How-To Geek

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We explain technology. Learn more with our articles, reviews, tips, and the best answers to your most pressing tech questions.
Updated: 3 hours 53 min ago

3 fresh Netflix movies to watch this week (March 9 - 15)

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 19:40

Netflix's new additions on the movie front are warming up like the weather is, with some interesting picks landing in the streamer's recent Top 10 (at time of writing), including Expendables 4, The Addams Family animated movie, K-Pop Demon Hunters (37 weeks and counting!), and a couple on the list below.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Kia Sportage is a smart budget alternative to the Mercedes GLC

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 19:30

Compact SUVs have come a long way in a short time. What started as a niche alternative about a decade ago is now the default choice for families, and just about every automaker—from budget brands to luxury heavyweights—wants a slice of the segment.

Categories: IT General, Technology

7 clever places I use NFC tags to automate my smart home

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 19:01

Smart buttons are a useful way to trigger scenes and automations in your smart home. With Home Assistant, I've found that sometimes NFC tags can be more useful, as they allow me to know not just when a tag was scanned, but also the device that scanned it.

Categories: IT General, Technology

4 reasons flip phones are better than book-style foldables

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 18:42

2025 has seen some of the biggest leaps forward for folding smartphones. With its newly refined look, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the most well-received foldable to date. And yet, while these book-style devices are getting all the attention, it'll be the smaller flip phones that ultimately win out.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The NVIDIA Shield wasn't supposed to be a streaming device—here are its odd origins

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 18:30

Today, the NVIDIA Shield TV is a niche but well-regarded streaming box. However, when it first saw the light of day, that wasn't at all what the company had in mind for it. Yet through some clever pivots, that's what the Shield TV eventually became.

Categories: IT General, Technology

19 years after IBM’s Windows killer died, it’s getting another update as ArcaOS

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 18:14

IBM OS/2 was an alternative to Microsoft Windows throughout the 1990s, but Microsoft won out in the end, and the operating system was relegated to niche use cases. Over 24 years since the final OS/2 release, and 19 years since IBM's support ended, the officially-sanctioned continuation ArcaOS is still going.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop falling for sequential SSD speeds: These qualities matter far more than raw performance

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 18:01

The big selling point of SSDs over hard drives has always been the fact that they are fast. You might think, then, that speed is the most important thing about an SSD. But these days, there are actually a lot of other things you should prioritize instead.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Google Photos will finally make it easier to turn off the controversial “Ask Photos” feature

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 17:43

Google Photos is generally considered one of the best apps from the company, but it’s not without problems. One feature in particular has been under constant fire since it was announced. Thankfully, Google has finally relented, and “Ask Photos” can be turned off.

Categories: IT General, Technology

5 uncomfortable truths about your Zigbee smart home

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 17:31

I use a lot of Zigbee devices in my smart home. For my needs, Zigbee still offers the best combination of low cost and utility. The truth is that Zigbee isn't perfect; it has plenty of frustrating issues.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Toyota reclaims the reliability crown from Subaru in latest rankings

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 17:15

Reliability rankings often shift from year to year, but a few automakers consistently compete for the top spot. In recent years, Subaru managed to climb to the front in several industry reports, challenging Toyota’s long-standing reputation for building some of the most dependable vehicles on the road. Now, new data suggests that the balance of power has shifted once again.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These are the top 5 gateway Linux distros, ranked

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 12:30

Getting someone to try Linux is one thing—getting them to stay is another. After helping several friends and family members make the switch, I’ve found that some distros do a better job of keeping people around and encouraging them to explore the OS further. I call these “gateway” Linux distros—and here are my top five picks.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Look out for malware when downloading models to 3D print

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 12:00

Malware is an ever-present threat, but there are still some places where you don’t expect to see it pop up. Recently, potentially harmful files have been found lurking in downloads from some of the web’s biggest 3D printable model repositories.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This free tool let me lower Windows 11's RAM usage without breaking anything

Tue, 03/10/2026 - 11:30

Windows is famously RAM-hungry, and if you let it, it'll normally eat up about half of your RAM at any given time. If you'd like to reclaim some of that, there are a few easy things you can do.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Your MQTT broker might be public (here's how to tell)

Mon, 03/09/2026 - 23:00

Some popular recent Home Assistant posts on Reddit revealed that the smart home of someone living in Miami Gardens was exposed to the internet. Other people could turn off their lights and even rename their devices. This was all due to their MQTT broker being public and unsecured.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Bentley turns Spanish mountain into bespoke luxury with Bentayga Artenara Edition

Mon, 03/09/2026 - 21:45

A decade after the Bentayga first entered the ultra-luxury SUV segment, Bentley is returning to the model's geographic roots. The British automaker has announced the 2027 Bentayga Artenara Edition, a design-led variant inspired by Artenara, the highest village in Gran Canaria, which overlooks the Roque Bentayga peak that gave the SUV its name in 2015.

Categories: IT General, Technology

3 Paramount+ movies you must watch this week (March 9 - 15)

Mon, 03/09/2026 - 21:30

If you’re the kind of movie lover who actually enjoys bouncing between genres and appreciates the kind of classics that still hit even after you’ve seen them a dozen times, then Paramount+ has a deep well you can draw from for days.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This Toyota sedan delivers Mercedes-level luxury without the price

Mon, 03/09/2026 - 20:45

Luxury cars have always been a tricky buy. They’re often expensive to keep running once the warranty ends, and their resale values can drop fast thanks to complicated tech and questionable long-term reliability.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why a laptop with a dead screen is the ultimate homelab starter kit

Mon, 03/09/2026 - 20:30

Laptops aren't as powerful as regular desktop PCs, but they can still be quite capable. If you have a laptop with a busted screen, these are 5 great ways to put it back to use and keep it out of the landfill.

Categories: IT General, Technology

3 tense Netflix thrillers to watch this week (March 9-15)

Mon, 03/09/2026 - 20:00

The start of a new week on Netflix means there are several high-profile movies now streaming on the service. The one with the most buzz is War Machine, a new action movie starring Reacher's Alan Ritchson. The sci-fi thriller is about a group of soldiers who face an otherworldly threat that crash-lands on Earth. With Ritchson at the helm, War Machine is a fast-moving action movie that packs a punch.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The excellent Ghostty terminal app just got an upgrade on Linux and Mac

Mon, 03/09/2026 - 19:57

Your Mac or Linux machine might already have a terminal emulator, but replacements like Ghostty can give you more features and extensive customization options. Ghostty version 1.3 has now arrived with improvements to searching, clipboard, macOS integration, and much more.

Categories: IT General, Technology

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