The ‘Out in the Open’ Method Can Help Even the Most Organized People to Declutter

What are you doing this weekend? Don't know? Now you do: You're going to organize and declutter your home with the "out in the open" method. This technique is helpful whether you have a cluttered space, live in a relatively tidy home, or even are hyper-organized. Here's what you need to do.

What is the "out in the open" method?

This decluttering and organizing technique, like a lot of others, comes from tidy-home gurus The Minimalists. Essentially, you pull everything out of the space you're trying to organize, whether it's your closet, a cupboard, or a junk drawer. Truly, pull it all out and pile it up. The Minimalists say this approach is the opposite of one of their other methods, the "packing party," which involves putting everything from a certain room or location into categorized boxes, as if you were moving, then live out of those boxes for three weeks, pulling out only what you actually need. Three weeks after your packing party, you get rid of what you didn't use and put the rest away. With "out in the open," you don't have the luxury of living normally for three weeks, though; all your stuff is in a big pile, and cleaning and organizing it becomes an immediate necessity if you'd like to move freely around your space again.

So, that's what you do. Once everything is pulled out of its usual spot, you get a real sense of the volume of what you have. You have to organize it, because it's in your way. This creates some urgency while helping you get a handle on all that clutter that has been stored away. From there, you just have to follow your preferred decluttering technique, sorting, as usual, into piles of keep, throw, donate, and sell, before putting away what you're keeping and getting rid of the rest as you see fit.

Why the "out in the open" rule works so well

This is actually one of the best techniques out there because it works well for everyone, even—hell, especially—people who are already pretty organized. I often recommend following the rules of the Organizational Triangle to keep your home in order, particularly the rules that say to store similar items together and that everything needs a designated space. All of my favorite organizing techniques require you to use containers, smell shelves, boxes, and other specific storage tools to keep everything in order while it's stashed away in cupboards or closets. That's why I'm always going on about the best storage boxes and divided shelving units. The goal here is to keep everything organized and out of sight—but that can become its own kind of problem. Even if you adhere to all the storage and organizing rules strictly, once everything is out of sight and mind and your home looks presentable, you can still be accumulating way too much unnecessary stuff in those closets, cupboards, and boxes. You may not even think it's an issue since, hey, at least it's all organized.

By periodically pulling it all out and creating the very kind of mess you usually try to avoid, you have to confront all that stuff. I do this with my closets and dressers pretty regularly, every two or three months, so I can pare down clothes I no longer wear, need, or fit. It's also a great idea for junk drawers, spice and medicine cabinets (or anything full of products that might expire), garages or sheds, shoe storage, and even your living room shelving. As annoying as it is to temporarily have a giant mess on your hands, it will be worth it to only hold onto what is still serving you and let go of the things that were taking up too much organizational space.

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This Free App Helps You Make Cocktails With Ingredients You Already Have

Some people have fully stocked bars—the rest of us make do with a rotating cast of liquors and ingredients.

If that's you, Drinkable is a totally free app that tells you which cocktails you can make with the ingredients you have on hand. Even better: it works offline, perfect if you're stranded in a cabin with a well-stocked bar but no wireless signal (it happens, believe me).

This application, available for iOS and Android with no ads or in-app-payments, includes a catalogue of over 150 drinks. This means you could use it to quickly look up the recipe for all of the common cocktails. To get started, install the app from Google Play or the App Store. You can start searching for recipes right away. Honestly, the application is perfectly useful just as a pocket recipe book for all the classic cocktails.

To me, though, the real fun happens when you head to the Ingredients tab and start entering which things you have on hand. While browsing recipes, you'll see checkmarks next to the ingredients you have on hand. Or, if you prefer, you can filter the recipes to only see drinks you can make with your current ingredients. Tap any of them and you'll see the recipe.

Credit: Justin Pot

Scroll down past the list of drinks you can make with current ingredients and you'll see a list of drinks that you're one ingredient away from making. Basically, this app is built around showing you what drinks you can make with what you have on hand while also pointing out things you could make with just a few more things. I like this because it can help inform your next shopping trip without totally overwhelming you.

Even if you don't want to bother with inventory management, this app is a handy reference—and it's completely free (with no in app purchases). Whether you're making a quick drink for yourself or a batch of bottled cocktails for a party, you'll have the knowledge you need.

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This Subscription-Free Security Camera Is $20 Right Now

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The TP-Link Tapo C402 is $19.99 on Woot for the next two days or until it sells out. If you're a Prime member, you get free shipping; otherwise, it’ll cost you an extra $6.

TP-Link Tapo C402

$19.99 at Woot

$49.99 Save $30.00

$19.99 at Woot

$49.99 Save $30.00

This camera is IP65-rated, meaning it can handle rain and dust, and has a bullet-style design that makes it easy to mount. You get a 90-day Woot Limited Warranty, which isn’t long, but at this price, it’s hard to complain. It records in 1080p with a 125-degree field of view, offering sharp, color-rich daytime footage. At night, it switches between full-color video (though the colors reportedly appear a bit washed out) using built-in spotlights and black-and-white infrared video, depending on lighting conditions.

