These Pixel Earbuds Are $60 Right Now

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When Google first dropped the Pixel Buds A-Series, they packed a lot into a pretty small price tag. Now that they’re down to $59.99 (from the original $99.99), they feel even more approachable if you’re looking for simple wireless earbuds that get the basics right at a low price point.

Google Pixel Buds A-Series

Available in sea and dark olive colorways, these buds sport a minimalist design and fit snugly, too, thanks to the built-in rubber stabilization fins. You don’t have to worry about swapping those out—they’re permanently attached—but you do get three sizes of silicone tips to fine-tune the comfort. As for durability, they’re rated IPX4, which means they’re sweat-resistant enough for workouts but not built for full-on water exposure.

The controls on these buds are fairly basic, which can either be a plus or a dealbreaker depending on how you like your tech. You can tap to play, pause, skip tracks, and summon your voice assistant, but adjusting the volume has to happen from your phone. On the upside, the touch surfaces are easy to find without jabbing around blindly, and they’re not overly sensitive, according to this PCMag review. The compact, egg-shaped case (with a USB-C port) holds about 24 hours of battery life, while the buds themselves are estimated to give you around five hours per charge—not the longest out there, but pretty standard for this price point.

Where the Pixel Buds A-Series really settle into their lane is in audio and everyday usability. Bass hits come through clean even at full blast, but if you’re someone who craves heavy low-end rumble, you might find them a little tame. They’re better suited for casual pop, podcasts, or anything that doesn’t lean too bass-heavy. Pairing them with an Android phone is seamless, and once you install the Pixel Buds app, you can use hands-free Google Assistant commands like checking the weather or controlling smart home devices. iPhone users can still connect them via Bluetooth, but they’ll miss out on the Assistant features.

Android’s Default Keyboard Is Hiding a Secret Superpower

You’ve probably heard you can use your phone’s personal dictionary to save time typing. It’s one of our favorite time-saving tricks. However, there’s an even easier way on Android to save whole blocks of text, and you’ve been using it without realizing it: your clipboard’s history.

This feature may vary depending on your model of phone, so we’ll focus on Google’s Gboard. By default, the keyboard will keep a history of what you copy, so you can paste multiple blocks of text without bouncing back and forth between apps. You can see this history by tapping the Clipboard icon on your keyboard (in some contexts, you may have to press the four-square apps button to pull it up).

The real magic, however, is pinning items you use constantly. For example, since Gmail still doesn’t have email templates, you could write a form response, copy it like normal, then pin it to your clipboard’s history. This will stick it to the top of your history, and won’t delete it over time like the rest of your clipboard.

Having a few form responses saved feels like a superpower when dealing with email. For the emails that only require a quick form response, I can hammer those out in a couple of quick taps and be done with it. Then, when I get back to my desk, the only emails left are the ones that require more thought or research.

It’s a powerful feature that’s quietly tucked away on your phone. Just remember not to store highly sensitive information like passwords—there are better tools for that, anyway.

The 60 Best 2000s Movies You Can Stream Right Now

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The 2000s, in some ways, culturally feel neither here nor there: They don’t have the neon vibe we associate with the 1980s, and lack the grunge appeal of the ‘90s. There’s plenty to appreciate, however, in movies over the decade that was bookended by blockbusters: Lord of the Rings in the early years, and Iron Man, Dark Knight, and Avatar at the end. None of those feel particularly cookie-cutter in the way that their successors would often be, and, in the middle years, there were many successful movies of the kind they don’t really make anymore: mid-budget movies with personal, rather than galactic, stakes, that still managed to do brisk business at the box office. It was a decade on the cusp of our mega-blockbuster era, and that tension between the indie-loving ‘90s and the present kept things interesting.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

The Coen Brothers’ magnum opus won four Oscars, including one for Best Picture and for Javier Bardem’s performance as merciless killer Anton Chigurh. The noir western finds Josh Brolin’s Llewelyn Moss stumbling upon, and making off with, the cash left behind when a drug deal goes wrong. He’s pursued by not only Chigurh, but Tommy Lee Jones’ Sheriff Bell. You can stream No Country for Old Men on Peacock and MGM+ or rent it from Prime Video.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

at Peacock

Ghost World (2001)

Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) face high school graduation, and a crush on Steve Buscemi, in Terry Zwigoff’s indie dark comedy. You can stream Ghost World on Tubi, Kanopy, and Prime Video.

Ghost World (2001)

at Prime Video

Dreamgirls (2006)

The cast here is incredible: Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, and Beyoncé, just for starters. Even more incredible are the absolutely electric musical numbers, including, and especially, “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” You can stream Dreamgirls on Kanopy and Peacock or rent it from Prime Video.

Dreamgirls (2006)

at Peacock

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Meryl Street is one of cinema’s all-time great villains as boss from hell Miranda Priestly, facing down (and tearing down) Anne Hathaway’s put-upon personal assistant, Andy Sachs. You can rent The Devil Wears Prada from Prime Video.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

at Prime Video

Almost Famous (2000)

Cameron Crowe’s ‘70s-era comedy/drama about a young music journalist going on the road with a major band is a funny, touching crowd pleaser that’s not afraid to veer off in some unexpected and idiosyncratic directions. Hold me closer, tiny dancer. You can stream Almost Famous on Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video.

Almost Famous (2000)

at Paramount+

The Incredibles (2004)

This Pixar triumph hit before the superhero movie wave really crested, and is all the better for it. If only they were all this good. You can stream The Incredibles on Disney+ or rent it from Prime Video.

