How-To Geek

Google Maps on Wear OS can automatically launch and give helpful nudges when you start navigating from your phone. This is particularly useful when walking or biking, but it could be just as valuable while driving. Unfortunately, it gets all messed up when Android Auto is involved, and Google has known about it for years

For a long time, Plex served as a reliable media center that respected the boundaries of your personal library. The application focused entirely on your local files instead of pushing external content that you had zero interest in seeing. The days of putting up with poor streaming are over, because I can't stand what Plex is doing now. I decided I was done and moved on to Kodi, and you should too if you're tired of UIs being forced on you for reasons against your best interest.

Excel is the ultimate productivity tool, but it has some incredibly frustrating default habits. It treats your data like it knows better than you do, leading to endless manual corrections. Before you start working on your next spreadsheet, adjust a few hidden options so Excel finally starts working on your terms.

Matter is a cross-platform protocol that promises a fuss-free future full of devices that work with major proprietary and open-source smart home systems. So far, the vision has yet to be realized.

As a long-time Windows user who also uses Linux, something that crosses my mind a lot. Why do I not use PowerShell as much as I use the Linux Terminal? It's not like PowerShell is scary or anything. After doing some analysis, I came to understand that it's more because of how I treat Windows and how PowerShell fits into it.

The subcompact SUV segment has never been more competitive, and for good reason. Buyers in this class are getting more technology, more safety features, and more refinement than ever before, often at prices well under the national average for new vehicles.

Hybrid sedans have become increasingly expensive, with many automakers charging thousands extra for better fuel economy. That’s what makes Toyota’s midsize sedan so impressive. Despite now being offered exclusively as a hybrid, it remains competitively priced while delivering the kind of efficiency figures that many rivals simply can’t match without a much steeper price tag.

Whether you're into true crime, biographies, or deep dives into fascinating people, places, or things that you didn't even know existed, there's probably a documentary or series about it. HBO Max may be more known for its first-class scripted series—current chart toppers include Euphoria, Hacks, and Rooster—but it also has a cavernous library of great docs that you can swipe through for days.

If you’re not happy with the sound quality your Bluetooth headphones or earbuds are giving you, there’s a good chance the problem isn’t the hardware. Even the cheapest earbuds these days are tuned to sound decent out of the box, but how they actually perform depends heavily on your setup.

Your home network is more important than ever. These days just about all the technology in your home relies on a Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection in some capacity, so it's in your best interest to understand your network and get the most out of it.

Why do I still buy hard drives for my Windows PC? Well, for starters, the price per TB is way lower when you're looking for mass storage. This and a few other reasons are why I still think that your PC should have an old-fashioned, traditional platter hard drive.

Netflix's library has something for everyone: whether you're looking for the newest, chart-topping show or an obscure movie from the '70s that you watched as a child. In its catalog, you can also find award-winning films across the years, spanning genres, languages, and tropes.

I got into homelabbing because I wanted to host a few game servers for my friends. Over time, I realized that an oversized chunk of my monthly spending was going toward subscriptions, like photo backups, streaming services, and other apps, that I wasn't using to their maximum potential.

Waymo isn't done freezing its robotaxi service over safety issues. The Alphabet brand says it has suspended freeway driving in the U.S. cities where it has been available, including Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, and San Francisco.

There aren’t many modern sports cars that manage to feel like a genuine loophole in the system, but this one does. It blends two very different engineering worlds into a single package, and somehow it just works.

It’s my job to think and write about phones, and that gives me an excuse to try out several different phones that really appeal to me. One of them actually has what so many of us miss about phones from the past—a removable battery and expandable storage.

If you're looking to get into self-hosting and want to build your first home server or NAS, an old desktop PC might seem like the best starting point. It's cheap, relatively powerful, and offers great storage and upgrade options. While it's not a bad choice, there's a much better middle-ground today that combines the efficiency of purpose-built NAS hardware with the flexibility of a desktop PC, without the downsides of either.

If you think you need a premium Copilot subscription to get AI-powered insights from Excel, think again. Before paying for another monthly add-on, check your toolbar—Excel already includes a built-in analysis tool that handles many advanced spreadsheet tasks without the extra fee.

When the first Cadillac Escalade rolled off the line in 1999, it did something no other vehicle had done quite so boldly: it turned a full-size SUV into an unapologetic status symbol. In the years since, the Escalade has been the best-selling full-size luxury SUV in North America, earning a place in American pop culture, from hip-hop videos to Hollywood productions, that no other SUV has come close to matching.