Home Tech

Highly specialized computer or… cheese grater? That’s the joke that IKEA Bulgaria made recently upon the unveiling of Apple’s new $6000 Mac Pro. The luxe electronic, which debuted at the 2019 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference last week, has prompted jokes galore due to its unique design, especially from the folks at IKEA, who noticed that it kind of resembles a cheese grater.

The "offload unused apps" setting will not only maximize your phone storage, it will also help you be more mindful of which apps you’re actually using day to day.

It's better to be dirty than useless. Some cleaning methods can permanently damage your device, or maybe even render it unusable.

If you want to boost your photo game to the next level, there’s a simple way to take balanced, professional-looking iPhone pics.

Just when you thought you had the latest and greatest model of TV, a new design concept arrives on the tech scene.

With Spring Cleaning for Your Mood, we’re helping you get your housekeeping done no matter what state of mind you’re in. For 20 weekdays in April, we’ll focus on cleaning a new area of your space, with three different ways to get it done—so it’s easy to stay on track even when you’re busy, tired, or away from home. Sign up with your email now and enjoy a better space by the end of the month.

With Spring Cleaning for Your Mood, we’re helping you get your housekeeping done no matter what state of mind you’re in. For 20 weekdays in April, we’ll focus on cleaning a new area of your space, with three different ways to get it done—so it’s easy to stay on track even when you’re busy, tired, or away from home. Sign up with your email now and enjoy a better space by the end of the month.

Take away the color spectrum, and you might also be able to take away some of their siren call.

While email is a quick and convenient alternative to other forms of communication (especially if you dread phone calls), digital conversations come with their own unique inconveniences. If you’ve ever sent an email before you’re done writing it, replied all when you meant to reply to just one person, or copied your entire office on a juicy, personal email, you know exactly what we mean.

From how to use a paper towel properly to the the power of asking for what you want.

We have a step-by-step guide to get you started on a cleaner, smarter device.

There’s always that friend. You know, the one with 76 unheard voicemails, 150 unread texts, and—gulp—15,964 unread emails in her inbox. (Or maybe that “friend” is you.) Either way, keeping your inbox uncluttered or even reaching Inbox Zero can feel like impossible feats of #adulting. But digitally cleaning house doesn’t have to be your least favorite chore.

Apartment Therapy Weekend Projects is a guided program designed to help you get the happy, healthy home you’ve always wanted, one weekend at a time. Sign up now for email updates so you never miss a lesson. Nothing makes you realize you are (or have to behave like) a responsible adult quite like good old tax day.

There’s clutter that’s obviously clutter: junk mail in stacks on the counter, toys with missing or broken parts, duplicate kitchen tools that never get used. And then there are the things that seem important or that aren’t as easy to get rid of as, say, tossing in the recycling bin or loading in the car for a drop off at the donation center. These things sit in our homes and take up valuable space in our drawers and in our minds when we encounter them.

It’s tough to stay on top of paper clutter. But what to do when you’re not sure if you’ll need an old bill or letter in the future, but you’re ready to KonMari the crap out of your paperwork? If you’re an iPhone user, then we have the solution for you. Get ready to have your mind blown, because thanks to Twitter user @wildchildlula, we now know that you can actually scan your paper documents into your Notes app—eliminating the need for a hard copy.

When it comes to sleep, there’s a reason technology gets a bad rap. Excessive screen time before bed can disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm by suppressing melatonin production—which means you might be better off delaying that late-night Insta-scroll until the daylight hours (or investing in a fancy pair of blue-light blockers). But there’s one tech trend that could have the opposite effect: Apps and products that use technology to help you sleep better.

Parenting is hard. It’s also a lot of other things, but a truer three-word sentence has never been uttered. We’re all learning as we go—reading parenting books as we encounter the challenges that make us realize why we need parenting books, and spending every evening after the kids are (mercifully) in bed wondering if we’re doing it all wrong.

Physical clutter is the most in-your-face kind of clutter, and (especially in the Marie-Kondo-fueled cultural moment we’re having) the most obvious type of clutter to tackle. And yet, there’s a far less visible sort of mess that can also contribute to chaotic feelings, frenzied brains, and drained energy: digital clutter.

