Setting Up Your Home Office

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Since its release 2023, the Boox Palma e-reader—and its successor, the Palma 2—has sown confusion. It's the same size and shape as a cell phone and it has an e-ink screen, but it isn't an e-ink phone, because it doesn't have a SIM card slot or eSIM. Well, today Boox's parent company, the Chinese device-maker Onyx International, announced the new Palma 2 Pro, and things aren't getting any less opaque. As I wrote about last month when the new device was first rumored, the Palma 2 Pro does have a SIM card slot, but it still isn't really a phone—while it can handle mobile data (meaning browsing the internet, streaming video, r…

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. The internet isn't private, but that doesn't mean you have to willingly give up all of your information to use it. By default, trackers steal a lot of your data while you browse the web, but simple settings can block a lot of those trackers from functioning. As it turns out, by updating to iOS 26, your iPhone gets an upgraded tool against tracking. The feature, called Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection, is an option in Safari that hides certain browser and device data trackers typically use to b…

Black Friday—once simply known as "the day after Thanksgiving"—has become a quasi-holiday in the United States, one marked by consumer discounts, ceaseless shopping, and occasional violence. Black Friday has grown and metastasized so much that it isn't a mere day anymore: It's a week, a month, a veritable state of mind. (Speaking of which, check out Lifehacker's Black Friday coverage. We got all the deals, baby!) While waking up early and shopping at physical stores on Black Friday is waning as online shopping grows, it’s still a big deal in the U.S.—it’s estimated that around 90 million Americans shopped online and 76.2 million Americans visited a brick-and-mortar store…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. While it’s not the best choice for iPhone users or most other Android phones, for those in the Samsung ecosystem with a Galaxy device, the Samsung SmartTag2 Bluetooth tracker is an effective way to find often-misplaced items. Right now, a Samsung SmartTag2 four-pack is half off at $44.99 (originally $99.99) on Woot, making it a great gift to yourself this holiday season or a stocking stuffer for family or friends. Samsung SmartTag2 Four-Pack …

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. As fall creeps toward winter, we know we’ll have to turn on the heat. But when is the right time? If you’re arguing with your partner or roommate about the thermostat, we’re happy to be able to end that argument for you. (They’ll probably never admit they’re wrong, though.) The easiest answer, which is not necessarily the correct answer, is to look for nighttime lows falling below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. That said, neither the calendar nor the weather forecast can give you very good advice here. The temperatu…

If you've ever looked into trading in your smartphone for a dumbphone, you might have stumbled across Punkt. The German-based company's MP01 and MP02 phone were purposely not "smart;" rather, they were minimalist slabs of plastic, sporting a tiny display and an array of large, physical buttons. The point of owning a Punkt device isn't to sit scrolling on your smartphone for hours on end; it's to use your phone when you need to—privately, at that. The MP03 looks like any other smartphone at firstThe company's latest phone, the MP03, flips the script a bit. While there's still a focus on privacy and minimalism, this newest device is virtually indistinguishable from other A…

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. Doing things the old-fashioned way and hand-writing your notes is better for retaining what you’ve learned, but it definitely has drawbacks that can make typing notes more appealing. Hand-written notes aren’t searchable on your phone or laptop, for example, and unlike your phone, your notebook probably won’t always be with you for a quick study session on the bus or train. That’s why you should take advantage of both methods: once you’ve written them out, …

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. When you install a major update like iOS 26, you find yourself discovering things the more you use it. You might find a new way to boost your battery life, or stop those spam calls and texts for good. For me, however, one of my favorite discoveries was a small but excellent change to group chats—which doubles as a way to discover which of your contacts have also updated to iOS 26. Typing indicators join the group chat Once people update their iPhones to iOS 26, group chats start supporting typing indicators…

