vendredi 31 octobre 2025

The JBL Charge 6 Is $30 Off Right Now

by octobre 31, 2025

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The JBL Charge 6 is currently available for $169.95 at Walmart, down from its original $199.95. That small drop might not look dramatic on paper, but considering this model only came out recently, it’s one of the better deals you’ll find on a premium portable outdoor speaker.

JBL Charge 6
JBL Charge 6
$169.95 at Walmart
$199.95 Save $30.00

The Charge 6 keeps the same rugged, travel-friendly design JBL’s known for while improving on what made the Charge 5 such a crowd favorite. It’s built for the outdoors—durable enough to survive a few bumps and rated IP68, meaning it’s both dustproof and waterproof. You can drop it in a pool or take it to the beach without worrying about damage. JBL also added a looped handle, which makes it easier to carry from one spot to another.

Sound-wise, it’s a noticeable step up from the previous generation. Inside are a 2.1-by-3.7-inch woofer and a 0.8-inch tweeter that combine for 45 watts of power, backed by passive radiators on each end for extra low-end punch. The audio has weight and clarity, and while you won’t get chest-rattling bass, it’s more than enough for a backyard gathering or a long afternoon by the pool, notes this PCMag review.

If you want more control, JBL’s seven-band EQ in the companion app gives you plenty of room to tweak the sound to your liking. As for its battery life, the Charge 6 is said to last up to 24 hours on a full charge (depending on usage) and can even double as a power bank for your phone through the USB-C port, which also supports lossless audio when plugged in.

Connectivity and features are strong for this size and price. The Charge 6 runs on Bluetooth 5.4 for stable connections and now supports Auracast, a newer broadcast feature that lets you tune into compatible audio streams or sync multiple speakers for group listening. Codec support is limited to AAC and SBC, which may disappoint anyone wanting higher-end audio over Bluetooth, but the wired option partly makes up for that. JBL skipped including a charging brick or cable, which is a letdown for something in this price range. Still, if you’re after a speaker that’s loud, portable, and can handle real-world abuse while sounding great, the Charge 6 fits the bill, and this price makes it even more appealing.

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Character.ai Will Soon Start Banning Kids From Using Its Chatbots

by octobre 31, 2025

Leading AI chatbot platform Character.ai announced yesterday that it will no longer allow anyone under 18 to have open-ended conversations with its chatbots. Character.ai's parent company, Character Technologies, said the ban will go into effect by Nov. 25, and in the meantime, it will impose time limits on children and "transition younger users to alternative creative features such as video, story, and stream creation with AI characters."

In a statement posted online, Character Technologies said it was making the change "in light of the evolving landscape around AI and teens," which seems like a nice way of saying "because of the lawsuits." Character Technologies was recently sued by a mother in Florida and by families in Colorado and New York, who claim their children either died by suicide or attempted suicide after interacting with the company’s chatbots.

These lawsuits aren't isolated—they are part of a growing concern over how AI chatbots interact with minors. A damning report about Character.ai released in September from online safety advocates Parents Together Action detailed troubling chatbot interactions like Rey from Star Wars giving a 13-year-old advice on how to hide not taking her prescribed anti-depressants from her parents, and a Patrick Mahomes bot offering a 15-year-old a cannabis edible.

Character Technologies also announced it is releasing new age verification tools and plans to establish an "AI Safety Lab," which it described as "an independent non-profit dedicated to innovating safety alignment for next-generation AI entertainment features."

Character AI boasts over 20 million monthly users as of early 2025, and the majority of them self-report as being between 18 and 24, with only 10% of users self-reporting their age as under 18.

The future of age-restricted AI

As Character Technologies suggests in its statement, the company's new guidelines put it ahead of the curve of AI companies when it comes to restrictions for minors. Meta, for instance, recently added parental controls for its chatbots, but stopped short of banning minors from using them totally.