As if we needed another reason to buy everything on Amazon, we go and uncover a whole new hidden section of awesome offerings: a unique Amazon store that’s devoted to nothing but new and innovative products created by startups, so you’ll never get bored shopping for stuff.

They will help you reach your goals, no matter how big or small.

As a freelance writer, I spend the better portion of my week staring at screens. Add in my post-dinner social media scroll ritual and my weekly Netflix binges, and I’m pretty much a walking blue-light zombie—which isn’t necessarily a major concern, in and of itself. During the day, the wavelengths emitted from computer, TV, and phone screens can actually boost attention, reaction times, and mood.

We’ve all heard that “overcharging” your phone (aka leaving it plugged in after sufficiently charging the battery) can reduce your phone battery’s effectiveness over time. But have you ever wondered about the charger itself? With your cord plugged into the wall (behind the bed, next to the sofa) around the clock, could your charging setup be costing you money or posing a safety hazard?

Move over, Roomba. There’s a new way to terrorize, I mean, follow your furry friend’s every move when you’re not home. It’s the world’s first mobile pet camera—complete with a built-in treat dispenser. The VAVA Mobile Pet Camera claims to give pet owners increased peace of mind while helping to “end pet boredom and separation anxiety.

Bookworms rejoice: There are tons of ways to read your favorite books online for free. From old-school classics to brand-new bestsellers, the web is brimming with books you can binge read from your smart device free-of-charge. We’ve rounded up some of the best places you can find books online for free. From Amazon to the Library of Congress, check out these seven awesome websites where you can read books for nothing—from the privacy of your own sofa.

You dream of having a smart home the way others dream of having a closet full of designer shoes. The only problem? You’re on a budget, and smart home solutions are way beyond your means… Or are they? It’s true that just like designer shoes, many smart home devices and systems come with a high price tag. Truth: High-end connected appliances and kits costing thousands of dollars are nice, but they aren’t essential to creating a smart home experience.

Tell me you never hang on to useless, obsolete clutter and I’ll ask you to show me where you keep your electronics’ cords. Yes, I have one of those baskets too. I manage to wrap them up sort of nicely most of the time, but do I know what all of them are for? No. Yet I shuffle back through the nest every time I need to charge my Kindle or headphones.

Let’s be real: Keeping your tiny bathroom counter tidy, especially with little to no storage space, is no easy feat. That’s why it pays to search for easy ways to add more storage room around your bathroom sink. And believe it or not, we’ve discovered a cheap and foolproof solution for keeping some of your messiest bathroom counter clutter in check.

Have you ever longed for the ease of being able to turn lights on and off without getting up–but felt overwhelmed at the idea of figuring out how to sync smart plugs and products with your phone? This Amazon deal of the day on Etekcity outlets might be your ideal buy. Typically priced at $40, until midnight PT, you can grab them for $21.

The surest sign you’ve entered a millennial apartment isn’t the fiddle leaf fig or the Edison light bulbs (although those make great options on the Millennial Apartment bingo board), it’s the phone chargers. Now that we carry our smartphones as if they were surgically attached to our limbs, our living rooms have evolved to grow cords that emerge from outlets and tangle across the floor or creep over the backs of couches. That’s what my living room looked like, anyway.

In case you're trying to outsmart a nosy partner, or just want to make sure Amazon understands that cat lady tote was a one-time gag gift.

A few weeks ago, Kitchn wrote a story called 10 Tiny Ways to Save Money This Month. One of the tips was to download the Ibotta app, and we got a mix of feedback from you guys: Some of you said the savings were too minuscule or that your go-to groceries weren’t featured often enough, while others said they’ve earned more than $100. And some of you hadn’t heard of it at all!

Let’s be real: With all of the shoppable links and decorating inspo posts filling up our feeds, browsing Instagram usually makes us want to spend money more than save it. If your swipe-up-to-buy finger is itchy, you should add a few of these follows to your feed instead. Not only are they full of money-saving inspiration, they’ll also help you learn how to better balance and manage your bank account in the long run.

Find yourself dreaming of the ornate millwork, pocket doors, and sleeping porches of yesterday’s homes? You’ll definitely want to add these must-follow accounts to your Instagram feed. From stately Colonials, to fetching farmhouses, and everything in between, the historic homes featured on this popular account are all up for grabs if you want to make that dream house a reality.