For storage, the C402 supports microSD cards up to 512GB, but you’ll need to buy one separately if you want local storage. If you’d rather store footage online, TP-Link offers a Premium Tapo Care ($3.49 monthly or $34.99 annually) plan, which includes 30 days of video history, smart sorting for recorded clips, and rich notifications. Even if you skip the subscription, you still get free intelligent alerts for people, pets, and vehicles, privacy zone controls, two-way audio, and live view through the app, notes this PCMag review. Additional controls in the app include adjusting the spotlight brightness, formatting a microSD card, manually recording a video, and enabling or disabling the built-in 94dB siren, among others.

The C402 connects via 2.4GHz wifi and works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT applets to integrate with other compatible smart home devices. It does not support Apple HomeKit. A 6,400mAh rechargeable battery powers the unit, which TP-Link claims can last up to 180 days per charge—though, in reality, that depends on usage. For those wanting a more hands-off power solution, the TP-Link Tapo SolarCam C402 Kit is available for $44.99 (down from $50.98), allowing the camera to run indefinitely on solar energy for a more set-it-and-forget-it experience.

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Designate a 'Purgatory' Box for Less Stressful Decluttering

Getting rid of stuff can be hard, even if you’re not exactly a hoarder. It’s hard enough for so many of us in our consumerist society, in fact, that scientists have studied why that is—and are always coming up with ways to overcome an aversion to decluttering our lives. Just in time for spring cleaning season, look to research published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology that suggests there’s a way to ease yourself into parting with old belongings: Instead of throwing them out all at once, banish them to purgatory first.

What it means to put clutter in “purgatory”

The researchers, Mathew S. Isaac and Poornima Vinoo, kicked off their paper by explaining that people who struggle to part with their possessions tend to jump through hoops to avoid doing it and may only manage to do so by employing “various behavioral strategies” to ease the psychological strain. One such strategy that has proven useful for some, the researchers note, is relegating unnecessary but hard-to-part-with items to “out of sight” status, in the hopes that they will then drop out of mind and can be later disposed of, minus the hand-wringing. “According to ethnographic research, one such strategy is to move products into purgatories, or temporary liminal spaces,” they write.

In other words: Before throwing out your old photos, books, receipts, mementos, or knick knacks for good, put them into a space somewhere between your everyday environment and the trash. Essentially, banish things you think you should probably get rid of to a box or a junk drawer where you won’t access them, but you’ll know they’re still around. Once you no longer have to look at them every day, you’ll hopefully realize how little you actually need them once it’s time for a major purge, and they’ll be easier to donate, sell, or trash.

Why the purgatory method helps you get rid of your junk

Isaac and Vinoo reviewed three existing studies that indicated moving items into “purgatories” helps people brace for the inevitability of disposal. However, their research uncovered a new reason it works, and it has nothing to do with a reduction of attachment. “Specifically, purgatories are shown to trigger mental simulation of the product disposal process, thereby helping product owners brace for the looming loss of their product,” they write.

In simpler terms, when you condemn an item to its purgatory, it’s a practice run for throwing it away for real. Not only will you be lessening your attachment to physical objects in a gradual way by removing them from your everyday environment, you’ll be rehearsing for the moment when you actually junk them permanently.

How to get started putting your excess stuff into purgatory

When you're decluttering, make a separate pile of things you think you could get rid of, even if you aren’t quite ready to pull the trigger yet, in addition to the clear-cut piles of things to toss, sell, donate, and keep. You don’t have to commit to throwing them all away, but this will get you thinking about the possibility. Outdated clothes you don’t wear anymore, single-use kitchen tools you haven’t picked up in ages, and toys your kids have aged out of—basically, all the stuff you hold onto for sentimental or "just in case" reasons—can go into purgatory.

Make sure “purgatory” is someplace you won’t have to look at every day. The idea is to forget what’s in there so you can see just how inconsequential it really is. Put the box deep in a closet, down in the basement, or on a shelf in the garage. For maximum efficiency, use separate boxes for things that won’t be useful to anyone else, and things that could reasonably be donated. That way, when it's time for them to go to their final resting place, you can bring one box to the donation center and throw one out without having to go through them again, which will reduce the likelihood of you reneging on anything that's in there.

Challenge yourself not to venture into purgatory except to put more stuff in there—but take heart knowing the research shows you probably won’t even want to. Set a reminder in your phone for a month from now, and on that day, transport the items to their final destination, whether that’s the trash or the donation center. In the event you find you actually need to use something from the box during that month, you can consider taking it as a sign that the item was a necessary one. (That is very unlikely, by the way.)

Other ways to part with things you're not sure about

I know better than anyone how easy it is to manufacture excuses for not getting rid of clutter. I am the reigning queen of holding on to something "just in case" I need it in the future. The thing is, though, you can make that excuse for everything you own. A purgatory box is a great way to bridge the gap between knowing something is probably trash and actually throwing it out, which is why I have a purgatory shelf for old clothes. But there are other methods designed to make it easier on you to toss things out on sight and those get even faster results than having to wait around to dispose of a box for a month.

