The iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch make for a great team, as they work with each other to streamline common tasks and make them easier to do.

However, there are several reasons you might want to explore other options, like Android phones and Windows computers.

The main reason that comes to mind is Apple's ecosystem is getting increasingly expensive to stay in. Just take the 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro laptops. They're well over $1,000 even for the base model, whereas you could get a MacBook Pro for under $1,000 back in the day. 

Whatever your reason might be, leaving the Apple ecosystem can be a tough thing to do, and you might not find some of the useful features from the Apple ecosystem anywhere else.

To make the transition easier, though, here are a few tips to start with: 

SEE ALSO: 14 ways you can control your home with your voice using Amazon's Echo and Alexa

1. First, you'll need new, non-Apple devices.

The computer.

If you use software that isn't your web browser, your best bet is going to be a Windows 10 laptop. There are several Windows 10 laptops out there you might like at different price ranges. Here are five Windows 10 laptops that outprice the new MacBooks Pros, as well as out-speccing them. 

Those laptops I suggest in the link above are pretty powerful, but while they're also pricey, they're still less expensive than the new MacBook Pros. There are a bunch of great Windows 10 laptops in the $700 range that aren't as powerful; those could fit your needs, too. 

If 99% of the things you do on your Mac are based in a web browser, you could consider Chromebooks. They run Chrome OS, which is essentially the Chrome web browser, and they can cost a lot less than a Windows 10 laptop.

The phone.

There are a bunch of great Android phones, but if I had to pick one, it would be Google's own Pixel or Pixel XL.

It's the purest expression of what Google thinks a smartphone should be, and you'll get the latest Android and security updates directly from Google as they're released, not several months later like the majority of Android smartphones.

After a summer movie season that saw some hit movies but a lot of duds, Hollywood is looking for a rebound in the fall.

The fall season will have its share of blockbusters — from the anticipated “It” to "Thor: Ragnarok" and “Justice League” — but there will also be some titles mixed in that will compete for award season attention, like “Call Me By Your Name” and “Stronger.”

Here are 34 movies coming out this fall that you shouldn’t miss:

SEE ALSO: Every "Game of Thrones" romantic relationship, ranked from worst to best

"It" - September 8

The latest adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel looks to be the most chilling yet. In it, a group of bullied kids team up to take on a monster named Pennywise (that looks like a clown) that hunts kids.

"First They Killed My Father" - September 15

Netflix's next anticipated movie from a marquee name is Angelina Jolie's latest directing effort that looks back on the horrific upbringing in Cambodia of Loung Ung. Jolie cast hundreds of survivors and their children to recreate their stories. 

"mother!" - September 15

Darren Aronofsky's latest thriller stars Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem as a couple whose lives are suddenly interrupted when guests arrive at their home. Aronofsky has always had a knack for completely messing with audience's heads, and this one looks to be no different. The movie also stars Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer. 

Earlier this month, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and Dasha Zhukova announced their plans to separate after 10 years of marriage. Abramovich has an estimated net worth of $9.3 billion, which makes him the 139th richest person in the world, according to Forbes. 

More recently, Bloomberg reported details about Zhukova's 10-year friendship with Ivanka Trump, which came to light in security-clearance forms that Trump and Jared Kushner had filled out before becoming White House staff.

Abramovich and Zhukova have two children, joint businesses in Russia, an extensive art collection, and a mega-mansion on the Upper East Side, as well as other assets that could make this one of the most expensive splits in history. Ahead, take a look at Zhukova's life. 

SEE ALSO: The life and career of model-actress Louise Linton, who is married to Steve Mnuchin and just bashed a woman for paying fewer taxes than her

Zhukova was born in Moscow in 1981. In the early '90s, her mother, a molecular biologist, took a job at the University of California, Los Angeles. Zhukova would go on to study homeopathic medicine at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Source: The New York Times

Abramovich and Zhukova met in 2005 and kept their marriage a secret for many years. The couple was often referred to as boyfriend and girlfriend years after meeting, but in 2015, Zhukova revealed during a Wall Street Journal interview that the two had married "a few years" after meeting.

Source: Wall Street Journal

From 2000 to 2008, Abramovich served as the Governor of the Russian region of Chukotka. Bloomberg reported that his time serving was "widely viewed as a show of loyalty to the Kremlin."

