You Can Get These New Sony Noise-Canceling Earbuds on Sale for $65 Right Now

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Sony’s WF-C710N earbuds are on sale for just $64.99 on StackSocial right now. They're open-box models—they may arrive in repackaged materials with minor handling marks, but they’re verified to be in new condition and include a one-year third-party warranty—marked down at 50% off their full price. These are part of Sony’s newer lineup, and they focus on everyday usability rather than competing with flagship earbuds.

The Sony WF-C710N earbuds have active noise canceling with dual noise sensors, Bluetooth 5.3, and support for AAC and SBC codecs. Pairing is quick, especially with Android and Windows devices, and the multipoint connection lets you stay connected to two devices at once. In practice, that means you can switch between your phone and laptop without re-pairing every time. The listening experience is tuned for general use. The 5mm drivers lean toward a slightly bass-forward sound, but vocals stay clear enough for podcasts and calls. Sony also includes its DSEE processing, which helps improve compressed audio, so streaming tracks sound a bit fuller than they otherwise would.

Noise canceling works well for steady background sounds like traffic or fans, but it won’t completely block everything around you. When you do want to stay aware, there’s an ambient mode you can adjust, including one that focuses on voices so you can hear people without taking your earbuds out. These are built for daily wear, so comfort and convenience are a big part of the experience.

The earbuds are light, and the case is small enough to carry without a second thought. They’re also rated IPX4 for water resistance, so sweat and light splashes are not a concern. You also get around 8.5 hours of battery life with noise canceling on, and the case brings the total to roughly 30 hours (your mileage may vary depending on use). All things considered, the Sony WF-C710N earbuds are a great buy at 50% off right now.

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This Samsung Galaxy S26 Is $100 Off Right Now

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The Samsung Galaxy S26 is down to $799.99 for the 256GB unlocked version, a drop from $899.99 and its lowest price so far, according to price trackers. This is Samsung’s smallest flagship for 2026, and it leans into that idea of giving you most of the high-end experience without the size or cost of the Ultra model. The design feels familiar if you have used a Galaxy before, and is relatively compact at 6.3 inches, so it sits comfortably in one hand without feeling cramped. It also comes with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

Samsung Galaxy S26

Unlocked Android smartphone (256GB, black)

$799.99 at Amazon

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$799.99 at Amazon

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It runs Android 16 with Samsung’s One UI 8.1, and it is set to receive seven years of updates, which is still one of the longest support windows you will find on an Android phone. Performance is not a concern here—the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor for Galaxy keeps everything fast, whether you are jumping between apps, editing photos, or playing games. Plus, it has a bright and sharp display (with a 120Hz refresh rate) that holds up well outdoors. Samsung’s newer AI tools are built-in, too—you can edit photos using text prompts, clean up document scans, or get suggestions through features like Now Brief. That said, its battery life is average, with just over 15 hours of video streaming, according to this PCMag review.

The triple-camera system, with a 50MP main sensor, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP telephoto, delivers solid results in most conditions. Photos look natural, and low-light shots benefit from a brighter main sensor, though you may notice some softness compared to the Ultra model. The camera module also causes a slight wobble when the phone is placed flat, which is common but still noticeable. For most people, though, the S26 covers the basics quite well—delivering strong performance, a bright display, and capable cameras in a form factor that is easier to handle than most flagship phones.

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Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen, 2-pack, White) — $59.98 (List Price $79.99)

Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $329.00 (List Price $429.00)

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Galaxy Enhance-X Is Samsung's Best Photo and Video Editing Tool

Samsung's One UI software for its Galaxy phones comes packed with features and functionality, but there are also several official extra apps made by Samsung that don't come preinstalled on its phones—and they're well worth checking out.

I've already written about the various Good Lock plug-ins—which let you build your own keyboards and set separate volume levels for individual apps—but that's not all there is to explore when it comes to additional apps. There's also Galaxy Enhance-X, a tool for polishing and improving your photos and videos, as well as manipulating digital documents. Enhance-X can do everything from applying cinematic filters to pictures, to scanning in documents and translating them at the same time, and it's free to install and use.