I recommend familiarizing yourself with these decluttering questions. When you're sorting through a closet, a cabinet, a drunk drawer, or wherever else, asking objective, reasonable questions is one of the easiest ways to disentangle from any sentimentality or excuse-making. Some of the questions include, "Would I know I had this if I needed it?" and "When was the last time I used this?" Reframing how you think of a particular item and its utility can help you part with it. I used to be all about the KonMari method, which has you ask yourself if each item you pick up "sparks joy" for you, but the issue was that I could do enough mental and emotional gymnastics to claim that everything I owned sparked joy. If you're like me, switching over to a more rigid (and, admittedly, harsher) line of questioning can be the push you need.

If, after answering the questions about a certain item, you're still unsure whether you can give it up, toss it into the purgatory box. Combining methods is totally fine as long as you commit to the goal of ultimately getting rid of what isn't serving you and is, in fact, just mucking up your space.

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How Much Running Gear Costs, Depending on the Type of Runner You Are

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I'm Lifehacker's resident marathon runner and senior finance writer. And now, I'm merging my two worlds. Running is often touted as one of the most accessible sports—just lace up and go, right? But as many runners discover, what starts as a "free" activity can quickly transform into a significant investment.

After a decade of "casually" running, I looked around at my room one day and saw dollar signs: sneakers, my second pair that year, at least $100. Medals from races, some costing $250 to register. A box of energy gels for long runs, around $30. A fancy hand-held water bottle, anti-chafing sticks, high-tech cold-weather leggings—what happened to my "lace up and go" mentality?

Here's a glimpse at the true financial impact of running gear, from the bare essentials to premium options for those with deeper pockets.

What a minimalist approach to running would cost

Pun intended, of course. For those wanting to keep costs at an absolute minimum, running can indeed be approached with remarkable frugality. Here's what you truly need:

Essential gear

• Running shoes: $60-100 (entry-level models on sale)

• Moisture-wicking shirts: $10-15 (basic athletic tees from discount retailers)

• Running shorts/pants: $15-20 (simple options from general sporting goods stores)

• Socks: $5-10 (multi-pack athletic socks)

Weather necessities

• Winter: Layer existing clothes (that cotton sweatshirt works—it's just not optimal).

• Rain: A basic baseball cap ($10) and quick-drying clothes

• Summer: Stick to early morning or evening runs to avoid expensive cooling gear.

Hydration & nutrition

• Water bottle: $5-10 (basic reusable bottle)

• Nutrition: Homemade options (banana, toast with honey, etc.)

Annual cost for the minimalist runner: $150-250

If you're a casual runner who'll only use one pair of shoes per year, this sport shouldn't break the bank. The minimalist approach is entirely valid—countless runners have logged thousands of miles with just the basics. I know I've been stubbornly minimalist through the years. In fact, this past marathon training season is the first time I really invested in some higher tech gear.

That said, I must begrudgingly report there's often a noticeable difference in comfort and performance when you invest in purpose-built equipment.

How much a practical enthusiast might spend on running

For runners with some flexibility in their budget, strategic investments in key pieces can significantly enhance the experience without breaking the bank.

Quality essentials

• Running shoes: $120-160 (mid-tier models replaced every 300-500 miles)

• Technical shirts: $30-45 each (two to three quality moisture-wicking options)

• Running-specific shorts/tights: $40-60 each

• Performance socks: $12-18 per pair (three to four pairs)

• Sports bras (if applicable): $40-60 each (two to three quality options)

Brooks Ghost 16 GTX

$169.75 at Amazon

$169.75 at Amazon

Weather-specific gear

• Winter layer: $70-150 (one quality thermal long sleeve)

• Lightweight jacket: $60-100 (wind/water resistant)

• Running gloves: $20-30

• Headwear: $20-25 (beanie or headband for cold)

For anyone training for a spring race, you quickly learn that weather-specific gear are true essentials.

Accessories

• Running belt/pouch: $25-40

• Basic GPS watch: $150-200 (entry-level Garmin or similar)

• Headlamp for night runs: $30-50

Hydration & nutrition

• Handheld water bottle: $20-30 (running-specific)

• Nutrition: $30-40 monthly (basic gels, chews, electrolyte powders)

Annual cost for the practical enthusiast: $600-1,000

This time, I assume you replace your shoes once a year and need seasonal gear additions. After all, at this level, you're investing in gear that genuinely enhances performance and comfort. The right technical fabric in cold weather isn't just more comfortable; it actually enables more consistent training through the seasons. And instead of the cheapest shoes available, I now swear by Brooks Ghost 16 GTX.

How much a dedicated runner might spend

For devoted runners who prioritize performance, recovery, and optimization, running becomes a more significant financial commitment. Here's a look at just how expensive this sport can get, if you're willing to invest.