Source: Bloomberg

Jared Kushner, a White House adviser and son-in-law of President Donald Trump, wrapped up his trip to the Middle East on Thursday, for which the top priority on the agenda was furthering peace talks between Israel and Palestine.

The US described Kushner's trip as "productive," despite rumors of disquiet on the Palestinian side.

Kushner was accompanied on the two-day trip by Jason Greenblatt, the White House's special representative for international negotiations, and Dina Powell, the deputy national security adviser.

The team met with officials in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, as well as Jerusalem, Israel, and Ramallah in the West Bank.

Here's how Kushner's trip unfolded:

SEE ALSO: Feds subpoena Jared Kushner’s company after it tried to get $150 million from Chinese investors in exchange for US visas

Kushner and his team met with Jordan's King Abdullah on Tuesday, discussing efforts to push peace talks forward "based on the two-state solution as the only way to end the conflict," according to an official Jordanian statement.

Trump has refused in the past to publicly commit to the so-called two-state solution, in which an independent Palestinian state would co-exist alongside Israel. Trump's reluctance to embrace this solution is a departure from the official policy of the previous two presidential administrations.

Kushner also traveled to Cairo, Egypt, to discuss the peace talks, although he and his team were met with displeasure from Egyptian officials over the US recently announcing it would pull $95.7 million in military and economic aid over human-rights issues.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had notified Egyptian officials of the US's decision on Tuesday, immediately prompting speculation that Kushner's scheduled Wednesday meeting would be canceled, although State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert quickly denied that.

"Egypt sees this measure as reflecting poor judgment of the strategic relationship that ties the two countries over long decades and as adopting a view that lacks an accurate understanding of the importance of supporting Egypt's stability," the foreign ministry said in a statement to The Washington Post.

The Palestinians have reportedly grown frustrated with the Trump administration's lack of a coherent plan to create peace.

Palestinian officials have reportedly complained in private about their belief that the Trump administration favors Israel's positions and has neglected the Palestinian side.

"If the US team doesn't bring answers to our questions this time, we are going to look into our options because the status quo is not working for our interests," Ahmad Majdalani, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told The Associated Press.

Despite a challenging market environment for hedge funds, they have returned on average 7% so far in 2017.

While that mark has not been good enough to beat the market, they are still on pace for their best return since 2009.

In a recently released report, Goldman Sachs Portfolio Strategy Research wrote, "2017 has been defined by low volatility and low return dispersion."

That low volatility has led many hedge funds to rely on a select number of stocks to drive returns.

And according to Goldman Sachs Portfolio Strategy Research, crowding into the most popular positions rose in the second quarter of 2017.

Goldman Sachs takes these positions into account when compiling their own Hedge Fund VIP list, which has outperformed the S&P 500 by 702 basis points (7.02%) so far in 2017.

Here's a look at Goldman Sachs's top 13 Hedge Fund VIP stocks.

13. Dell Technologies

Ticker: DVMT

Subsector: Systems Software

Total return year-to-date: +21%

No. of funds with stock as top 10 holding: 26

Source: Goldman Sachs

12. Citigroup

Ticker: C

Subsector: Diversified Banks

Total return year-to-date: +13%

No. of funds with stock as top 10 holding: 31

Source: Goldman Sachs

11. Bank of America

Ticker: BAC

Subsector: Diversified Banks

Total return year-to-date: +8%

No. of funds with stock as top 10 holding: 32

Source: Goldman Sachs

It's over!

One is the greatest boxer of the last 20 years. The other is the biggest name in combat sports.

It was Mayweather-McGregor I.

The long-talked-about and much-anticipated boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor actually happened in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena.

In what was a much more entertaining fight than the equally hyped Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, McGregor made it to the tenth round before he finally tired and was finished in a TKO by Mayweather.

Below, we tracked the big punches and big scenes from the fight and the circus that surrounds it. These are the moments everybody will be talking about after the fight.

It looked like a lot of the people who showed up for the fight were putting their money on McGregor as the odds on Mayweather actually went down. Most thought the odds would sway in the other direction.

At the start of the pay-per-view, just over two hours before the main event, the arena was still relatively empty.

Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/901610022525739008
The PPV is about to start and the crowd hasn't arrived just yet #MayweatherMcGregorpic.twitter.com/Q3zu0WDuZP

But it wasn't much later that the celebrities started to show up.

We're all guilty of spending too much time glued to our phone screens. 

But how much time do we actually spend on our smartphones every day? 

Thanks to a secret feature in iOS, there's an easy way for iPhone users to find out. Best of all, you can discover which activities — whether it's texting friends or browsing Facebook— are taking up the most time. 

Scroll down and follow the simple steps below to learn your true screen time. But beware: the results might make you want to chuck your phone out of the nearest window.  

SEE ALSO: Snapchat just launched a super easy way to jazz up your photos - here's how to do it

Head into your settings and open the battery tab.

This screen will appear underneath "battery life suggestions" and takes a few seconds to load. It will only show battery percentages at first so click the clock in the top corner to see your activity.

You can view usage in the past seven days or 24 hours. As you can see here, I've managed to spend a whopping 20 minutes texting in the past day and 12 minutes on Snapchat. The first number is how much time you've actually spent on the app, and the second is how much time the app has been been lurking in the background. The list is still sorted by battery usage, so make sure to scroll down for a complete list. If you dare, add it all up for a scary look at your own phones habits.

Chipotle has some competition — and the competition is growing. 

Dos Toros, founded in 2009 by brothers Leo and Oliver Kremer, is looking to carve out a chunk of the market as it prepares to open its first location in Chicago on Monday, August 28. 

The New York City-based chain is self-funded – no outside investors or nest eggs, just a business loan and help from family and friends.

With 13 locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan and their first outpost outside of NYC opening soon, Dos Toros seems unstoppable.

A few months ago, I decided to head to the nearest location to see why this local chain is exploding, and to find out if it can survive elsewhere in a pretty competitive Mexican fast-casual market.

SEE ALSO: The New York Times trashed the fast-casual concept from the makers of the best restaurant in the world — but here's why they're wrong

ALSO READ: Chick-fil-A combined two of its best menu items — but it didn't quite live up to the hype

It's a cool night — the perfect time to warm up with some Tex-Mex food at this Dos Toros on 23rd Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan.

The interior feels cozy and rich, with vibrant red walls and natural wood everywhere.

I'm hungry, so I step right up for my order. I'll choose a chicken plato — their name for a burrito bowl — and a steak quesadilla.

Even in defeat, Conor McGregor's star appeal continues to grow.

The 29-year-old stormed to the top of mixed martial arts when he won the UFC featherweight and UFC lightweight world titles.

Though he recently lost to Floyd Mayweather, there are a number of potential opponents for McGregor — in UFC and in boxing.

"I’m certainly open to hearing what [UFC owners] WME-IMG wants and what Showtime wants, and if they want me to come over to boxing then we can talk," McGregor told reporters at the post-fight press conference.

"I’m open to all options," he added. "I have many options in mixed martial arts. I could always continue in the boxing game."

With that in mind, we have put together a list of 9 potential opponents for McGregor. Most are from the world of mixed martial arts, but a couple are from the sport of boxing.

The Nate Diaz trilogy bout with UFC.

A conclusive third fight with UFC rival Nate Diaz is arguably the next money fight for Conor McGregor.

McGregor's stock was sky high heading into his first showdown with Diaz in March, 2016. He was enjoying a 15-fight win streak, he had just knocked out long-reigning featherweight champion José Aldo, and was developing an indestructible aura.

His welterweight debut against Diaz changed that slightly as McGregor was submitted when Diaz, a black belt in jiu-jitsu, made the Irishman tap-out with an expert rear naked choke (see below).

Five months later, McGregor avenged the defeat by knocking Diaz down multiple times en route to a majority decision victory.

With the rivalry now at 1-1, McGregor clearly wants a third bout. "I have a trilogy bout with Nate Diaz that’s sitting there," McGregor told reporters after the Mayweather loss. "I have options."

A UFC rematch against Max Holloway.

Since Conor McGregor beat Max Holloway by decision in 2013, the 25-year-old Hawaiian has gone on an impressive ten-fight winning run.