It's also just been given a major revamp, with Samsung cleaning up the app's interface as well as adding some additional features. If you use a Samsung phone, you can get Enhance-X from the Galaxy Store.

Learning the basics in Enhance-X

There are now three tabs to work with in Enhance-X, part of the recent app interface revamp: Plug-ins, Home, and History. The Plug-ins tab is a good place to start, because it shows off some of the app's capabilities: Tap the download icon (the downward arrow) on FilmStyle to access nine extra filters for your pictures.

These filters and many more effects can be applied to your photos and videos from the Home tab. This tab is essentially a file picker—you can select one or more photos and videos to work with. To switch to the standard Gallery app view (complete with albums and collections), tap the flower-style icon in the top right corner.

Enhance-X comes with optional plug-ins. Credit: Lifehacker

Pick one or more images, and you can choose between Photo tools and Doc tools (for scans) at the bottom; if you're selecting videos, there's just the Video tools option. That then takes you into the full editing interface, where you can see everything Enhance-X has to offer (including the FilmStyle filters). Use the icons at the bottom of the screen to browse through the tools, which are typically one-tap enhancements that the app will configure itself. There's Colorize for adding color to black and white photos, for example; HDR for boosting dynamic range; and Fix blur for images that aren't quite sharp enough.

HDR is one of the color customization options. Credit: Lifehacker

Many of these options are useful quick fixes, but there are some fun tools as well. Tap Creative then 24-hr time lapse, and you can turn any image into a short video—nothing in the image will move, but the colors will shift as if you're seeing the picture go through a full night-and-day cycle.

Some of the tweaks available will vary depending on the type of image or video you've selected. Pick a portrait shot for example, and you get access to the Face tool—this gives you sliders for adjusting the smoothness and tone of the facial features, and you can adjust the strength of each effect individually.

Exploring more Enhance-X features

If you pick Film style filters from the Suggested tab when editing a picture, you can try out the filters we downloaded earlier. Use the thumbnails to browse between the different effects and see how they work—if you tap the small "i" button to the left you get a useful rundown of what each filter does and which types of images it works best with. Over on the video tools side, you've got options like Slow mo. This presents you with a timeline of your video, and if you press and hold at any point in that timeline, Enhance-X adds a special slow-motion effect.

The app lets you preview changes before applying them. Credit: Lifehacker

There are also simple trimming tools for your video clips, as well as a Single take section where you get to play around with effects like rebound (which creates a video that can loop infinitely) and highlights (which picks out the best parts of the video). Each effect can be previewed on screen before saving.

For documents scanned as photos, there are a host of different options. You're able to apply crops, filters (to add or remove color), text, and scribbled highlights; you can combine different scans together in one document; and you can remove any unwanted scanned elements (like fingers).

There are many different actions you can take on scanned documents. Credit: Lifehacker

Choose Add text, for example, and you get the option to drop a text box right on top of your scan, with settings for font size, style, and color. Whether you need to add annotations or correct mistakes on the original document, it's straightforward and intuitive to use, and means you don't have to call up a separate app or start editing on a desktop interface.

Head to the History tab to review all your edits and undo them if necessary. Enhance-X is something I've kept on my Galaxy phone ever since I discovered it, and it's often come in use for edits that it can do more quickly than other apps or that other apps can't do at all—including the apps that actually come with One UI.

Peloton Now Has Its Own 'Zone 2' Classes

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One million years ago (sometime before 2020), Peloton had a series of Bike classes designed around heart rate zone training. Christine D’Ercole would tell you what zone your heart rate should've been in for each part of the workout, and you’d adjust your effort accordingly. Those classes are long gone, but Peloton is dipping a toe back into the world of heart rate training with its new “Zone 2” collection. 

Peloton Exercise Cross Training Bike, Indoor Stationary Spin Bike for Home Workouts, Space-Friendly Exercise Equipment for Cardio and strength Workout & Indoor Cycling

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Peloton's collections are just groupings of existing classes, so there aren't (yet?) any classes that are designed around heart rate zones. Instead, if you tap the “Zone 2” collection on your Bike, Tread, or Row, or in the phone app, you’ll see 16 Zone 2-ish classes, including: 

• Four cycling classes, including two 60-minute Power Zone Endurance rides and two shorter Power Zone Recovery rides. 