Sir James Dyson, the ingenious inventor who gave us both the indispensable Dyson vacuums (I have two!) and those intense Dyson hand dryers, is gracing us with some new wisdom. The forward-thinker spoke to Recode about his ideas on design, devices, and which uber-common home feature will soon be a thing of the past. Speaking about the home of the future, Dyson waxed poetic when explaining how and why our houses are going to become much more than simple shelters.

My daily use of real estate apps started off as a justifiable act: my husband, Kumar, and I we were in the market for a house after receiving the news that he’d matched for a gastroenterology fellowship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At the time, we were living in New York City, paying budget-breaking rent for a tiny apartment. Thus, we figured—why not put our money into a small starter home when we move? We wanted a yard for our two little dogs to run around in.

For many of us, password management falls into that murky category of nagging things we know we should do but that seem too overwhelming to conquer. So we don’t even start. This weekend, we’re going to come up with a plan and start implementing it. We’ll gain not only the satisfaction of a put-off but necessary task crossed off our list, but also the peace of mind of knowing that our information is finally secure.

When my children were little, they had small security blankets. I learned after my first child that a light color (hers was pink) was a really, really bad idea. She took it everywhere with her, and within a few months, despite regular washings, it was a dingy pinkish gray. I’d jokingly refer to it as a biohazard. These days, most adults’ cell phones go with them even more places than a baby takes her security blanket.

From catnapping to coloring, here are 30 ways to have fun that don't require Wi-Fi.

The days are short and the world is wide, my friends—there’s so much to see out there and seemingly so little time to do it, which is perhaps why some of us (read: me) have an incurable case of wanderlust. And, hey, it’s not exactly a bad habit to have. After all, they say travel is the best teacher. Still, there will be days when you can’t afford to satiate your thirst for someplace new, and that’s OK too. There’s nothing wrong with pacing yourself!

Not content to simply take over your library, grocery, cable TV, and radio habits, Amazon wants to show you firsthand what life would look like if your home were fully kitted out with every Amazon technology product and service — or, as Gizmodo said yesterday, “a future that nobody wants.

So far, technology has introduced the world to robots that dust, vacuum and lull you to sleep. Now there’s been some major progress made in the form of a robot that assembles IKEA furniture, proving that the momentum of these multi-tasking machines and their automated functions is progressing faster than it takes to memorize the entire IKEA catalog.

Not content to just live on your countertops, Amazon now wants to become part of the family by building real-life Rosie the Robots to come live with you (and presumably collect limitless focus group data and other info on not just your purchases, but your every domestic move).

Even in today’s highly digital world, if you want to shop IKEA’s furniture and goods you still — for the most part — have to physically visit IKEA’s big blue box stores. Seems it is one of the few stores left where this is the case. That said, the world’s largest furniture retailer is looking to shake things up. Sure we’ve seen IKEA take serious steps to up their technology game before with product offerings like its Home Smart Initiative.

Is it just me or does it seem like astrology is everywhere? Not that I’m mad about it—I check about four different sites every Monday and look forward to our Home Horoscopes every month. I was talking to my friend Emily the other day, a true astrology believer, about getting back into the online dating game when she whipped out an astrology card to check on my compatibility with a guy I’d matched with.

With the recent controversy surrounding traveling with pets, it’s a fine time to be living in the technology age. Tech company Unisys has conjured up a solution that will put all pet owners at ease. Debuted during the Cargo World Congress of the International Air Transport Association held in Dallas, Texas, their new Digi-Pet gadget allows pet parents to track and communicate with their fur babies throughout their flight.

Few things are as basic and integral to the safety of a home as the humble smoke detector. Everyone has to have one and you should stay on top of making sure all of the batteries are still good and that you didn’t forget to screw it all the way back in after burning your brussel sprouts. The US Consumer Product Safety Commision recently recalled Kidde dual-sensor smoke alarms for failing to detect smoke.

Tuesday, March 20, marks the first official day of Spring! Depending on where you are in the country, it might still feel very much like Winter outside, but the equinox is, indeed, upon us, which means warmer weather can’t be too far behind (…right?). In the meantime, you can use that fresh start on the calendar to get going on some of your goals for the new season.

Tax prep can be a major drag. Along with gathering all of your W-2’s and interest statements, you have to organize a mountain of paperwork—think: receipts, expense reports, and so on—to file your taxes properly. Luckily, there are several smartphone apps designed to streamline the daunting process of preparing your taxes. From receipt organizers to mileage trackers, here are five foolproof (and totally free!) apps that will have you ready for tax season in no time.

