How-To Geek

Syndicate content
We explain technology. Learn more with our articles, reviews, tips, and the best answers to your most pressing tech questions.
Updated: 56 min 13 sec ago

6 new shows to watch on Netflix in March

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 20:45

Love, horror, adventure, and everything in between: this March, Netflix is giving us a diverse collection of shows and movies to look forward to. Whether you want to kick back for a relaxing watch or sit at the edge of your seat, there's something you can stream every day.

Categories: IT General, Technology

433MHz is the smart home technology you forgot about

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 20:30

Your smart home is full of wireless devices that use some combination of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Thread, or Z-Wave. But there’s another wireless solution you can use to send and receive signals from smart home devices, and you might already have a few devices in your home that use it.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Home Assistant's Quick search was useless on mobile until I did this

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 20:30

In the Home Assistant 2026.2 update, a new Quick search feature was introduced. The tool has a dedicated keyboard shortcut, but this isn't really much use on mobile. Thankfully, there is a quick way to launch the tool in the mobile app.

Categories: IT General, Technology

You can still use your internet service during a power outage, here's how

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 20:29

Your laptop, smartphone, tablet, and gaming handhelds don’t need power to function, but the same can’t be said about your internet connection. In the event of a power outage, being able to get your network back up quickly can allow you to resume work or play while the issue gets fixed.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop switching tabs: Chrome’s new split view is a productivity game changer

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 20:15

Windows, tabs, groups. If you’re used to these ways of organizing your web page viewing, get used to one more: split view.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Type faster on your Android phone by not typing at all

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 20:00

Growing up with keyboards has conditioned many of us to think of typing as the only way to get words to appear on our screens. On our phones, that really isn't the case. Virtual keyboards have gotten much better over the years, but there is an even faster way to type on your phone.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This $27 ESP32 kit lets you send texts without Wi-Fi or cell service

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 19:00

If you're like me, you want to be able to stay in contact with people no matter what the state of the internet or any other telecommunications is. I found a way to do that, and all you need is an affordable ESP32 kit.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The 2026 Toyota Land Cruiser feels more Lexus than Jeep

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 18:45

The Toyota Land Cruiser has been roaming American roads since 1958, building a reputation as one of the toughest SUVs you can buy. It’s the kind of vehicle people take across continents, keep for decades, and refuse to part with, which explains why nearly 44,000 found homes in 2025 alone.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to automate repetitive tasks in Excel using Copilot

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 18:30

Microsoft Excel is a workhorse for anyone juggling numbers, budgets, and datasets. However, with the sheer amount of data you handle and all those repetitive, manual tasks, Excel can end up being very draining. While it seems like a lot of AI marketing is dedicated to creation, being an assistant is still high on the list of Copilot's tasks.

Categories: IT General, Technology

5 reasons I'm ditching my Ring video doorbell for something else

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 18:24

Ring is one of the most popular brands of video doorbells, and I've owned one for years. Here's why I've reached the point where I'm ready to replace it with a different brand.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I’m a racing instructor, and more horsepower doesn’t make cars more fun

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 18:15

Whenever you are talking about a car, everyone wants to know how much horsepower it makes. It is a question as old as the automobile itself. Even though most people don’t understand how it is calculated or what it really means, horsepower is usually the first statistic referenced when describing a car. It is the benchmark by which all cars are measured, especially performance cars.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I measured the air quality while using my 3D printer, here’s what I found

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 18:00

You might have heard mixed things about the safety of breathing the same air as your 3D printer. While the smell of melted plastic isn’t exactly pleasant, I was curious about what effects the average 3D print had on the air around me, and how it compared to my usual daily routine.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The missing hyphen loophole: Why expensive "WiFi 7" routers are legally stripping out mandatory features

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 17:45

Wi-Fi 7 is an exciting standard that promises faster, smarter wireless connections. Its hallmark feature, Multi-Link Operation (MLO), lets devices use more than one frequency band at a time to reduce latency and boost throughput.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to use the LAMBDA helper functions in Microsoft Excel

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 17:30

Excel's LAMBDA helper functions are the future, but knowing which one to pick is the real challenge. This is your go-to whistle-stop guide for matching the function to the task and building spreadsheets that finally think for themselves.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These are the 3 most important open-source desktop apps of all time

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 17:15

When I say "most important," I don't mean the most popular on GitHub, the most beloved by power users, or the project with the loudest community. I mean software that measurably changed the direction of computing. Tools that altered user behavior at scale, forced billion-dollar companies to respond, shifted technical standards, or redefined what people expected from their devices. Importance, in this context, isn't about vibes or nostalgia. It's about influence you can see in the market.

Categories: IT General, Technology

6 ways to make your old Kindle feel new again

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 17:00

If your current Kindle is getting long in the tooth and you’re thinking that buying a new one is the best course of action, hold that thought until you read this. Instead of shelling out cash for a new Kindle, you can invest a few bucks in your current one and make it feel new again.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How a $300 phone became the most highly coveted Android device of 2014

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 16:45

Back in the day, Android phones were a lot more daring. Companies experimented with all kinds of wild designs, features, and even pricing. Among all the phones that tried to stand out over the past decade, one captured the enthusiast fanbase like no other: the coveted OnePlus One.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why I still miss Adobe after switching to open-source alternatives

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 16:30

The promise of open-source software sure sounds good because it tends to be powerful, community-driven tools that are completely free. It feels like a great move from the costly, restrictive subscription model that giants like Adobe force on you. However, even after months of using these tools and getting totally comfortable with them, I still miss some things Adobe offers.

Categories: IT General, Technology

3 ways to make your old smart TV feel new again

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 16:15

We all have an old smart TV somewhere that's been replaced by a newer model, or is simply starting to show its age. But the great thing about smart TVs, compared to older television sets or other devices like smartphones, is that they tend to have a much longer lifespan.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I ditched the default Android TV home screen—here's what I use instead

Sat, 02/28/2026 - 16:00

Whether you’ve got an Android TV or Google TV streaming device, the home screen is something you see a lot. That’s exactly why it’s stuffed with recommendations and ads. I got tired of all the junk and cleaned things up with a free launcher.

Categories: IT General, Technology

eXTReMe Tracker