The Incredibles (2004)

at Disney+

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Ang Lee’s cowboy drama has a big heart and a minimal understanding of the mechanics of gay male sex, while also deserving far better than its fate as an Oscar also-ran to the inferior Crash. You can rent Brokeback Mountain from Prime Video.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

at Prime Video

Love & Basketball (2000)

Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps play next-door neighbors who, over the course of several years, struggle with their growing attraction to each other, even while their basketball ambitions pull them apart. Off-the-charts chemistry here. You can rent Love & Basketball from Prime Video.

Love & Basketball (2000)

at Prime Video

In the Mood for Love (2000)

Wong Kar-wai’s lush, extravagant story of sex and yearning finds Chow (Tony Leung) and Su (Maggie Cheung) developing feelings for each other after their spouses have affairs. The ’60s-set movie is much more than just style, but that style is impeccable. You can stream In the Mood for Love on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video.

In the Mood for Love (2000)

at Max

Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Only the real ones knew what to do with Jennifer’s Body in 2009, and the film took a long time to become the cult classic it was probably always destined to be. Here, popular teenager Jennifer (Megan Fox) is turned into a succubus by abusive men, gleefully killing boys around school to the general horror of her friend, Needy (Amanda Seyfried). You can rent Jennifer’s Body from Prime Video.

Jennifer’s Body (2009)

at Prime Video

Mean Girls (2004)

Given the movie’s impressive longevity, it’s tempting to call Mean Girls a cult classic—except that it made boatloads of money back in the day, as well. When Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) gets accepted into the cool clique at her public school, she quickly realizes that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. You can stream Mean Girls on Kanopy and Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video.

Mean Girls (2004)

at Prime Video

Barbershop (2002)

Everything from sex, to relationships, to O.J. and civil rights is on the agenda in this comedy/drama, and the cast of lively and entertaining characters make it a fun place to spend time. You can rent Barbershop from Prime Video.

Barbershop (2002)

at Prime Video

American Splendor (2003)

Starring greats Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis as underground comic creators Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner, Splendor is a stylish portrait of a couple of everyday people who also happen to be great American artists. You can stream American Splendor on Max or rent it from Prime Video.

American Splendor (2003)

at Max

The Departed (2006)

Martin Scorsese’s remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs finds Leonardo DiCaprio going undercover in a crime organization, while Matt Damon infiltrates the police. It’s all very twisty-turny, and provides a last, great performance from Jack Nicholson (barring a surprise un-retirement). You can rent The Departed from Prime Video.

The Departed (2006)

at Prime Video

Infernal Affairs (2002)

Or you could watch the Hong Kong original from directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak—a smart, emotional crime thriller in its own right. You can stream Infernal Affairs on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video.

Infernal Affairs (2002)

at Max

Casino Royale (2006)

Daniel Craig’s first Bond outing is one of the series’ very best, introducing a leaner, meaner 007 in the first formal adaptation of the very first Ian Fleming book. You can rent Casino Royale from Prime Video.

Casino Royale (2006)

at Prime Video

Secretary (2002)

There’s genuine heat here between Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader—but also a sense of humor that makes the passionate intensity of their relationship that much more titilating. You can rent Secretary from Prime Video.

Secretary (2002)

at Prime Video

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

Proving there’s still a place for traditional animation at Disney, the gorgeously animated film set in New Orleans of the 1920s introduced Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) to the pantheon of Disney princesses. You can stream The Princess and the Frog on Disney+ or rent it from Prime Video.

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

at Disney+

Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

Two teenage boys set out on an impromptu road trip with the slightly older (and married) woman on whom they both have a crush. Alfonso Cuarón’s film is a sweet, funny, and sad coming-of-age movie. You can stream Y Tu Mamá También on Hulu and Netflix or rent it from Prime Video.

Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

at Hulu

Brown Sugar (2002)

Brown Sugar finds Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan as friends, and sometimes rivals, in the music industry who very gradually come to recognize their mutual attraction. You can stream Brown Sugar on Hulu or rent it from Prime Video.

Brown Sugar (2002)

at Hulu

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

There are a couple of love stories in the margins of Ang Lee’s martial arts masterpiece (and international blockbuster), but the most poignant is in the central story of retiring swordsman Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-fat) and his confidante and associate, Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh). Despite a mutual attraction, honor and loyalty keep the two apart until a lovely, tear-soaked final act. You can stream Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on Max or rent it from Prime Video.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

at Max

Rec (2007)

This Spanish import is top-tier found footage, involving a group of firefighters on an emergency call who wind up trapped inside a building at the center of a creeping zombie infection. That limited, specific geography is key to the movie’s brisk, efficient, and nerve-jangling effectiveness. You can stream Rec on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video.

Rec (2007)

at Prime Video

Shrek (2001)

The filmmakers behind Shrek turned the Disney formula on its ear by blending some slightly crass but very funny humor with a genuinely heartfelt story about self-acceptance. In the process, they won the inaugural Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and the movie picked up an Adapted Screenplay nomination—the first ever for an animated film. Not bad for a gassy ogre. Plus: The movie opens with a montage set to Smash Mouth, and it doesn’t get more 2000s than that. You can stream Shrek on Peacock or rent it from Prime Video.

Shrek (2001)

at Peacock

How High (2001)

Pals Method Man and Redman get some help from their dead friend after smoking his ashes, acing their college entrance exams and winding up at Harvard. A goofy stoner classic. You can stream How High on Tubi and Peacock or rent it from Prime Video.

How High (2001)

at Peacock

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)

In plenty of other stoner-type comedies, Indian- and Korean-Americans are most likely to show up as secondary characters and broad stereotypes—here they’re in the lead. It doesn’t hurt that the movie is pretty damn funny. You can stream Harold & Kumar on Peacock or rent it from Prime Video.

