How-To Geek

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We explain technology. Learn more with our articles, reviews, tips, and the best answers to your most pressing tech questions.
Updated: 1 hour 14 min ago

I coded my own Spotify wrapped with Python, here’s how

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 16:30

With Spotify’s API, you can get hold of the core “Wrapped” data and use it however you want. A library simplifies the process, and a basic HTML version of Spotify Wrapped can be yours in 100 lines of code.

Categories: IT General, Technology

7 Raspberry Pi mistakes you should avoid making

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 16:00

Single-board computers from companies like Raspberry Pi are perfect for homelab projects, retro gaming, or even use as a lightweight desktop PC replacement. But it’s also easy to get carried away and make mistakes that can lead to instability, data loss, and damage.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Pebble's next product is a smart ring that remembers things for you

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 16:00

If you’re anything like me, you know how important it is to get ideas and to-dos out of your brain so you actually remember them later. After bringing the iconic smartwatch back this year, Pebble is hoping its next product will help in these situations. It’s a smart ring called the Index 01.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Google Pixel phones: The Android devices that improve over time

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 15:30

Nobody wants to believe their new phone is the best it will ever be on the day they bought it, but that’s the reality for many Android owners. However, if you use a Google Pixel, there’s a solid argument to be made that it gets better with time.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Firefox is getting a long-awaited display upgrade on Linux PCs

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 15:00

Firefox 146 is rolling out, bringing a major, long-awaited display improvement for users running Linux with the Wayland compositor. The newest build now natively supports fractional scaling on Linux, which should make the rendering experience much better and snappier.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Mozilla Thunderbird 146 is rolling out: Here's what's new

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 15:00

Thunderbird, the desktop mail client developed by Mozilla, just released two new updates. Thunderbird 146 is rolling out today in the stable channel, and for those of you who need stability above all else, Thunderbird ESR just got an update to version 140.6.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to stay online during an internet outage

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 14:30

A few weeks ago, my internet went down. Thankfully, my mobile internet was still working, so I was able to use my phone as a hotspot. Looking online, however, I found that many people who used the same provider for both their broadband and mobile internet had lost access to both and could not get online at all. There's always a risk that this could happen, but the good news is that an internet outage doesn't have to leave you offline.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Don't buy a new CPU cooler until you try these 3 things

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 14:15

Cooling power is the lifeblood of your PC. No matter how good any of your other components are, if things get too hot in there, your PC will struggle a lot. If you're struggling with cooling your CPU, you don't have to upgrade to a better cooler: you should try these less costly options first.

Categories: IT General, Technology

4 tips to make sure Home Assistant's voice assistant understands you

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 14:00

Home Assistant has its own built-in voice assistant called Assist. I use Home Assistant Cloud to handle the natural language processing, and Assist can work well for controlling devices, querying the state of entities, or playing media. It's far from perfect, but there are some things you can do to improve how well Assist understands what you're asking.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The hidden costs of using a Chromebook as your only computer

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 13:30

Chromebooks have come a long, long way since I first used one. It helps that so much of what we do every day happens in a browser, so, in a way, we've met Chromebooks halfway. Either way, it's entirely possible to use a Chromebook as your only computer. The question is, what are you giving up by doing so?

Categories: IT General, Technology

Visual Studio Code vs VSCodium: What is the real difference

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 12:30

The text editor is the most critical tool in a programmer's arsenal, acting as the daily workbench, primary interface, and engine for creation. For years, Microsoft's Visual Studio Code (VS Code) has dominated, becoming the default choice for millions of developers across nearly every programming language and operating system.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Ugreen DH2300 NAS review: A powerful beginner option that's still a bit complicated

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 12:01

The Ugreen DH2300 NAS has a budget-friendly price and all the makings of an entry-level network-attached storage device, but after trying to get my family to use it to back up their pictures and data, it might still be too technical for a mass audience.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Move over, Peerless Assassin: There is a new budget cooling king

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 06:00

A CPU cooler doesn't have to be expensive to be great. If you have a hot-running CPU, the ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE is all you really need. It's a chunky air cooler with two 120mm fans that do an excellent job at keeping your modern AMD Ryzen or Intel CPU cool without breaking the bank.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This new mini PC has four NVMe slots and dual Ethernet LAN

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 00:00

Network attached storage devices have become increasingly popular as people search for alternatives—or supplements—to their cloud storage subscriptions. That is where a new mini PC released by Youyeetoo, which is designed primarily for use as a miniature NAS, can shine.

Categories: IT General, Technology

PhpStorm 2025.3 arrives with full PHP 8.5 support and a new theme

Mon, 12/08/2025 - 23:46

PhpStorm has stuck around as one of the best PHP development environments, and now JetBrains has released a new major version. PhpStorm 2025.3 is now available with PHP 8.5 support, a new theme, Claude agent integration, and much more.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Raspberry Pi is raising prices, but this open source alternative is staying affordable

Mon, 12/08/2025 - 23:00

Are you shopping for an SBC right now? There are tons to choose from, but the conventional choice is a Raspberry Pi device. It isn't your only option, though, and looking into alternatives is worth your while.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Don't sell your old mini PC—do these 8 things instead

Mon, 12/08/2025 - 22:00

Have an old mini PC lying around you're mulling over chucking into your "hardware graveyard" drawer or selling on eBay or Facebook Marketplace? Why get rid of it when you can repurpose and breathe new life into it? Here are some roles most mini PCs should excel at.

Categories: IT General, Technology

PyCharm 2025.3 update adds faster Python project management, free Jupyter support, and more

Mon, 12/08/2025 - 21:25

Visual Studio Code and other lightweight editors might be the most popular choices for Python programming, but JetBrains PyCharm is still great for complex projects and debugging. The latest update is merging the Community Edition and Pro versions, and it brings along a few new features and improvements.

Categories: IT General, Technology

5 underrated holiday movies to watch on Disney+ this week

Mon, 12/08/2025 - 20:01

The holiday season is upon us, and many will be tuning in to Disney+ to watch popular movies like Home Alone, The Santa Clause, and more to celebrate. But the streaming platform has a wide variety of festive flicks. A handful of these films are severely underrated and often get overlooked by those searching for some holiday cheer.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Uber wants to sell more travel data to advertisers

Mon, 12/08/2025 - 19:55

Uber is making a massive play for advertising dollars by launching a new insights platform, Uber Intelligence. This is designed to sell aggregated data about where you travel and what you order for takeout directly to marketers.

Categories: IT General, Technology

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