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: 48 min 37 sec ago

Turn long videos into social media clips faster with AI Video Cut (and save 20%)

Sun, 06/21/2026 - 15:00

The online video world is always chasing new trends, and now it’s all about short-form content. These short, scrollable feed-based videos are the most effective way to grow an audience, but producing them is surprisingly costly and time-consuming.

Categories: IT General, Technology

7 unusual ways to use Claude Cowork that have nothing to do with coding

Sun, 06/21/2026 - 14:45

Claude users often fall into two camps: those who use it as a chatbot, and those who use it for coding. Claude Cowork can easily end up getting overlooked by both camps. There are plenty of ways you can use Claude Cowork that aren't for coding or typical chatbot conversations.

Categories: IT General, Technology

5 pioneering Linux distros that quietly faded into history

Sun, 06/21/2026 - 14:33

While some Linux distros have stood the test of time, others have fallen by the wayside, remembered only by their users.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These are the 7 most useful resources every Home Assistant user should know about

Sun, 06/21/2026 - 14:30

Home Assistant is powerful smart home software that's packed with a huge number of features. There's so much it can do, and so much that you can do with it, that sometimes you might need a little guidance, help, or inspiration. There are some great Home Assistant resources available that you can turn to.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why I'm buying every DVD I can find (before they're all gone)

Sun, 06/21/2026 - 14:15

I'm happy to see that people are apparently getting back on the physical media wagon. By some miracle, DVDs and Blu-ray discs have remained in production and are still readily available, but for a while it seemed like the fervor for streaming might kill off physical media for good.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These 6 Linux tools make the classics feel ancient—I use them on every machine

Sun, 06/21/2026 - 14:00

The traditional Linux tools like nano, man, cat, cd, ls etc. are almost four decades old now. They come from a time when computers had black-and-white screens and less computing power than your phone.

Categories: IT General, Technology

House of the Dragon season 3 returns tonight—here's the most important thing to know

Sun, 06/21/2026 - 13:45

It's been almost two years since House of the Dragon season 2 ended on a cliffhanger. Tonight, we get answers in theHouse of the Dragon season 3 premiere, which airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and streams on HBO Max.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Fable 5 was too smart for its own good, so Anthropic had to kill it

Sun, 06/21/2026 - 13:30

Vibe coding—despite huge improvements over the last two years—has always been hit-and-miss, with emphasis on "miss" if you're not very careful about how you use it. Fable 5—for the brief time it was available—felt like it finally changed that.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How I avoid falling into the smart home subscription trap

Sun, 06/21/2026 - 13:00

A smart home doesn’t need to cost a lot of money, and it certainly doesn’t mean paying a monthly fee. Here are some things I do to ensure that the only money I spend on my smart home is for devices that I can use without a pricey premium plan.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Every web developer needs to try these 3 open-source TUIs before starting their next project

Sun, 06/21/2026 - 12:30

As web developers, we deal with text all the time. Whether it's JSON, HTML, URLs, Markdown, or something else. Nobody talks about the utilities that boost your productivity when managing these, so I will. I have three tools that'll help you make faster remote API calls, build and learn jq more quickly, and transform strings from one format to many others.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The most useful Microsoft Excel tools and features that aren't enabled by default

Sat, 06/20/2026 - 22:00

Excel is packed with productivity features, but some of its most useful tools are hidden or disabled by default. Whether you want faster data entry, better dashboards, or more powerful analysis tools, enabling a few overlooked settings can transform the way you work.

Categories: IT General, Technology

6 apps that make any Android phone feel like a Google Pixel

Sat, 06/20/2026 - 21:45

One of the biggest selling points of Google Pixel phones has always been the software. Google's approach has always been refreshingly simple: clean visuals, a handful of genuinely useful features, and very little unnecessary clutter.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Toyota RAV4 is a best-seller, but this American SUV makes a strong case at a lower price

Sat, 06/20/2026 - 20:45

The Toyota RAV4 has been one of America's best-selling SUVs since the late 1990s, and for 2026, it made one of the boldest moves in its nearly 30-year history. Toyota dropped gas-only engines entirely and made every RAV4 a hybrid.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I can't look at old hardware the same way since I started self-hosting everything

Sat, 06/20/2026 - 20:30

I've had a knack for repurposing Android phones for most of my life. But I never considered doing the same for old, junk computer hardware, at least until I started self-hosting and building a tiny homelab last year. Ever since I fell down this rabbit hole, my perspective on old tech in general has shifted completely. Where the old me saw "e-waste," I now see gold.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop scrolling Netflix's homepage for recommendations, use these 6 discovery tools instead

Sat, 06/20/2026 - 20:00

Netflix's recommendation algorithm has evolved and can be good at predicting what you'll want to watch next. The problem is that it often ends up showing the same titles, making it harder to actually discover what aligns with your unique tastes.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Discover Hidden Modes Transforming Your Samsung Galaxy Phone

Sat, 06/20/2026 - 19:45

For a long time, I treated my smartphone like, well, a phone with just a few extra features. Sure, I could browse the internet and work on documents, but I largely relegated my mobile device to being nothing more than a phone.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Wider isn't always better: Why I went back to 16:9 from ultrawide

Sat, 06/20/2026 - 19:33

I bought my first ultrawide monitor back in February 2018. It was a game changer for me. I went from two 27-inch 16:9 monitors to one 34-inch 21:9 and absolutely loved it.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Your Wi-Fi 7 router might be lying to you—here's how to tell

Sat, 06/20/2026 - 19:30

The latest generation of Wi-Fi 7 routers has finally dropped to prices that make them a realistic upgrade for anyone buying a new router. If you’ve bought one recently only to find that your internet doesn’t feel noticeably faster, it’s worth going over a few things to check whether the router is actually delivering the performance you’ve paid for.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop rewatching the same shows—stream these 4 underrated Apple TV gems instead

Sat, 06/20/2026 - 19:00

There's nothing wrong with a comfort watch. It's the end of a long day, and instead of wasting hours scrolling for something to watch, you throw on a show you've seen hundreds of times. I know people who put on The Office to act as white noise while they sleep. The same goes for people who embark on rewatches of Game of Thronesor The Sopranos. Look, we've all rewatched our favorite shows. Now, it's time to find something new.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I used rooftop solar for 10 years—here's what convinced me to go all-in

Sat, 06/20/2026 - 18:45

I've had solar panels for nearly ten years, after having them installed on both my current home and my previous one. There are a few reasons why I knew I wanted to invest tens of thousands of dollars into this technology, and why I've had no regrets.

Categories: IT General, Technology

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