Eager for a high-tech toilet or a coffeemaker built into your bathroom cabinet? Well you’re in luck: The 2018 HGTV Smart Home in peaceful Palmetto Bluff, SC is officially up for grabs. The home was designed by Tiffany Brooks, whom you may remember as the winner of HGTV’s Design Star show back in 2013. Tom’s Guide took a tour inside the $1.

Howdy folks! Are you ready to take a look at something that combines all of design internet’s favorite things? It’s a tiny house! That’s 3D printed! And Full! Of! Succulents! Innovative 3D printing studio Emerging Objects built the Cabinet of Curiosities with 4,500 tiles born of a 3D printer. And while the frame of the house itself isn’t 3D printed, the tiles were printed using the company’s Seed Stitch technology, a knitted ceramic wall system.

A sustainable-building startup out of Austin, Texas called ICON, unveiled at SXSW this week its 3D-printed, 650-square-foot house. There is no shortage of companies manufacturing tiny homes to be sure; some tiny homes are gorgeous quarters for those that have wanderlust, and then there are others that look as though they were beamed down from space. ICON’s new tiny home, however, might just be the closest thing to a traditional home we’ve seen yet in the tiny genre.

A team of intrepid inventors in Saskatchewan 3D-printed a camping trailer last month, making it the largest 3D print of all time. Meanwhile, here in New York, I am still have trouble printing things in landscape mode. The good folks at Create Cafe not only 3D-printed an actual camper trailer, they did it all in 230 hours. Using a custom made ERECTORBOT printer, they broke the record for largest 3D printed object with their great feat of engineering.

Power banks are key for keeping your phone alive during long days or travel, but some could cause more problems than they solve. Amazon announced a recall Monday on several of its AmazonBasics power banks. Here’s how to know if yours is one of them. AmazonBasics is the company’s in house brand that provides no-frills products without the markup. “We are voluntarily recalling six models of AmazonBasics Portable Power Banks in cooperation with the U.S.

There are comprehensive effects to bringing good design into your life. Design propels beauty, in the most obvious way. But well-designed objects also save you time (think of a work bag with perfect pockets) and make you feel in command and in control of your life (think of the boss feeling you get from toting that same perfect work bag).

We need to talk about Alexa. The Amazon virtual assistant seems to have taken a dark turn in recent days, emitting an evil-sounding laugh to some avid users, Buzzfeed reported on Monday. While it may seem harmless, imagine being curled up in bed about to doze off when a sinister laugh comes out of nowhere—not the most reassuring sound. One Twitter user was able to capture the strange laugh from Alexa on video.

Everyone seems to be talking about “kids these days” and their addiction to technology. Yet, where’s the accountability for adults? With many of us checking our phones up to 85 times a day, it feels like we could all use a bit of an intervention. So this is exactly what I decided to do. I vowed to give up my phone for a week with just three simple rules: 1. No cell phone or social media for a week in any way. 2. No cheating. 3. Seriously, no cheating.

Televisions bring so much beauty into our lives — the natural wonders of Planet Earth, the edible masterpieces on The Great British Bakeoff, Terry Crews’ majestic strength on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the general splendor of Tahani on The Good Place — but tvs themselves are often an eyesore. Let’s explore how this wall went from functional but flat to functional and fabulous . . .

In stuff you didn’t know you needed but totally do, there’s now an Alexa-assisted board game called When in Rome. Instead of arguing over the rules with that pesky player who loves to find questionable loopholes, you’ll be able to leave the dirty work to the Amazon Echo device. Alexa is in charge of laying out the game guidelines, tracking scores and keeping players in line (that means you, cheaters).

Last year IKEA announced their upcoming collaboration with Teenage Engineering, an über hip audio tech company, hinting at some new, future forward home tech coming our way. Last week the blue and yellow giant posted a sneak peek on Instagram, and the colaboration looks pretty cool. “We know that for younger people spontaneity is key.

Things cats love: boxes, sunshine and destroying your privacy online. In an effort to raise awareness as to just how much information we’re giving away on the internet, Florida State University professor Owen Mundy put together IKnowWhereYourCatLives.com. Mundy told THV11 that he was inspired to create the website after taking a photo of his daughter and posting it online.

