Life Style

We may earn a commission from links on this page. One of the big features Apple announced alongside the new Apple Watches is Siri AI—now available on your wrist! You need to join a waitlist to try Apple's new and improved chatbot, and since my turn just came up, I put the new on-wrist Siri through its paces. Here's how it went, and why I don't think the experience lives up to Apple's promises (yet, anyway).What devices have Siri AI? Since Siri AI requires Apple Intelligence, you’ll need a device that supports it. Those include iPhones 15 Pro and newer, and an Apple Watch that is Series 9 or newer. If you want to use Siri AI on the Apple Watch, you need both a supported watch and a supported phone—a new watch and old phone won’t do the trick. With my phone and watch bo...

Apple's latest updates are all about AI—Apple Intelligence, that is. When you update to iOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate, Apple will invite you to try Siri AI and other new Apple Intelligence features. (Assuming your iPhone supports Apple's AI features.) But whether you use the new AI-powered Siri all the time or find yourself frequently scrolling past the AI additions, Apple Intelligence is taking up space on your device—perhaps requiring more storage than you bargained for.I'll admit, I didn't think much of it when I updated my iPhone and Mac to the latest versions. I gave Siri AI a shot, adjusted Liquid Glass, and went back to doing pretty much the same things I was doing before I made the update. But once I saw headlines about how much storage Apple Intelligence actually takes up on the...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When I test smartwatches and fitness trackers, I place a particular emphasis on accuracy. Is my running pace correct? Does the device capture the ups and downs of my heart rate? I even got a VO2max lab test to check a bunch of watches' fitness scores. But one thing I never test for accuracy is calorie burn. None of my devices come close to agreeing on the number of calories they think I'm burning, and I don't expect them to. Even scientists who study the accuracy of wearables can't answer the question in a way that's useful when you're shopping for this year's devices—but we'll get into why that is below. There was a time, before Fitbits, when nobody knew quite how many calories they were burning on a daily basis. Sure...

Homebrew is the package manager you wish your Mac shipped with. Once you set it up, Homebrew lets you install and update apps quickly and securely. It launched as a command-line interface, where you would type commands into the Terminal app on your Mac to install, update, or uninstall your apps. Recently, Homebrew launched its own GUI, which makes it easier than ever to use the service. Here are 10 Homebrew hacks that you should know, great for new and legacy users alike.Try Homebrew's new GUI to discover apps Credit: Pranay Parab Once you update to Homebrew version 7.0.0 or newer, you'll notice that the service has a new GUI-enabled app for you...

A VPN conceals your IP address by routing your internet traffic through a remote server, preventing anyone surveilling the network from tracking your online activity. Theoretically, that means no one should be able to identify you when you connect to a network and browse the internet, even your ISP. In practice, though, there are plenty of gaps that hackers can exploit. A while back, Lifehacker covered browser fingerprinting, which uses hundreds of data points, like your hardware specs, operating system version, web browser, and GPU signature, to establish a shadow profile that follows you around even when your VPN is enabled. There's another way cyberattackers can intercept your data, and it involves exploiting a communication leak right inside your browser. Major browsers like Chrome, Fi...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I now have the Apple Watch Series 12 in my hands—or, rather, on my wrist—and have spent the past 24 hours putting it through as many tests as I can manage. I'm pleased with the step counting and the availability of "recovery HRV" (as opposed to the cardiac-health-focused HRV that the Apple Watch previously used) but I'm not sure if the heart rate accuracy is living up to the hype. I'll be putting this device to more rigorous tests, but here are my first thoughts. ...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Unless you're shopping from a wishlist, buying a book for a big reader is always a fraught prospect. Have they read it? Will they like it? Will they be offended at the mere suggestion that you think it's the kind of book they might like? Will you be crushed when you give them a copy of your favorite book and they never get around to reading it? Buying a gift for someone who prefers to read e-books—whether on a Kindle or one of the many excellent non-Kindle alternatives—can be much less emotionally charged: Instead of risking everything by giving them a book, just get them a cute e-reader accessory (if not a new e-reader) that they will thank you for every time they dive into a good read. A truly pocketable travel e-rea...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. This 65-inch Samsung M80H TV is currently $647.99 (originally $797.99). For anyone who wants to level up from a smaller TV without having a screen take over the entire room, 65 inches is the sweet spot; it gives you that cinematic feel for movies and gaming but is still easier to place on a media console or stand than a more massive alternative (that said, the 75-inch model is also 33% off right now). This 2026 Samsung release is an entry-level 4K smart TV with a Mini LED backlight, running on the Tizen interface and loaded with Samsung Vision AI features. It supports HDR10+ and Auto HDR Remastering, which aims to enhance older conte...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you're like me, you are paying for a ton of subscriptions you don't even remember signing up for. Let's make this the year of only having subscriptions that add to our lives. The digital services below are the best things you can subscribe to in 2026 if you want to actually improve yourself and your world, whether it's through cutting your DoorDash bill, supporting your local bookstore, or finding obscure movies to impress your friends. Best overall digital subscription of 2026: Apple One While there's no single digital service that everyone will like, Apple One comes close. Anyone with an iPhone (i.e., most phone users in the U.S.) will appreciate a single digital bundle that covers Apple Music, Apple TV+, Arcade, ...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If someone on your list needs a new smartwatch, it can be challenging to figure out which model to buy—there are more than a few on the market, all claiming to be the best at what they do. But unlike other devices, smartwatches are largely dependent on the other devices the user also owns. Once you take that into consideration, the decision becomes much easier. As such, these are the best choices for smartwatch gifts this year.Best Apple Watch gift for most people: Apple Watch SE 3 ...