Other AI companies are likely to implement similar guidelines in the future, one way or the other: A California law that goes into effect in 2026 requires AI chatbots to prevent children from accessing explicit sexual content and interactions that could encourage self-harm or violence and to have protocols that detect suicidal ideation and provide referrals to crisis services.

Use This Japanese Productivity Method to Improve Your Workflow

by octobre 31, 2025

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A lot of the productivity techniques and organizational hacks out there claim to make work easier and more efficient, and they really can—though you have to find just the right one for you. A few methods that originated in Japan have proven especially popular—consider the Toyota-approved Kanban scheduling method—including one of my favorites: kaizen.

The man who took the philosophy mainstream, Masaaki Imai, died two years ago, but left behind a legacy of productivity and efficiency we can all learn from, because this technique not only helps you get more done, but helps you do everything better.

What is kaizen?

In Japanese, “kaizen” translates, essentially, to “improvement,” and that’s the goal at the heart of the method itself, which encourages individuals at all levels of an organization to work together to continuously improve everything about a company. When everyone from the boss to the intern is in on the plan, the idea goes, the place will simply be more efficient and everything will always be getting better. This is done through standardization and the implementation of uniform processes.

A good example of this is within the Toyota production system: If there is any issue or abnormality detected by any worker in a factory, they stop the production line and employees and supervisors work together to resolve the problem. As Toyota puts it, this “humanizes the workplace” and the standardization involved empowers every individual in the organizational structure to make meaningful changes. This is all part of a system called Plan, Do, Check, Act (usually known as PDCA), which works perfectly within a kaizen framework.

The PDCA cycle repeats, meaning once you’ve planned, you keep doing, checking, acting, and planning again, factoring in your results, so you’re always improving. (If you're familiar with an after-action review, which calls on you to review what you did poorly and what you did well, then use that information to plan out how you'll improve in the future, that's a helpful framework for understanding PDCA.) And while you’re doing all that, you have to keep the kaizen principles themselves in mind.

How does kaizen work?

In addition to incorporating PDCA, kaizen has its own set of five foundational principles:

  • Know your customer: Cater to your customers or clients and take care to identify their needs and interests, plus how you can serve them from whatever level you’re at. Even a cashier who deals with one shopper at a time can have a broad, positive impact by making sure each is given detailed attention. A CEO who never deals directly with a customer can meet their needs by basing company decisions on data and feedback from buyers. In short, everyone and anyone can know the customer and serve them better. You can think broadly here: Maybe you don't have a "customer" per se, but your work can still require you to think of whomever you're doing that work for. Say you want to use kaizen to clean your home before your mom gets there for a week-long stay. Your mom is the "customer" you have to impress

  • Let it flow: Eliminate waste, both physical and theoretical, meaning don’t take unnecessary steps, don’t clutter the space, and be direct in doing what you need to do. No matter what you're working on or how many people you're working with, this is where kanban can be a helpful complement, because it forces you to think over your action steps as you seek to meet a goal. Once you've identified what needs to be done and when, think of how you can scale each task back to only its most important, actionable elements.

  • Go to Gemba: Gemba is the Japanese term for “actual place.” This means you should always be purposeful and direct about getting to where you need to be—which is likely to be where the action is happening. Don’t delegate anything you don’t have to, wait around on anything, or sit on the sidelines.

  • Empower people: Encourage people in your organization, whether you’re their superior or they’re your peers, and make sure everyone is aligned in the common goals of the company and forward movement. If you're following a modified version of kaizen for a personal project, you can still take this step by not only giving yourself positive pep talks, but by making sure you have everything you need before you jump in. If you are working on that house-cleaning project, make sure you have all the right tools and are taking enough breaks that you don't burn out, for instance.

  • Be transparent: Demonstrate your productivity with hard data and results and make sure everyone is always up to date on processes, developments, and goals. There are many ways to do this, even if you're working on your own. I personally love taking before and after pictures when I start and end a project, because seeing a finished product motivates me.