• Eight “Tread + Outdoor” classes, about half of which are walks and half are runs. You can do these either on a treadmill, or outdoors with your phone in your pocket. 

• Four Row classes, all labeled as Endurance Row and ranging from 20 to 45 minutes. 

What it’s like to take one of Peloton's Zone 2 classes

Credit: Beth Skwarecki

I tested out one of the cycling classes—the 45-minute Power Zone Recovery Ride with pro cyclist Christian Vande Velde. Power Zone training is no relation to heart rate zones. Instead of watching your heart rate, the instructor cues you to pedal hard enough to match one of seven power zones that are based on how much mechanical power you are putting into the pedals. 

Normally, Power Zone workouts range from zone 1 to 5, with Power Zone Max classes peaking in the higher zones. Power Zone Endurance rides (PZE) are at the other end of the spectrum, with most of the class spent in zones 2 and 3. 

The two Power Zone Endurance rides in the Zone 2 collection are notable for being lower intensity than most other PZEs. Instead of bouncing between power zones 2 and 3, you’re in power zone 2 the whole time. The Power Zone Recovery rides are even easier: you bounce between power zones 1 and 2. 

I hooked up my trusty heart rate chest strap to both my Peloton Bike and to my Coros watch, and took the class. We spent the first 15 minutes in zone 1, then a few short segments in zone 2 (while standing up out of the saddle!) with long zone 1 sections between. If this doesn’t sound like much of a workout, you’re right—Christian emphasized that “this is not training. This is recovery from your training.” 

What is the purpose of Zone 2 classes on Peloton? 

Christian’s statements during the class made me wonder if people might find this type of workout to be a bait-and-switch. If you listen to the fitness influencers, we should all be doing more—maybe all—of our cardio in heart rate zone 2. So what do you mean these classes aren’t training? 

Truthfully, I get it: Heart rate zone 2 is a pretty low intensity of exercise. It’s a great low-stress addition to your training routine, especially if you’re trying to increase the number of miles you run or hours you train. But if you’re training to get fitter, you need intensity! Heart rate zone 3 has plenty of benefits, and the VO2max-boosting Norwegian 4x4 workout does its magic in heart rate zone 4. 

I could definitely see myself reaching for the Zone 2 collection when I want a recovery day or an easier version of an endurance day. But I’d still stick with the regular PZE classes for a more standard endurance workout.

Do Peloton’s Zone 2 classes actually put you in zone 2? 

Left to right: Peloton, Coros, Garmin. All are using data from the same ride. (Coros recorded a little bit of my stretching session afterward, which is why the average HR is different on that one.) Credit: Beth Skwarecki

Besides checking out the class design and intensity level, my other reason for trying one of these classes was to see whether my heart rate actually reached, and stayed in, zone 2 while taking it. 

Coospo H6M Bluetooth/ANT+ Heart Rate Monitor

Whether it succeeded depends on whose definition of zone 2 you’re using—because apps disagree. If you connect a heart rate monitor to your Peloton equipment or app, you’ll get Peloton’s five heart rate zones, which define zone 2 as being 65% to 75% of your maximum heart rate. On the other hand, my Coros watch has six zones, with zone 2 being 50% to 60% of my max heart rate. 

For what it’s worth, my average heart rate was 122, which is around 60% of my max.

• Coros tells me I spent 39% of my time in the “warm up” zone (zone 2) and 43% in the “fat burn” zone (zone 3). 

• Peloton says I spent 65% of my time in zone 1, and 31% in zone 2. 

• If I were using a device like a Fitbit or Pixel Watch, I would have been split pretty evenly between “moderate” and “vigorous” (low and medium, in a three-zone scale). 

• If I were using an Apple Watch, I would have been split between zone 1 and zone 2. 

