Lifehacker

Less than a year after launching its not-quite-a-savings-account Smart Saver product, popular robo-advisor Betterment is taking big steps towards becoming a real bank by introducing two new services: true savings accounts, and free checking accounts.

It’s important to keep your iPhone and iPad’s software up to date—even if the old devices you still use aren’t going to be eligible for the upcoming iOS/iPadOS 13. In fact, sometimes it’s the older phones and tablets in Apple’s hardware line that see the most critical updates.Read more...

Not everyone has the time to follow politics as closely as others. That doesn’t mean your should ignore what’s happening in the big run-up to the 2020 elections because it’s too much to handle. Instead, let a site like Categorized Tweets give you a helping hand.

Libra hasn’t even officially debuted on Facebook yet, but the highly anticipated cryptocurrency has already gotten a ton of interests—from scammers. In fact, it’s hard to tell who is more interested in Libra at this point: those looking to make a quick buck from cajoling you to jump in early so you can be a Bitc…Read more...

Your kid makes a friend. You meet the friend’s parent. You like that parent, a lot. You start scheduling playdates, mostly for the kids but also for you. Then your partners meet and they like each other, which means now you can all spend your weekends together at backyard barbecues and campsites and waterparks, and…Read more...

Over the weekend, more than 30,000 New York residents were left without power, reportedly due to high electricity usage during the widespread heatwave. It was the city’s second power outage in less than two weeks.

If you keep a to-do list, how do you track the stuff you get done that isn’t on the list?

iPEGTOP Roll-Up Dish Drying Rack and Utensil Dishware Holders | $20 | AmazonRead more...

In light of the recent DataSpii browser extension leak, where millions of users had their data tracked and sold by seemingly benign browser extensions, it’s worth running a check on other Chrome add-ons you may have installed—or are thinking of installing—to sniff out any bad actors.Read more...

It’s important to know what’s going on in the world—but it’s also important to understand these events from multiple perspectives, especially if you tend to favor news sources that support your own points of view.Read more...

We’ve covered this before, but it bears repeating. Absolutely clean your steering wheels regularly, kids. Those things are gross and nasty and you’re probably helping to avoid an outbreak of the plague if you wipe them down periodically enough.Read more...

Dressing an infant can be fun. Perhaps you have a drawer full of onesies with slogans such as: “Diaper loading. Please wait.” Hilarious. But it can be tricky at times, too. We’ve got some clever solutions to some common baby clothing challenges.Read more...

Email newsletters are trendy right now, but they can be a lot. If newsletters are clogging up your inbox, here’s how to send them to Instapaper. (Plus a workaround for Pocket.)

The second round of Democratic debates are just a week away, with 10 presidential hopefuls set to appear on stage in Detroit on two separate nights—and the stakes are higher than ever. Come September, the candidates will have to have 130,000 unique donors and at least 2% of support in four polls to qualify for the next…Read more...

There are some jobs you just want to warn others about. Maybe you had a boss that micromanaged your every move, or your pay remained embarrassingly low despite your stellar work ethic. For any number of reasons, you may feel compelled to write a review and share your salary on one of the many online review sites like…Read more...

Ozark Trail Camping Set | $89 | WalmartRead more...

Facebook’s Messenger Kids app—the kind of app you put on your child’s device to ensure they can only talk to approved contacts—had a not-so-helpful bug that allowed strangers to interact with kids.

The idea of a “baby prenup” was first brought into pop consciousness by Porsha of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and apparently, it’s now the latest (oh god) “momtroversy.” It is simply a written agreement between an expecting couple that lays out the childcare expectations for both parties before a baby is born.Read more...

Cash-back credit cards often take a backseat to travel reward cards. And it’s true that getting free airfare or upgrading your hotel stay through the power of your points feels somehow glitzier than a statement credit. But wouldn’t you rather have money back at the end of the month?

If you’re using an app to get food deliveries, your tip might be going right into the bank account of the company the deliverer works for, not the person’s pockets.Read more...

Most folks are well aware that hummus is an excellent sandwich spread; it’s creamy, nutty, savory, and friendly to almost every kind of diet. Those are all things I enjoy in a salad dressing, but hummus—straight from the tub—is a little too thick for drizzling on a pile of greens.Read more...

I’ve been to Disney World a few times with my extended family, including with my son and three nieces. Around the time they were in the four- to seven-year-old age range, getting character autographs was a Very Big Deal. We did what every other parent of that age group seemed to be doing: We bought a Disney autograph…Read more...

Buying a nonrefundable airline ticket is a risky proposition; if your personal circumstances change, you’ll end up saddled with the cost of a useless ticket. But despite its label, the “nonrefundable” ticket is refundable—under the right circumstances.

iOS: When you sign up for a free trial with your credit card, there’s a risk that you’ll forget to cancel, and Netflix or Spotify or Audible or HBO will start charging you monthly. Some services make it hard to cancel, and some, like MoviePass, even “uncancel” you. There’s a new tool for power users who want to sign…Read more...

Being able to turn your smartphone into a miniature access point that can give other devices an internet connection—like your laptop—is one of the best features ever. It’s saved my bacon plenty of times, those rarer moments when I need to use my laptop for something (like editing a Lifehacker post), but can’t access…Read more...