Holloway even stopped José Aldo with a flurry of punches, storming to the top of McGregor's former division, to win the UFC featherweight title in June.

If McGregor were to return to the 145-pound (ten stones, five) weight-class, or if Holloway moved up to lightweight, then this is a rematch that could happen in the near future.

A boxing grudge match against former sparring partner Paul Malignaggi.

If McGregor decided to return to the boxing ring then a fight against his former sparring partner Paul Malignaggi could materialise.

Team McGregor hired Malignaggi as a training partner to help prepare McGregor for the Floyd Mayweather bout.

Malignaggi quit the camp after a matter of days as he felt exploited.

Malignaggi broke a golden rule in boxing by revealing McGregor's weakness and even confronted the Irishman during the Grand Arrivals in Las Vegas earlier this week. There is a lot of bad blood here.

You can watch some of McGregor and Malignaggi's sparring footage below.

The best small towns to visit in America are easy to commit to for a weekend.

But if you're going to full on move to a small town, you gotta be selective.

Pick wrong and you'll be bored, underpaid, and isolated.

But pick right, and you can get all the best aspects of a metropolis — energy, creativity, charm, excitement — without the up-yours prices and the built-in migraines.

So we asked dozens of writers around the country to find the small American cities (with a max population of 70,000) where they'd put down roots. We looked for up-and-coming hotspots (think, Asheville 10 years ago), underappreciated gems, and towns where a person with verve could scratch out a cool life. Places where you can raise kids and those kids can raise dogs and those dogs can raise hell. And where, when your friends visit from the city, they take a seat on your porch and say, "Damn, this is nice. What does your mortgage cost, again?"

SEE ALSO: How I cut my $80-a-week grocery budget in half without eating less

Hood River, Oregon

Bisbee, Arizona

Port Chester, New York

Affordable rents and a bustling downtown that'll make you forget Brooklyn.

Population: 29,000

No need to live in Bushwick or Williamsburg to feel like you're a New Yorker. Just an hour-long train ride north from Grand Central, and you'll find yourself in Port Chester. This Westchester County village has all the allure of a poppin' Brooklyn neighborhood, minus the bulls---.

Obscenely high rent? Not here. Mayor Dennis G. Pilla told The New York Times, "Millennials are moving here from the outer boroughs and other places because of the bang for the buck." You can land a 1/1 apartment for $1,600, aka what you'd pay in NYC only if your aunt owns the building. Maybe you could even (hold onto your hat, now) buy.

And get this — there's actually stuff to do. Since the Capitol Theatre (built in 1926) was reopened in 2012 by Brooklyn Bowl owner Peter Shapiro, huge acts like Bob Dylan, Father John Misty, and the Pixies have been booked. The fleeing New Yorkers ensure a healthy appetite for bars, brunches, and well-respected restos.

You can hit bartaco or Mario Batali's Tarry Lodge, or scarf down a chili cheese dog from Hubba's, a hole-in-the-wall shop that's been around for over 100 years. Then gaze around at the once-sleepy town for people who still can't bring themselves to admit they might one day wind up in Connecticut. —Rebecca Strassberg

It’s no secret that tensions between China and America are ramping up over the South China Sea and Taiwan as President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have drawn a firm line against China. Tillerson even went so far as to suggest the possibility of a blockade against China — considered an act of war— during his Senate confirmation hearings.

So what would it look like if an American and Chinese fleet went to blows in the western Pacific? While the U.S. could win the seapower contest, China has enough land-based assets in the area to more than make up the difference.

SEE ALSO: This is how it could go down if China and India went to war

The fighting would likely start with an innocent mistake during a freedom of navigation operation conducted by the U.S. Navy such as the planned deployment of the USS Carl Vinson. Vinson is headed into the South China Sea along with two destroyers, the USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Michael Murphy, and the cruiser USS Lake Champlain.

Meanwhile, China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning deployed to the South China Sea in late 2016/early 2017 with three guided-missile destroyers, two guided-missile frigates, an anti-submarine corvette, and an oiler.

If the two forces came to blows, the American force would enjoy an initial advantage despite the Chinese numerical superiority. That’s because America’s air wings on the carrier are vastly more capable than China’s.