• Garmin is the “winner” here, in a sense—it’s the only system that has me in zone 2 for the majority (57%) of the ride, with 23% in zone 1 and 15% in zone 3. (To get those numbers, I used the Peloton-to-Garmin sync.)

Watching my heart rate on the Peloton screen (with a paired chest strap), I noticed that most of the time when I was told to pedal in power zone 1, my heart rate was near the top end of heart rate zone 1. On the intervals, I found that standing up spiked my heart rate into zone 3 pretty quickly, but that if I did the intervals while seated, my heart rate didn’t go above zone 2. In part that’s because standing up is less efficient (so you work harder for the same output), but I don’t think that’s the only reason. 

Heart rate reflects more than just your effort during an exercise; it can also change with body position (standing versus sitting) and other factors, like how warmed-up you are, the temperature of your room you’re in, and more. Which is why cyclists prefer power zones to heart rate zones, in general—power is a more direct measurement of what you’re doing on the bike. 

This Floatable Anker Speaker Is Now $50 Off

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The Soundcore Boom 2 is down to $89.98 on Amazon, a solid drop from its usual $139.99 and, according to price trackers, the lowest it has been so far. It has an IPX7 rating and can float, so it is fine around pools or at the beach without needing constant attention. If it falls into the water, it will come back up on its own—your music will cut out while it is submerged, since Bluetooth cannot transmit through water—but in most situations, the bigger advantage is that the speaker itself survives without any issues.

Soundcore Boom 2

Portable Bluetooth speaker

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$89.99 at Amazon

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Sound-wise, the Boom 2 delivers up to 80 watts through a setup that includes two tweeters and a dedicated woofer, which is enough to fill a large room or carry across an outdoor space. There’s also a BassUp feature that boosts the low end, and turning it off noticeably reduces the impact, so you will likely want to keep it on for a fuller, heavier sound. You can also pair a second unit for stereo sound, though it is limited to Bluetooth since there’s no wifi support.

There is also a built-in light system that syncs with your music. It adds a bit of atmosphere at night, though it also drains the battery faster. Speaking of, battery life is rated at up to 24 hours, but that figure assumes moderate volume with lights and bass boost turned off. In real use, especially at higher volumes, expect less. Charging takes about five and a half hours over USB-C, which works best as an overnight recharge rather than a quick top-up.

That said, the design focuses more on durability than refinement, and the sound, while loud, does not have the same balance you get from speakers like the JBL Flip 6 or Sony SRS-XB23, especially in the mids and highs. The companion app helps by letting you adjust the EQ and control the lighting, which gives you some flexibility to shape the sound. Still, this is not meant for detailed listening sessions or for someone who prioritizes audio precision, notes this PCMag review. It works best for people who want a speaker that can handle unpredictable environments, play loud without much effort, and keep going through a full day of use.

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Is It Actually Bad to Hold Your Breath When You Lift?

You can go through most of your life without worrying about whether and how you’re breathing, but as soon as somebody mentions that you’re supposed to breathe a certain way in the gym, it’s easy to get tripped up. Out when? In when? Oops, I held my breath instead—is that bad?

As with anything else in the exercise world, there are different recommendations for different people doing different things. If you’ve heard conflicting advice, don’t worry, we’ll sort it out. First I'll address whether you should breathe during lifts, and then we'll talk about how to breathe.

Should I hold my breath when I’m lifting weights?

I don’t breathe during most of my lifts. I spend most of my time in the gym doing big compound lifts: squats, deadlifts, snatches, cleans. I wear a belt for most of them. And I brace my core hard while I do them. For these lifts, the valsalva maneuver is a powerful tool. That’s the fancy name for building pressure in your torso by holding your breath. You’ve probably done it on the toilet at some point.

Between my belt, my braced core, and the pressure of the air in my lungs, I’m doing a lot to stabilize my torso and protect my spine from injury. I’m also able to lift more weight this way than if I didn’t brace or hold my breath. Watch any competitive powerlifter’s face turn tomato-red during a squat, and you’ll know they’re doing it, too.