Implementing all five of these in a working environment, per kaizen’s adherents, is the key to unlocking a culture of continuous improvement. If you want to learn more, there are dozens of books out there about the methodology, but you should start with the original: Masaaki Imai’s Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success.

jeudi 30 octobre 2025

The Two Best Apps to Keep Up With Your Fitness Routine While Traveling

by octobre 30, 2025

Sticking to a workout schedule is tough even when everything is going normally and you have a pretty standard daily routine. Once you add travel into the mix, it can feel impossible. Sure, hotels have fitness centers, but if you've ever gone to one only to learn it's nothing more than a few dumbbells and an ancient treadmill, you know how aggravating those can be. There are two apps I use to stick to my routine and prioritize my health while I'm on the road, but I use them quite differently.

ClassPass

After discovering last month that ClassPass houses a little-known, but varied, selection of at-home workout classes to stream, I happily re-downloaded the app for the first time in years. If you're not familiar, you buy monthly credits that you can redeem at gyms and fitness studios, trading a handful of credits for, say, a yoga or HIIT class. (You can also use it for salon and spa services, which is a cool upgrade that app has gotten since I last used it.)

I used it all around my neighborhood in New York City for a month, checking out all the boutique studios near me, and found some I loved and others I was glad I didn't spend full price on a trial class for. But last week, when I was home visiting my mom in North Dakota, I checked ClassPass—and sure enough, yoga, barre, spin, and Pilates classes came up. I hadn't entirely expected it to work; it's one thing for a well-populated location like Manhattan to have a bunch of offerings on there, but Bismarck? Yes, Bismarck! I went to a barre class and it was awesome, exactly what I needed to stay on track with my workout schedule and destress after a disastrous night of airline mishaps.

In the next three months, I'm going to West Virginia, Nebraska, and Mississippi. That's how your vacation schedule looks when you're on a mission to visit all 50 states (and I only have eight to go). According to ClassPass, I'll be able to take a yoga class in Charleston, do HIIT in Omaha, and book time at a pickleball court in Biloxi. All of that beats a hotel fitness center by a mile. Even the smallest cities are well-represented on this app and you can get a real, full class experience wherever you are.

Peloton

I am a dedicated Peloton user and the app gets daily use from me, even if I'm only using it to track my outdoor walks. If you can't find the time or transportation to get to an in-person class, you have loads of options through Peloton, many of which can be completed in your hotel room, like yoga or stretching.

There are guided walks available so you can take yourself on a mindful explorative journey around wherever you are, but you can also find loads of hotels that have Peloton cardio equipment. Usually, the Bikes or other equipment are in a fitness center, but I've seen hotels that even have them available in-room.

Even if you can only devote 10 minutes to working out, it's better than nothing and keeps you in your groove, which is why I value the Peloton app so much. I did, of course, use it to track the barre class I took in Bismarck, plus the Les Mills Body Pump and Solidcore classes I took there, too.

The Kanban Method Is the Best Way to Track Progress on Work (and Personal) Projects

by octobre 30, 2025

If you’ve ever heard the word “kanban,” you probably remember it, since it is inarguably fun to say. You likely heard it tossed around by someone who works in a corporate office, as it's extremely popular in that setting. “Kanban,” it turns out, is more than a fun word or something practiced by that friend whose job makes no sense to you. It’s an effective system for scheduling tasks in a highly productive way—and it can be used by anybody, not just people who also use corporate jargon about how they'll "put a pin in that" and "circle back."

Don't be intimidated. While it's a little involved, it's ultimately just a visual method for determining what you need to do, what your team needs to do, and what your organization needs to do to reach goals. It can get pretty weedy, but you can totally do it yourself on a smaller scale to maximize your own workflow and productivity.

What is kanban all about?

Kanban was developed by an industrial engineer at Toyota. The word itself translates from Japanese to mean “signboard” or “billboard” and a lot of kanban fans use regular old whiteboards to display their kanban boards.

