How-To Geek

The folks at Google said they no longer think of Android as an “operating system.” Instead, they see it as an “intelligence system.” That tells you everything you need to know about Google’s vision for Android 17 and beyond. Get ready to let your phone do a lot more for you—if you trust it.

Days after releasing an update for older phones, Samsung is releasing the first One UI 9 beta for Galaxy S26 owners. It will be available in the U.S., U.K., Germany, India, Poland, and South Korea this week if you've signed up through the Samsung Members app.

In today's age, it really feels like there are endless amounts of superhero content, but most of the time, it’s coming directly from Marvel or DC. Now, there is nothing wrong with that. There’s a reason those companies have been around for decades. Sometimes, we need a break from Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, and all these heroes that we know.

Most of the time when you set up a router, the process only involves setting up a Wi-Fi name and password. If you stop there, you're missing out.

I prefer Android over the iPhone because it's an open platform. This is the same reason why many developers choose to create apps for Android. Now, a small but growing number are opting out of putting their apps onto the Play Store, and I can't say I blame them.

It’s no secret that AI technology has made leaps and bounds in recent years, and in the year 2026, AI systems have cemented themselves in everyday life for many of us, at least. But there might be a day on the horizon when AI tech has not just changed the way we use traditional microphones, but replaced them entirely.

Milwaukee fans know the company makes all sorts of M12 and M18 tools for a wide variety of uses, from drills and drivers to hand tools, lights, and even lawn mowers. And while most people own a drill, impact driver, or maybe a sawzall and other basics, there are several lesser-known Milwaukee tools that you'll absolutely want to add to your toolbox.

Home Assistant has more integrations than you could shake a stick at. Some of them can be really useful, while others are less helpful. I tried five different media integrations for Home Assistant, and while all of them were useful, only three of them really hit the spot.

You don't need expensive project management software to build a professional timeline. With a few formulas and conditional formatting rules, you can use Excel to create a dynamic, color-coded Gantt chart that updates automatically as your project changes.

So, you turn on your TV, and then your PlayStation or Xbox turns on in sympathy. All you wanted to do was watch some Netflix, but now you have to switch over to the console first and shut it down. It's extra annoying if you have to get up to do it.

Samsung Wallet is extremely convenient, but if you only use it when tapping a payment terminal or never change the default settings, you aren't getting the most out of the app. On every Samsung Galaxy phone or watch I buy, I change a few Samsung Wallet settings to improve usability, speed, privacy, and more, and add a shortcut for easier access.

Over the past ten years, I've lived in two separate homes and have paid to install solar on both. It has been a great experience, but there are a few things I would do differently if I were starting over today.

Obsidian has long been the gold standard for markdown editors. However, recently, it lost its throne to a newcomer on the scene (at least for me). Tolaria is a fully open source markdown editor that has more functionality than Obsidian, and you should definitely consider using it.

Here's one for the digital scrapbook: I found an ancient computer mouse (with a trackball!) while cleaning out my garage. Covered in a thick layer of 20th-Century dust but still in relatively good condition, the mouse immediately conjured one thought: I wonder if it still works?

When you delete a file, is it really gone? On a traditional hard drive, often not. But on a solid-state drive, the answer is far more complicated — and for most people, far more final.

ESPHome is a free and open-source framework for getting firmware to run on cheap microcontrollers like the ESP32, ESP8266, and RP2040. If that sentence sounds complicated to you, don’t worry. ESPHome is one of the most user-friendly examples of its kind, and you can get started without knowing a line of code.

One of the most helpful aspects of using AI for coding is debugging. Before the AI era, I had to read the code line by line, use debuggers, and put print statements to find bugs. If all failed, there was Stack Overflow and other beginner websites, where people used to tear your code apart. But now? You just share the code snippet with an AI, give some context, and ask it to fix the code, and you're done.

A decent portable monitor costs anywhere from $100 to $200—more if you want touchscreen support. So if you already have an old tablet lying around, why not turn it into a portable monitor instead? A free app called Spacedesk can turn almost any iPad or Android tablet into a true second display for your Windows PC—not just a mirrored screen, but a fully extended monitor you can drag windows onto. Here’s a detailed guide on how it works.

In 2025, Plex announced that it was putting remote streaming behind a subscription, and the rollout is still ongoing. While it feels like a betrayal for many users who had previously been using the feature for free, the change isn't as unreasonable as it seems.

Your VPN is probably leaking information without you knowing. From the domain names you visit to your real identity, if you use a VPN for privacy, you're going to want to read this one.