While this is safe for most people, most of the time, some people shouldn’t hold their breath while lifting for safety reasons. The valsalva can increase blood pressure temporarily, and it can result in dizziness and even blacking out, especially if you hold the pressure for more than a few seconds. The American Heart Association recommends that beginners and people with cardiovascular disease not hold their breath during lifting. The valsalva is also not recommended during pregnancy, because the increased pressure poses risks to the placenta. (If you have any questions about whether you personally shouldn’t hold your breath while lifting, talk to your medical provider.)

If you do use the valsalva, you’ll hold your breath during each rep, and you’ll stop to exhale and inhale between reps (for example, when you’re standing up in between squats). One way to remember this is to pretend that you're squatting in a pool of water that comes up to your chest. You hold your breath while you're "underwater," and take your next breath once you're standing up again.

If I breathe while lifting weights, how should I do it?

First, there’s not really a wrong answer to how to breathe, but there is a rule of thumb that will help most of the time. You’ll want to breathe out during the hardest part of the exercise, and breathe in when the exercise is easier. This generally means exhaling during the concentric contraction (lifting the weight) and inhaling during the eccentric (lowering it down). If you forget, just ask yourself which part of the exercise is hardest.

So let’s say you’re squatting. You can breathe in while you’re lowering yourself down, and then breathe out while you’re on the way up. The hardest part of the squat—the sticking point, it’s often called—is just after you start going up. How about a deadlift? The hardest part of the movement is while you’re lifting the bar up, so exhale there. You can inhale while you’re lowering the bar down.

Here's Why RAM Prices Won't Be Dropping Anytime Soon

Nikkei Asia has some bad news for anyone hoping for RAM prices to fall anytime soon: The outlet reported on Friday that the global shortage of memory chips will likely continue until around 2027. According to Nikkei, U.S. and South Korean memory suppliers are raising DRAM production, but are only going to be able to meet about 60% of the demand. What's more, the current conflicts in the Middle East are making electricity and other relevant goods more expensive. Even Samsung, which is launching a fourth RAM plant this year, won't be at full-scale production until at least 2027, if not later.

The memory crisis is ongoing

Part of the problem is split production needs: Samsung's fourth plant needs to make logic chips for computing as well, which means it can't use all of its resources to develop memory chips. And while the company is also building a fifth plant, that location will be designated for producing advanced high-bandwidth memory (HMB), a specific type of memory used for AI semiconductors. That could lower the demand for more general use RAM, but Nikkei reports that this fifth plant will not begin running until 2028 or later. Nikkei reports that memory prices for the first three months of this year are up 90% on the quarter.

A silver lining though: SK Hynix, the second-largest memory chip producer in the world, is currently producing HMB chips, and has been since February. SK Hynix is also on track to start producing in a new plant in Seoul by February 2027, which is three months earlier than previous estimates. That said, Nikkei says this is the only production increase among the big three memory companies, which include SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron Technology (based in the U.S.) For its part, Micron will start producing in both Idaho as well as Singapore in 2027. Taken together, these three companies control 90% of the global DRAM, and are the only companies that can make HBM.

Nikkei cites Counterpoint Research, which estimates that these companies would need to increase production by 12% per year through 2027 in order to fix the RAM shortage. Right now, it reports that growth looks to be about 7.5%. As such, the issue may not return to normal until sometime next year.

The RAM shortage affects everything

This news is disappointing, especially following positive developments in late March. Back then, we saw prices for RAM kits drop slightly—still far above historic lows, but $30 to $45 reductions in a time when the biggest AI companies on the planet were buying up as much RAM as possible. But following Nikkei's reporting, general prices likely won't fall (or stop rising) for at least another year and a half.

Unfortunately, that has implications for everything that uses RAM, not just the RAM itself. While those who build or work with computers will notice the strain on RAM hardware, there's a long list of consumer devices that will continue to be impacted here as well. Smartphones, laptops, smart glasses, tablets, gaming consoles, cars: If it runs on a computer, it uses RAM. Coupled with market instability across the globe, expect prices on devices you buy to increase in tandem. This perfect storm likely caused Sony to raise prices on the PlayStation consoles and handhelds, for example.