The Liaoning was last spotted flying with an air arm of 13 J-15 fighters. While the J-15 is capable of catapult takeoffs and arrested recoveries — at least in theory — the Liaoning can’t facilitate them. It utilizes a bow ramp to help its jets takeoff. So these 13 fighters can’t get airborne with their full weapons and fuel loads.

They would be facing off against Carrier Air Wing 2, the air wing currently assigned to the Vinson. Air Wing 2 has three strike fighter squadrons — 2, 34, and 137 — which fly 10-12 F/A-18 Hornets each. They have approximately 34 Hornets which would be supported by the four E-2C Hawkeye early warning radar planes of the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 113.

The entire force would also be supported by the EA-18G Growlers of Electronic Attack Squadron 136.

So 13 Chinese fighters would fly partially blind and with limited weapons against approximately 34 American fighters backed up by early warning radar and electronic attack aircraft. The American forces would annihilate the Chinese.

Which they would have to do, because the Americans need all that firepower still available to take out the more plentiful ships of the Chinese strike group.

American companies are hoarding cash like crazy.

In the second quarter of 2017, twenty-four of the largest American companies are holding on to a whopping $1.01 trillion in cash reserves, up 1.63% from the first quarter, according to analysis of second quarter earnings reports by Bank of America

Of the $1.01 trillion, just over 80% is held stashes outside the United States, with a hefty majority held in the form of corporate and treasury bonds. 

"Because about 70% of 2Q inflows were invested in corporate bonds we see no evidence yet that corporate investors are making their cash portfolios more liquid ahead of the possible repatriation of overseas cash as part of tax reform or on a stand-alone basis," writes the bank. 

Here's which US companies have the most cash on hand, how much of that is stored abroad, and how their stocks have performed so far this year: 

17. Johnson & Johnson

Total cash: $12.9 billion

Overseas: N/A

Overseas as percentage of total: N/A

Stock performance this year: +15%

16. Procter & Gamble

Total cash: $15.1 billion

Overseas: N/A

Overseas as percentage of total: N/A

Stock performance this year: +10.11%

15. PepsiCo

Total cash: $17.2 billion

Overseas: $16.3 billion

Overseas as percentage of total: 94.8%

Stock performance this year: +12.96%

Cold calling and pitching products are not easy tasks, even for the most experienced sales person.

Sometimes it's a matter of saying just the right thing. Other times, it's a matter of what not to say.

So sales intelligence platform Gong.io used machine-learning to try and make the art of closing a deal a little easier. Gong's data science team analyzed over 519,000 business-to-business sales calls, intended to sell cloud software products, and found 13 words that depressed the odds of closing a deal.

Take note salespeople of the world, here at the 13 words never to use during sales calls. 

SEE ALSO: These 13 words and 10 tips will help salespeople close more deals faster

1. Show you how

This is a tricky one. Gong found that using this phrase one to three times during a call had no negative affect, but when it was used four times or more, close rates dropped by 13%.

The potential buyer wants to know more about why they need the product, not the intricate details of how it works.

2. We provide

When a prospective client hears these two words, they tend to put up walls. They are so overused during a sales call that people hear them as a sales pitch, tune out, and close rates drop 22% when used four or more times in a call. 

3. Competitor

Using this word during a sales call makes it less likely than average that the deal will move to the next steps or close at all.

Senior director of product marketing at Gong, Chris Orlob, thinks the phrase comes across as abrasive.

The global app economy is poised to explode, and the competition for users' attention is intense. 

ComScore recently surveyed app users ages 18-34 about the apps they "can't go without." The top 10 includes the likes of Instagram, YouTube, and Gmail.

The list "speaks to a broader insight, which is that millennials seem to recognize the importance of the more functional apps, like Amazon, Gmail and Google Maps," Andrew Lipsman, the senior vice president of insights and marketing at comScore, told Business Insider's Tanya Dua.

Surveyed users were asked to choose the top three "most essential" apps they own.

Here are the results:

10. Instagram

ComScore's surveyed users who put app in top three "most essential": 11%

9. WhatsApp

ComScore's surveyed users who put app in top three "most essential": 11%

8. Apple App Store

ComScore's surveyed users who put app in top three "most essential": 11%

Everyone wants to achieve their goals as quickly as possible.

