Setting Up Your Home Office

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Last week I ran the D.C. half-marathon alongside nearly 8,000 other runners. While I generally love running with my Garmin Forerunner 165 (which I've previously reviewed), when I strapped the watch on the morning of the race, I had some reservations. This watch has earned a reputation as a barebones beginner device—and I was worried if it would hold up when it really mattered. Would the GPS remain accurate throughout the 13.1 mile run? Would the pacing features actually help me hit my goal time? After crossing the finish line, I'm happy to report that this entry-level watch met my expectations in almost every way. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 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. Every model in the 2025 lineup of M4 MacBook Air laptops is currently marked down by $200 on Amazon, taking them to record-low prices. Of these, the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air with 16GB unified memory and 256GB SSD storage is arguably the best MacBook Air for most people, and a great buy at $799 (originally $999). 13-inch M4 MacBook Air …

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. 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. A lot of outdoor speakers will float on water or be rated IP68 waterproof, but the only one that will also float facing up and be resistant against salt water is the Soundcore Boom 3i, making it the best portable speaker for water activities. It also has plenty of useful features that make it a great outdoor speaker. Right now, you can get it for $99.99 (originally $139.99). …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 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. Walmart has jumped on the October Prime Day bandwagon in an attempt to sway you away from the biggest online sale of the fall. The main event is Amazon's two-day Prime Big Deal Days promotion, aka October Prime Day. This week, Walmart officially announced its own "Prime Day"-esque promotion, and there's some good news for those of you who balk at the idea of paying for a membership to …

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. I recently took a trip to Europe, hopping across a few countries that all spoke languages I didn't understand. As such, in order to interpret menus, signs, and packaging, I needed to translate the text back into English. While you might assume you need to use a specific translator app of choice to get this done, you really only need one thing: your iPhone's camera. I, along with all of the people I traveled with, have an iPhone, so I assumed all of us knew about this trick. To my surprise, however, nobody in…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon's Prime Day 2025 sale was its biggest ever, stretching for four days this past July—but the company is not done with your wallet yet. The fall version of the mega-sale, known as Prime Big Deal Days, is just around the corner. Here is everything you need to know to prepare for the fall's biggest sale (at least until Black Friday rolls around. What is Prime Big Deal Days?You can think of Prime Big Deal Days as fall's answer to Prime Day. It's a two-day sale with deals in virtually every category you can think of. While Prime Day is the bigger …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 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 10th-generation iPad is considered Apple’s entry-level budget tablet and was one of the best tablets on the market until the 11th-generation iPad was released. Right now, you can pick up the 256GB wifi version for the lowest price it has been since its release: $349.99, down from its listed $499 price. After looking at price-tracking tools, I can say this is the cheapest price the …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 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. Right now, the Arlo 2K Essential Indoor/Outdoor Camera (2nd Generation) is available in a three-pack at 59% off, bringing it down to $109.99 and marking its lowest price ever, according to price trackers. If you’re looking to boost your home security system and cover multiple vantage points, this is a strong option. Arlo 2K Essential Indoor/O…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 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. Samsung has made a habit of releasing a handful of phones in its Galaxy S line each year, but the Galaxy S25 Edge is something different. Announced alongside the S25, S25+, and Ultra in January, the Edge is thinnest Galaxy S phone yet. Right now, the 256GB model is marked down to $699.99 on Amazon (its lowest price ever, according to price trackers), which makes it the most affordab…

In 2023, Apple introduced the Double Tap feature for Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. This allows a user to perform common actions, like answering or starting a song, simply by quickly tapping their thumb and index finger together twice. It was an intuitive way to confirm when you wanted to do something on your watch without tapping a tiny touchscreen button, but what if you wanted to dismiss something? Now, with the release of watchOS 26, Wrist Flick is here to solve that problem. Also available on Apple Watch Series 9 (and higher) as well as Apple Watch Ultra 2 (and higher), Wrist Flick is kind of like Double Tap’s evil twin. If you get a notification you don’t like, o…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 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 Eufy Video Smart Lock E330 is a multitasking three-in-one smart home device that combines a fingerprint-scanning smart lock, a 2K HD camera, and a video doorbell. Right now, it’s 37% off at Amazon, marking its lowest price in the past few months. If you want a multipurpose smart lock with a clean, minimalist aesthetic, this gadget has been vetted by PCMag, which dubbed the best s…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I used to feel awkward and self conscious pointing a camera at myself at the gym. My thoughts went something like: I’m no selfie-obsessed influencer. What are people thinking of me? But I’ve had a change of heart: I now whip out my pocket-sized tripod to video myself at least once every workout, and my lifts are better for it. If you lift at a gym, you've probably noticed people are filming their lifts more often these days. While some of them may be obnoxious TikTokers (and we'll talk about etiquette below), there are lots of good reasons to want to document what you're doing on video. You can evaluate your effort and te…