A few months ago, ChatGPT got an app store of its own, which means you can access tools like Photoshop and Apple Music right inside the ChatGPT prompt box. Now Malwarebytes has joined the ChatGPT app store, which means you can get some expert help when investigating web links, emails, text messages, domains, and phone numbers you think might be suspicious. The app is free to use for everyone, whether or not they're signed up to a paid ChatGPT subscription, and you can enable the tool via the ChatGPT app store or by entering the prompt "Malwarebytes, is this a scam?" Once you've used the app for the first time, you can access it again via the + (plus) button on the prompt …

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 my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. Meta seems to have inadvertently revealed its full line-up of Meta and EssilorLuxottica's smart glasses ahead of tomorrow's Meta Connect 2025 event, including the long-rumored display-style smart glasses. Yesterday, UpLoadVR posted a (since removed) video they said they'd grabbed from Meta's own YouTube channel. Check it out: This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. If the video is legit (and it sure …

I run marathons. I post about running marathons. But you won't see my sweaty face mid-stride, my pace per mile, or the unglamorous truth of what 26.2 miles does to a body. No shots of my form breaking down at mile 20, no documentation of the new insecurities that crop up when you realize your running gait is asymmetrical or your breathing sounds like a dying dog. I share the accomplishment—the medal, the bib number, maybe a scenic shot from the course—but I carefully curate out the messy reality. Is this humility? Self-protection? Or am I just bragging with plausible deniability, performing health while refusing to actually perform it? After all, isn't social media fundam…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’re a competitive gamer, OLED displays are widely recommended for their speedy pixel response times, which virtually eliminate motion blur and ghosting. The result is smoother, sharper visuals with better contrast, so you don’t have to deal with the dreaded slow-motion lag when you’re in the zone. LG’s UltraGear monitors are known for leading the charge in this area, and right now, the highly rated 27-inch LG 27GX700A-B Ultragear OLED monitor is 41% off at $473.99 (originally $799.99), taking more than $300 off the price tag. …

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. iOS 26 has been out for a few days now, and with it, a bunch of convenient little tweaks to how you use your phone. Not everything’s a keeper, and I’ve already written about how to disable the new Liquid Glass transparency effects or fix Dark Mode icons that appear tilted. Still, there are things to like about this update, even if you have to go out of your way to turn some of them on. After spending a couple nights tweaking iOS 26 to my preferences, here are my favorite new features in Apple’s latest ope…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Adding more visibility to a driveway or backyard is cheaper than you might think. The Blink Wired Floodlight Camera is currently selling for just $44.99 on Amazon, down from its usual $99.99, and price-tracking tools show that's the lowest it has ever been. It’s a wired camera, so it replaces an existing outdoor light and runs on household power. In exchange, you get a 1080p camera with a wide 143-degree field of view and dual LED floodlights that emit 2,600 lumens. Blink Wired Floodlight Camer…

The term 'Mac power user' is a bit vague and almost sounds exclusionary, but I'm here to tell you that if you regularly use your Mac, you absolutely are a power user. You don't need to exclusively be using command line tools or keyboard shortcuts to be a power user. Even though I use my Mac all day, every single day, I keep discovering new shortcuts, awesome apps I'd never heard of, or just general tips that I hadn't come across until now. So, if that sounds like you, you absolutely are a Mac power user, and I'm here to share some tips that have helped me optimize my workflow over the past few years. From setting up automation routines to save time, to a faster way to lau…

The idea of declaring “email bankruptcy”—just deleting all the emails in your inbox past a certain date—is so popular, it has its own Wikipedia entry. I can see why it's tempting to just blow everything up and start over, and the temptation goes far beyond emails: Declaring a personal bankruptcy and mass-deleting games, movies, and e-books you fear you’ll never play, watch, or read is a practice with proponents far and wide (including some of us here at Lifehacker). But declaring bankruptcy is such a drastic step. What if you tried inbox amnesty instead? What is inbox amnesty?The idea for inbox amnesty comes from Lifehacker’s health editor, Beth Skwarecki, who advocates …

