How-To Geek

Xmind Agent helps you develop ideas through conversation. The ChatGPT and MCP integrations let you turn research into editable maps and keep working with them in your existing AI tools.

I'm no big fan of laptops, so much so that I actually replaced mine with a mini PC and a tablet. But the problem with mine was that its performance, or lack thereof, was beyond help. Yours may not be in that same boat, though.

Projectors are display devices like TVs and monitors, so you’ve always been able to use them for gaming. But until recently, buying a projector specifically to play games was a no-no. Thankfully, that’s all changing.

Nvidia has spent the last few years becoming one of the most powerful companies in the technology industry. And the man who built it, Jensen Huang, the leather-jacketed face of the AI boom, has just announced his resignation as President, CEO, and board member with immediate effect after 33 years at the helm. Nvidia is handing the keys to its CFO, Colette Kress, in the interim. This has triggered one of the biggest leadership changes in the semiconductor industry.

Batteries have a finite lifespan, even rechargeable ones. Unlike dry-cell batteries, though, you can't just chuck your old power bank in the garbage bin. Most power banks are made of lithium-ion. They have a liquid electrolyte, which makes them highly flammable from the get-go, so tossing them in a bin could potentially cause a fire. There are several safe ways to dispose of an old power bank that you should follow.

Winter is coming, and that means it's time to start preparing. Gear up for storms, gather some firewood, and get those winter tools ready. And if you don't have any winter tools, you'll be glad to hear that Ryobi has all sorts of practical tools you'll love when the temperatures plummet.

If you use the terminal a lot, you can probably understand the frequent pain of typing out long commands. Bash's tab completion is ineffective, file paths are tedious to write, and typos are a persistent annoyance. I have three good reasons why Zsh addresses these and boosts your terminal workflow.

If you take a lot of photos on your phone, there's a good chance you also pay for cloud storage to keep them safe. After all, having all those memories automatically backed up to Google Photos or some other service is worth a few bucks a month for the peace of mind.

I'm not a fan of wall-mounted tablets as Home Assistant dashboards. While they might look pretty, in order to use them, you have to be standing right in front of them, which isn't always ideal. An alternative is to build small dashboards using cheap touchscreen panels, which you can then place around your home where you actually need them.

For years, I thought good photo management meant good organization. The larger my photo library became, the more time I spent creating folders, albums, and filing systems that I assumed I'd eventually need.

If you're a video editor, photographer, or other power user that needs ultra-fast portable storage, the options are relatively limited. Samsung's latest P9 USB4 External Solid-State Drive changes that, though, with up to 4,000MB/s transfer rates.

Open-source developers have spent decades proving that powerful software doesn't have to come with a price tag. GIMP, LibreOffice, and Blender started as alternatives to expensive commercial tools and have grown into applications people rely on every day. Now, AI coding assistants are speeding things up, making it possible for a single developer to attempt what once required an entire team. That's good news for anyone tired of subscription fees that can add up to hundreds of dollars a year.

Android’s answer to the iPhone’s “Find My” network rolled out a couple of years ago, but it’s struggled to find its AirTag competitor. Google hopes to change that with its own branded Pixel Tag, and it has a few tricks that set it apart from previous Android trackers.

Gaming is great, but it usually takes place in a virtual world on your gaming device of choice. I wondered if it would be possible to create a game that spilled over into the real world. With a cheap handheld and Home Assistant, I was able to do exactly that.

If you're an Android user looking for a smartwatch that actually keeps up with your phone, the Google Pixel Watch 5 is worth looking into. This latest model brings Gemini Intelligence, a domed Actua 360 display, and up to 40 hours of battery life. The $400 list price might have been too high for some, but right now Amazon has the 44mm Wi-Fi model available for $300, 25% off the MSRP. If you've been eyeing the Pixel Watch 5, now's the chance to grab one.

My home server plans usually die when I look at the hardware list. Everyone claims you need a dedicated box, which is rough if you don't have a spare machine sitting around. In reality, the PC you already have can handle most of it. Docker Desktop runs on Windows, and plenty of useful tools are small enough that they barely register next to my browser tabs.

Long-time Android fans are well aware of the legendary Tasker app, but the experience isn’t limited to phones. The “AutoWear” plugin brings Wear OS devices, such as the Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch, into the fold.

Laptops compromise the computer experience in exchange for portability and mobility. There's no way around that fact.

The air around us is full of signals that we can't see. Despite the technology being more than 100 years old, radio waves are still frequently used by music stations, satellites, aircraft, and more. You don't need expensive equipment to pick up these signals; you can do it with a dongle that can cost as little as $25.

3D printing can mean a lot of trial and error, especially when you're fighting with bed leveling or tangled filament. The Bambu Lab P2S AMS Combo 3D Printer takes on both laser-based bed leveling and an AI vision system that detects tangled filament. Right now, you can get one for $100 off in a Best Buy holiday deal.