How-To Geek

With rare exception, I start my day by skimming a handful of RSS feeds specific to my interests and my work. Then, if any of them are relevant to a work project, I paste them into a document so I can reference them later.

BMW's latest electric SUV shows just how far the automotive industry has pushed its touchscreen obsession. Its enormous infotainment display doesn't just handle navigation and entertainment. It replaces many of the physical controls drivers once used without taking their eyes off the road. BMW says the shift reflects changing preferences among younger buyers, but the result feels less intuitive rather than more advanced.

For years, Android users have been sneaking into the Developer Options to make their phones feel faster—this article is not about that. I found a different, less “hacky” setting that sped up my Pixel phone, and I didn’t expect it to matter as much as it did.

Cyberdecks have been wildly popular with DIY enthusiasts for a good reason: you can build a portable computer that does what your usual PC can't, often with more style and a lower price. Raspberry Pi is eager to hop on the trend, and has just shared a tutorial that teaches you how to build a cyberdeck from scratch.

Your car's 12V outlet is probably one of its most overlooked features. While many drivers only use it for an old-fashioned cigarette lighter or a phone charger, it can power a surprisingly wide range of useful accessories, from dash cameras and tire inflators to portable coolers, vacuum cleaners, and even heated blankets.

Perplexity originally made its name as an AI search engine, but it also has a product called Computer.

Don't hate me for saying this, but summer is on its last legs. But if you must stay inside for some binge-watching, you could do worse than HBO Max. While the service is basking in the green glow of its chart-topping, 93%-rated Lanterns, U.S. subscribers still have some new and new-ish things to watch.

Chevrolet introduced the High Country trim for the 2014 Silverado, giving the truck a touch of rugged luxury, complete with its signature chrome trim and saddle-brown leather. Since then, Chevrolet has added the High Country to four other models in the lineup, including the Tahoe, Suburban, Traverse, and Silverado HD. Now the High Country nameplate is getting what is arguably its most visible redesign yet, and Chevrolet is introducing it on an SUV before anything else.

Not too long ago, seeing only 30% battery left on your status bar meant your phone was basically as good as dead. In fact, that's still a reality for many people with fairly new phones. However, ever since I upgraded to a phone with a silicon-carbon battery, I've been leaving the house with a third of my battery left without a hint of anxiety. Let me explain why.

With the RAM-pocalypse wreaking havoc on the PC hardware market, I'll be honest, we're sort of running out of things we can actually buy. It's not that stuff isn't on the shelves; it is. It's just that most people can't actually afford any of it.

Are you getting ready to fly home for the holidays, but want to make sure your phone can stay charged on the trip? Carrying a portable power bank is an easy way to power up without a wall outlet—but how big can you go when flying?

If you've bought a new 4K monitor recently, you might have been puzzled by the array of ports on the back. HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C, and Thunderbolt are all commonplace now, but which is the best, and why?

Phones used to look and act very differently, and you could tell what the brand was just from turning it on. We had to watch that personality get replaced with flat icons and white space. The HTC Sense was one of the first Android skins that made a phone feel like it was unique, and we lost a great UI when the company started playing it safe. Luckily, you can rebuild something close to it on a modern Android phone.

I've been distro hopping for years. While in school, I extensively used Fedora, Arch, and Ubuntu, and in the intervening years, I've spent a lot of time with Pop!_OS, CachyOS, Debian, Kinoite, and Garuda. All of them are decent, but I only found one that I can use for daily work: Kubuntu.

The 2026 Honda Civic Hybrid gets 48 mpg combined, and you don't have to do anything special to get there. There's no plugging it in, planning around electric range, or driving like you're trying to squeeze every last drop of fuel from the tank.

The ESP32 can seem overwhelming at first because there are so many projects to try with it. However, you can start out super simple, like the three projects below. These three ESP32 projects are perfect for beginners and can easily be completed in a weekend.

The Mac mini and Mac Studio both have such strong reputations as local AI computers that they faced months-long shortages, but both mini PCs just received fresh upgrades—and price hikes. Apple has introduced a new Mac mini as its first computer with an M6 chip, and a Mac Studio with an equally fresh M5 Ultra billed as its "most powerful chip ever."

Even though I lived in the time before Google Maps, I still find it hard to imagine how people ever got anywhere or found anyone without it. That got me thinking about how much Google Maps has changed over the years. I decided to try to recreate what it was like using Google Maps 20 years ago, when it was still in its infancy.

When you switch on your 3D printer for the first time, set it up, and load your first spool of filament and get ready to go, you're probably wondering what you should print first.

I've been searching for the perfect weather app for years. I've tried just about every popular option on the Play Store, and while some free weather apps are better than others, none of them quite get it right. The Google Weather app is the closest, but I don't use a Pixel phone. As it turns out, I don't need one.