Performance gear

• Multiple specialized shoes: $140-250 each (training, racing, trail options)

• Premium apparel: Complete seasonal wardrobes ($500-1,000+ annually)

• Compression gear: $80-150 (tights, sleeves, socks)

• High-end rain/cold protection: $150-300 (insulation jackets, premium thermal layers)

Technology & analytics

• Advanced GPS watch: $300-700 (Garmin Forerunner, COROS, etc.)

• Additional sensors: $50-100 (heart rate straps, foot pods)

• Training platforms: $60-120 annually (Strava premium, TrainingPeaks)

• Recovery tools: $200-500 (massage gun, compression boots, etc.)

Garmin Forerunner

$248.88 at Amazon

$399.99 Save $151.11

$248.88 at Amazon

$399.99 Save $151.11

Nutrition & hydration systems

• Hydration vests/packs: $80-150

• Specialized nutrition: $50-100 monthly (premium gels, recovery drinks, supplements)

• Water filtration for trail running: $40-100

Professional coaching

• Gait analysis: $75-150

• Custom insoles: $200-300

• Coaching: $100-300+ monthly

Annual cost for dedicated runner: $2,000-5,000+

Depending on race schedule and gear replacement frequency, running can transform from a simple exercise into a lifestyle with its own ecosystem of products and services. The investment can be substantial, but for those deeply committed to the sport, each element serves a purpose in enhancing performance, preventing injury, and/or improving the overall experience. If you're spending this much on running, I hope you're getting some sponsorships and brand deals in return.

Finding your balance

The beauty of running is that you can participate meaningfully at any of these investment levels. Sometimes, a strategic upgrade in one area can make a disproportionate difference in your running experience. I find I take something of a hybrid approach. Invest in truly essential items, like good shoes and proper socks, but skip unnecessary "innovations"—not every gadget improves your running!

Another cost-saving trick: Always look for last season's models. Unless you're a serious racer, there's rarely a reason to splurge on the newest, hottest watch or shoes. At the end of the day, the "right" amount to spend on running gear is highly personal. By understanding where quality truly matters versus where you can economize, you can build a running kit that supports your goals without unnecessary expense.

Stay tuned for my upcoming articles diving deeper into the specific costs of running shoes and race participation, so you can see how much it really costs to be a runner.

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The Best Sites to Find Affordable Dupes of Brand Names

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We’ve all been there: You find the perfect product, the chair or skin cream that will solve all your problems through the liberal application of capitalism—but it doesn’t fit into your budget. You have three choices: You can spend the next few months (years?) saving diligently toward the glorious day when you can afford to pull the trigger; you can put that purchase on a credit card and deal with the interest charges—or you can find a dupe.

Dupes—short for “duplicates”—are having their moment. While knockoffs are nothing new, as anyone who has ever bought a “designer” handbag on the streets of New York City can attest, dupes are a little different. Knockoffs are trying to fool people that they’re the name-brand product, but dupes are their own thing—they’re not pretending to be the expensive item, they just replicate its look and function at a lower price point.

Finding dupes can be as easy as a Google image search or a quick trip to Target or Lidl—but it can sometimes be a challenge. Thankfully, there are a variety of apps you can use that make locating dupes a lot easier, and companies that make their own dupes for specific items.

How to scour the web for dupes

If you’re looking for duplicate furniture and housewares, you could spend hours digging through subreddits and Facebook pages, but luckily there tools and sites that make it a lot easier. Some of the most useful include:

• TikTok. The social media behemoth is kind of dupe central these days. You can type the name of what you’re looking for with hashtags like #dupe or #dupefinder to see what’s out there. What’s good about using TikTok is that most of the results will show people actually using and discussing the dupes, which can help you figure out if they’re truly worth buying.

• Dupe.com has been getting a lot of press of late thanks to the love it gets from social media. Its interface is pretty simple: You paste in the URL of an item (furniture, housewares, or clothing) or drag an image into the search bar, and Dupe searches the internet for lookalikes. For example, if you want an Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman from Herman Miller—which sells for anywhere from $6,000 to $8,000 new—Dupe.com quickly leads you to Walmart, where you can buy this leather lounge chair with a very similar look and vibe. (There’s also an app.)

• Spoken.io works very similarly: Paste in a URL or drag/upload a photo, and it will scan the web and point you to a list of discounted dupes. For example, it turned up this $1,899 Eames-like chair—not quite as cheap as the Walmart version, but still a significant savings over the original.

• Dupeshop focuses on skincare and makeup products, and it doesn’t just point you at purchase links—it pulls together detailed comparisons, reviews, videos, and other information so you can feel confident that the dupe product will perform as expected.

• SkinSkool distinguishes itself by offering a list of potential dupes organized by a similarity score and labeled with a dollar sign icon indicating how expensive the dupe is. This makes it easy to cross-reference your budget with the available options. The site explicitly states that it bases its choices solely on the publicly available ingredient lists of the products, so it doesn’t offer any kind of hands-on review.