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. If you think fitness trackers are just about step counting and heart rate, get with the times. This week, performance wearable Whoop announced it will integrate clinical laboratory testing directly into its ecosystem, partnering with Quest Diagnostics to launch Whoop Advanced Labs this fall. This adds to a growing trend of more and more wearables aiming to be comprehensive, one-stop health platforms. How Whoop will track bloodworkWhoop members will be able to purchase Quest's clinical laboratory testing, sc…

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 my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. The iPhone Air is a brand-new type of phone for Apple, shrinking down the iPhone’s internals into the thinnest form factor yet, at just 0.22 inches thick. Despite all that, Apple is promising up to 27 hours of video playback, which is just three hours fewer than it’s estimating for the iPhone 17. Honestly, I'm skeptical—and I’m not alone in that. Most of the phones I test don’t quite live up to their official battery life estimates, which are always done in …

Different productivity hacks work for different people, which is why there are so many of them. But if you happen to be a visual learner, there’s one in particular that might be suited for you: mind mapping. Mind maps are diagrams designed to organize information and data points that relate to each other, making everything you need to do easier to follow. They're particularly popular for students who need to visualize how the concepts they're studying link together, but they have wide applications outside the classroom. What is a mind map?A mind map isn’t just a diagram that lays out tasks. Rather, it does so in a hierarchical way, connecting things that are related and …

If you use the X app on iPhone, there’s a good chance any links you open today will look different than they did yesterday. That’s because the platform is trying to up engagement on posts with links in them, by keeping the like, comment, repost, favorite, and share buttons active in a new footer even when you click through to an outside article. When you click on a link in X, it doesn’t actually navigate away from the app, but instead uses a special version of either Chrome (on Android) or Safari (on iPhone) to open the article within X. That hasn’t changed. But what has is that, on iPhone, you’ll now continue to see interactable elements at the bottom of the page, with b…

This week's tour of the world of young people careens around like an out-of-control bullet train. Everyone's talking about a pop star with a body in his trunk, a dental trend powered by TikTok, astrology-based beauty tutorials, and a football stat hound's ultimate rabbit hole. It’s a lot to take in. Who is D4vd and why was there a body in his trunk? Everyone under a certain age is talking about the singer D4vd, and it's not because he has a new album out. On September 8, Los Angeles police discovered a body in the trunk of an abandoned Tesla registered to David Anthony Burke, the birth name of the 20-year-old musician. The body was later identified as the remains…

Here's a question you've probably never considered before: Would you buy a new iPhone if it didn't have any physical buttons? Sure, the part of the phone you interact with most is the touchscreen, so maybe it doesn't seem like such a big deal. But think about it: The side button, volume buttons, Action button, and Camera Control button would no longer click. Could you live without the clutter? While Apple sells no such iPhone, and likely won't release one next year, it very well might roll out a buttonless iPhone in 2027—at least, physically buttonless. That year will mark the 20th anniversary of the iPhone, and it'll come as no surprise that rumors suggest Apple is pla…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I just got back from CES 2026, and you can see my real-time reports on some of the best and weirdest things I saw in our CES 2026 live blog. I tried on six(!) different exoskeletons, perked up my ears whenever I heard about a new smart strap, and looked in vain for new models of familiar fitness tech like watches. Here are the biggest trends I noticed and some notes on what was conspicuously missing. I've included prices where possible; anything without a price is likely too far from market to have one yet. The number of non-Whoop smart bands just doubled …

Even in 2025, Google.com still knows how to have fun. If you tend to rely on your browser's address bar for Google Search, you might miss the company's latest "Doodle." But today, Oct. 30, if you head to the Google homepage, you'll find a Halloween-themed surprise: a fully playable PAC-MAN game, outfitted with spooky mazes and characters. The Halloween part makes sense, seeing as the holiday is tomorrow. But why PAC-MAN? As it happens, this year marks the game's 45th anniversary. For this Doodle, Google says it partnered with PAC-MAN's parent company, Bandi Namco Entertainment, to feature a celebratory PAC-MAN game on the homepage. If you're familiar with PAC-MAN, you…