How-To Geek

I keep waiting for a new GTA to arrive, and every delay has made me more protective of the day it finally does. Big launches have a way of going sideways, but that won't happen for me. I've made sure nothing messes with the experience I've waited years for. Do what I did and start dealing with the small problems now, while it doesn't matter yet.

Android has come a long way over the years, and these days, no matter what brand you choose, your phone is filled with a wealth of features and controls. Some are well-known, plenty are underrated or forgotten, and many of us use our phones on pure muscle memory, using the same few things all day. But hiding right under your nose are a few helpful features that'll change how you get things done.

Everyone needs a multi-tool for small household jobs and other tasks, like cutting fruit or opening bottles. They are also essential if you love the outdoors and often go fishing or camping, and I can't do without one in my tackle box. Multi-tool sets can be pricey, but now anyone can afford one with the TaskTamer 3-Piece EDC Tool Set going for just $15 on Amazon.

AI coding tools are getting increasingly good at writing software and generating a substantial amount of code. However, that’s just one part of building an application, and it creates a key problem: developers need a reliable way to store, organize, track changes, and manage that code. GitHub has traditionally been a place for this. Now, OpenAI is taking on more of that responsibility by buying Pierre Computer, a developer tools startup whose tech already runs inside Codex.

Computing has come a long way in the last few decades. In fact, the advancements are now so quick that you'd think the PC you own now has next to nothing in common with the one you had 10 years ago. In many ways, you're not wrong, but x86-64 CPUs are still stuck in the past, and it all comes down to the way they boot.

OpenAI has been steadily building its AI-powered cybersecurity efforts, first with Aardvark in 2025, and then with Codex Security and its Patch the Planet initiative in 2026. Previous experiments on Linux kernel security uncovered hundreds of possible vulnerabilities. Now OpenAI has taken that research a step further, revealing that its latest automated pipeline has discovered 948 Linux kernel vulnerabilities that could enable attackers to obtain root access.

As far as TV panel technology is concerned, OLED is the endgame. Or so we've been told. While OLED has some legitimate benefits, such as pitch-black scenes and the supposedly "infinite" contrast ratio, I have some regrets about buying an expensive OLED TV last year that I don't think get enough attention — and they've got nothing to do with burn-in.

Most everyday apps share a quiet habit. They send your passwords, notes, financial records, voice recordings, and AI prompts to a server you don't control. Your data is stored under terms you probably never read and kept for as long as the company decides. Data breaches, policy changes, and shutdowns have shown how fragile that arrangement can be. However, there's a better way. You don't have to give up useful software to keep more control over your data.

You probably don't think twice about your phone's brightness slider. Move it to the right, and the display gets brighter; move it in the opposite direction, and it dims.

Running a Linux server gives you plenty of flexibility, but keeping everything running smoothly requires some effort. You have to monitor resource consumption, secure exposed services, keep an eye on storage health, and make sure your backups actually work. You can handle all of this through SSH and command-line utilities, but a few well-chosen self-hosted applications can make the job considerably easier.

Tools are not cheap, especially when you have a bunch of them. It’s like an investment, so to speak. You put a lot of money into your tool collection, and theft can become a costly setback, not to mention a frustrating experience.

The first thing your PC does when you press the power button is initialize its hardware, a task handled by its BIOS before handing control over to the bootloader that starts your OS.

Inexpensive Android TV streaming boxes have become a popular alternative to streaming devices from established brands that typically cost more. A lot of these are manufactured in China, and then they're sold in the US under different brand names. Like other streaming devices, these boxes provide access to popular streaming apps, but many also offer fewer restrictions on installing third-party software. That flexibility makes them particularly appealing to those looking to access pirated TV shows, movies, and live television. Regardless of how you plan to use it, if you bought one of these devices, you may have gotten more than you bargained for.

There's an old saying that “software is eating the world,” but these days, it feels more like artificial intelligence is eating software. AI is definitely having a moment, and I'm not talking about generating images, writing emails, or building your website. Just last week, I wrote about how AI and the small team behind ArtCraft were building free, open-source alternatives to expensive software, including Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office. That's giving the traditional software-as-a-service business model a lot to think about. What’s interesting to me is how quickly AI is helping these small teams and individual developers accomplish things that in the past would have required a lot more time, expertise, and resources.

The term “Japandi” is a portmanteau of “Japan” and “Scandi,” and models bearing this label are very well represented in 3D printing model repositories. But this popularity goes beyond aesthetics, since these models are particularly well-suited to this method of manufacturing. Here’s why.

I use all sorts of software when I travel: a VPN, streaming music apps, cloud storage, and more. I turned my Raspberry Pi into a one-stop-shop travel router that combines all of those uses into one device, so I don't have to worry about them individually on my phone, laptop, or console.

The minimalism of Pixel software is great — until you want to change how something works. That's why I've always loved "Good Lock" on Samsung phones. It's an optional suite of tools specifically for power users. That's what the "Essentials" app is trying to do for Pixel phones, and I finally get the hype.

Motorola is giving smartphone buyers in the US a much-needed reason to look beyond Samsung and Google. The newly announced Motorola Signature 27 brings flagship-grade hardware, a powerful camera system, and longer software support. The phone’s arrival is at an interesting time as OnePlus exited the country a few months back, leaving people with one fewer brand to consider while looking for a premium Android experience.

One of my favorite Ryobi purchases lately isn't even a power tool. Instead, it's the new power source battery charger that lets you use your Ryobi battery pack as backup power for small devices, recharging phones and more during a blackout. Here's what you need to know and how I used it to power my Wi-Fi router during an outage.

There's no shortage of advice promising to make Windows 11 faster. Disable startup apps, turn off animations, change your power plan, and run a debloating tool, and your PC will supposedly feel brand new. But after testing several popular tweaks on my ASUS laptop, I found that many didn't solve the problem I thought they did. Some reduced background activity, some removed interface delays, and others barely made a measurable difference.