When is it okay to recline your seat on an airplane? The right answer is, of course, “between takeoff and landing.” The better answer, however, might have something to do with the person seated behind you.Read more...

I used to save my data on services forever—in case I ever needed to take a trip down memory lane—but I’ve recently found lots of relief and joy in purging my Twitter account of old tweets.Read more...

We all lose our shit with our kids sometimes.

I came to the sport of running late in life. Though I was on my high school’s track team for a brief period, it wasn’t until after I had kids that I put serious effort into running regularly. And, over the last ten years, I’ve made great strides in the sport: along with four close friends, I’ve completed countless…Read more...

There’s a difference between having a tight budget and being seriously stretched thin for cash. And if you’ve ever experienced the latter, you know that pit in your stomach doesn’t magically dissipate when you try to close your eyes to sleep at night. What can you do to get money fast and get back on your feet again?

Before you travel overseas, don’t forget to pack the essentials like a proper visa, if it’s necessary, and your passport. And while this tip may seem obvious, you should also make sure your passport has blank pages when traveling internationally as some countries require them for you to enter the country.Read more...

You can’t turn right on red in New York City (or smoke in parks—but good luck getting that enforced). In the French Quarter of New Orleans, you can carry your drink around on the street, as long as it isn’t in a glass container. It pays to know the local laws: when the liquor stores are allowed to open, how much…Read more...

Let’s start of the week with a confession: I never bothered seeing Inglourious Basterds, and I’ve been quietly irritated by the spelling of the title since it first came out in 2009. I assume it’s a reference to something within the movie, but who’s to say? Not me!Read more...

Brother P-touch, PTM95, Handy Label Maker | $10 | AmazonRead more...

The few months that Colonel Sanders was the voice behind the turn-by-turn directions in my car were some of my favorite times behind the wheel. A few years later C-390 helped me navigate across the country which was also a lot of fun, but his jokes about road construction almost scored me a ticket in New Mexico (Long…Read more...

Summer is a great time to head outside and explore the world around you. If you’re looking for a new spot to explore, AllTrails is an app that can help. The iOS and Android app offers a library of 75,000 hand-curated trail maps for walking, biking, and hiking, as well as information on whether than journey will be…Read more...

Sometimes you want to watch Netflix, but need that watching to be on the discrete side. Or instance, maybe it would help if your computer’s screen looked like you were on a conference call talking to people in another office rather than watch The Office.

The Day Market Tote | $125 | Everlane

I flew 7,000 miles on Alaska Airlines last year, but I currently hold the airlines top-tier of status “Gold 75k” an accolade reserved for passengers that have flown 75,000 miles or more on the airline over the course of the previous year. It’s a designation that’s scored me First Class upgrades on at least a half…Read more...

Hulu released season 4 of Veronica Mars Friday, a week early, as a birthday present for its star Kristin Bell. Her birthday was July 18th. If you’re all caught up, you can stream that now through the service.Read more...

If you travel to any major city, and even some of the smaller ones, you’ll probably run into some sort of bike-sharing opportunity.

I’m sure you’ve been there. You come home from a long day of travel—exhausted and famished—only to open up your refrigerator to see it stocked full of nothing. Bah. You just want food. Preferably fresh food if you’ve been eating your meals off of airplane trays for far too many hours.

The good news? A recent phishing attempt hit Discord and only ensnared a small batch of users—around 2,500 in all. The bad news? There’s no easy tool to tell if you’re on that list, so you might as well take a moment to reset your password on the service right now. More important, it’s time to stop being lazy and…Read more...

Safe deposit boxes are legendary for revealing items that fix problems—at least, they do in Hollywood stories. But in real life, safe deposit boxes may not be the haven for your valuables they used to be. A horrifying story from the New York Times recounts the tales of some people who put their valuables (think…Read more...

Have you ever been late for a flight and had to run through a terminal Home Alone-style? No? Lucky you. If you have had this experience, though, you know that few things add to travel stress more than showing up with mere minutes to spare before your plane leaves.

A massive data leak was recently discovered by cybersecurity researcher Sam Jidali, revealing private information for 45 major companies and millions of individuals. Dubbed “DataSpii” by Jidali and his team, the leak was perpetrated by innocent-looking Chrome and Firefox browser extensions that collected and…Read more...

Every time I write either “affect” or “effect,” I have to pause for a second to double-check myself. Their meanings are related, their spellings are similar; even their pronunciation is nearly the same. But one of them causes something and the other is the result. And knowing the difference is a good thing.Read more...

It is 2019, so I shouldn’t have to tell you that single-use plastic is not good for our planet. Chances are, you have at least one friend who quit using plastic straws and carries a metal one around with them. If you too want to cut down on your plastic use, especially around your home, then Etee is a brand you want…Read more...

My favorite nightcap is an ounce or so of Fernet, over ice, with a pinch of salt, but that drink signals the end of a good evening, not the start (or even the middle) of one. But I want to be salty all night long—from beginning to the bitter end—so I decided to take that flavor profile and make it into a martini.Read more...

Occasionally, we all find ourselves in a position in which we need to pack a bunch of stuff—including clothes—into a backpack. It might be as simple as heading to a friend’s house for the weekend. Or packing your kid up for a weekend at grandma’s. Or—maybe your life is a little more exciting—you’re catching an early…Read more...