A few companies that make their own dupes

Some companies have made a name for themselves because they make and sell their own high-quality dupes, so you don’t have to search the entire internet trying to find them. A few examples include:

• Brandefy was founded to exploit the fact that name-brand beauty and skincare products at every price point are largely manufactured in the same facilities using the same ingredients. It creates “inspired by” products that are often indistinguishable from the pricier versions. Brandefy is more oriented toward its app than the website, however, so it’s a good choice if you want to check something on your phone while you’re out shopping.

• The Essence Vault and Dossier both offer up perfume dupes. Perfumes are expensive to develop, to manufacture, and to package—but you can’t actually copyright a fragrance, so dupe perfumes tend to be uncannily like the expensive brand they’re copying. That being said, you may notice a quality difference between the good stuff and the dupes. But if your budget is dupe-sized, both The Essence Vault and Dossier offer scents explicitly inspired by designer fragrances (Dossier also sells their own original scents).

• Element Brooklyn offers soaps, lotions, and other products that dupe brands like Aesop or Le Labo with an environmentally friendly twist: Its products are refillable, so you aren’t dumping plastic bottles into landfills all the time.

• Quince takes the same approach as Brandefy, but for clothing, claiming to use the same factories and manufacturers as the high-end luxury brands it's replicating.

• Italic is a Los Angeles-based company that sells clothing, jewelry, and accessories that closely resemble luxury brands. Its prices aren’t as low as literal dupes, but you can still find fashion that looks just like the top-tier brands at a much lower cost.

Some caveats to keep in mind

Keep in mind that it can be difficult to judge whether a dupe is going to be worth buying even at a drastically lower price point. It can be very difficult to tell from a photo whether a piece of furniture or clothing is going to be anywhere near the quality of the real thing, for example. That’s where apps like TikTok that offer endorsements from folks who have actually used the dupes can be super valuable.

Another option for doing your dupe due diligence on beauty and skincare products is SkinSort, which has a useful comparison tool. You can compare a dupe to the brand it’s replicating and SkinSort will show you a list of ingredients in each (along with explanations for what each does) and reviews from people who have actually used the dupe.

Finally, if you want to save some money without risking a downgraded experience, you can also look for name-brand items at secondhand places like Poshmark, which sells clothes, skincare, perfume, and beauty products. A lot of sellers on these platforms have access to name-brand stuff (some work for retailers where they get deep discounts, giving them room for resell profits, for example—look for folks who have a lot of a specific product on hand and you’re probably looking at a hustling sales associate) and you can find some real bargains that way. This gives you the main benefit of a dupe (lower prices) without compromising in any way.

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My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: Apple AirTag Four-Pack

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These days, you don't need to be a spy to have tracking devices. If you're an Apple user, AirTags use Find My to track anything that you can put these devices on. Right now, Amazon has the four-pack for $67.99 (originally $99)—a new record-low price according to price-tracking tools—likely because the AirTag 2 release date is approaching. If four is too many, you can also get a single AirTag on sale for $22.99 (originally $29).

Apple AirTag

$22.99 at Amazon

$29.00 Save $6.01

$22.99 at Amazon

$29.00 Save $6.01

Apple AirTag Tracker (4-Pack)

$67.99 at Amazon

$99.00 Save $31.01

$67.99 at Amazon

$99.00 Save $31.01

AirTags are mostly marketed for purses, keys, and travel bags (airlines are adopting their use now), but there are examples of people using them much more creatively (someone on this Reddit post used it on their dog collar and trained it to come back whenever they pressed the "play sound" feature). The AirTag works with Apple's network of iOS devices to create a Bluetooth tracker. Essentially, every person with an iPhone (or iPad) is part of this iOS network, and as long as one of these people gets within Bluetooth range of your AirTag, it will show up as the last location on your Find My app.

As you can see on PCMag's "excellent" review of the AirTag, the Find My app has a screen that points you in the direction of your AirTag like a compass, including the distance it is from you. There is also an option to play a sound—which is perfect for locating, say, a remote that's buried under the couch.

Once the AirTag is more than 30 feet from your phone, the network of iOS users will kick in. When the AirTag is closer than 30 feet, it uses your own Bluetooth. There are security measures in place set by Apple, including end-to-end encryption, so that nobody (not even Apple), knows where your AirTag is except for you. The batteries last about a year and are replaceable. There is also no monthly charge for these, unlike competitors like Tile or Chipolo for Android users.

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The Brane X Is a Portable (but Pricey) Smart Speaker With Incredible Bass

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Before this review, I had never heard of Brane, but now, it's all I want to hear when I play my music. The Brane X is many things, but cheap isn't one of them. But for $499, you get a multi-use premium speaker that can handle itself underwater, has Alexa voice assistant, connects through wifi for better audio, has the best bass of any wifi speaker, and can be used as a soundbar and subwoofer combo. The Brane X is a great wifi speaker for someone who values bass, would like to take their speaker outdoors, and needs a soundbar and subwoofer combo for their home theater. However, it isn't perfect and at its price, it competes with the best. The Sonos Move 2 is slightly cheaper, offers a replaceable battery with 24 hours of juice, and better treble and mids (but nowhere near the same range or bass power fo the Brane X).

