How-To Geek

Cloud storage can get costly, so an alternative for many people is to just grab any important memories and store them in a hard drive to revisit in the future.

Most people assume a slowing phone means it's time for an upgrade, but that's not true. The real answer is almost always that the battery behind your screen is wearing out. Once you see how much the battery matters, you'll stop blaming the rest of the phone. A new battery fixed my phone, and I swore up and down it was something else.

Bambu Lab is often painted as the “worst” 3D printer manufacturer that happens to make the “best” 3D printers. The company’s walled-garden approach and clashes with open-source projects have earned it some deserved pushback over the years, and yet this week they still don’t look as bad as Stratasys.

There are many people who still value and embrace local TV broadcasting—I'm one of them, even though I love streaming services. I'd love all the amazing benefits ATSC 3.0 provides in my area, but I also like the nostalgia of turning on the TV, seeing what is on, and choosing what I want to watch for free.

MX Linux is one of the most popular distros, and while its Debian base is attractive, it's not even its biggest draw. The bigger draw is MX Tools, a suite of in-house utilities that turn tedious jobs into a few clicks. Three of them, specifically, are stuff I'd love to see more often in other distros.

Adobe is constantly adding new features to its Creative Cloud toolbox, and Photoshop’s new AI-assisted Editor is the latest player in the mix. It should make editing tasks, from background removal to adding new objects, easier and faster.

My phone is full of apps with various accounts for email, social media, messaging, banking, work, etc. I don't mind most of these apps being together on the same device, but there are some I'd like to keep separate. Thankfully, my Samsung Galaxy allows me to do that without needing a second phone.

We all love our cordless power tools, especially with how easy it is to snap on a battery and get to work. And even though many of us own several tools from big names like Ryobi or Milwaukee, knowing which battery pack is the best one to buy or use is still somewhat confusing. That's by design, and here's the battery spec that neither brand puts on the box or label.

With so many Linux distros out there, how do you know you're using the right one? Choosing a Linux distro is easy when you have to solve real problems, not made-up ones. Here's what you should focus on instead of what's trendy.

Android gives you surprising control over your privacy and security, but some of the most useful settings are easy to overlook. The problem is that some features can sound like they're meant for people who know their way around a network or security console. If you're not particularly technical, it's tempting to leave them alone and assume they're either too complicated or already configured properly.

I first got into Google Pixel with my Pixel 6a — and I loved it. But the longer I used it, the more it felt too minimal and lacking in functionality. That feeling was amplified by the fact that all my friends, and Android users in general, seemed to favor Samsung phones and all the cool features Galaxy smartphones bring to the table. Eventually, I got curious enough to upgrade to the Galaxy S24.

Replacing an entire computer is a costly prospect these days, but in most cases it’s not actually necessary to replace your whole computer to keep using it for your studies. Spending money on the right component (or two) can add years of usable life to your PC. After all, upgradability is one of the greatest perks of having a desktop PC, so why not make use of it?

Each streaming service has its own calling card. Netflix has exciting thrillers, while HBO Max owns prestige TV. At Prime Video, action is one of its best genres. Most subscribers know about the show's prominent action television slate, which includes Reacher, Neagley, and The Terminal List.

One of the tech industry's worst-kept secrets is that smart TVs spy on us. There are countless articles and videos online discussing it, as well as plenty of guides on how to fix it while maintaining the smart functionality of your TV.

Qualcomm flew us out to Snapdragon Summit 2026 for a hands-on experience with the all-new, cutting-edge Googlebooks and Microsoft Surface laptops. And although the event has been relatively predictable, Wednesday's briefing closed out with a big surprise—Qualcomm is officially working to support Linux on Snapdragon X2 laptops, brands like ASUS have already committed to offer Linux-flavored versions of their X2-powered devices, and a developer preview is available today for those with the hardware to test it.

My Mini PC hosts several homelab services, including Home Assistant, Jellyfin, Audiobookshelf, Calibre, Uptime Kuma, and more. It also hosts some local LLMs, and in recent weeks, one of these has been hogging so much RAM that it's brought down other services. I decided to set up a fun way to monitor my homelab using a cheap ESP32 board.

Android phones have come a long way when it comes to privacy. Private Space on Pixels and Secure Folder on Samsung phones are really handy. Android's permission system has also become very granular in recent years, giving you a high level of control over what apps can access on your phone, and the Privacy Dashboard is a solid way to audit what your installed apps have been up to. But there's always room to grow, and some third-party apps offer privacy controls Google doesn't match yet, and in some cases probably never will. The only downside is that you have to sideload them.

Disney+ has rolled out its second price increase in as many months. Its standalone and Hulu bundle subscriptions now cost slightly more, with a notable exception.

If you use Spotify for streaming music, podcasts, and audiobooks, you may have noticed that your phone’s storage gets filled up too quickly. The streaming service quietly eats up gigabytes of storage space in the form of temporary cache. But now, the streaming service appears to be working on a new feature that would limit the cache, allowing better optimization of storage.