The idea is that to get things done, you have to know where you’re at in a project at any given time: You have to know what order things need to be done in, what has and hasn't been completed, what you need to do each of those, and when each needs to be finished before the next can begin or the project is ultimately complete. On your kanban board, you’ll have three columns: One is for work that hasn’t been started, one is for work that is in progress, and one is for work that is complete. You can label these “to-do,” “doing,” and “done.”

When you’re using this system, all tasks start out on the left side of the board and migrate across it, giving you a visual representation of where everything is. In addition to the little confidence boost you get when you see tasks in the “done” column, this can help you see how long certain processes take you. Consider writing the date of each shift from column to column whenever you move something into any of the three, as well as writing each task's due date next to it.

How to make a kanban board

You have a few options when you’re trying to kanban: You can make a super-simple Excel sheet with the project name at the top and three columns for to-do, doing, and done. Leave yourself room for notes about holdups, special requirements, or anything else pertinent to the competition of a given task. You can also use pre-made kanban software from productivity companies like Asana and Trello, which allow you to add notes, files, and other important information, plus sync with your team so everyone is on the same page.

Typically, people use whiteboards for this and write their tasks on sticky notes, making them easy to move from column to column. Like a thermometer chart, this is displayed somewhere in the office and you can move the sticky notes that correspond to your responsibilities as you go through your workflow. If you’re just doing your own project, not a team one, you can use a small whiteboard and keep it at your desk.

Try 'Habit Stacking' to Make New Routines Stick

by octobre 30, 2025

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Why is it so easy to form bad habits and so frustrating to try to form good ones? We crave routine, at least to some degree, so it's frustrating when you can't make productive or helpful habits stick. But consider that you already have a bunch of good, small habits, like putting the coffee on in the morning or washing your face before bed. As hard as you might be struggling with the bigger ones, you know you can do it because you've done it countless times before in smaller ways. In fact, those smaller routines can do more than prove your capability when it comes to building them; they can help you entrench larger habits and be even more productive. Let's go over a technique called habit stacking, which is basically like gluing a new habit to an existing one until it sticks.

What is habit stacking?

Habit stacking happens when you tack a desired behavioral change onto an existing routine. Theoretically, and eventually practically, that way the thing you’re having trouble sticking with just becomes part of your broader, ongoing string of habits. At some point, the behavioral change itself will become a habit on its own and you won't even think about doing it anymore, just like you don't think about the smaller habit you attached it to.

Consider the things you already do every day: Brushing your teeth in the morning and at night, making your coffee in the morning, walking your dog at lunchtime, running to the corner store for a 3 p.m. energy drink, etc. During any one of those, you can add in a second necessary task that will benefit reciprocally from happening alongside your existing routine.

This concept was popularized in 2017 by S.J. Scott, who wrote Habit Stacking: 127 Small Changes to Improve Your Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Since then, it’s blown up, with other psychologists adding their own support for the practice. Science agrees: Building routines is key to overall health and well-being, and our brains are wired to seek out routines. Once you have one habit neurologically wired in, building others around it is much easier.

How to get started with habit stacking 

Once you’ve identified the things you want to do but don’t, think more about the things you do do, whether it’s taking a break every day at 12 p.m. to scroll social media or doing the dishes after every meal. Don't just pick hard habits to stack on easy ones; reevaluate the easy ones to see what else they could help you with. Examine each and look for ways you could stack the less-sticky tasks on top of them. If you forget to call your mom often, stack that on top of doing the dishes. If you need to study for a test, alternate drilling flashcards with your nightly cleaning routine tasks.

The trick is to figure out which things can stack cohesively. You can’t return phone calls while you’re running at the gym, but maybe you can do so while you’re commuting. You can’t plan out your weekly schedule while you brush your teeth, but you can practice your deep breathing.

