How-To Geek
Skip entry-level luxury SUVs—this Toyota makes more sense
The Toyota Crown Signia lands in a pretty interesting spot that a lot of entry-level luxury SUVs struggle to hit. It’s comfortable, well-built, and loaded with tech in a way that feels more premium than you’d expect at this price.
Why buy a new Toyota Corolla when this 275-horsepower hot hatch costs less?
The Toyota Corolla is the safe, sensible choice, reliable, efficient, and brand new for the price. It’s the kind of car you buy when you want zero surprises. But in today’s market, that same money can unlock something far more exciting, if you’re willing to look in the right places.
Blink's new video doorbells make it even easier to see what's at your door
You no longer have to shop the Ring lineup if you want an Amazon video doorbell with high-quality visuals. The company's Blink brand has released two new doorbells that promise a 2K resolution and AI alerts to help you learn who (or what) is outside.
Modern PCs traded utility for tempered glass (why I desperately miss the "beige box")
Having spent 20 years building PCs from scratch, I've seen all kinds of hardware quirks and innovations come and go. I've been there when every PC without fail had an optical drive bay at the front, and I'm here now when that's just not a thing at all anymore. And while I love the new case aesthetics we were able to achieve by getting rid of that drive bay, I do miss it.
Vinyl vs. CDs—Which retro format is more fun to collect?
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, vinyl has come back from the digital brink, outselling CDs in the U.S. since 2020 to become the leader in physical media sales. You’d have thought that success was solely on the back of nostalgia and reliving the glory days. But you’d be wrong. Generations that grew up streaming have also decided that holding a black petroleum disc in their hands is more valuable than a Spotify subscription.
The 9 best Google Pixel exclusive features, ranked
Android might be famous as an open ecosystem, but Google has made some features exclusive to Pixel devices. A handful of Pixel-exclusive features have genuinely changed how I use my phone, but a few others are best left undiscovered. Here's every major Pixel exclusive, ranked from the one I can't live without to the one I'd happily never think about.
This sleek EV is cheaper than a Kia Niro—and its built by a luxury brand
Affordable electric crossovers aren’t usually where you go looking for a premium experience. Most options in this segment focus on value first, with simple interiors, modest performance, and just enough tech to get the job done. Luxury brands, on the other hand, tend to sit comfortably above that price bracket. At least, that’s how it’s always worked.
VW is now Rivian's largest investor, not Amazon
Amazon is no longer Rivian's biggest investor. VW (specifically, Volkswagen Group Technologies) has raised its equity stake in Rivian to 15.9 percent, putting it ahead of Amazon's nearly 12.3 percent investment.
I connected Claude with Habitica and it completely gamified my life
Have you ever wanted your life to feel like a video game? Do you want to see XP points pile up every time you do something productive? Me too. And so I built a gamification system using Claude and Habitica to turn my life into an RPG.
After a year of introductory pricing, Plex Remote Watch Pass gets a 50% price bump
Plex's Remote Watch Pass is getting a 50% price hike starting June 1, 2026. Plex introduced the Remote Watch Pass in April 2025 as a cheaper alternative to the Plex Pass. Remote Watch Pass allows users to remotely stream from any Plex Media Server that a user has access to.
6 awesome shows that got better after their first season
"Once you get past the first season, the show gets better." If I had a nickel for how many times I've heard that phrase, I'd be a rich man. I'm not a saint, either. I've said it plenty of times, and I'm about to do it again with these six shows. It's not that the shows listed below were terrible in the beginning. Quite the contrary. Most of them started fine, but they didn't hit their stride until the end of the first season. In some cases, these shows were on the brink of cancellation.
BMW's 2027 iX3 EV gets a starting price—and a range increase to 434 miles
BMW has announced the U.S. pricing and release date for the 2027 iX3, including a pleasant range boost for the electric SUV.
5 old Android apps you forgot about that are still great
The app store formerly known as the “Android Market” has been around since 2008. What started as a few thousand apps has exploded to nearly two million. Some of the best original Android apps are still kicking in the Play Store today—they’re still pretty good, too.
You don’t need a RAV4—this Chevy SUV is just as reliable
For years, the compact SUV world has run on one simple rule: if you want something reliable, you buy a Toyota. It’s a reputation built on strong resale values, loyal owners, and a long track record of dependable engineering.
These Galaxy S26 features are rolling out to your old Samsung phone
You no longer need a Galaxy S26 to take advantage of some of Samsung's latest software features, as the company has started the stable rollout of One UI 8.5 to older phones and tablets.
5 shows that deserve a revival more than Malcolm in the Middle
Last month, Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, and Jane Kaczmarek reprised their beloved roles from Malcolm in the Middle for the revival series, Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair. For any revival, the biggest determining factor for their existence is viewership. Will audiences tune in for more episodes? In Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair, the answer was yes, as the revival scored Hulu and Disney+'s most-viewed season premiere of 2026.
Synology is no longer the best NAS anymore
For a long time, Synology was the NAS brand. If someone asked what NAS to buy, you’d say Synology and move on. Their hardware was always decent but DiskStation Manager was genuinely exceptional—nothing else in the consumer space came close to the software experience. You were paying a premium, but it made sense.
My modded Fire tablet is the ultimate distraction-free writing terminal
Setting aside some time to write nowadays, in a distraction-free environment, isn’t the easiest thing to do. With so many distractions out there, it’s a miracle anyone gets any writing done at all.
Your Excel workbook is showing too much—use the 10% rule to fix it
If your Excel workbook shows everything at once, it's harder to use than it needs to be. The fix is simple: only surface what the user actually needs to see and hide the rest. Let me introduce you to the 10% rule.
I tried these 5 command line tools on my Samsung phone—here's the ones that are worth using
From the day I ditched my old LG phone, I've been a regular user of Samsung phones. This year, I made the switch to Linux Mint as a daily driver on my PC, and that gave me the idea to try running a few of my favorite Linux apps on my Galaxy Z Fold.