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)

at Peacock

Session 9 (2001)

A bona fide horror cult classic, Session 9 stars David Caruso as part of an asbestos abatement crew working at abandoned mental asylum. The location is appropriately creepy, but the movie is ultimately a psychological mind-bender, with the experiences of the work crew beginning to parallel those of former patients. You can rent Session 9 from Prime Video.

Session 9 (2001)

at Prime Video

Eating Out (2004)

The kick-off to a series, this one’s a convoluted, Three’s Company-esque series of mix-ups involving gay guys pretending to be straight and straight guys pretending to be gay, with the right amount of dorky charm and nudity that this kind of movie needs to succeed. You can stream Eating Out on Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video.

Eating Out (2004)

at Prime Video

Up (2009)

Ed Asher plays cantankerous widower Carl Fredricksen, who finds an unlikely ally in a 13-year-old wilderness explorer in his plan to relocate his entire house to Paradise Falls in South America to honor his late wife. You can stream Up on Disney+ or rent it from Prime Video.

Up (2009)

at Disney+

Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

Like the best heist movies, this one works at least as well when things are going wrong for our crew as when they’re going right. The all-star cast adds panache. You can rent Ocean’s Eleven from Prime Video.

Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

at Prime Video

Oldboy (2003)

Park Chan-wook’s revenge classic is not for the faint of heart on any level—it’s a disturbing action spectacle leading to an all-time shocker of a last-act reveal. You can stream Oldboy on Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video.

Oldboy (2003)

at Prime Video

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

Nia Vardalos and company kicked off an unlikely franchise with this beloved rom-com about a young Greek-American woman (Nia Vardalos) who falls in love with a non-Greek man (John Corbett). Shenanigans ensue when she struggles to get her family (including Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Andrea Martin, and Joey Fatone) to accept her husband-to-be. You can stream My Big Fat Greek Wedding on Max.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

at Max

Spy Kids (2001)

A smart, family-friendly action classic in which a couple of kids learn the spy ropes when they’re forced to save their parents—themselves former spies. The best of a franchise that’s still going. You can stream Spy Kids on Max or rent it from Prime Video.

Spy Kids (2001)

at Max

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Sofia Coppolla’s candy-colored historical drama is positively loaded with willful anachronisms—all of which serve to erase the distance between us and the story of France’s clever, tragic queen (Kirsten Dunst). You can stream Marie Antoinette on Pluto TV or rent it from Prime Video.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

at Prime Video

Cloverfield (2008)

Yeah, it’s a monster movie—but in Cloverfield, we got something unique. There are plenty of low-budget, scrappy found footage-style movies; this is a big budget spectacular, and a very effective one at that. You can stream Cloverfield on Tubi and Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video.

Cloverfield (2008)

at Prime Video

Unbreakable (2000)

M. Night Shyamalan’s take on superheroes was seen as a slightly disappointing follow-up to the director’s breakthrough with The Sixth Sense. Time, though, has been kind to the distinct and deliberately paced story of a man (Bruce Willis) who discovers that he’s nearly indestructible following a train crash. Samuel L. Jackson is fabulous as his extremely brittle counterpart. You can stream Unbreakable on Hulu or rent it from Prime Video.

Unbreakable (2000)

at Hulu

Juno (2007)

Diablo Cody won an Academy Award for her screenwriting debut in this sweet, quirky story about an independent-minded teenager dealing with an unplanned pregnancy and the various ways in which it complicates her life. Elliot Page stars, with Michael Cera, Allison Janney, and J. K. Simmons are among the pretty flawless cast. You can stream Juno on Hulu or rent it from Prime Video.

Juno (2007)

at Hulu

The Descent (2006)

Getting lost in those caves is scary enough, even before we discover that we’re not alone down there. The ultimate in spelunking horror. You can stream The Descent on Tubi or Prime Video with ads.

The Descent (2006)

at Prime Video

Gladiator (2000)

Ridley Scott’s sword-and-sandals revival didn’t spark a new flourishing of the genre, but it did make a ton of money and win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. And inspire a two-decades-later sequel. You can stream Gladiator on Paramount+, MGM+, and Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video.

Gladiator (2000)

at Paramount+

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

The Clint Eastwood-directed boxing picture felt like a throwback, even in 2004, but a good old-fashioned boxing drama is always welcome, especially as they’ve become more rare. The movie won four Academy Awards, including for lead Hilary Swank. You can rent Million Dollar Baby from Prime Video.

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

at Prime Video

Beauty Shop (2005)

This Barbershop spin-off follows widowed hairstylist Gina Norris starting over in Atlanta with her daughter, and opening her own shop when a job doesn’t pan out. Queen Latifah is as delightful as ever, and is joined by a great cast including Alfre Woodard, Della Reese, Alicia Silverstone, Andie MacDowell, Kevin Bacon, and Djimon Hounsou. You can stream Beauty Shop on Tubi, Pluto TV, and Prime Video with ads.

Beauty Shop (2005)

at Prime Video

Ray (2004)

Jamie Foxx gives a memorable performance (and won an Oscar) in this biopic covering three-or-so decades in the life of legendary musician Ray Charles. You can stream Ray on Starz or rent it from Prime Video.

Ray (2004)

at Prime Video

Donnie Darko (2001)

Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this memorable emo mind-bender about a troubled teenager who dodges disaster thanks to a bit of sleepwalking. An instant cult classic, it’s the movie all the cool kids were talking about back in the day. You can stream Donnie Darko on Tubi, Kanopy, The Criterion Channel, Hulu, and Prime Video.

Donnie Darko (2001)

at Hulu

Training Day (2001)

Director Antoine Fuqua and company crafted a tense, brutal crime drama that won Denzel Washington his single Best Actor Oscar. Is it his best performance? Probably not, but he’s memorably over-the-top as thoroughly corrupt cop Alonzo Harris. You can rent Training Day from Prime Video.

