How-To Geek

Nvidia's DLSS 5 came at a time when little else was going on in the GPU world, and it shook its very foundations. People loved it, people hated it. It had several big problems, and the AI slop was not even the worst of it.

I have a number of Windows computers around my home. Some are media centers, others handle my outdoor cameras and smart home, and some are just for basic office work. I’m also the person in my circle of friends and family who gets the call when there is a technology problem. Basically, this means I’m working on other people’s PCs pretty frequently. I don’t particularly enjoy having to install the same group of apps on every machine I’m working on, especially when the PC isn’t mine. Having portable apps on my thumb drive means I don’t have to.

Hands up if you use Google Maps almost every day. Yep, same here. Between grocery runs, long drives with my husband, and picking up my daughter from school, I open it so often that I assumed I knew all the useful bits.

You might have suspected that Google was using personal app data for more than your own tasks, but now you have confirmation. Google has updated its privacy policy with an exception that lets its services use your shared content for personalized ads when you connect them to apps like Drive, Gmail, and Photos.

Who's up for some brilliant documentaries? At the moment, there are a few fresh Netflix documentaries trending in the Top 10. One of those is Tyson, a limited series about one of the "baddest men on the planet," Mike Tyson. On the comedy side, Norm Macdonald's documentary is winning over viewers thanks to the late comedian's indelible humor.

Linux has come a long way from the days when getting a graphical desktop running could feel like a project of its own. Today, you can install a modern Linux distro, open a browser, connect your Bluetooth headphones, and get on with your work. That experience is the result of decades of development, arguments, ambitious redesigns, and a few spectacular failures.

While many undertake ESP32-based electronics projects for fun, because they find building rewarding, or to learn, saving money is another valid reason to DIY a solution. It could be argued your own time has a price too, but if you find the build enjoyable, then you’re probably not going to mind the time commitment.

Android gives several ways to customize your phone. Most users use the Quick Settings panel for the same handful of things — Wi-Fi, brightness slider, flashlight, location, and mobile data. These barely scratch the surface. Tucked inside the Quick Settings edit menu are tiles that save you several taps and put useful controls one swipe away. To add tiles, swipe down from the top of the screen, tap the pencil icon, and add the one you want into the panel. The exact steps vary by phone and Android version. Here are five Quick Settings tiles that are worth the space.

eReaders offer the perfect solution to break free from the dreaded doom scroll trap, as they provide you with a meaningful way to finally convince yourself to actually start reading more. The Xteink X4 Classic takes that idea a step further with a pocket-sized design you can carry without the need to pack along another large device like a tablet. This newer model is now under $80 on Amazon, and though it's not a massive discount on an already affordable model, it's enough to help you save a bit.

Buying a new router feels like a sure-fire way to fix a bad internet connection (even though a router that's new to you may not be new at all). But if your internet was alright before and you bought a new router and it's all gone downhill, you're not imagining it. It's completely possible for a new router to mess up your connection despite all that money you just spent on trying to improve it.

A TV is an infrequent purchase, and every time that opportunity comes by, there is a whole list of new technologies and features to contend with.

Maintaining an eBook collection can feel like a full-time job. A folder full of public domain books downloaded from the internet can include multiple copies of the same book in different file formats, or file names that bear little resemblance to the titles of the books themselves. I used Yazi, a terminal-based file manager, to clean up an eBook download before the files ever made it into my Calibre library.

If you're buying new power tools, stick to quality products that won't let you down on the job or project. Savvy buyers can save a fortune by taking advantage of this massive 61% discount on Ryobi's 18V ONE+ 5-tool combo at Home Depot.

The newest Pixel phone is often the first to get features that eventually trickle out to the entire Android ecosystem. "Rambler" for Gboard is one such feature that's currently exclusive to the Pixel 11 series. I'm here to tell you that you should be very anxious to get your fingers (and voice) on it.

Although its reputation has taken a hit in recent years, File Explorer is still a decent file manager, especially if you use it as an auxiliary option alongside your main one. In my case, Total Commander has been my Windows file manager of choice for more than two decades, but I’ve been using File Explorer more and more lately since it’s generally better suited for working with images, and I juggle tons of them every day.

Apple announced the iPod 25 years ago on October 23, 2001, and it's doing something unique to mark the anniversary: a chance to try the original MP3 player. The company has a 404 "page not found" error website on Apple Music that contains a working virtual iPod.

I've been clinging on to my ancient gas-powered lawnmower for years. It weighs a ton and literally gave me a hernia when I lugged it up some steps, but it's always done a great job tackling my lawn, even when I've let the lawn get a little bit out of control. A relative was raving about their electric mower, so I took it for a spin and found that most of the things I was most worried about turned out to be complete myths.

Robot mowers have been around for a long time, but for most of that time they worked the same way, by way of a buried perimeter wire around the edge of the lawn, allowing the mower to wander inside the boundary until the grass was short. It did the job, but it had a time-consuming setup, a wire that could be cut with a spade, and no real idea where it was.

PC building has never been more popular, and one of the most common pieces of advice for first-time builders is to leave room for future upgrades. After all, there's no need to replace your entire PC when you can swap out a few key components and keep using it for years to come.

Sometimes, cybersecurity threats don't just spoil a person's day — they spoil a sports team's greatest moment. Some New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden (MSG) employees were fooled into clicking through a phishing email test that promised 2026 championship rings.