Once you’ve determined which habits can stack, write down your plans somewhere like a Google doc—”I will respond to my emails every morning by 10, while I eat breakfast”—and for the first few days, actively check in on it to make sure you’re staying on top of them. Set reminders in your phone so you're getting notifications prompting you to double-up your tasks. Eventually, they’ll become habitual, just like the activities you’ve paired them with.

mercredi 29 octobre 2025

These Beats Studio Buds Are $70 Off Right Now

by octobre 29, 2025

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The Beats Studio Buds are currently $79.95 at Walmart, down from $149.95, making them one of the more affordable pairs of noise-canceling earbuds backed by Apple’s ecosystem. They’re designed to work just as well with Android as they do with iOS, which isn’t always the case for Apple-owned products. The sound profile leans more toward bass (classic Beats tuning), but you still get decent clarity in the mids and highs. They’re not balanced or studio-accurate, but if you listen to pop, hip-hop, or electronic music, that low-end punch can be fun.

Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Buds
Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Buds True Wireless Bluetooth Earbud Headphone
$79.95 at Walmart
$149.95 Save $70.00

The active noise cancellation (ANC) and Transparency mode are a nice surprise at this price. And while the ANC doesn’t match the precision or adaptability of higher-end models from Sony or Bose,  it handles steady low-frequency sounds well enough for commutes or travel (according to this PCMag review, voices and higher frequencies still slip through). Physically, these earbuds are small and light, though the glossy finish can make them tricky to grip when inserting them. Once in place, though, they sit securely and comfortably, helped by three included eartip sizes. 

Controls are simple: You can play or pause music, take calls, and switch between ANC modes directly from the buds. The only omission is volume control, which still requires reaching for your phone. The Studio Buds are also IPX4 water-resistant, meaning they’ll handle sweat or light rain without issue. Battery life is modest, around five hours with ANC on or eight without, and the charging case adds another 10 to 16 hours depending on usage. That said, there’s no wireless charging, and it comes with a USB-C cable but no adapter, so you’ll need one handy. If you’re not expecting top-tier noise cancellation or audiophile balance, the Studio Buds still cover the basics well. They’re easy to use, small enough to carry anywhere, and deliver strong bass with a decent ANC experience at under $80.

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These Brands Let You Return Shoes Even After You Run in Them

by octobre 29, 2025

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There are plenty of reasons to buy shoes at your local running store instead of online or at a big box store, including a more knowledgeable staff and the fact that you’re supporting your local running community. But another biggie is the fact that many will take returns even after you’ve gone for a few runs in your shoes.

In case you don’t have a local store with this policy, it’s good to know that some larger brands and online stores will also take returns of lightly worn shoes. Fleet Feet and Running Warehouse are among the bigger stores that offer this perk; some online running shoe stores (like Roadrunner) will include it as part of a membership. But several running shoe brands offer a no-questions-asked return policy themselves, so if you know that you love (say) Nikes, you can buy from the brand directly.

Do not feel bad about taking advantage of this policy. The whole idea is that you can trust your body to tell you whether the shoes are working, rather than stressing during a brief try-on about whether you think these shoes will work for you. If you can't help but feel guilty, you can make it up by buying your next new pair of shoes from the same place. They do it because they're trying to win you as a loyal customer.

Adidas asks for shoes to be unworn for most returns, but it has a separate policy for its "performance" running shoes, which include all its popular running shoes, from the $65 Runfalcon on up.

Altra prominently advertises "30 day trial runs, guaranteed." You'll need a return label but you can get it online for free or at your return location. Altra allows returns "if you are not completely satisfied" during those 30 days.

Brooks will accept returns within 90 days, even if you’ve run in the shoes: "Run in it, sweat in it, inside, outside, in the rain—if it doesn’t perform the way it should, send it back."

Hoka has a 30-day return policy (60 days for members), even if you've worn the shoes. "Try them out, that's what our 30-day Guarantee is all about."

Newton accepts returns within 30 days "for any reason with as much or as little wear and tear on them" as they happen to have.

Nike will let you return shoes, even if they’ve been worn, within 60 days of purchase. It refers to the 60-day time as your "trial" period and does not require the shoes to be unworn. There are exceptions, including items purchased at Nike Clearance stores.