Thanks to the abundance of streaming services these days, we’re able to watch (and re-watch, and re-watch) our favorite TV shows, regardless of how long they’ve been off the air. Aside from making us feel all warm and fuzzy inside, being able to watch shows from the past also gives us a glimpse into what life was like during its original run. Pressing play on a classic show can be like opening up a time capsule—especially when it comes to technology.

A few weeks ago, when I saw a promotion for a year of grocery deliveries for $49, I signed up for Shipt, and so far I love it. Both of the deliveries I’ve received so far were perfect. My shoppers were communicative, accurate, and on time. And ordering groceries online forced me to meal plan. I saved money, and I certainly saved energy; having someone else do my shopping while I worked made me feel on top of it and efficient.

Did you grow up in a coaster house? If so, you are probably familiar with the shock, awe, and terror of discovering a rogue water ring on a wood table. Well, now you can have all of the old timey annoyance but from a cool futuristic source. According to Gizmodo, the new Apple HomePod is leaving a trail of stains in its sleekly designed wake. Apple’s HomePod sounds excellent, but its can feel limited next to other smart speakers—Oh, and also it leaves white rings on wood surfaces.

When it comes to Valentine’s Day, there is a roster of expected gifts for your significant other: flowers, chocolates, a fancy dinner out. But sometimes, the best gifts are the most practical, and when you’ve been together a while, the best V-Day gift might not be sexy as it is problem-solving. That is, if you and your sweetie are even acknowledging February 14 as anything more than just a Wednesday.

Sorry, creepers: Instagram is once again “borrowing” a feature from Snapchat. The photo app is reportedly testing a screenshot alert notification for Stories, so you can no longer save photos undetected. The feature was reported yesterday by TechCrunch when people took to social media to share the new feature. Good bye freedom to screenshot IG stories. ? Thank you, Instagram for the warning. pic.twitter.

We hear a lot of buzz about what the future of a particular type of home design will look like. Sleek, plugged in and tech forward, the sexy smart home of the future is on its way. But what scientific advances will we make in the world of affordable housing? Christopher Maurer of Redhouse Studio, an architecture and humanitarian design firm, is investigating just that.

Relatable model/cookbook author/TV show host/best friend in my head Chrissy Teigen picked a very public bone with her husband John Legend on Twitter Wednesday evening. This three-part saga takes a classic domestic squabble and elevates it to a hilarious level. How dare you, John? On behalf of responsible phone charger owners everywhere, how dare you. Good move, Chrissy.

Exciting news, emoji lovers. Unicode announced this week the final picks for the newest emoticon release, which will bring 157 new characters to your phone’s keyboard. For Emoji 11.0, Unicode had a plethora of possibilities to choose from, as the finalists were announced at the end of last year. Website Emojipedia has helpfully imagined what the new emojis might look like, using Apple’s familiar styling.

Last week, The New York Times announced that it is bringing augmented reality to its readers—or more specifically, its smartphone app users. This marks a big step in the world of AR as an everyday news tool, but if the technology seems familiar, it’s because of the big AR furniture-retailer boom of 2017. What is AR, exactly?

In Amazon’s Super Bowl ad, Alexa loses her voice, but that wasn’t the only thing that was missing from the funny spot. The retailer said that their Echoes and other Alexa-enabled devices wouldn’t be triggered by the ad. In the 90 second ad, some famous faces and their voices step in for the virtual assistant. Stars Gordon Ramsay, Cardi B, Rebel Wilson, and Anthony Hopkins give hilarious and questionable responses to Alexa requests.

Resisting the urge to swipe and scroll the day away is a battle many of us face and inevitably lose. Fortunately, Vienna-based designer Klemens Schillinger has done his part in trying to help us loosen the grips on our smart phones with the invention of five “substitute phones.” We know – who knew there was such a thing?

Did you grow up with a Schwan man? A jovial sounding person who would drive a truck up your street so you could pick out pre-prep meals, frozen veggies and the like? I didn’t and was always exceedingly jealous of that whole situation. But we live in the future now, and thanks to Robomart, soon I’ll be able to have the Schwan man experience, minus the human man. Founder Ali Ahmed hopes that Robomart will be the next step in the on-demand grocery store delivery game.