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. 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…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A basic TV can only do so much with its built-in speakers. Thin cabinets leave little room for proper drivers, so dialogue sounds flat, and action scenes lose their impact. A soundbar is the usual fix, and this Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus with subwoofer and surround speaker bundle tries to solve that problem without creeping into the price range of premium home-theater gear. Right now, the open-box bundle is $219.95 on Woot, while the same configuration is listed for $414.99 on Amazon, making the discount significant. The deal also includes free st…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon’s color e-reader, the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, is currently available for $206.99 in refurbished condition, which price trackers show is the lowest it has reached so far. A brand-new unit sells for about $279, so the discount is fairly noticeable if you are comfortable buying refurbished. This deal comes through Amazon’s refurbished program, meaning the device has already been inspected and cleared for functionality. Storage is 32GB, which is more than enough space for thousands of ebooks and a good number of audiobooks. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon's new soundbar came out this year, and it's tailored for people looking for an easy setup that is both user-friendly and affordable. Right now, the 3.1 channel Fire TV Soundbar Plus with Subwoofer combo is $289.99 (originally $374.99), the lowest price it has ever been, according to price-tracking tools. Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus with Subwoofer 3.1 channel, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, clear dialogue …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. It's a good time to shop for portable projectors, with the Nebula Capsule 3 GTV projector down to its lowest price and now the more powerful Anker Nebula Mars 3 Air going for $419.99 (originally $599.99), also its lowest price, according to price-tracking tools. Both of these projectors are portable, but the Nebula Mars 3 Air is more suitable for outdoor use. Nebula Mars 3 Air GTV Projector Brightness: 400 lumens, Native Resolution: 1080p, Max Resolution: 38…

Dark or light mode: Some people prefer one over the other all day, every day, and they're wrong. The enlightened among us know the truth: It's best to use light mode when it's light and dark mode when it's dark. That's why macOS, in the Appearance section of System Settings, offers an Auto option, which switches to dark mode at sundown. This works well enough if you're working in a room with windows, I suppose, but that's not everyone's workspace. There are all kinds of reasons you might be in a dark room during the day and a light room during the night. These are the exact situations DarkModeBuddy solves. This tiny open-source application uses the light sensors built in…

As someone who regularly switches between the Mac and PC, I really can't live without the PowerToys app on Windows. It adds little missing features that I really like on the Mac, like a Spotlight Search alternative, auto dark mode, screen awake, on-screen OCR (which lets you pull text from images), and more. But the reverse is also true. When I'm on MacOS, I start to miss the little features and commands that I've been used to Windows having for decades now (I started using Windows in school, but was only exposed to macOS when I was in college). It's the little things, like not being able to cut and paste files in Finder. And why must I accidentally open the Music app eve…

I really like the iPhone's Dynamic Island, the pill-shaped cutout near the top of the device's screen. It's an aesthetically pleasing way to check your battery percentage, record voice notes, and control music playback, among many other things. Since many MacBooks have a display notch too, you can use an app to bring an iPhone-like Dynamic Island to your laptop. Doing this makes the cutout look like a useful design feature rather than an abrupt gap in the screen, and some apps even let you move the giant volume and brightness adjustment popups to the Dynamic Island. Alcove brings the Dynamic Island to your Mac …

Notifications on the Mac show up in the top-right corner as a rule. This is fine most of the time, but on large displays you might not notice what's happening in the top-right corner if you're reading a document on the left side of the screen. Wouldn't the notifications be better in the middle, the way they show up on the iPhone and iPad? PingPlace is a free Mac application that will move your notifications to other corners or even the top center of your screen. The application lives in the menu bar and lets you choose between the four corners of the display along with the top and bottom middle. Setting the application up is easy: Just download it, drag it to your Applica…

Whether you want to quickly check where a particular city is or grab an address to share with a friend, opening a full-blown maps app sometimes feels like overkill. Mappa Mini is a free Mac app by developer Lucas Raggers that lets you do a quick search without taking up all of your attention. Just click the menu bar icon and search for any business or location. You'll see right where it is in a small pop-up, without having to load any application or website. If there are multiple matches, you'll see them all in a list—click any of them to see the location in context. This is perfect for when you quickly need to check where something is. You can get more details by clickin…

The modern internet is full of annoyances designed to make your experience worse. Sites disable copying, right-clicks, and shove all kinds of massive banners and autoplaying videos in your face, even when they hide the content you're there for. If this kind of thing bothers you, and you happen to browse on your iPhone or Mac, there is a solution: the StopTheMadness Pro app ($15). It works with Safari on your iPhone or Mac, and with Firefox and Chrome for Mac. StopTheMadness Pro is a one-stop solution to reclaiming the internet. It has so many features that it's hard to list them all in one article, but I'll highlight the ones I like the most (for context, I primarily use…

Installing software on Windows can be a pain. You'll find some things for download in the Microsoft Store, sure, but a lot of other applications require you to find the official website and download an executable. It's an annoying process, especially if you have a bunch of software you need to install all at once—a lot of waiting around and clicking "Next." Manually downloading software is also a security risk. The increasing unreliability of Google search results means it's harder to find a legitimate sources for a given app, increasing your odds of downloading malware. Linux users don't have to deal with this cumbersome process—they install software using a package mana…