Training Day (2001)

at Prime Video

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

The sweetest, most charming movie about the romance between a man and his life-like love doll that you’re likely to encounter. You can stream Lars and the Real Girl on Tubi, Kanopy, and Prime Video.

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

at Prime Video

Mulholland Drive (2001)

This love/hate letter to Hollywood has come to be (justly) regarded as one of director David Lynch’s best, and most oddly crowd-pleasing, works: an L.A. noir about murder and obsession and a blue box that’s very significant of, well, something or other. You can rent Mulholland Drive from Apple TV+.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

at Apple TV+

Lost in Translation (2003)

A declining American movie star in the midst of a midlife crisis and a young grad student facing a similarly uncertain future meet while staying at an upscale hotel in Tokyo. The movie that cemented director Sofia Coppola’s spot in the filmmaker pantheon. You can stream Lost in Translation on Prime Video.

Lost in Translation (2003)

at Prime Video

Drumline (2002)

A classic comedy-drama set in the high-stakes world of college marching bands, starring Nick Cannon as a guy with more talent than social skills. You can stream Drumline on Disney+ or rent it from Prime Video.

Drumline (2002)

at Disney+

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

A movie musical about a gender-queer punk rocker with a title referring to the results of a botched gender affirmation procedure, the movie has a huge heart and a score that genuinely rocks. You can rent Hedwig and the Angry Inch from Prime Video.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

at Prime Video

The Great Debaters (2007)

Set in 1930 and directed by, and starring, Denzel Washington, this genuinely engaging drama brings inspirational-sports-movie tropes to the more unlikely theme of college debate societies. You can stream The Great Debaters on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video.

The Great Debaters (2007)

at Prime Video

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

It’s not necessarily Spielberg’s best-loved film, but this sweet and poignant story of a robot boy (Haley Joel Osment) searching for a family at the end of the world is as heartbreaking as it is humane. You can stream A.I. on Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

at Paramount+

Whale Rider (2002)

Pai is a 12-year-old Māori girl and the direct descendant of their tribe’s traditional notable ancestor, the Whale Rider—except that, traditionally, women can’t lead. Star Keisha Castle-Hughes became the youngest nominee for a Best Actress Oscar for her open, genuine performance. You can stream Whale Rider on Tubi, Kanopy, and Shout Factory TV or rent it from Prime Video.

Whale Rider (2002)

at Prime Video

Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

Josie gained an audience over time because of its goofy charm, but also because it came to feel increasingly more relevant in its satirizing of the crass commercialization of mass entertainment. You can rent Josie and the Pussycats from Prime Video.

Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

at Prime Video

Superbad (2007)

High school is awkward as hell, and Superbad is another classic of the genre: a movie about two nerds (Michael Cera and Jonah Hill), each looking to have sex before graduation, but with a surprising amount of heart. You can stream Superbad on Hulu or rent it from Prime Video.

Superbad (2007)

at Hulu

Star Trek (2009)

J.J. Abrams’ reboot brought a blockbuster budget to Trek, giving the then-sleeping franchise the kick in the pants it needed to fly into the 21st century. You can stream Star Trek on Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video.

Star Trek (2009)

at Paramount+

Children of Men (2006)

Alfonso Cuarón’s dystopian thriller is a truly great high-concept science fiction film, and offers up as depressingly prescient a vision of the near future as we’ve seen. Still: It’s beautiful, exciting, and often moving. You can stream Children of Men on Starz or rent it from Prime Video.

Children of Men (2006)

at Prime Video

Bring It On (2000)

An endlessly repeatable teen comedy, Bring It On is also a secret sports movie and a stealth musical (if you consider elaborate dance sequences set to music in the same light as characters bursting into song), two genres with comforting formulas that stand up to repeated viewings. As much fun as it is to witness the literal gymnastics on display, it’s also a kick to watch young Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union snipe at one another. You can rent Bring It On from Prime Video.

Bring It On (2000)

at Prime Video

District 9 (2009)

With parallels to South African apartheid, writer/director Neill Blomkamp crafted the kind of smart, pointed sci-fi film that studios think audiences don’t care for—except that District 9 was a blockbuster, earning many times its budget at the box office. You can rent District 9 from Prime Video.

District 9 (2009)

at Prime Video

Spirited Away (2001)

After her parents are turned into pigs by the witch Yubaba, 10-year-old Chihiro takes a job working in her bathhouse with the hope of finding a way to free them. This might be my favorite Hayao Miyazaki movie, but I say that a lot. You can stream Spirited Away on Max or rent it from Prime Video.

Spirited Away (2001)

at Max

Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)

Tyler Perry (who wrote and starred in this one, but didn’t direct) introduced the street-smart Madea, brought over from his stage plays featuring the character. The box office hit kicked off a franchise that’s still going strong. You can stream Diary of a Mad Black Woman on Starz or rent it from Prime Video.

Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)

at Prime Video

Avatar (2009)

People like to neg James Cameron’s film (right before buying tickets), but he’s the only director operating at this budget point who can make exactly the movie he wants. There’s something remarkable about that, whether you love the finished product or not. You can stream Avatar on Disney+ or rent it from Prime Video.

