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: 19 min 20 sec ago

Cycling is going high-tech in some exciting ways—here’s what to look out for

Sun, 08/30/2026 - 16:00

You never forget how to ride a bike, but you can be forgiven for not staying up to date with the latest cycling tech trends. These include new categories of bikes, safety improvements, and more gadgetry than ever before.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop putting NVMe SSDs in USB enclosures: You're crippling your hardware

Sun, 08/30/2026 - 15:30

SSD speeds are far from the only thing that matters. In fact, many will say that they're almost irrelevant, and buying an expensive SSD is a waste of money.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I thought my mini PC's SSD was dying, but 3 simple tests saved me from buying a replacement

Sun, 08/30/2026 - 15:30

Recently, my mini PC started acting up. It would freeze every so often, and Windows just didn't feel as responsive as it normally did. Nothing had completely stopped working, but the system had become unreliable enough that I knew something was wrong.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I built my own Android expense tracker because every "free" app wanted a subscription

Sun, 08/30/2026 - 15:00

It seems like everything today has a subscription attached to it—whether a video streaming app, a food diary app, or even a calculator app. No matter the intent, there is a paywall for additional features.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These little-known Excel clicks can save you time every day

Sun, 08/30/2026 - 14:30

Some of Excel's most useful features aren't hidden behind complicated menus or obscure keyboard shortcuts. They're built into controls you probably pass over without a second thought. Here are some that can save you time every day.

Categories: IT General, Technology

My wife loves her Kindle page turner, but I can't believe how it actually works

Sun, 08/30/2026 - 14:15

I'd never considered getting a page turner for my Kindle. When my wife got hers, I finally understood the appeal, but I couldn't believe how the device actually worked.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The 4 Ethernet cable myths you still believe

Sun, 08/30/2026 - 13:30

In my experience, there are two kinds of Ethernet cable users: those who buy one cable and use it for the next 10 years without ever thinking whether it's good or bad, and those who overthink the topic of these cables into oblivion, almost min-maxing every purchase and upgrading every so often. There is some in between, but not a lot.

Categories: IT General, Technology

You need to try GNOME 50—it's the most polished and impressive Linux desktop today

Sun, 08/30/2026 - 13:30

Linux is having a moment, or rather, Microsoft is scaring people away from Windows. If you're making a transition, I highly recommend you consider the open-source GNOME desktop. Far from being a complicated hobbyist project for hardcore Linux nerds, GNOME today is fun, stylized, polished, and privacy-respecting in a way that feels foreign on Windows PCs, Chromebooks, and even MacBooks.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This Android filter silences spam calls without blocking your contacts

Sun, 08/30/2026 - 12:30

For many of us, we seem to get more spam calls than calls from people in our contacts list. The problem with strict call filters is that they run the risk of blocking the people you do actually want to hear from. Thankfully, that’s not something you need to worry about if you use an Android phone.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I asked Claude and Gemini to build a Docker app—one was smoother, the other smarter

Sun, 08/30/2026 - 12:30

I've been vibe-coding small apps for a while now, and the biggest problem with them is that they live and die on the machine they were built on. Ideally, you'd want to self-host these apps so they're accessible across all your devices. So, this time, I'm testing Claude vs. Gemini to see which model does a better job of building a Dockerized app and making the self-hosting process as simple as possible.

Categories: IT General, Technology

7 projects you can build with an ESP32-powered Cheap Yellow Display

Sun, 08/30/2026 - 12:00

The Cheap Yellow Display (CYD) combines an ESP32 microcontroller and small LCD touch display in one affordable package. The integrated screen means that you can build many projects without ever picking up a soldering iron or a breadboard.

Categories: IT General, Technology

3 powerful Waze features that still aren't supported by Android Auto

Sun, 08/30/2026 - 02:00

Waze packs a lot of personality and utility into its phone app, but a chunk of that gets left behind once you plug into Android Auto. Here are three features that still don't make the jump.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Your motherboard has 3 USB upgrades hiding in plain sight

Sun, 08/30/2026 - 00:30

I love building PCs, but I don't know anybody, myself included, who finds motherboards that exciting (outside of people who work with them for a living, I guess). It's all GPUs and CPUs, and complaining about outrageous prices.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Fake SD cards are everywhere—here's how to spot them before they destroy your files

Sat, 08/29/2026 - 22:30

Fake SD cards and SSDs have been a problem for a long time, especially on online storefronts like Amazon, eBay, or AliExpress. The issue has only gotten worse since memory shortages have driven the price of storage sky-high, with little hope of relief any time soon.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Don't practice Excel with boring datasets: 4 real Pokémon projects that stick

Sat, 08/29/2026 - 22:30

Most Excel tutorials hand you a sales spreadsheet from a fictional company and tell you to practice pivot tables on data you don't care about. That method of learning or coming back to Excel doesn't work for everyone. The trick to actually retaining this stuff is working with data that means something to you. If you grew up playing Pokémon, you'll know how structured the games are and how well they'd translate into real excel spreadsheet problems.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How I built a one-tap "travel mode" that locks down my Android when I'm at the airport

Sat, 08/29/2026 - 21:32

Large airports are a potential security nightmare. There are random, unfamiliar Wi-Fi networks everywhere, charging ports that could be compromised, and more people than you could ever hope to count. I'm also basically always in a rush when I'm in an airport.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I tried playing my 90s Windows CD-ROM games on Linux, and it was surprisingly easy

Sat, 08/29/2026 - 21:30

Running old CD-ROM games on modern Windows isn't too hard if you know how to manage Windows' compatibility software. But what if you have a Linux desktop and don't want to leave your old Windows games behind?

Categories: IT General, Technology

3 bone-chilling Paramount+ thrillers to watch this weekend (August 28-30)

Sat, 08/29/2026 - 21:00

Sometimes you want to laugh, sometimes you want to cry, and sometimes you want a movie so intense that you grip the arm of your couch so hard you nearly rip the upholstery off. If the Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong UFC fight on Saturday isn't the kind of thrill you're after, these three thriller movies on Paramount+ might do the trick.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I tried NVIDIA's DLSS 5 before its official release—it's incredible

Sat, 08/29/2026 - 20:30

DLSS 5 isn't due for an official release until sometime later this year, but an unfinished version that slipped out with NBA 2K27 has allowed the RenoDX modding community to get it running with dozens of games.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Google Wallet knows where you go—here's why location-tracking is one of its best features

Sat, 08/29/2026 - 20:00

Location access is one of those permissions that everyone should take seriously. Not every app that requests it truly needs it. You may not think a mobile payments app like Google Wallet needs location access, but it actually enables some helpful features.

Categories: IT General, Technology

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