Brane reached out to me to review the Brane X and sent me the speaker for my honest thoughts, which is exactly what you'll get in this review.

Brane X Smart Speaker

$499.00 at Amazon

$499.00 at Amazon

Brane X speaker pros, cons, and specs

Pros

• Best-in-class bass and sub-bass for smart speakers

• Wifi streaming over Spotify and AirPlay 2

• Compact and portable

• Powerful 98dB stereo speaker

• IP57 dust and waterproof

• Doubles as a soundbar and subwoofer combo in one with an AUX connection

• Companion app with EQ

Cons

• Expensive

• Upper registers sound compressed at max volume when using Bluetooth

• No Chromecast support

• No speakerphone function

• Some features make a whirring noise

• No USB-C charging (only DC)

Specs

• Battery Life: About six hours of battery at a moderately high volume (about 12 hours at a moderate level, according to Brane).

• Connectivity: Wifi supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac standards, Bluetooth version 5.1, streaming services compatible with AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and Amazon Alexa.

• Inputs: Auxiliary input 3.5 mm jack for wired connections.

• App: Brane companion app for fine-tuning bass, customizing EQ settings, managing speaker groups, and adjusting various settings.

• Drivers: One 6.5" by 9" Repel-Attract-Driver (RAD) subwoofer, two 2.5" midrange drivers, two 0.75" dome tweeters.

• Power Output: Four Class-D digital amplifiers delivering a combined output of over 200 watts (98dB).

• Water Resistance: Rated IP57, making it fully waterproof and dust-protected.

• Size: 6.1 inches x 9.3 inches x 7 inches (H × W × D)

• Weight: 7.7 lbs

First impressions of the Brane X speaker

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

I have to be honest: First impressions of the Brane X weren't good. Turning it on wasn't intuitive, since the power button doesn't provide any feedback that I pressed it properly. The same can be said about the media controls on top, but I'll get more into those details later. There is also a weird whirring sound that the speaker makes once you turn it on that made me think my speaker was defective (it goes away after a few seconds). The sound is actually an air pump equalizing the air pressure inside the speaker, which is a patent technology that Brane called Repel-Attract-Driver (RAD). RAD is what makes this speaker unique, giving it the best bass range output I've heard on any speaker. Try this frequency range test on your wifi or Bluetooth speaker and see how it performs. The Brane X didn't just play through the whole range but vibrated my entire office with its powerful bass. And because of that, I'm willing to put up with the humming sound it makes when it's turned on.

Design

The Brane X uses touch controls for media. Credit: Daniel Oropeza

The design is, well, boring. All black is a safe option and with no color variations, it leaves me wanting to fill it with stickers to give it some personality. But that leads to my next issue: touch controls. To control the speaker you have a few options on top of the speaker, none of which provide haptic feedback. And since their touch controls, you don't really know if your command when though unless you hear the speaker. There is also no play/pause button, so I can only control it with my phone (or Alexa if using it to play music).

Considering this is also an outdoor speaker with an IP57 rating that can be completely submerged underwater, physical buttons could've come in handy. The handle on the top is useful considering the speaker almost weighs eight pounds.

The Brane X charger is DC, so no USB-C. Credit: Daniel Oropeza

The charger is DC, so no USB-C for fast universal charging, unfortunately. The battery is marketed as 20 hours of battery life at a moderate volume, but I only got around six hours of juice at around 75% volume (which to be fair, is very loud indoors unless you're having a house party). It'll take about three hours to fully charge it once it is drained.

Sound

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

The sound is where the Brane X blows away the competition and really shines, especially if you love bass (and I do). As I explained earlier, the RAD technology really pumps out incredible power out of this small speaker. Considering this is less than 10% the size of JBL's PartyBox Stage 320 (my favorite party speaker), it's impressive that it nearly matches its 240 W of output power (the Brane X gets to 200 W), only about a 2dB difference in volume to my favorite party speaker. I will caveat that this isn't a party speaker, and you can really hear it struggle on upper registers when getting it to its max volume.

Unless I'm blasting the Brane X, though, the sound quality is pristine. Because the frequency range of the bass is so wide, you can really hear and feel the lower registers, giving it a full sound without needing to get too loud. It makes for a fun sound that is distinctive to the Brane X. I listened to MONACO by Bad Bunny and could hear the sub-bass parts of the bass clearly. The sensation of feeling the bass at this level usually means blasting the music on regular speakers or headphones, but the Brane X manages to provide that feeling without scaring my neighbors.

Features of the Brane X speaker

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

The Brane X is a wifi speaker first, meaning it performs better than Bluetooth speakers in terms of connectivity with a wider range, better sound quality by streaming higher bitrate audio, and other features. Instead of connecting to the speaker over Bluetooth, you can play music directly into it through Spotify Connect, so you'll get a better connection and sound quality. You can also connect via AirPlay 2 and Amazon Alexa. The Amazon smart assistant performs as well as any Alexa device.