Avatar (2009)

at Disney+

Try This Mac-Based Notepad Alternative to Give Your Sticky Notes Superpowers

When it comes to note-taking apps on the Mac, it’s hard to look past Apple Notes, as it has a lot of features and has proven itself to be quite reliable. But in my workflow, I sometimes miss having a scratchpad on my Mac, something akin to Notepad on Windows. I like using tools like this for outlining my articles, jotting down notes that can turn into story ideas, or simply creating quick to-do lists for routine tasks.

macOS has a built-in app called Stickies that does some of these things, but it’s desperately in need of an update, as the design looks outdated and it’s not ideal for handling multiple notes. I recently discovered Antinote, a beautifully designed app that does everything I need from a sticky notes app, and has many more features including creating Pomodoro timers and converting currencies, which will appeal to power users too. Antinote has a seven-day free trial, after which you can pay a one-time fee of $5 to buy the app.

Speeding up your Antinote workflow

Credit: Pranay Parab

The first thing you should do after downloading Antinote is learn the hotkey to launch it, which is Option-A by default. Personally, I set up a custom keyboard shortcut to fire up the app whenever I need it, which you can do in Settings > Shortcuts > Global Hotkey, and that suits my workflow very well.

Generally, I actually don’t need to use this shortcut. Instead, I tend to pin Antinote to my screen, which means that it sits in a floating window above all my other apps. However, when you use any app in full-screen mode on your Mac, Antinote gets hidden. In these cases, using the hotkey takes you to the desktop and back to Antinote, which is a lifesaver.

You should also spend a minute or two setting up Antinote to your liking, starting off in Settings > Visuals. Here, the app lets you choose if you want it to show up in the Dock, menu bar, or neither. I recently switched to Barbee for menu bar management, which keeps the chaos under control when I have a lot of menu bar apps open, and therefore I prefer to use Antinote as a menu bar app. However, I sometimes make it a ‘headless’ app, which means that it only shows up when I use the keyboard shortcut to launch it (another reason to have it memorized).

Understanding Antinote’s keywords

Credit: Pranay Parab

Antinote uses keywords to decide which features are enabled in any given note. You can type the word ‘timer’ at the top of a note and it’ll show you all the commands needed to start a timer. For instance, type ‘timer 5’ to start a five-minute timer, or ‘timer pomo’ to enable a Pomodoro timer that lets you work for 25 minutes before starting a five-minute timer for breaks. Other keywords include ‘math’ for calculations, ‘paste’ to make Antinote store you clipboard history, and ‘list’ to start a checklist. Go to the app’s settings and navigate to the Keywords tab to memorize or customize all these keywords.

Navigating between notes

Setting the right font size for notes in Antinote for Mac.

Credit: Pranay Parab

While there are plenty of keyboard shortcuts to manage your notes, I love the app’s use of swipes to switch between various notes. You can use your Mac’s trackpad to perform these gestures. Use a two-finger swipe towards the left to start a new note and swipe to the right to go to the previous note. This way, you can go through your entire note history by just swiping. These gestures are fast and notes open nearly instantly after you swipe in either direction.

Antinote also automatically saves all of your notes in the app, but if you want to share a note with others, you can click the share button in the bottom-right corner of the app’s window. This will save the note as a txt file in the folder of your choice. You can then use other apps to share the note. Unfortunately, there’s no real-time collaboration feature.

Interesting additional features

Credit: Pranay Parab

Beyond just being quick and easy to use for jotting down ideas or doing quick unit conversions, this app has a few more helpful features in its toolbox. You can take a screenshot of text and the app will uses OCR to extract it into a note. The default macOS keyboard shortcut—Command-Control-Shift-4—will let you screenshot an area on your screen. Use this to copy the screenshot to your clipboard, and paste it into Antinote. The app will automatically extract any text for you.

I also like Antinote’s distraction-free UI. It displays text and lets you write without showing all your available buttons until you move the cursor near those buttons. There are a few buttons at the top of the app’s window and a few towards the bottom, so if you find you can’t find something you need, try both locations. One of the buttons at the top is a global search button that lets you search through all of your Antinote notes, which is very useful.

The app allows you to set up an auto-delete schedule, which is good if you primarily want to use it for temporary notes. In its settings, go to the Notes section to configure this. I’ve set it up to delete notes after a month, but you can even clear out everything in the app within a day if you want to. The app supports multiple themes, too, available under Settings > Visuals. You could make the app look more like a physical notebook, for instance, or change your canvas from unruled to ruled or grid-based.

Settings > Visuals also lets you change the size of the window and the default font size to suit your needs. When I’m using my MacBook’s display, I keep it at medium, but I increase the font size when the laptop is connected to a large monitor.

Strava’s AI Will Now Predict Your Race Times (but I’m Skeptical)

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Strava, the superstar running/cycling app, now has a subscriber-only AI feature that will predict how fast it thinks you could run a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon. The predictions use a different method from those you might see from other sources, though.

For me, Strava’s predictions look less accurate than the ones I get from Garmin and Runna, but the feature is too new to say for sure how accurate they will be for everybody else.

How to view your race predictions in Strava

Race predictions are only available to Strava premium members. That membership runs $11.99/month or $79.99/year and also gets you mapping tools and extra analytics, like goals and fitness scores.

If you’re a premium member, you can find your predictions in the mobile app by going to the You tab (bottom right when you’re looking at the home screen), then tapping Progress at the top of the screen. Right underneath your weekly mileage, you’ll see your race time predictions. The feature is currently only available on mobile, not in the web app.

To have enough data for a prediction, you need to have logged at least 20 run activities in the last 24 weeks, Strava says. The predictions will update after each run, and after three days without running. In addition to telling you how fast it thinks you can run right now, Strava’s AI will also tell you how this compares to your predicted time from 30 days ago. The predictions assume that your race would be on flat ground in good weather.

How Strava’s predictions compare to other apps and formulas

You may have seen race predictions before—for example, on your Garmin watch or on websites like vdoto2.com. Those usually use a mathematical formula, while Strava’s new predictions are powered by “Athlete Intelligence,” which the company describes as a machine learning (ML) model.