But that's usually easier said that done.

So how can we go about achieving what we set out to achieve?

For starters, it helps to look at some real world examples of highly successful people who've employed tricks and strategies to help conquer their own goals.

Here are nine tricks that incredibly successful people use to accomplish their goals:

SEE ALSO: Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Sheryl Sandberg all use the same old-school organizational hack

DON'T MISS: Successful people share 11 ways to make 2017 your most productive year yet

Sundar Pichai — Know what morning routine works best for you

The CEO of Google sets himself up for success every morning with his pre-dawn routine. Pichai digs into an omelette, drinks tea, and catches up on the news.

There's nothing flashy about this habit, but it works for him. "I'm not a morning person, so I need my time with my paper and tea to wake up and kind of get going," Pichai told Recode.

So take care of yourself in the morning. Do whatever you need to do to get yourself prepared for the rest of the day, whether that means going on a jog, curling up with a nice cup of coffee, or taking some time to contemplate your life.

By taking some time for yourself, you'll be setting yourself up to better tackle your goals throughout the day.

Mark Zuckerberg — Simplify your choices

We all have to make countless decisions throughout the day. That's just life — but sometimes, all those choices can weigh us down.

The New York Times reported that decision fatigue is a real problem: "You can't make decision after decision without paying a biological price."

That's why the CEO of Facebook — whose decisions directly impact the well-being of a $480 billion company— eliminates unnecessary choices from his life.

For example, every morning, Zuckerberg puts on a "uniform" of sorts: jeans, sneakers, and a gray t-shirt.

By adopting a comfortable work uniform, the CEO helps stave off decision fatigue, which can result in impulsiveness and indecisiveness.

Reducing the number of choices you need to make throughout the day is a great way of setting yourself up for success when it comes to making decisions regarding truly important goals.

Beyoncé Knowles — Don't talk about your goals

It's easy to fall into to the trap of gabbing about our goals to everyone who will listen. After all, once your plans are out there, you'll have to follow through, right?

Wrong. Talking too much can actually hurt your chances of success.

Business Insider contributor Daniel Welsey described the problem with talking too much about your dreams: "Communicating your goals tricks the brain into thinking you've already achieved them."

So, basically, the more you talk about your plans, the less motivated you are to actually get stuff done.

We should really be more like Beyonce, who famously released a full album out of the blue in 2016. Queen Bey didn't sit around hyping her work and hawking her new music. She let the album drop and then basked in the commercial success and critical accolades.

Boxing has always made for a marquee night in Las Vegas, and Saturday's bout between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor was no different.

Stars and celebrities from across the sporting world, Hollywood, and more all made it out to Sin City to watch the two punchers go at it.

Below we've rounded up some of the biggest celebrities that made the trek to Las Vegas for the biggest fight of the year.

SEE ALSO: Betting odds on Mayweather-McGregor took a surprise turn in the hours before the fight

Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez

LeBron James and his wife Savannah Brinson

Mike Tyson

There are some books that never stop selling, and which the world's most influential people recommend across generations.

We've gone through our existing "best-of" lists and others to determine which business histories and management and investing guides have been most critically acclaimed.

We stayed away from academic books and biographies, and by limiting ourselves to just 15 titles, the final list is not exhaustive.

But if you familiarize yourself with these 15 books, you will be left with a thorough understanding of some of the most important business milestones and theories of the last 100 years.

SEE ALSO: 33 business books every professional should read before turning 30

'Barbarians at the Gate' by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar

"Barbarians at the Gate" is a genre-defining book, proving that in the right hands, a business story that may seem too complex or arcane to anyone outside of Wall Street can become a gripping and relevant tale.

Burrough and Helyar take extensive reporting on the contentious $25 billion leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco in 1988 and make it read like an epic drama about limitless greed at the expense of employees.

"Barbarians at the Gate" is considered the best business book ever written by former GE CEO Jeff Immelt, New York Times and CNBC report Andrew Ross Sorkin, and MarketWatch columnist Jon Friedman.

Find it here »

'Den of Thieves' by James B. Stewart

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James B. Stewart defined a style that's been often imitated: the business investigation as thriller.

