GPUs with a hot new feature in tow: "Multi Frame Generation." Building on early frame gen tech, these new GPUs allow games to create multiple video frames based on a single frame rendered the normal way. But is that a good thing? Or are these just "fake frames?" Well, it's complicated. On a very basic level, "frame generation" refers to the technique of using deep learning AI models to generate frames in between two frames of a game rendered by the GPU. Your graphics card does the more grindy work of creating "Frame One" and "Frame Three" based on 3D models, lighting, textures, etc., but then frame generation t…

Several hit Paramount+ shows are returning with new seasons in May. The seventh installment of The Chi, Lena Waithe's drama about life on the South Side of Chicago, will premiere on May 16. Original crime series Criminal Minds: Evolution (May 8) is returning for its 18th season, along with season three of medical drama SkyMed (May 15), which follows medics and pilots flying air ambulances in Northern Canada, and season 10 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (May 9). Paramount+ will also broadcast the American Music Awards (AMAs)—hosted by Jennifer Lopez—on May 26, along with a live studio show hosted by football star David Beckham. Beckham & Friends Live is an …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Streaming services have basically come full circle: What started as a cheap alternative to cable TV has become an expensive monthly cost in its own right, as price hikes and crackdowns on password sharing have made subscribing to multiple streaming services just as expensive, if not more so, than some conventional cable plans. Luckily, there are often discounts, deals, and loopholes to exploit that can make streaming more affordable—and sometimes even free. Here are the best streaming deals you can get right now. This month's best streaming deal …

Until now, Xbox Game Pass has been sorely lacking in retro games. There are no titles for the original Xbox on the service, and only a scant few Xbox 360 games. There are a few games from earlier eras, like Goldeneye 007, but even those are rereleases. Since most older games don’t get that kind of treatment, they’re ultimately still few and far between on Xbox Game Pass. But now, finally, Microsoft is doing something to address this gap, bringing a new “Retro Classics” collection to its subscribers. While Activision might be better known these days for Call of Duty, back in the ‘80s, it got its start developing games for Atari consoles. When Microsoft’s merger with Activi…

The Switch 2 is nearly here. On June 5, those of us who were lucky enough to snag preorders will start receiving their consoles, and will be able to play new games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. Of course, Nintendo's new console isn't only compatible with Switch 2 games. It will play your original Switch games too. The thing is, it isn't as simple as with other backwards compatible consoles: The Switch 2 uses emulation to run original Switch titles, so it isn't playing those games natively. That works for the most part—Nintendo says virtually all first-party Switch games can run on Switch 2 without issue, and the same is true for most "partner" games. How…

The Hearth Helper offered a way for Hearth Display users to text or email customer service to upload a list of events on their behalf, like bulk uploading a school calendar worth of events. But as of March 19, the feature has also been integrated into the Hearth mobile app. Hearth Display, the modern family management tool that functions as a shared digital calendar and to-do list tracker, used to include a feature called "Hearth Helper" directly in the 27-inch tablet. When I reviewed the Hearth Display to see if the device was worth the hype (and the $699 price tag, often on sale for $599), I found the feature odd. You might assume that the "Helper" would be a direct lin…

It's always storm season somewhere, and recent disasters in the South and Midwest have left significant damage in their wake. Unfortunately, scammers strike when people are vulnerable. Some seemingly helpful individuals and organizations may be what the Better Business Bureau calls "storm chasers"—fraudsters who target homeowners impacted by severe weather or a natural disaster that causes damage and necessitates major repairs. How storm recovery scams workPost-storm home improvement scams can play out in a number of ways, but they usually start with an unsolicited phone call or knock on your door from a "contractor" offering to repair your home quickly and on the cheap.…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you're sick of a huge television dominating your living room, Nebula's Capsule Air TV projector will let you ditch the set while still streaming as much content as you want. The Nebula Capsule Air supports over 30,000 Google Play apps, including Netflix. It's easy to set up, features 720p resolution, and it's on sale during Amazon's Big Spring Sale for $279.99— that's 30% off the list price of $399.99. Anker Nebula Capsule Air …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. After Consumer Electronics Show (CES) brought some exciting new tech products this January, older flagship models began to drop in price, and TVs were no exception. A Pro version of The Frame TV was introduced, which made the 2024 versions drop in price. Fast forward to April, and those prices have dropped further for some of the sizes. The 43-inch The Frame from 2024 is on sale for $797.99 (originally $997.99), the lowest price it has been, according to price-tracking tools. The biggest size, the 85-inch series, is seeing a record discount of $1,80…

The beloved read-it-later app Pocket is shutting down, and Mozilla is giving current users until Oct. 8 to download saved items from their lists, archives, favorites, notes, and highlights. As of today, Pocket is no longer available in app stores or as a browser add-on, and all sign-ups and renewals have been disabled. The app will shut down for good on July 8, and transition to export-only mode. Users will have until Oct. 8 to export their saves, after which all accounts and data will be deleted. How to export your saved items from PocketTo initiate an export from Pocket, go to https://getpocket.com/export. You'll first want to ensure your account is connected to a va…