Here’s what Strava says about the feature:

“Strava’s Performance Prediction feature is powered by an ML model that leverages over 100 athlete data attributes, including all-time run history and top performances. Unlike other race predictors that rely on theoretical inputs like estimated VO2 max, Strava only uses real activity data to predict race results. The system also leverages the performances of athletes with similar training histories, so estimated times are realistic and based on what has been achieved by other users with similar capabilities.”

In other words, the app is doing some AI magic: looking at everybody else’s training and race times, considering yours, and guessing how you might measure up to the aggregate. I asked whether Strava had done any testing to see how well the data compares to real-life race results, but so far have not received an answer. (I’ll update if I hear back.)

Certainly the predicted results I’m getting are pretty different from what I’m seeing elsewhere. I’ve been logging all my runs with Garmin and Strava for several months now, and here’s how their race time predictions compare:

5K (3.1 miles): Strava says I can run this race in 29:22 (up 21 seconds in the last 30 days); Garmin says 26:02 (down 50 seconds in the past 4 weeks)
10K (6.2 miles): Strava predicts 1:01:50 (up 5 seconds); Garmin says 55:31 (down about 90 seconds)
Half marathon (13.1 miles): Strava says 2:24:57 (up 2:43); Garmin says 2:07:09 (down about three minutes)
Marathon (26.2 miles): Strava says 5:04:04 (up 1:50); Garmin says 4:45:58 (down 7:44)

I’m not surprised that they differ, but it’s strange that Strava thinks I’m getting slower, where Garmin thinks I’m getting faster.

I don’t have any super recent race times to compare these to, but last fall I ran a 5K in 26:04. The morning of the race, Garmin predicted I’d run it in 25:50, so the Garmin was only 14 seconds too optimistic. According to that same Garmin algorithm, I’m close to that same fitness level right now, so I’d bet money that if I ran a 5K this weekend, I’d be in the low 26 minute range.

I’m currently working through a 5K plan with the Runna app, and it predicts a 26:15 finish time at my current fitness. (For the other distances: 55:50, 2:08:22, 4:45:33). On a gut-check basis, this one sounds the most correct to me, at least for the 5K.

I don’t trust Strava’s predictions

Strava’s prediction of 29:22 sounds way too slow to me. In fact, according to data I can look up in my Strava account, this past weekend I ran 5 kilometers in 30:03 (just a smidge slower than its 5K race prediction) during a five-mile run. That wasn’t a race, and I was clearly pacing myself for a five-mile effort rather than a three-mile one.

Based on my 5K time of 26:04 (again, an older time, but it’s probably close to my true fitness level), the simple calculator at vdoto2.com thinks I could do a 10K in 54:10, a half in 2:00:23, and a full marathon in 4:07:43. Calculators tend to be a little too optimistic, especially if you put in a shorter race time and ask it to extrapolate out to long distances. So I wouldn’t expect to run a 4:07 marathon anytime soon.

Judging from forums like the r/Strava subreddit, the jury is still out on accuracy. Here’s somebody who ran a 10K in 56:34, but the app predicts 57:58—a number they just beat by almost a minute and a half. On the other hand, several runners in this thread say that their Strava predictions seem pretty accurate. Only running a race will tell you for sure.

This Windows App Lets You Add Time, Weather, and Other Widgets to Your Wallpaper

Mac users can put any widget on their desktop. Windows puts widgets into a dedicated area that’s not really customizable and curates headlines from the absolute worst places on the web. What if you just want a few simple pieces of information to show up over your wallpaper? A free application called BeWidgets lets you do just that.

This free application lets you set up widgets featuring the weather, date, time, stock prices, and app shortcuts. It also lets you customize them to look however you want. To get started, install the application; you can add a widget immediately. Give it a name, just so you can keep track of it, then choose what information you’d like the widget to show by using the drop down.

The main BeWidget window alongside a few demonstration widgets.

Credit: Justin Pot

You can manually drag the widget anywhere you want on the desktop. The real power here comes when you click the Customize button. Here, you can change everything about how it looks. This means you can change the size, position, font, and backdrop for the widget. You can also customize the format.

The customize widget for a date widget. You can chance the position, size, and disable movement.

Credit: Justin Pot

So, for the weather widget, you can choose which city to show the weather for and whether you want Celsius or Fahrenheit. You can also get a 24-hour forecast. For the stocks widget, you can choose which stock or currency you want to keep track of. For time, you can choose whether you want a 24- or 12-hour time. And you can customize the date format to work the way you’re used to. The real fun comes from digging in the settings and tweaking everything to look just the way you want.

There are other Windows applications that let you add widgets: Rainlender is a popular application for the job, albeit an aging one that can be overwhelming for beginners. The reason I like BeWidgets is a balance of simplicity and customization. You can only add certain kinds of information, sure, but you can make that information look however you want with just a few clicks. Check if out if you want to add a clock or stock to your desktop.

Update Your Old LG Phone While You Still Can

There was once a time when LG was among the major smartphone manufacturers. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case for a while now: LG gave up on the phone business in April 2021, reducing the choices Android customers have—especially in the United States.

It was a shame, since LG made some cool phones back in the day. The V20, for example, included a thin secondary display along the top of the device, while the LG Wing sported a full-size second display that swiveled out—a design that is still unique in the smartphone market (if not particularly practical). The company produced a number of smartphones in its time—some good, some great, some forgettable—but over the last four years, we’ve been deprived any new LG smartphones.

That being said, the company didn’t leave its customers out to dry: LG guaranteed eligible smartphones three years of updates. That guarantee seems to have worked out, since we’re now four years past LG’s retirement from the smartphone market. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, as is the case with LG’s software support.