"Den of Thieves" follows how some of the biggest power players on Wall Street in the '80s let avarice lead them to insider trading, and how federal authorities finally nailed them.

Find it here »

'The Innovator's Dilemma' by Clayton M. Christensen

"The Innovator's Dilemma" is required reading for Silicon Valley, and received praise from late Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Christensen, a Harvard Business School professor, explains that the more successful a company becomes, the more difficult it is for it to innovate.

Since it was first published in 1997, it has inspired countless entrepreneurs to disrupt industries, as well as avoid being disrupted once they achieve success.

Find it here »

We tend to underestimate how miserable commuting can make us. Being squished in a crowded train car or stuck in gridlock traffic is probably even more awful than it sounds.

If moving closer to your office (or teleportation) isn't possible right now, we get it. Below, we've rounded up a series of audiobook recommendations from Audible that can transform your daily travels into a — dare we say it? — pleasant experience.

Below, you'll find nine audiobooks perfect for different length commutes, along with a clip and an abridged publisher's summary. The books — from popular novels to memoirs — were curated by Audible based on factors including customers' reviews and editors' recommendations.

By the time you get to work, you'll be smarter and more relaxed than everyone who spent their commute clenching their fists and wishing it were over.

You can also sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial membership here, if you so choose.

SEE ALSO: My commute time to work recently tripled — here's why I'm excited about it

15 to 30 minute commute: 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Eddie Redmayne

Length: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Publisher's summary:

A set textbook at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since publication, Newt Scamander's masterpiece has entertained wizarding families through the generations. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an indispensable introduction to the magical beasts of the wizarding world.

Scamander's years of travel and research have created a tome of unparalleled importance. Some of the beasts will be familiar to readers of the Harry Potter books — the Hippogriff, the Basilisk, the Hungarian Horntail ... others will surprise even the most ardent amateur Magizoologist.

Buy it here »

15 to 30 minute commute: 'The Dispatcher' by John Scalzi, narrated by Zachary Quinto

Length: 2 hours and 19 minutes

Publisher's summary:

One day, not long from now, it becomes almost impossible to murder anyone — 999 times out of a thousand, anyone who is intentionally killed comes back. How? We don't know. But it changes everything: war, crime, daily life.

Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher — a licensed, bonded professional whose job is to humanely dispatch those whose circumstances put them in death's crosshairs, so they can have a second chance to avoid the reaper. But when a fellow Dispatcher and former friend is apparently kidnapped, Tony learns that there are some things that are worse than death and that some people are ready to do almost anything to avenge a supposed wrong.

It's a race against time for Valdez to find his friend before it's too late ... before not even a Dispatcher can save him.

Buy it here »

15 to 30 minute commute: 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' by Truman Capote, narrated by Michael C. Hall

Publisher's summary:

Holly — a World War II-era society girl in her late teens — survives via socialization, attending parties and restaurants with men from the wealthy upper class who also provide her with money and expensive gifts. Over the course of the novella, the seemingly shallow Holly slowly opens up to the curious protagonist, who eventually gets tossed away as her deepening character emerges.

"Breakfast at Tiffany's," Truman Capote's most beloved work of fiction, introduced an independent and complex character who challenged audiences, revived Audrey Hepburn's flagging career in the 1961 film version, and whose name and style has remained in the national idiom since publication. Hall uses his diligent attention to character to bring our unnamed narrator’s emotional vulnerability to the forefront of this American classic.

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It’s hard to believe now, in a season where chaos and carnage come fast and furious, but it took "Game of Thrones" nearly two years to build to its first major onscreen battle. When the smoke cleared from "Blackwater," season two’s landmark episode-long conflict, television’s depiction of mass violence would never be the same.

The tooth-and-claw struggle for survival between Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and the Night King’s army of the dead in "Beyond the Wall" is just the latest in a long series of big "Game of Thrones" battles. Each has its own unique styles and strengths, yet for all their excitement, the underlying message that war is hell burns like dragonfire. From Blackwater to Hardhome and beyond, we’ve ranked the top battles in "Game of Thrones" history. Cry havoc and let slip the dragons of war.

