How-To Geek

YouTube Premium has never piqued my interest. While I use YouTube daily, I'm content with ad-supported videos. Plus, my music streaming service of choice is Spotify. Therefore, YouTube Music is a luxury that I don't need right now.

The type of person who likes to self-host services on their home network is often also the sort of person who likes to optimize and tweak everything. For some, it's hard to accept that the default settings in the software they're using are already as good as they're going to get.

Wi-Fi extenders are marketed as a way to expand your Wi-Fi coverage, so it's no wonder people think of them as a dead-zone fix. They're inexpensive to buy, and once you plug one in, you'll usually see an instant improvement in your signal strength. I totally get the appeal.

The Pixel Watch isn’t exactly known for being super open. You’re mostly stuck with Google’s own apps and services, and certain things only work with Pixel phones. However, there are plenty of great open-source apps available to download. Here are five to get you started.

A couple of years ago, Microsoft introduced a new specification that allowed laptops and desktops to brand themselves as "AI PCs" or "Copilot+ PCs." One of the requirements to meet the specification was having a dedicated physical Copilot key.

Replacing worn-out windshield wipers should be one of the simplest ways to improve visibility, but sometimes brand-new blades can leave your windshield looking worse than before. If you've just installed a fresh set, and you're still seeing streaks, smears, or patches of water left behind, the problem may not be the blades themselves. Several less obvious issues can prevent even a new set of wipers from making proper contact with the glass.

Kia has detailed U.S. pricing for the EV3, and it's now clear the compact electric SUV will be one of the best deals for a new car in the country — even if you aren't looking for an EV. The base 2027 EV3 Light FWD model will start at a price of $28,950, before the $1,459 destination fee, when it arrives later this year.

Audi has moved on from the A4, but that doesn't mean buyers looking for a premium sedan have to follow. There's still plenty of appeal in choosing something that feels upscale without carrying a traditional luxury badge.

Most Android users don't realize their phone can run a full Linux environment, and if they do, they may think a popular app called Termux is the only path to get there. However, if you need something that goes a little further than just a Linux terminal, there's another option that might just do the trick.

Not all of your storage is the same, and you shouldn't treat it as such. There are many advantages to tiering, and organizing said tiering, over just dumping everything on your storage in no particular order.

Back-to-school season sometimes means re-evaluating whether your current family hauler can handle drop-off lines, an avalanche of football gear, and a packed carpool of your kids and all their friends without falling apart.

Back in July 2021, Microsoft announced Windows 365, a service that would let you use Windows on any device you like, including your iPad.

Every month, Netflix always has something new in store for every type of viewer. Whether you're a romantic, horror buff, or suspense lover, the streaming platform has a diverse pool of titles to pick from. And if you love documentaries, the collection of new titles is always solid.

Most people shopping for a used family SUV aren't looking for something that can move like a sports car. That's what makes this particular plug-in hybrid so easy to overlook.

The GPU market is a hellscape right now, and Nvidia's RTX 50 Super isn't coming to save us all (not that it would even if it did arrive). If you want a new GPU, my advice is not to get one. But what if you're desperate? Please, don't default to Nvidia.

I gave my old Kindle a new lease of life by jailbreaking it and installing KOReader. While KOReader is packed with features, it lacks the polished feel of the stock Kindle software. Thankfully, there's a free KOReader plugin that makes my Kindle way more useful while still looking great.

Whether you're starting college this year or coming back in the fall for another semester, one thing is almost universally true: dorm Wi-Fi is a bit of a joke. You can't expect much in a building shared with hundreds of other students, all of whom rely on the internet for both their studies and their entertainment.

If you've ever searched for ways to make your Excel spreadsheets look better, you've probably been told to avoid Comic Sans MS, stop using thick borders, and choose better cell colors. But that advice is mostly geared toward appearance rather than usability. I get much better results by using Excel's built-in formatting tools to make data easier to read, compare, and understand.

I'm tired of giving my money to streaming platforms that can take away my favorite shows on a whim and raise their price at a moment's notice. I'm ready to own media again, so this year I started buying my family's favorite shows and movies on DVD. Unfortunately, I quickly remembered what's annoying about physical discs.

Google has finally introduced the Pixel 11 phone series, along with the Pixel Watch 5 and Pixel Tag. The emphasis this year isn't just on AI features like Gemini Intelligence — it's on cameras that can do everything short of pressing the shutter button.