Setting Up Your Home Office

Three years ago, at WWDC 2022, Apple showed off its vision for the next generation of CarPlay. The sneak peak showed off a car with huge, wrap-around displays, featuring customizable widgets, a futuristic UI, and car controls built-into CarPlay. Frankly, it just looked cool. But in the years since, CarPlay has remained largely the same, other than more vehicles offering wireless CarPlay than before. I've mostly forgotten about the promised updates, especially considering that my own car doesn't have an infotainment display in the first place. But Apple surprised us this morning with its latest press release: This radical change to CarPlay, now called CarPlay Ult…

Sometimes, you need to make a couple of quick edits before you send off a photo on WhatsApp or Gmail. Perhaps you need to crop out something in the background, or enhance an image to make it clearer. If you're on Android 14 or higher, Google's new Quick Edits feature is here to help. It works kind of like editing screenshots before sharing them, but for everything in your Google Photos library. How to quickly edit photos before sharing them Credit: Khamosh Pathak To use Quick Edits, first update the Google Photos app on your An…

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 waiting for a chance to grab a MacBook without wrecking your budget, this refurbished 2020 M1 Apple MacBook Air deal is worth your time. It’s currently on sale for $499.99 on StackSocial, which is a huge drop from its original $1,499.99 price. Since it's a Grade "A" refurbished unit, it should arrive looking almost brand new, with little to no visible wear. You’re getting the 13.3-inch model in the Gold finish, with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD—pretty much the combo most people need for everyday work, casual creative projects, and light…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Two months ago, I downloaded and started using the Steppin app, which locks up your most distracting apps and forces you to trade your real-world steps for them. After just three days, I was finding it enjoyable enough to review it, but now that I've spent 68 days with the app, I'm even more impressed. While it's still only available on iOS, an Android version is available on a waitlist and not much has changed in terms of interface or use since I first reviewed it, but I've found it much easier to navigate and incorporate into my life. My social media use is definitely downThe app works by syncing with your Apple Health …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. When you think of the best wireless earbuds, it's easy to think of popular brand names like Bose and Sony, but a newer entry to the market has also made a splash. EarFun has made a name for itself by punching well above its weight class with earbuds and headphones that don’t cost nearly as much as the competition but, as I can personally attest, bring audio quality and features that even some of their pricier rivals lack. But if the value offered by EarFun’s buds wasn’t already good enough, many of its products boast solid discounts as part of Amazo…

This week, OpenAI announced its latest models: o3 and o4-mini. These are reasoning models, which break down a prompt into multiple parts that are then addressed one at a time. The goal is for the bot to “think” through a request more deeply than other models might, and arrive at a deeper, more accurate result. While there are many possible functions for OpenAI’s “most powerful” reasoning model, one use that has blown up a bit on social media is for geoguessing—the act of identifying a location by analyzing only what you can see in an image. As TechCrunch reported, users on X are posting about their experiences asking o3 to pinpoint locations from random photos, and showi…

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 compact speaker that won’t flake out on sound or durability, this refurbished Sony SRS-XB100 wireless Bluetooth speaker is worth a closer look. It's on sale right now for $34.99 at StackSocial (down from its original $59.99 price), and this Grade “A” refurbished unit arrives in like-new condition and ships free across the contiguous U.S. It’s not brand-new—those are going for around $48 on Amazon—but this version comes with barely noticeable wear, if any, and still delivers the same sound and features you'd expect. Physically…

Google announced a lot of new stuff today at I/O, but few things were more eye-watering than the company's new Google AI Ultra subscription. At $250 per month, it's by far the most expensive subscription Google has yet launched. So it makes sense it comes with everything. And I mean everything. For starters, subscribers at this tier get to use Gemini Ultra, which includes the new Veo 3 video generation model that can also generate sounds alongside video, to...some effect. This tier will also be the first to get access to the upcoming 2.5 Pro Deep Think reasoning model that Google says can "consider multiple hypotheses before responding." It also brings access to tools lik…

While soup season should should be winding down, frost is still threatening parts of the U.S. Just when I should be cracking my knuckles to make burger patties, the wind chill has me hauling out the Dutch oven to make soup. Again. If your palate is tired of the same old soup recipes, I understand—lots of salt and umami can get boring. That's why you need my trick for bringing fresh interest to tired flavors (while also prepping your palate for spring): Simply brighten them with a dose of acidity. American-style soups tend to be heavily focused on the savory, salty end of the flavor spectrum—stews, chilis, chicken noodle variations, gumbos, chowders, and creamy soups. We…