10. The Battle of the Whispering Wood, "Baelor" (Season 1, Episode 9)

Ah, who could forget the decisive battle at the start of the War of the Five Kings, when Robb Stark’s forces ambushed and destroyed the army led by Jaime Lannister, taking the Kingslayer captive? Well, most people could forget it, honestly.

Back in season one, budgetary and logistical issues prevented the series from actually depicting massive battles, leading to some … interesting workarounds. (Remember Tyrion preparing to lead a charge of hill-tribe barbarians against the Northmen, only to get knocked out cold and miss the fight entirely?)

That said, the offscreen depiction of the Battle of the Whispering Wood tracked closely with how author George R.R. Martin wrote it in his book: A nervous Catelyn Stark stands on a hillside above the forest where the fighting takes place, waiting and wondering if her beloved son will survive his first brush with war.

Watch the battle here.

9. The Greyjoys’ naval battle, “Stormborn” (Season 7, Episode 2)

Among the many challenges faced by Game of Thrones short seventh season, there’s the Euron situation. A character we’ve barely seen or heard of, who’s part of a family pushed to the margins of the narrative for years, is suddenly a major villain and a contender for Queen Cersei’s hand?

How do you sell that? By turning the newly crowned King of the Iron Islands into the cockiest, craziest Greyjoy of the bunch, which is saying something. Actor Pilou Asbæk can smile and swagger like the Red Viper, then run headlong into the heat of battle like a mad pirate — in this case, by boarding the lead ship in his niece Yara Greyjoy’s fleet after his forces set it on fire.

The swiftness and devastation of his navy’s attack on their rivals, plus his devil-may-care abandon in single-handedly capturing, killing, or scattering Daenerys Targaryen’s allies in two of the Seven Kingdoms — Yara and Theon for the Iron Islands, Ellaria and the Sand Snakes for Dorne — make his prowess plainly clear. This is the best of the short and not-so-sweet battles GOT has pulled off, from the fights with the Night’s Watch mutineers at Craster’s Keep to the rebellions and insurgencies between slaves and masters in Meereen.

Watch the battle here.

8. Daenerys and the dragons versus the slavers, “Battle of the Bastards” (Season 6, Episode 9)

A few thousand dead Lannisters and incinerated zombies later, the damage inflicted by the dragons on the fleet amassed by an alliance of slave states against Daenerys Targaryen’s free city of Meereen may not seem as impressive as it once did.

What’s more, the assault itself was overshadowed by the all-out carnage of the titular Battle of the Bastards later in the same episode. But the surprise attack by Daenerys and her three children against the Slavers’ ships (complemented as always by her Dothraki and Unsullied soldiers) was so devastating that it changed geopolitical history in the region, breaking the power of the slave trade over Meereen once and for all. Hearing hundreds of sailors scream as they burn to death will do that.

Watch it here.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones" season seven.

One of the best parts of "Game of Thrones" season seven has been the dark new costumes nearly every character is wearing. INSIDER caught up with the HBO series' costume designer, Michele Clapton, to learn more about the new looks and what they mean for each character.

"I love the details," Clapton told INSIDER. "Some people say, 'Well, why don't you make it more obvious,' but that's the joy of 'Game of Thrones' — you have to search things out."

Let's take a closer look at the main character's new costumes this season.

We first saw Daenerys Targaryen's new look in an HBO promo. Her fur-lined coat and new dragon chain were front and center.

Ahead of the season seven premiere, HBO aired a promo starring the "Game of Thrones" cast. Each of them mimicked the iconic HBO "ahhhh" noise, hence their open mouths.

But this was a fantastic first look at Daenerys' new Dragon Queen look. 

"She now has this fantastic new chain we've created," Clapton told INSIDER. "I didn't want her to have a crown, I wanted her to have a chain. And she has a red sash hanging from it, which is slightly scaled and pleated as well."

The new wide shoulders and red detailing is meant to echo her brother Viserys.

"[Viserys] always had the big Targaryen [sigil] on his chest and now she's got the big chain with the dragon's heads on it," Clapton said.

One thing of note was the few times Daenerys wore a silvery grey sash instead of the red.

The first time this appeared was in "Spoils of War," the episode in which Daenerys and Jon Snow share a quiet moment in the dragonglass cave. The colors of House Stark are grey and white, so this might have been a nod towards her growing affection for Jon.