RIP LG updates

As reported by Android Authority, LG is planning to shut down the servers it uses to issue software updates. Once that happens, you won’t be able to open your LG smartphone’s settings app and install the latest update your device supports.

It’s not just the update servers, either. LG will also be closing down LG Bridge, software that helps you back your phone up to your PC, as well as install updates.

This all goes down on Monday, June 30—just about two months from the time of this article. If you have any LG devices that have outstanding updates, you should consider updating them as soon as possible.

Of course, LG phones from 2021 aren’t getting updates for Android 15, or the upcoming Android 16. LG was issuing updates for versions of Android 12 and Android 13, depending on the phone in question. Still, these updates are important, since they contain the latest security patches for your particular smartphone. If you’re still using these devices, make sure to install these updates to keep your phone protected—and be aware that no future security updates are coming to protect you from future vulnerabilities.

To that last point, it might be time to start thinking about a new phone if you haven’t done so already. While this last update should protect you for some time, the longer you use a smartphone with no future updates on the way, the greater the chances you’ll expose yourself to those future vulnerabilities. If you’re in need of an upgrade, take a look at PCMag’s list of the best Android smartphones for 2025—all of which will continue to receive the latest feature and security updates.

How to update your LG phone

To update your LG phone, open Settings > System > System updates > Update LG software, then tap Check now for update. If an update is available, tap Install.

The Four Worst Reasons to Sell Your Home

Considering how much work goes into buying a home, it’s surprising how many people view it as a temporary situation. The concept of the “property ladder”—buying a small, affordable “starter” house just to build equity and trade up to a larger home, and then doing it again until you’re living in some kind of mansion—makes people think of their homes as investments in their future instead of a place to live their lives.

It’s true that buying a house can be a complex decision, and buyer’s remorse is a real situation that almost anyone can find themselves experiencing—and sometimes selling your home is the best decision you can make. But there are plenty of bad reasons to sell, especially if you’re comfortable and happy in the property, or you’ve put a lot of work and money into making it your own. If you’ve got the itch to call up Realtors and list your house, ask yourself if you’re doing it for one of these reasons—and then maybe don’t make that call.

You’re exhausted

You bought a house and learned the dark secret of owning a property: You have to maintain it. Home maintenance can be a lot—in fact, about 28% of people who report buyer’s remorse about their house cite the time and cost of home maintenance as the primary reason.

Anyone who’s owned a home knows that the problems seem endless. You fix the roof, and the water heater goes. You replace the water heater, and your air conditioner dies. Selling the house might feel like a weight lifting off your shoulders. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that any property you buy after selling this house will also require maintenance—maintenance you’ll either be doing yourself, or paying someone else to do through HOA or condo fees. Selling your current home won’t remove the need for maintenance and repairs. Even going from an older home to a newer one doesn’t guarantee you won’t have a lot of maintenance to do—in a survey conducted by insurance company Hippo, 60% of new construction homeowners spent more on maintenance than they expected.

If you’re happy with your current home except for the maintenance work, spacing out and planning the work can help make it more manageable. And paying for a home warranty service (or just hiring a handyman) can give you a break from the constant effort, at least.

Timing the market

When you buy a house, the expectation is that it will increase in value over time—while you’re simultaneously increasing your equity in it. Normally this is a long-term situation, but sometimes the real estate market in your area heats up rapidly, and you hatch a plan: You’ll sell at the high, rent for a year, then buy a house again when the market dips. That’s called “timing the market,” and it’s usually a bad reason to sell a house you otherwise love.

“I worked with a couple that had bought themselves a very beautiful house in a quiet neighborhood just outside the city,” says real estate expert and owner of Fast Home Buyer California YK Kuliev. “They had spent years waiting for it to get just right for them—custom kitchen, landscaped yard, the whole deal. They saw headline after headline about record-breaking sale prices, and thought to themselves: ‘Let’s cash out now while prices are at the top.’ They did it and made really good money, but they did not have a new home lined up. They figured they would rent for a year, wait for the market to cool down, then buy again. Jump to 18 months later, and they are priced out of the very neighborhoods they used to call home. They scoured for a much smaller house in a much less desirable location and none of those personal touches built up over years in their prior home. That attempt to time the market cost them their dream home.”

Not only does timing the market risk a home you’re comfortable in, the profits are often illusory because you wind up paying rent—and often more of it, and for a longer period, than anticipated. “They think they’re going to cash out at the perfect moment,” notes Jessica Robinson, co-owner of Family Nest North Central Florida. “But forget they still have to live somewhere after they sell.”

The one that got away

One of the most frustrating aspects of buying a house is the competition—the other buyers who swoop in with all-cash offers, or offers way over list price. Bidding wars can quickly put your dream home out of your financial reach. And sometimes you see a house you’d love to buy, but it isn’t on the market when you’re ready to dive in.

But if the dream home you were denied suddenly becomes available, selling your current home to jump at it can be a huge mistake for a variety of reasons:

Sweat equity. If you’ve put time, effort, and money into renovating your current home, you might not get a return on those investments.
Financial loss. If you haven’t lived in your current home for at least two years, prepared to get smacked with some gnarly capital gains taxes. Your mortgage lender might have a penalty for paying off the loan too soon. And you’ll be paying all the fees and closing costs, eroding any small gain you might have made in the home’s equity.
Disappointment. Dream homes don’t always work out the way you expect. A house that looks superficially ideal might turn out to have hidden problems, or you might not use the amenities as often as you think you will—or at all.

If the only reason you want to sell your house is a form of FOMO, it’s probably going to be a mistake.