Please note that policies can change, and that they often vary by country. Customer service staff can sometimes help you out even if you fall outside the official policy, but don't count on it. Still, if you’ve bought shoes, run in them, and weren’t happy, it can’t hurt to ask.

Get Into 'Deep Work' to Be More Productive

by octobre 29, 2025

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Deep work is a concept most popularly defined by Cal Newport, who wrote the aptly titled Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. As he tells it, deep work is a state where you find the ability to focus completely on a demanding task without letting distraction get in your way.

If you can get the hang of it, you’ll get more done in less time and ultimately end up feeling more fulfilled. On his website, Newport observes that it’s rare to see someone feel energized and happy after sending emails, but there’s a sense of fulfillment that comes from sustained focus on more meaningful tasks.

How do you achieve deep work?

Newport draws a distinction between deep work and “shallow work,” or that which can be accomplished while you’re distracted. Deep work is for “cognitively demanding” tasks, whereas shallow work prepares you for deep work. Creating a project deck is deep work. Emailing colleagues to coordinate data for it is shallow work.

If you’re having a hard time determining what is and is not deep work, Newport has some guidelines. Shallow work tends “to not create new value in the world” and is “easy to replicate.”

The key, then, is first sorting your work into deep and shallow categories. Determine which of your tasks are cognitively demanding and valuable and which are “logistical-style” and replicable. Next, plan to devote an hour or an hour and a half to deep-work tasks, then schedule it so you have that time blocked off in your schedule. (As for blocking off your scheduling, familiarize yourself with time boxing and time blocking, which call on you to schedule every minute of your day and input it, moment by moment, into a detailed calendar, all in the name of staying focused.)

Finally, when the time comes to get into deep work, eliminate all your distractions. Signal that you’re busy, make sure you’re unavailable in Slack and on the shared calendar, and put your phone on “do not disturb.” Don’t check emails, don’t talk to anyone, don’t look at your devices for anything but work, and commit to only working on your demanding task in the time you allotted for it.

The most important element is doing this mindfully and going into your deep work sessions aware that your goal is to accomplish something demanding with no distractions. Emails, notifications, chitchat, and other worries and interruptions are commonplace and pull you away from the task at hand, so purposely cutting them off to get something done will be difficult, but it can turn into a habit, especially once it starts yielding the dual result of accomplishment and fulfillment.

The deep work hack

All of that sounds great in theory, but when you find yourself staring down the hour-and-a-half block you scheduled out, you may not know what to do or where to start. This is where you need the Pomodoro method, a famous productivity technique that asks you to work, uninterrupted, for 25 minutes, take a five-minute break, and repeat the cycle about four times before getting a larger break. You can modify those time blocks a bit to suit your needs, but 25 on and five off are the standard.

When you use this approach, deep work starts to come naturally in those working blocks because you know you're getting a reprieve at the end. Deep work is described as a period when work seems to flow smoothly and you barely notice time going by, so 25 minutes may not be quite enough for you (depending on the task at hand), but you can figure it out as you get started incorporating these methods. The most important thing is to be distraction-free. The second most important thing is to remember that breaks are actually a key part of staying productive, so don't skip them altogether.

The easiest way to make use of this time-tested technique is, of course, by app. My favorite is FocusPomo, which blocks all your distracting apps while you use it and generates cute, unobtrusive cartoon tomatoes to reward you for finishing work blocks.

'Mind Maps' Are an Excellent Productivity Hack

by octobre 29, 2025

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 making it clear which need to be done first in order to move on to the next task. (When used for studying, on the other hand, they help bridge connections between main topics and those that branch off from them, plus relate to one another.)

You can use mind maps for a variety of reasons, whether you want to think clearer or set goals with them, but for our purposes, we’ll go over how they can be used as productivity tools. You can also try them for word-associating, brainstorming, note-taking, and more once you get the hang of it.