The Brane app

Left: Main screen. Middle: EQ. Right: The AUX Pass-Through feature to minimize delay with the TV. Credit: Daniel Oropeza

My experience with the companion app was like most speaker apps: It does its simple job well, but it can disconnect on occasion and can be slow at times. The main things I used the app were to check the battery life, mess with the EQ (you get a five-band equalizer) which adjusts your changes in real time, and setting the AUX Pass-Through feature when setting it up as a soundbar. The app gives you the option to link up groups if you have more than one Brane X speaker. As I only have one speaker, I wasn't able to try this feature.

The Brane X as an outdoor speaker

Credit: Daniel Oropeza

As I do with all of my outdoor speakers, I took it out to the court while hosting my Street FC soccer games. We played five on five on a hockey rink with walls, so the sound bounces off to give it a "surround" feel. Even then, the Brane X struggles to fill the court completely. This is by far t

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Here’s When Gemini Advanced Is Worth the Monthly Fee

As with other AI bots like ChatGPT and Copilot, there are free and paid options for Google Gemini: For $20 a month, you can upgrade to a Google One AI Premium plan, which includes Gemini Advanced. Chances are you're already signed up to a host of digital subscriptions, so is Gemini Advanced shelling out even more cash?

Here's how the features on the free plan and the Google One AI Premium plan stack up against each other right now—bear in mind the paid plan includes some extras beyond the Gemini Advanced AI, which I've listed at the end. As a Google One AI Premium subscriber, I've talked a little bit about my experience of these features, too.

Comparable features

You couldn't create this image as a free Gemini user, because it's got a person in it. Credit: Lifehacker

Features that match across both the free and paid plans is probably a good start. All users, whether they subscribe to a paid plan or not, can make use of file uploads and analysis in their prompts, though Gemini Advanced users can work with larger files (uploads can go up to 1,500 pages if you're paying).

Image generation is available for all Gemini users, though images including people are only available on Gemini Advanced. All users can have real-time chats with the AI through the Gemini Live interface, and all users can connect to other Google apps, including Google Maps and Google Flights.

The other basic AI capabilities—generating and rewriting code and text, looking up information online, offering advice on just about every topic imaginable, and coming up with new ideas and perspectives— are the same across the board. However, Gemini Advanced is smarter in all of these areas.

Better models

The current model picker for Gemini Advanced users. Credit: Lifehacker

With Gemini Advanced, you get access to the best AI models Google has to offer: These models do eventually travel down to the free tier, as new ones are released. It's hard to quantify the difference, but Google says it's top-tier models are "far more capable at highly complex tasks" such as coding, reasoning, and creative collaboration.

At the time I'm writing this, the best AI model available for free users is Flash 2.0, and the best Gemini Advanced AI model is 2.0 Pro Experimental. In the tests I've run with code and text generation, the advanced AI model is noticeably better in terms of detail and comprehensiveness—but the free AI model is perfectly fine.

The more demanding your needs, the better Gemini Advanced is going to be for you. If you're working on thorny math problems or complex software coding, then the upgrade is probably worth it; if you're sticking to making your emails sound less prolix, maybe not.

More AI features

Deep Research is one of the extra tools paying users have access to. Credit: Lifehacker

Another extra you get with Gemini Advanced is Deep Research, which essentially goes off and writes a comprehensive report on a topic of your choice, using resources found on the web. I asked the tool for a full breakdown of the features of the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and what it means for the foldables market, which it returned in seven minutes.

The article that came out the other end was mostly accurate and well-written, if a bit generic. It hit all the key points that users would need to know, before listing website sources at the end, which is handy for fact-checking—as well as a reminder that AI doesn't actually know anything, it just scoops up and sorts human knowledge.

Then there's NotebookLM, the research-focused AI tool from Google that can make AI-hosted podcasts for you. You get more of NotebookLM across the board, if you're on the Google One AI Premium plan: 20 audio podcasts per day rather than 3, 500 questions and answers per day rather than 50, 300 sources per notebook rather than 50, and 500 notebooks per user rather than 100.

Gemini Advanced subscribers can also create their own custom Gems. Credit: Gemini

After that there are the Gemini Gems, the customized AI bots you can create inside Gemini to concentrate on specific tasks. You can create Gems for coding, resume writing, or fitness coaching for example, load up documents for them to refer to and train from, and specify the tone and approach of their responses.

Certain other features are exclusive to Gemini Advanced right now, including the option to have Gemini remember certain pieces of information about you (like your job and interests), and the ability to access previous chats. It remains to be seen whether these more minor features will eventually make their way down to the free plan.

Finally, Gemini Advanced users can get the AI built right into Google's online apps, including Google Docs and Gmail. This can be useful for analyzing files and messages, and composing new ones, but it's something I tend to completely ignore because I can't really find a use for it—your mileage may vary.

Is Google One AI Premium worth it?

You can try Gemini Advanced for free for a month. Credit: Google

I should also mention that Google One AI Premium is a Google One plan: You get 2TB of storage for Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive, which would set you back $10 a month separately. You're essentially paying another $10 for Gemini Advanced, so your choice depends partly on whether or not you need any more Google storage.

