How-To Geek

New versions of Android and iOS come every year, making it hard for developers to keep mobile games up and running on that newer code—especially for titles that aren’t bringing in enough revenue to justify the expense. With that said, let's pour one out for these top-notch mobile games that couldn't survive the hustle and are no longer available on Google Play or the Apple App Store.

These days, with the rise of SSD prices, it might be tempting to go to a shady website and get yourself a cheap "SSD." Don't.

You probably scoffed when you read the title above, and I don’t blame you. But the more I thought about it, the more I considered that the freedom offered by a platform like Home Assistant is something that many of us wield without a second thought.

Reliability is everything when buying a used car. A sweet deal can vanish fast if the drivetrain acts up, electronics act finicky, or warning lights start blinking, turning a bargain into a wallet-busting headache.

Times have changed, and third-party antivirus software is no longer a necessity. Here's why I only use Windows Security, plus some things I've learned about the free, built-in antivirus platform.

PCIe Gen 5 still seems way too fast, but this might be the year of PCIe Gen 6—the next big thing. We might see the first Gen 6 SSDs this year.

I’ve had my AirPods Pro 3 since launch, but I’ve held off on testing one feature the whole time I’ve had them. It’s not like I haven’t had the opportunity; I just never took the plunge.

Whether it’s for charging or transferring files, USB-C is the standard that smartphones use today. But before USB-C went mainstream, micro-USB ruled the smartphone world. What many people forget is that there was a third connector Samsung tried to push—and it was somehow even uglier and bulkier than micro-USB.

Amazon's Alexa is one of the most popular smart home systems on the planet. The relatively cheap smart speakers and displays make it an affordable solution, and it's fairly simple to set up and use. There are some significant issues with using Alexa, however.

This was another busy week in tech, with major updates to Home Assistant, Visual Studio Code, LibreOffice, and Google Home. There was also big news for Raspberry Pi boards, the rumored folding iPhone, and much more—here are the biggest stories you might have missed.

I've enjoyed Android Auto for years, but lately it feels like things are only getting worse. The user interface keeps changing, and not for the better, and notifications completely cover essential navigation directions. There are many ways Google could improve Android Auto, but one in particular would be my first choice.

It’s true—Hulu is home to a righteously gritty historical drama that’s so irresistibly good, it’s poised to become the next obsession and is the perfect replacement for Peaky Blinders fans, even though you have likely not heard about it. A Thousand Blows premiered in early 2025 with only 6 episodes and featured a mostly unknown cast. It was also overshadowed by shows like Dexter: Original Sin and Adolescence. Now, it boasts a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score and two Emmy and Golden Globe winners.

This was another busy week in Linux world, with a new major release of LibreOffice, Raspberry Pi raising prices and redesigning one model, JetBrains IDEs switching to Wayland, and much more. Here are the biggest stories you might have missed.

If you’re shopping for a compact SUV around the price of a Toyota Corolla Cross but want something with more character, there’s a used Italian option that deserves your attention. While many mainstream crossovers feel bland and predictable, this SUV brings a distinctive blend of style, presence, and driving personality, and you can often find one for roughly the same money.

I’ve written plenty about squeezing the best performance out of a Windows computer, tuning startup apps, killing background junk, and making sure hardware isn’t getting in its own way. That kind of optimization matters, but it’s not the whole story. Lately, I’ve been thinking less about raw performance and more about how a computer feels to use. Not faster clocks or higher benchmark scores, but fewer interruptions, fewer repeated actions, and less time spent fighting the Windows UI.

There are a lot of apps out there, and some of them are even free. But those free ones often have ads, annoying features, features locked behind a paywall, and other nuisances. That's why I prefer free and open-source apps that respect me as a user. The following are some that I can't live without.

Dropping serious money on a new car is exciting, right up until it starts living at the dealership. If you’re spending $30,000 or more, you want something built on solid bones, with a proven engine, stable tech, and a track record that shows the bugs have already been worked out.

February is here, and, in addition to the anticipated—or dreaded—Day o’ Love festivities, it also brings with it the celebration of Black History Month. In this week’s recommendations, I omit the lovey-dovey stuff and present you with a hearty cultural mix of drama with special interest, action with gritty crime and biker gangs, and fantasy that includes a suspenseful, witchcraft-enhancing tale.

Modern pickup trucks are faster, more powerful, and more technologically advanced than ever, but one key feature has quietly disappeared along the way. Manual transmissions, once a defining part of the pickup truck experience, have been steadily phased out in favor of automatics and complex driver aids. For drivers who grew up shifting their own gears, that change has removed a level of involvement that today’s trucks simply can’t replicate.

It can be a full-time job keeping up with all the latest releases and trending movies and shows bombarding us on the daily. But sometimes you just want to watch a sure thing—something comforting and familiar.