How-To Geek
5 ways to repurpose an old Galaxy Watch
A Galaxy Watch is a lot easier (and cheaper) to upgrade than a Galaxy phone, which means you may have one or two lying around if you’ve been in the ecosystem for a while. Thankfully, these old smartwatches don’t have to be useless pucks in a box. Let’s get creative.
The Subaru Trailseeker is the wagon the Outback used to be—and now it's electric
The Subaru Outback used to occupy a unique space in the market, blending wagon practicality with SUV capability in a package that felt refreshingly different from the sea of crossovers around it. With the latest redesign pushing it further toward a traditional SUV shape, some longtime fans have been left wondering where that distinctive wagon-like character went. Ironically, the answer may have arrived wearing a different badge.
One Claude feature solved my biggest frustration, then Anthropic killed it
I love Claude, but it can be incredibly frustrating to use. I constantly found myself having to type the same prompts over and over again to force Claude to do what I wanted. The solution was simple but now Claude is removing the feature it relies on.
Google just made it way harder for scammers to trick Android users
One of the worst things about the explosion of AI tools is how much more advanced scam calls have become. It’s now entirely possible to get fake calls with voices that sound exactly like people you know. The June Android drop is here to address this (and add some other goodies).
I ditched my browser and RSS reader on Android for these two command-line apps instead
I like a good, well-designed and visually appealing website as much as the next guy, but more and more often, I find myself turning to RSS feeds to cut through the clutter and distraction.
You'll love Milwaukee's new M18 Striker Hammer Chisel
Having the right tool for the job can make all the difference, which is why many DIYers and mechanics still use a wide range of air tools. Milwaukee is well-known for its wide array of tools, but it also makes a bunch of specialty items. A prime example is the all-new M18 STRIKER Hammer Chisel (3771-20), which Milwaukee says is the world's first cordless option.
I turned a $50 Facebook Marketplace mini PC into the ultimate home server
Old office mini PCs have been flooding online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace for years. They’re often listed for as little as $50 or even less, but with limited demand, they can easily be overlooked. At first glance, they might seem like outdated hardware that isn’t worth much attention, but once you install a Linux server OS, it could quickly become one of the most useful pieces of tech in your home.
Apple shipped over 1.1 million MacBook Neos on launch—no wonder PC rivals are scared
It's no secret that the MacBook Neo has been selling well, but now it's clearer just how strong that demand really is. IDC analysts report that Apple shipped over 1.1 million units of its first budget laptop within the first three weeks of its March launch.
How to use dynamic array functions in Microsoft Excel
When I first discovered Excel's dynamic array functions, my entire approach to spreadsheet design shifted. They replaced my clunky, multistep workarounds with smart, self-expanding formulas that adapt as data grows, turning complex workflows into single-cell systems.
Don't throw away your old Fire TV Stick, it's more valuable than ever before
An unexpected side effect of Amazon switching to its newer Vega OS for its streaming devices was that it made the older Fire Sticks much more useful. The devices built on the Android-powered Fire OS continue to offer the power, flexibility, and customization that made them popular in the first place and that are largely absent from the newer models. Instead of throwing your old device in a drawer, now might be the best time to keep it around.
Your network bottleneck isn't your router, it's your Wi-Fi
If you're unhappy with the state of your internet connection, and you've done the usual troubleshooting to optimize your Wi-Fi, the logical next step might often be buying a new router. Or is it?
This Toyota delivers AWD confidence without the fuel economy penalty
Crossovers may dominate driveways these days, but the sedan isn’t going anywhere. For plenty of drivers, a lower seating position, better road manners, and a more comfortable daily commute still matter more than maximum cargo space.
I paired my smart lights with my TV, and it's changed movie night forever
Movie night has always been a staple in my household, especially with all the streaming services we subscribe to. We pop the popcorn, everyone picks their favorite seat in the room, and then we start the film.
3 more open-source Android apps I'd (happily) pay for even if they weren't free
The Android ecosystem is lucky to have a wide selection of excellent, free, open-source apps. These apps are so good that they could easily charge a fee. I started by listing 7 of these apps, then 4 more—now here are another 3 I currently have installed on my phone. They're free of cost, don't show any ads, or sell subscriptions.
You can watch Spider-Man: Brand New Day in theaters two days early—if you have Amazon Prime
There's an easy solution if you want to watch Spider-Man: Brand New Day before your friends and avoid spoilers: sign up for Amazon Prime. Sony Pictures and Amazon are offering U.S. Prime members access to early screenings for the Marvel superhero movie on July 29, two days ahead of its official July 31 premiere.
Nvidia's RTX Spark laptops are doomed to fail—here's why
If you ask Nvidia, its RTX Spark chip represents a fundamental shift in computing: we'll soon rely on AI agents to get most of our work done, and enjoy a powerhouse for creativity and gaming in the meantime. And the ingredients are certainly there between a wildly fast integrated GPU, a solid CPU, and talk of "all-day" battery life.
Why Audi’s new Q9 is picking a massive tech fight with the Lincoln Navigator
When Lincoln introduced the Navigator in 1997, it took the bones of a pickup truck and wrapped them in the kind of interior luxury that buyers had previously associated with European brands. Nearly three decades later, the Navigator has evolved into something no one saw coming from Ford, or perhaps any other automaker for that matter: a rolling wellness retreat.
6 effective Excel visualizations you can build in under 10 minutes
Excel is built for working with data, but large tables of numbers can be difficult to scan quickly. Fortunately, you don't need advanced design skills to make your spreadsheets more informative. Whether you're building quick reports or more advanced dashboards, these simple visualization techniques can help you spot trends, summarize data, and present information more clearly in minutes.
The cheap Zigbee device that fixed my entire smart home
I have a lot of Zigbee smart home devices in my home. The low-power mesh network offers several benefits over Wi-Fi, but it's not perfect. When one device kept dropping off the network, the fix was cheap and effective.
Netgear Nighthawk M7 Pro review: the Tesla Premium Connectivity alternative
After 22 months of paying for Tesla Premium Connectivity on my 2021 Model 3 Performance, I'd had enough. The connection was unreliable, dropping at the worst times, and I couldn't justify the monthly fee for a service that consistently let me down.