To create automations using Apple's Shortcuts app on your Mac, you're dependent on Apple's support for various actions. While Shortcuts supports an array of useful actions, some aren't in the app yet, such as clearing all notifications or quitting all apps. If you want to add a few more helpful actions to your Mac automations, consider Shortcutie ($6), a powerful extension for Shortcuts that lets you execute actions Apple doesn't yet support. Shortcutie itself has no interface. Once installed, all of its actions will appear in Apple's Shortcuts app on your Mac. To access them, install the app, open Shortcuts, and select Shortcutie from the Apps tab in the right pane. The …

I'm a former Android-Mac hybrid user. Laugh all you want—we exist. I enjoy having a polished operating system on my computer and an endlessly hackable operating system on my phone, and the combination of Mac and Android gave me all of that. I only stopped using Android alongside my Mac a couple years ago, mostly because an iPhone SE was cheaper than most mid-range Android options at the time. When I think about switching back, though, I realize how much I'll miss the integrations. Using a Mac and an iPhone gives you access to all kinds of tricks. Among the ones I use the most are the shared notifications, the syncing clipboard, and the easy ways to sync files. There's als…

Are you tired of every application you open offering to install an update before you can use it? Do you wish you could take care of all those updates at once? Updatest is an application made for exactly this. I've talked about Homebrew for Mac, which is a command line tool for installing and updating Mac software. Updatest scans all the software on your computer and updates it using Homebrew, even if you didn't initially install it that way. But there's more. Many applications use an open source tool called Sparkle to offer updates, and Updatest can find and update all of them. The application can also identify applications downloaded from GitHub that have newer releases,…

Smart glasses aren't just the stuff of Hollywood anymore: You can buy a pair right now. Devices like Ray-Ban Metas come equipped with speakers, a microphone, embedded cameras, and connectivity to your smartphone—all in a package that largely looks like a normal pair of glasses. That's great for enthusiasts who want a hands-free smartphone experience when out and about, but not so great for anyone who dislikes the idea of invisible cameras everywhere. There are two sides to these privacy worries. One is the personal angle. Many of us don't want the people around us shoving their smartphone cameras in our faces when we're out in public, but at least then we'd know we're bei…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Apple’s MagSafe Duo Charger has always been a bit of a specific-use accessory, but this drop to $79 makes it easier to justify if you live inside Apple’s ecosystem. That price is the lowest tracked so far (according to online price trackers), down from its usual $129 on Amazon and below its previous low of $89. The deal is live on Woot for the next three days or until it sells out. Shipping is free for Prime members; otherwise, it’s a $6 fee, and Woot won’t ship to Alaska, Hawaii, or P.O. boxes. …

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 the right time to upgrade your Apple Watch, the Series 10 has quietly become one of the best-value picks around. It launched in September and has already dropped to $299 on Amazon—that’s $100 off the $399 sticker price. Apple Watch Series 10 GPS 42mm Smartwatch (Rose Gold, Plum Sports Loop) $299.00 at Amazon…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Apple Watch Series 8 (GPS + Cellular, 45mm) is now $329.99 on Woot, down from its original price of $749—a $419 discount available for four days or until it sells out. This model comes in a silver stainless steel case with a white band that gives it a premium look and includes a one-year Apple limited warranty. Plus, Prime members get free standard shipping (while non-Prime users pay $6); note that shipping is not available to Alaska, Hawaii, PO boxes, or APO addresses. Apple Watch Series 8 (GPS + Cellular…

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. The Apple Watch Series 9 [GPS + Cellular, 41mm] is currently going for $299.99 on Woot, which is a solid deal considering the same model starts at $399 new and about $226 refurbished on Amazon. This one’s brand-new and comes with a full one-year Apple warranty. With Prime, you also get free standard shipping (while non-Prime members are levied a $6 shipping fee), and the offer is live for four more days or until it sells out. Apple Watch Series 9 [GPS + Cellular, 41mm] …

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. A good outdoor floodlight camera is supposed to do two things: light your property and capture footage you can actually use. The Arlo Wired Floodlight Camera covers both at a fair price. It’s currently marked down to $99.99 on Amazon (regularly $149.99), and price trackers confirm this is the lowest it’s ever been. Arlo Wired Floodlight Camer…

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 build out your home security system without spending a ton at once, right now you can pick up a 2K Arlo indoor camera for less than $30—63% off the original $79.99 price. This camera is ideal if you’re looking for easy installation, smart home-enabled commands, and basic indoor surveillance. It features 2K video quality with sharp 1080p resolution and exceptional color quality, according to this PCMag review. It’s also Arlo’s only wired model, providing a continuous power supply that eliminates the need to worry about battery l…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Arlo Pro 5S 2K four-camera kit with solar panel is down to $229.99 at Woot, compared to $299.99 for the same bundle on Amazon. That price includes a full outdoor setup with four weather-resistant outdoor home security cameras, four rechargeable batteries, mounting hardware, and a solar panel with an eight-foot magnetic cable. For a full-home setup, the math works out to under $60 per camera with solar support included. Arlo Pro 5S 2K Four-Camera Kit …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Outdoor security cameras have become common, but the ones that balance good video quality with simple setup still tend to cost a fair bit. That’s why this deal is worth a look. Right now, a two-pack of Arlo Essential Spotlight Cameras is $151.29 at Woot, compared with $259.99 on Amazon for the same bundle. If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free standard shipping; otherwise, shipping costs $6. Woot doesn’t ship to Alaska, Hawaii, PO Boxes, or APO addresses. The deal is scheduled to run for a week, though it could end earlier if the cameras sell ou…