Start by writing the main idea of what you need to do. For instance, if you have to make a new hire, write that right in the center and draw a circle around it. Then, use arrows to branch off into related tasks: HR tasks, onboarding tasks, financial tasks, etc. From each of these, you draw more arrows. HR tasks might involve legal paperwork and background checks. Onboarding may require getting your new hire access to training modules and finding them a workspace. Financial tasks could include setting up payroll and getting them certain benefits enrollment information.

After creating the mind map, you’ll see all the tasks laid out in a web that will help you visualize and grasp everything you need to do. It all leads back to that one main responsibility. The subtasks will equate to all the little things you need to do to make it all happen, piece by piece, until you end up fulfilling that final goal in the center.

How to make your own mind map

Above, we talked about drawing circles, which is fine if you prefer the old paper-and-pen method. You can make them in Word or Google Docs, but those can be clunky. A better option is to use an online creativity tool, like Canva or Draw.io.

An even better option than that is to use software dedicated to the task. My favorite is Xmind, which you can use on your computer or phone and comes pre-loaded with a bunch of templates. The actual creation process can be helpful for brainstorming, but is a pain if you're not graphically inclined. Xmind makes it a lot easier, especially for beginners, because you just drag and drop the shapes and lines around a canvas designed for this exact purpose.

Why this works

The simplicity of a mind map is what makes it so effective. Keywords, not long phrases, and color-coding lend themselves to quick processing and recall, while the hierarchical nature of the tasks helps you see what order you need to handle them in. The overarching task at the center serves as a reminder of what you're even doing all those little things for, which helps keep you motivated and on track.

The simple flow of arrows links ideas and the spacing of the boxes keeps categories organized. Overall, it’s a great solution for visual learners or anyone in a rush, and it’s not as clumsy or convoluted as a large spreadsheet or planning document.

mardi 28 octobre 2025

This 2-in-1 Samsung TV and Desktop Smart Monitor Is $120 Off

by octobre 28, 2025

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If you’re shopping for a new desktop monitor (or a small standalone TV), the Samsung 32" Smart Monitor M5 (M50D) FHD with Streaming TV and Speakers is currently $179 (originally $299). It can be used for working, console-free gaming, and media consumption, making it a versatile two-in-one TV and desktop option that’s ideal for multitasking.

Samsung 32" Smart Monitor M5 (M50D) FHD with Streaming TV and Speakers
Samsung 32" Smart Monitor M5 (M50D) FHD with Streaming TV and Speakers
$179.00 at Walmart
$299.00 Save $120.00

The M50D is a dual-purpose LED display and desktop monitor with a 16:9 ratio that makes it easy to switch between work and entertainment modes while also allowing you to control smart home devices via the SmartThings hub. It’s also compatible with voice assistants Bixby and Alexa. The monitor has a built-in Smart TV OS, so you don’t need a PC or an additional streaming device plugged in to watch on platforms like Prime, Netflix, and more. It also comes with a remote for a true TV experience. 

The display has 1920×1080 resolution, which is a somewhat lower pixel density compared to higher-end monitors with 1440p or 4K. Still, image quality is strong enough for working, streaming videos, and browsing the web. With Samsung Gaming Hub, you can instantly access console-free gaming; however, it's limited to a 60 Hz refresh rate and doesn’t have FreeSync support. Hence, it won’t offer the same performance as a dedicated gaming monitor, but that’s to be expected at this price point. Compared to pricier adjustable models, this one only has tilt adjustment with minimal swivel. 

The MultiControl feature allows you to control multiple connected devices via the monitor using a single mouse and keyboard. This can help streamline multitasking between your monitor apps, laptop, and PC. You can also mirror your devices via AirPlay 2, Mobile Mirroring, or Wireless DeX, which makes it easy to switch between streaming and work across various devices.

Overall, if you’re looking for a dual-purpose smart monitor with built-in streaming apps, reliable image quality, and smart home connectivity, the Samsung 32" Smart Monitor M5 (M50D) FHD with Streaming TV and Speakers is a space-saving, under-$200 option ideal for small homes or dorm rooms that doubles as both a computer monitor and a small-screen streaming TV.

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