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 …

Even the most loyal Apple users will admit that the company is lagging behind when it comes to AI, with Siri's big Apple Intelligence upgrade now officially delayed (having been heavily promoted throughout last year). In a new blog post, Apple outlines some of the ways it's hoping to get back on track. One of the potential reasons for Apple's generative AI struggles may be that it prioritizes user privacy a lot more than the likes of OpenAI and Google. Apple doesn't gather any user data to train its large language models or LLMs (though it has trained its models on free text on the web), and relies heavily on synthetic data to produce AI text from prompts and from existin…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The Elgato Stream Deck sits on the desk of your favorite Twitch and YouTube streamers, just off camera. It's there, trust me. I know, because using its customizable LCD buttons is one of the easiest ways to launch and manage apps without disrupting what you're doing. In other words, what makes the Stream Deck useful for streamers also makes it a powerful productivity tool. I've been advocating using gaming peripherals for productivity for—is it already almost a decade?—and the Stream Deck takes that advice to the next level. It's is much more customizable than your typical gaming keyboard, allowing you to assign common tas…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones are down to $174.99 for a refurbished Grade “A” unit, compared to their regular $399.99 price tag (and Amazon’s current refurbished listing at $239.97). They arrive in near-mint condition, showing little to no cosmetic wear, and include a carrying case, USB-C charging cable, and a 3.5mm audio cable for wired use. You also get an aftermarket one-year warranty, which helps ease any secondhand purchase worries. Free shipping across the contiguous U.S. sweetens the pot a little more. When it comes …

Everyone works with text while on their Macs, and PopClip is a simple and effective way to speed up all your text workflows. On the surface, it's really simple. The app, also available on mobile, simply adds a small popover menu to your screen every time you select text on your Mac. By default, it gives you access to four commonly used actions: search, cut, copy, and paste. This alone is good enough for most people, but the app can do a lot more. Mobile is a bit more limited, but on Mac, you can customize the popover menu by adding or removing features, and there's a big extension directory to make this even better. With some tweaking, you can use it for relatively basic …

If you receive an email about your Social Security statement, proceed with caution: According to a new report from Malwarebytes Labs, hackers are impersonating the Social Security Administration (SSA) to trick people into installing a remote access tool and handing over full control of their devices. The SSA is no stranger to phishing scams—the Office of the Inspector General put out an alert last month warning the public of fraudulent emails purporting to include Social Security statements that in reality led to fake websites. How the Social Security phishing scam worksThe current attack is the work of a phishing group known as Molatori. It begins with an email that a…

Scammers can make good money by selling you something you can actually get for free—like government services. The Federal Trade Commission is alerting consumers to fraudulent websites that are claiming to be associated with the IRS and charging up to $300 to file paperwork for obtaining an Employer Identification Number (EIN). The EIN application is available for free on the real IRS website and requires just a few minutes to complete. An EIN, which is a corporate identifier for filing taxes, is required for anyone opening a business, estate, or nonprofit as well as those with household employees (such as a family hiring a nanny). How the EIN scam worksThe services iden…

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, and you can find more than just the usual appliances and tools on sale. There are discounts on many tech products for audiophiles as well, from Beats headphones, to the Sonos Arc Soundbar, and the beloved Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, which have dropped in price after the release of the WH-1000XM6. If you're looking for bargains on budget headphones and earbuds, I've rounded up the best ones that you can find under $100, whether you're looking for earbuds, bone conduction headsets, or open-ear, in-ear, or …

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 to bring the party with you, this refurbished JBL PartyBox On-The-Go Essential is going for $209.99 on StackSocial with free shipping within the contiguous US right now—that's almost $140 cheaper than buying it new. It’s a Grade “A” refurbished unit, which means it should arrive looking nearly new, with little to no visible wear. You’re still getting the same eye-catching RGB light panel on the front, the same booming sound signature, and even the wireless mic included, just without the brand-new price tag. Sound-wise, it’s big on …

Rideshare services are convenient, but accessing them can prove a challenge to less tech-savvy potential passengers, particularly older adults. But companies are introducing changes that make their services easier for these groups to access. Lyft Silver is a new account type that, like Women+ Connect (aimed at women and nonbinary passengers), makes it simpler and safer to hail a ride and get support when needed. Lyft Silver has several features to make rideshare services more accessible to older adults. With a Lyft Silver account, users will see a redesigned version of the app with larger fonts and simpler navigation. The app will prioritize matching Lyft Silver users wi…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you don't have a streaming stick, the Aurzen BOOM Mini 4-in-1 Smart Projector stands out for its integrated streaming capabilities with built-in Google TV that lets you choose from over 10,000+ apps, including Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and Hulu. It also offers full access to the Google ecosystem with a hands-free Google Assistant and multi-device casting. Households with children can utilize Kids Mode, which manages screen time and filters content, and HDMI inputs let you connect to other devices like gaming consoles—and it's 20% off right now. …

On Wednesday, Signal announced a new feature for the Windows version of its app. Why not include the new feature in the Mac version of the app? Because this update exclusively targets a Windows 11 feature that Signal doesn't believe is secure: Recall. Why isn't Windows Recall secure?In case you're unfamiliar, Windows Recall is an AI-powered feature Microsoft rolled out for Copilot+ PCs. Recall essentially takes screenshots of your display throughout the day, building a compendium of your PC activity. As such, you can access your Recall screenshots to search for specific actions, messages, apps, and more from your personal Windows history. It's neat in theory—instead of …

While it doesn't have quite the same prominence as ChatGPT or Google Gemini, the Claude AI bot developed by Anthropic continues to improve and innovate. Brand new Claude 4 models are now available, promising upgrades in coding, reasoning, precision, and the ability to manage long-running tasks independently. There are two new models, Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4, and Anthropic says they're both "setting new standards" for what you can expect from AI. Coding is a big focus, and the models are said to have achieved the highest scores to date on two widely used AI coding benchmarking tools, SWE-bench and Terminal-bench. Claude 4 models can actually work for hours on pro…