How-To Geek

The new Pixel 11 series is here, and while there's a lot to appreciate, it's easy to understand why some fans feel like not enough has changed. While it's a familiar affair on the outside, with camera upgrades, a faster processor, and Gemini intelligence throughout, the Pixel 11 is actually quite impressive. That's especially true when it comes to cameras, and here are 5 features that make it stand out.

More than once, I've thought a USB port on my PC was broken. It only turned out to be true once, but when it was, I was actually able to fix it.

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Ryobi and its endless selection of capable cordless power tools. I've been buying them for over 20 years, but the brand doesn't offer everything I need. I do a lot of automotive repairs and maintenance, which led me to buy the Milwaukee M12 angled impact wrench. It's such a game-changer that I'm now slowly collecting Milwaukee tools.

Are you tired of your Plex streams always stuttering but don't have the money for a brand-new media server? Here are three simple things that you can change to help make your streaming experience smoother on the hardware you already own.

Regardless of how you personally feel about it, it seems the AI coding assistants are here to stay. Although there are plenty of problems when it comes to AI slop code, vibe coding by people who don't understand the code itself, or the illusions of productivity destroyed by excessive quality control, coders are not letting this one go.

In 1980, roughly a third of new cars sold in the United States came with a manual transmission. By 2021, that number had fallen below 1% and has stayed there since, according to the EPA's Automotive Trends report. Stick shifts have become rare enough that when an automaker drops one from a lineup, most drivers barely notice.

I believe that coffee is more than a way of getting caffeine into your body, and the explosion in the popularity of specialty coffee means I’m not alone. An estimated two-thirds of the US population drinks coffee every day, and too many are settling for sub-par beverages.

Most of us give little thought to USB ports, beyond finding some of them kind of confusing, because what do you mean they're color-coded? But a handy USB port on the right device can actually be transformative. One such device is your router.

Motorola has made its name among the Android crowd thanks to its phones offering excellent value at any price bracket. And it's easy to see why, as even the cheapest devices, like those in the Moto G lineup, tend to pack surprisingly modern and capable hardware.

Desktop mode isn’t new to Android, but it’s having a renaissance. Google finally added proper desktop mode to Pixel phones this year, and as a long-time Pixel owner, I’ve been having fun with it. My latest project is a throwback to the Moto LapDock.

Buying a new streaming stick feels like the obvious move until you actually look at what you're paying for. The apps and picture quality are the same. Even the hardware hasn't changed dramatically from generation to generation. What changes for an old firestick is the price tag. This is one of those cases where buying used may be a better idea than buying new.

I recently picked up an old laptop off Facebook Marketplace for $150. It has no discrete GPU, a low-power CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a meager 512GB SSD. It isn't exactly the kind of device you look at and think, "Yeah, this will be great for AI," but that is exactly how I've used it.

Are you looking to do some home renovations as summer starts to close out and fall approaches next month? Some DIY projects require thousands of dollars worth of tools to complete, but these three power tools can pay for themselves after just one home project.

EV depreciation has created some genuinely absurd bargains, and this high-performance electric crossover might be one of the best examples. When new, it cost more than $60,000. Today, lightly used examples can be found for just over $30,000, roughly the price of a new Toyota Camry.

VLC is one of those programs that most people install once and never think about again. The problem is that VLC does a lot more than just play files, and almost none of it is obvious from looking at the interface. There are plenty of features already built in. You just need to know which keys to press.

There are a lot of free and paid 3D printing tools on the internet, but not all of them are worth your time. I scoured the web in order to find the best of the bunch, and this list of seven is what I was left with.

We all want to make our lives easier when working in Excel, and sometimes that means looking beyond the app itself. Spreadsheet creation has lots in common with programming, so that's where I've stolen one of my most useful habits from.

If there is one genre that has come to define Apple TV, it's sci-fi. The streaming service has fully leaned into sci-fi as one of its most prominent genres. The result has been some of the best sci-fi shows on television.

Your internet service provider's bundled modem could soon serve as a home security tool. Comcast has launched an Xfinity Shield platform that not only protects against online threats, but can stand in as a motion detector to alert you to physical intruders.

I am mainly a Linux user, but sometimes I have to return to Windows for work or gaming. Whenever I do, I notice that Windows hasn’t evolved in any meaningful way since I first used it. Compared to Linux, it feels like it’s stuck in time. Let me explain what I mean.