If you spend a lot of time making serious use of AI or just playing around with it, then Gemini Advanced may well be worth it for you: The AI is better, you've got the tools like Deep Research and Gems to make use of, and you get AI piped into other Google apps too. For my job, it's of course beneficial to be able to test out the latest models, and all the features Gemini has to offer (but not to churn out articles, of course).

If you're not finding any practical applications of AI for yourself right now, then the free version of Google Gemini is perfectly fine: There's still a lot you can do with it, and it still returns a high standard of responses across a full range of tasks. It's also worth bearing in mind that you can try out Google One AI Premium free for a month, to see for yourself whether you can get enough value out of it.

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Here's All the Tech I Use to Grow a Better Garden

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Gardening season is approaching faster than it might seem, and like a lot of modern gardeners, I get an assist from technology every year. I use tech to help raise seeds into seedlings, plant them outside, produce a harvest, and still have a whole life outside of the garden. From weather stations and soil monitors to apps and calendars, here's all the tech I'm dusting off right now to start getting ready.

A weather station

It begins with the basics. I have a Tempest weather station in my front yard, and a few smart temperature gauges in the backyard. Although you can easily pull weather information from a local weather station (you’d be surprised how many neighbors have them; locate them at Weather Underground), I still find it incredibly helpful to know the real microclimate of my yard. I know when rain, hail, snow is going to hit, and the actual temperature at any time, whether I’m at home or away. For outdoor temperature monitoring, I’ve yet to find sensors that are as hardy as the Aqara or Switchbot. 

Soil monitors

The temperature outside is important for planting, since you shouldn’t place plants outside until the overnight temps are stable above fifty degrees, but soil temperature is just as important. There’s never been great soil sensors before now, but this year I’m trying the ThirdReality Smart Soil Sensor in a few locations.  I’m also excited to try the new Moen soil sensors.

Not only are the sensors going to tell me when my soil is warm enough for planting, they can give important humidity data to my smart watering system—I’ve used a Hydrawise for three seasons and I’m incredibly happy with it. Hydrawise looks and acts like a normal drip or sprinkler control, but it has a wifi module that will connect to your phone and a local weather station and it uses the data to decide whether to water that day, and how much. It's great to be able to control my drip system from my phone, and get detailed reports on how much water was used. 

Garden apps

That’s all helpful to know when to plant, but I start seeds inside, and I use a bucket of different tech tools to help. First, there’s the planning stage. You don’t start all your seeds at once, you seed so the seedlings they produce are ready at about the time they can go out into the ground outside. Keeping track of what to plant when can be overwhelming, so I use Seedtime to create a planting calendar—its app and desktop interface are incredibly helpful.. 

A seedsheet in excel, and the trays they represent Credit: Amanda Blum

The seed trays themselves hold 50, 72, or 128 seedlings, and you don’t put a label marker into each cell, which would be time consuming. I use a method taught to me by Meg Cowden of Seed to Fork, and use Google Spreadsheets to keep track of what is in each tray. The trays are numbered and marked with a front and back, and the spreadsheet details what is in each cell of the tray. When I go to plant, I bring my phone with me, or sometimes I print out a sheet. 

Automations and controllers

I’ve discussed at some length how I plant seeds and what I use, but I rely on technology to ensure I’m keeping my seedlings on track. For instance, seedling heat mats ensure the soil in the trays is warm enough for seeds to germinate, but you need to control that heat because if the temperature gets too high, seeds get baked. I use an Inkbird controller to do so. It includes a probe to put into the soil, and then from your phone (or the controller), you specify a temperature range. The controller will turn the heat mat on and off to ensure it maintains the right temperature. 

I’ve also learned (the hard way) that too much humidity can lead to viruses and other problems in my seed-starting room, so with an Aqara temperature and humidity sensor, I use a Google Home automation to kick on the overhead fan when humidity gets too high. The fan’s air benefits the plants, too, which form stronger stems with a breeze. 

Calendars, voice assistants and reminders

Outside, the Monty compost monitor reminds me to turn over my compost occasionally when the worms aren’t doing their job. It sends notifications to update me on the status of my compost, which is quite helpful. Truly, reminders are the key to much of my garden success. I have an entire Google calendar that is solely for garden reminders, such as when to plant specific seeds outside, check on plants, or put trellises up. Those reminders stream to my Google Nest speakers and my voice assistant will speak up to let me know if I forgot something. Most importantly, the calendar can be repurposed year to year.

Security cameras

I’ve been surprised how much I engage my smart cameras around the yard; yes, they catch critters who can cause damage (I’m particularly aware of neighborhood cats setting up in my garden this year, due to their ability to transmit bird flu), but it’s even helpful during a storm to check on how some fragile plants are doing. I’m excited to test the new Petal cameras coming from Bird Buddy, which use solar power and are installed at plant level. They use AI to report how your plants are faring. I hope to use these to capture weekly updates of my yard from the camera’s positions. I use these photos in wintertime, to decide what to plant each year. 

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