You’re bored

Buying and moving into a new house is an exciting experience. There’s the thrill of finding the right house, the joy of starting a new chapter in your life, and then the buzz of activity as you decorate, renovate, and get to know your neighborhood.

But eventually you settle in, finish the projects, and fall into a routine. For some people, that leads to a sense of boredom with the house—and a regrettable decision to sell just because the excitement has faded.

Robinson has seen this firsthand. “I’ll never forget a couple I worked with who sold their home because they were ‘just incredibly bored’ with their house,” she says. “It was a beautiful house, great neighborhood—but after a few years, they just felt restless.”

It was a predictably terrible idea. “They rushed to list without a solid plan and ended up in a smaller, more expensive home that needed a mountain of repairs,” she explains. “Within six months, they admitted they missed their old place and regretted the whole thing.”

Kuliev also recalls one client who simply wanted ‘a change of scenery.’ “She thought a move to a trendier area would be ‘fun,’” he recalls. “She listed her condo, sold it quickly, and bought a loft in a newer development. Six months later, her commute was longer, the community felt more impersonal, and those HOA fees were much heftier. She confessed that she missed the coziness and character of her old place. That boredom cost tens of thousands in closing costs, fees, and an emotional toll none had expected.”

Google Wallet Is Expanding Digital IDs to More States and the UK

More Android users will be able to use their phones to verify their identities instead of their drivers licenses or passports, as Google Wallet is expanding its digital ID features to more U.S. states and the UK.

In an April 29 blog post, Google announced that residents in Arkansas, Montana, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia will soon be able to add their government-issued IDs—drivers licenses and state identification cards—to Google Wallet. This feature has already rolled out for those who live in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, and New Mexico. ID pass, Google Wallet’s digital passport feature, will also be expanded to UK residents.

What you can do with Google Wallet’s digital IDs

Digital IDs (in Google Wallet or state-specific apps) can already be used to get through TSA checkpoints at supported airports as long as they are REAL ID complaint. Google Wallet recently added an ID pass feature for U.S. passports, which are also accepted by TSA and can be used in lieu of a REAL ID. With the latest update, residents of Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, and New Mexico will be able to to use digital IDs stored in Google Wallet at the DMV.

Google is also expanding options for using your digital ID online, such as for recovering your Amazon account, accessing online health services through CVS and MyChart, and verifying profiles on digital platforms like Uber. Some apps already permit digital IDs for identity verification, and Google plans to integrate Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) age verification across devices and services that access digital IDs via Google Wallet.

For users in the UK, digital IDs in Google Wallet can be used to verify Railcard eligibility.

Google Wallet will soon be available in 50 additional countries for storing digital passes (like tickets), though Google has not yet indicated where.

How to add a digital ID to Google Wallet

To add your state-issued ID to Google Wallet, open the app on your Android device and tap the + icon > ID > Driver’s license or state ID. You can also add your passport to ID pass via the + icon > ID > ID pass. Hit Get Started and follow the in-app prompts to scan your passport and face for approval.

Finally, while a digital ID is convenient, it isn’t a full replacement for your physical ID card or passport. You may still need to present these when traveling or using certain services, so you should still carry them with you.

Everything We Know About Amazon Prime Day 2025

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While there was no question we’d be getting another Prime Day in 2025, now it’s official: In a press release, Amazon has confirmed the return of what is sure to be biggest online sales event of the year. Here is everything we know so far about this year’s sale.

What is Prime Day?

While Amazon holds several sales throughout the year (including its recent Big Spring Sale and last year’s October Prime Big Deal Days),the summer sale is typically Amazon’s biggest, most-hyped annual event. It’s typically a two-day affair, with deals in virtually every category you can think of. Prime Day is usually when you can expect to see some products drop to record low prices, though not all deals are as great as they seem (I always vet deals with price tracking tools to make sure they’re legit).

When is Prime Day 2025?

While Amazon has announced the event will happen in July, they haven’t specified the dates yet. Last year, the 48-hour sale ran from Tuesday, July 16 to Wednesday, July 17. If I were a betting man, I’d wager the sale will be on July 15 and July 16 this year, but that’s just speculation. I’ll update this post once we know anything official.

Do you need to be a Prime Member to shop during Prime Day?

You will need to be a Prime Member to shop all of Amazon’s Prime Day deals and get free shipping. Prime membership starts at $14.99 per month ($139 per year). It’s easy to figure out if yearly Prime membership is worth it for you, but remember you can always cancel your Prime membership once the sale is over—Amazon offers free 30-day trials, so you can shop both days of the event and still have time to cancel before you get charged. (Here’s how to sign up for a Prime account.)

What sales can you expect during Prime Day?

Since Prime Day happens in the summer, you can find deals on outdoorsy stuff, like gardening equipment, but the best discounts are usually on tech and Amazon devices. Amazon has already announced some categories that will be on sale, including electronics, kitchen, beauty, and apparel.

Prime Day is a good time to shop other retailers’ sales too

You can always expect major retailers to have their own competitive sales, the big ones being Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. I will be updating this post with details on those offerings as soon as they’ve been announced.

Some tips for shopping during Prime Day

If this will be your first Prime Day, you need to know some basic things about Amazon sales:

You can share your Prime membership with family members even if they don’t live with you
You can set price alerts for products you want and your Alexa devices can notify you when they go on sale
There are usually some “Invite-Only” deals that you can sign up for; there are tools you can use to see if the deal you’re looking at is good or not.

But if you only take one bit of advice for shopping on Prime Day, let it be this: Don’t buy anything you weren’t going to buy anyway. A good way to make sure you do this is by making a list of the products you do want beforehand, and only shopping from that list during the sale.