Clicking through search results to a website comes with the risk of landing on a spoofed page that is actually a phishing scam, but so does navigating directly by typing a URL into your browser. As reported by Krebs on Security, researchers at security firm Infoblox have identified a swath of scams on lookalike and parked (or placeholder) domains. If you end up on one of these websites, you'll be directed not to the trusted page you're expecting but scam content, including scareware and other malware. Lookalike domains contain malicious contentThis scam capitalizes on you navigating directly to a website by typing the URL into your browser's address bar. If you accident…

Sometimes you need just a little bit more light during a video call, especially if you're in a dimly lit room. The latest macOS update (26.2) has a trick for this: you can use the edge of your screen as a ring light. The feature, which adds a rounded white rectangle to your screen, is called Edge Light. The rectangle takes up part of your screen but will become partially transparent if you move your mouse pointer into it, meaning you'll mostly be able to use your computer normally. You can use the feature by clicking the camera icon on the menu bar during a call and toggling on the Edge Light option. You can also adjust the brightness and the color of the edge light from …

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 …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 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. It's impressive how far TCL has been pushing the limits of QLED technology. The QM7K is its latest mid-tier QD-Mini LED smart TV and it offers great value for your money. Right now, the 65-inch QM7K is marked down 41%, bringing its price down to $877.99 (originally $1,499.99), the second lowest price it has ever been, according to price-tracking tools. The 85-inch QM6K, which is th…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Folks are finally starting to get their iPhone 17s, and now that the new phones are in the hands of people who don’t work for Apple, flaws are starting to come to light. Specifically, durability testers are saying that you might want to slap a case on your new phone. Most notably, it turns out that the iPhone 17 Pro has a major flaw with its camera bump. While the lenses themselves are fine, the edges on the raised camera “plateau” (as Apple is calling it) can apparently get scuffed just by hanging out in the same bag or pocket as household items like coins or keys. That’s according to testing by reliable YouTube reviewer …

Instead of using your usual study methods (and getting the same results you always get, for better or worse) this is the year to level up. There are plenty of great ways to review and retain material, but to use them, you have to give up your bad habits first. Here's what to avoid and what to prioritize instead. Don't just rewrite your workRewriting is fine if you’re refining and condensing your material (and you should be rewriting your notes immediately after class for better retention), but it’s not the best strategy for remembering information if you’re simply recopying everything you’ve already written over and over. The writing center at the University of North Car…

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. Not all Prime Days deals are open to just anybody. Since 2023, some of the best offers in Amazon's annual sale are invite-only—meaning you have to sign up for them in advance of the sale going live, and hope you get chosen to receive the discount. These deals have become a common fixture for Amazon's major sales, including this past summer's Prime Day. With Prime Big Deal Days 2025—the fall version of Prime Day—kicking off on Oct. 7, you can expect to see mo…

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. To take the best notes in class, you need a system. There are a lot of great note-taking techniques that can help you identify the key elements of any lesson and organize them in a way that will help you study—but one of the best ways to actually learn and retain what the notes say is by color-coding. It's easy and even kind of fun to work this technique into your existing study structure, so here's what to do. How color-coding your notes helps you studyUsing color can improve the performance of your memo…

In the beginning, WhatsApp users could not protect their chat backups with encryption—while all communications were encrypted end-to-end, backups weren't afforded the same protection. Since 2021, however, WhatsApp has offered two ways for users to encrypt these backups: a standard password, or a 64-digit encryption key. There are security issues with both of these methods. Passwords can be secure, but let's be real, many of us use very simple passwords that are easy to remember, and, in some cases, we even repeat passwords from account to account to make things easier on our brains. If your password for WhatsApp backups is the same password you use for your email, and th…

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. One of the best ways to retain knowledge when studying for a test is to maintain a particularly strict study schedule. The technique is called “distributed practice,” and I won't pretend it is easy to set up, but it's much more efficient than trying to cram. Here's what to do so you actually remember what you're supposed to be learning. What is distributed practice?Distributed practice, like a number of the most common study techniques you can try, has its roots in the work of Hermann Ebbinghaus, a Germa…