How-To Geek

Want to share your Googlebook with a friend, family member, child, or stranger? While you probably shouldn't pass your laptop around to too many people, Googlebooks offer support for multiple user profiles, plus children and guest profiles. Setting things up takes just a few minutes, so you don't have to worry about anyone rearranging your desktop or digging through your stuff.

I feel like I'm stuck in perpetual productivity mode. I seem to have some trouble not working on something almost constantly. I always turn to Docker to handle work, budgeting, freelancing, personal projects, and even tracking my books/comics collection. I use it on my computers every single day, with some apps running 24/7 in my home lab. So the wheels started turning, and I finally did something nearly impossible: setting up and using Docker on Android.

It can seem weird to spend good money on a capable drill just to end up chewing through screw heads, anyway. It is easy to assume the tool has too much power or the fasteners came from a bad batch of hardware, but I doubt it. Most of the time, the trouble comes down to how that little piece of steel meets the slot. For clean results, it helps to understand why loose fits happen and how even a tiny mismatch can wreck a job.

It's October, which means spooky season is in full swing. One of this weekend's shows is the ideal program for Halloween. It's a story set in the Friday the 13th franchise, but it's not what you expect. On Disney+, Vision makes his triumphant return to Marvel Television in a new adventure.

It's a bit of a hobby of mine to help people troubleshoot their tech problems, and over the years, I've built up a drawer full of gadgets for it. The one I always grab first for network trouble isn't fancy at all. It's a five-port unmanaged gigabit switch that costs about the same as the lunch I had today.

Every so often I do a self audit of devices, apps, and even media I own. I'll ask myself if I use it often enough to justify keeping it. If the answer is no, bam, purged. Done. I've noticed myself doing this quite a bit with various productivity apps, like Tasker. It even extends to some Markdown-friendly apps on my tablet. As I've been building more and more with Obsidian, I've noticed some of its plugins have made me ditch other productivity apps. Here are my favorites.

When GM announced it would drop Android Auto and Apple CarPlay from its vehicles, the decision felt entirely self-serving. The replacement, however, is still powered by Google's Android Automotive platform. While I can appreciate the appeal of that approach, there are some key reasons why the company made the wrong call.

If you suspect there is a hidden Bluetooth device in your house, apartment, or office—or you just lost a Bluetooth-capable device—there's an easy way to track down its physical location thanks to an app on iPhone and Android. Here's how to do it.

Google has kickstarted a new category of premium, AI-focused laptops with Googlebooks, and that means a brand-new operating system to master. Taking screenshots should be a simple affair, and fortunately it is pretty straightforward on Googlebook OS. I'll break down how to use the new Googlebook Screen Capture tool, which should handle all your screenshot and screen recording needs.

Cordless power tools are as capable and convenient as ever these days, but one thing owners frequently overlook is how to care for those expensive battery packs. Ryobi's ONE+ battery system is a staple in garages everywhere, but a few common user habits could be quietly shortening your battery's lifespan.

My husband and I can’t even agree on what should play in the car, so you can imagine how our Android Auto vs. Apple CarPlay debate goes. He’s a CarPlay fan, while I’m firmly on the Android Auto side. We both think our preferred platform does things better, and neither of us likes admitting the other has a point.

Keyboards are a remarkable invention. I’ve been fascinated by them (along with typewriters). Aside from the eternal struggle between QWERTY and Dvorak, Human Interface Devices (HID) like keyboards and mice are just interesting in design and function. But what strikes me as most interesting is how a USB drive, a banana, or just about anything can be an HID. And while some of them are pretty fun and safe, there’s actually a bit of a darker side to the story.

There are charging stations, and then there is the Smartlinx Thunderbolt 4 21-in-1 Docking Station. Charging hubs and docking stations minimize the hassle of unplugging all of your components every time you decide to take your laptop somewhere. With its 21-port design, this Smartlinx model gives those accessories (keyboard, monitor, mouse, external drive) a more permanent home and lets you connect your computer with a single cable. Even better news? It's now $40 off on Amazon.

It might not be widely known, but Netflix has a wealth of great science fiction movies (and TV shows) for those who like to take their imaginations off-planet or into the depths of Earth-based coolness. And with Ben Affleck dominating the Top 10 with his kidnapping thriller, Animals, you might be looking for something a little more out there.

Don't pay full price for your new power tools when you can get them at huge markdowns at Home Depot. You'll find plenty of great deals, and the massive savings on the DeWalt 20V Max Cut-Off Tool are almost enough to cover the cost of the Cordless Impact Driver and Circular Saw combo.

Google is one of the biggest software companies out there, best known for Google Search, Android, and its internet ad business. But engineers at Google didn’t only create a bunch of products. They also created tools used to build some of those products in the form of full-fledged programming languages. The company has at least 10 programming languages under its belt, with the three below leading the pack in importance.

Amazon acquired Bee over a year ago to get into AI devices, and now it's showing the first results of that deal. Bee is releasing the Frontier wearable and Eclipse phone add-on that provide "personal AI," both of which unsurprisingly tie into Amazon's universe.

One of the worst feelings for me while driving is using maps or an app and seeing something missing that would have helped. Car infotainment setups run on firmware that's set at the factory and only gets refreshed occasionally, whether at a dealer, by USB, or through an over-the-air update. Android Auto works differently. It's basically a phone app that beams onto your car's display, and you don't get warned when changes come.

College can be the best years of your life, but also some of the most stressful. It’s hard enough to stay academically prepared while still making ends meet and enjoying a scholarly lifestyle that will change after graduation.

There's something mildly rewarding about downloading an app for one reason and discovering it's useful for several others. I initially installed PowerToys after reading about FancyZones, the tool that lets you create custom grid layouts for snapping and organizing app windows. But the more I explored, the more features I found myself using every day.