How-To Geek

The Mercedes-AMG GT line has been defined by monstrous gas engines, but that ends today. The 2027 Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe has become an EV, and it's using next-gen motor and battery technology to rival the performance of Tesla's Model S Plaid and other top-tier electric sports cars.

Lincolns often get written off as just fancy Fords, but that really undersells what they’re trying to do. Sure, they share parts underneath, but Lincoln usually goes all-in on making things feel quieter, softer, and more premium inside.

If you own a NAS, you’ve probably noticed just how noisy those spinning platters in hard drives can be. Common online advice often suggests spinning them down when they’re not in use to eliminate the noise and save power. On paper, it makes a lot of sense, but real-world use tells a different story—for many people, keeping them spinning actually makes more sense.

It doesn’t matter the time of year—I’m always up for a good shark movie. Ever since I saw Jaws as a kid, I have been hooked. To this day, I refuse to go out in open water. There isn’t a boat big enough to make me feel safe, and that’s exactly what you want out of these types of movies.

The first five years of Android’s existence were a special time. It felt like new phones were launching every day, and the pre-Play Store Android Market was exploding with apps. A few of these apps quickly became essential, but they didn’t last forever.

When the first Raspberry Pi hit the market, it was in a class of its own. I still remember buying my first one and not believing that you could get a whole Linux PC for such a low price. It was never expected to be such a popular product, but the Pi exploded in popularity, and is now on its fifth mainline generation.

The idea of upgrading your home viewing experience can be a daunting task for many, including me. Admittedly, I can be stubborn with my viewing habits — I like to watch movies and shows on the same streaming services from my favorite couch in my living room. You can call me a creature of habit, but I liken it more to someone who prefers stability to change. That doesn't mean I'm against improvement. Rather, I'm simply slower than the average person to make upgrades to my streaming habits.

Restarting the router is often the best and most straightforward way to solve a ton of network-related issues. In many cases, the router is working fine; it just needs a quick power cycle to get back on its feet. But there’s a catch.

Buying smart home tech is different from other kinds of tech, because you're likely going to find yourself putting holes in the wall. While you can do this by hand, there's one tech purchase that makes all the difference.

Since I'm not a fan of Google Photos, I switched to the open-source Fossify Gallery app the moment I got my Pixel 10 Pro, which I'd discovered thanks to the excellent GitHub Store. A few months later, I'm still using the app, but in the meantime, I found out that the Fossify team develops a ton of free, open-source Android apps.

If you're paying for a gigabit internet plan, that essentially means that your connection to the ISP can theoretically reach around 1Gbps. However, it doesn't mean every device in your home will see that speed over Wi-Fi, and some may not even see it over Ethernet.

Can't find what you're looking for in an Excel worksheet? If you're manually scrolling or hammering Ctrl+F, you're wasting time. Excel has faster ways to pinpoint messy data—and once you start using them, you won't go back.

Are you still paying for all of your online services? Well, it's time to kick some paid services to the curb and start self-hosting. Here are five self-hosted services that aren't just free, but they're actually better than their paid alternatives.

NFC tags are incredibly cheap yet useful tools in your smart home. Not only can they trigger automations in Home Assistant, they can also log which device scanned them. I have an NFC tag next to my front door, and it's removed the need for a surprising number of other smart home devices.

I've always been a little bemused by operating system fanboys (because there is such a thing) making a fuss about a feature from one system being copied by another. Every time Android or iOS implements a feature the other did first, fans on either side are indignant.

Your smart home shouldn’t be hard to understand, but the reality is often a different story. You know that some lights turn on and off automatically, how to control the HVAC, and which switches should never be turned off at the wall.

Smart locks have become easier to recommend over the past few years, but there are still a few sticking points. Compatibility is one of them. Many locks work best inside a single ecosystem, and some still require extra hubs or bridges to unlock their full feature set.

You’re probably not going to 3D print your next sofa or dining table (even though somebody out there has probably tried), so a trip to IKEA might be the right choice. But what about those smaller, modular, expandable items that end up in your cart every time you visit?

Standard Excel filters have their place for specific workflows, but they become a headache when you need to explore data quickly. Instead of burying criteria in nested menus, you can use slicers to create an instant, visual control panel.

It's only been about three years since Jack Ryan ended its television run on Prime Video. However, the former CIA analyst returns to the streaming service in the brand-new movie, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War. The movie premieres on Prime Video on Wednesday, May 20, at 3 a.m. ET in the U.S.