How-To Geek

The Steam Machine has been revealed in its final retail form, and we know what the price is. At a starting price of $1,049, it's much more expensive than the PlayStation 5 Pro, yet the base model is less capacious than a standard PlayStation 5. The PS5 also comes with a controller, whereas with the Steam Machine you still need to add the price of a controller to your budget.

I love a good podcast, but there are so many available that it can be hard to know what to listen to next. I decided to build my own podcast server using a Raspberry Pi, which would automatically download the latest episodes of my favorite podcasts.

I've been using Raycast for Windows since shortly after the public beta launched last November, and I still think it's a good program. It gave Windows the kind of fast app launcher and command bar experience I'd been missing, especially when I wanted to open apps, jump into actions, or avoid digging through menus. For a while, it felt like one of those small utilities I'd automatically install on every Windows PC I used.

Sports cars have become increasingly complicated over the last decade. More power, more technology, and endless performance metrics have pushed many modern machines into territory that feels inaccessible, both financially and emotionally. As prices continue to climb, the idea of an affordable driver's car seems to be disappearing.

As our phones have become more powerful, they have evolved into much more than devices for making calls. However, just because our phones can do something does not mean they are the best tool for the job. As someone who turned an old Android phone into a dashcam, I can say that I regret doing it and will be switching back to a dedicated dash camera.

Most of the time when you press Shift it is just to capitalize a letter or word, but it also gives you access to dozens of different shortcuts in Windows 11 that can speed up your workflow.

Are you still looking at walls of Home Assistant notifications instead of a nice summary? What about your Home Assistant voice commands—do they work how you want? It's easier (and cheaper) to integrate AI with your smart home than you might think.

There’s just so much to do in Summer, and a lot of it happens outdoors under the blazing sun, which makes adequate hydration both important and easy to overlook. After all, if you’re having fun, who remembers to drink?

You may have heard of ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory before, but have the impression that this special type of RAM is only meant for workstations and data center servers.

Over the course of the years, a recurring cloud storage subscription can easily cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. And what does that subscription fee get you? A finite amount of storage and convenient access whenever you want it.

Polylactic acid, or PLA for short, is the world’s favorite 3D printing material. It’s cheap, easy to work with, and relatively safe to be around. Unfortunately, it also has undesirable properties that make it unsuitable for all use cases.

Summer is officially here, and Netflix has plenty of interesting Originals lined up to keep your watchlist full for the season. Whether you're looking for a feel-good romance or a comedy with a chaotic plot, the streamer is rolling out a variety of new films for its summer slate.

Fast charging has transformed the way we use our smartphones. Instead of waiting hours for your battery to fill up, many phones can now charge from nearly empty to 50% in as little as 15 minutes. So why does it sometimes feel like it's taking forever to charge your phone?

If you want to experiment with new software, host a home service, or try a new operating system without risking your main PC, running Linux in a virtual machine is the safest way to do it. It gives you a sandbox where you can break things without worrying about the repercussions, or lets you isolate whatever is running on that VM from your other services.

After trying several public transport integrations and messing around with YAML configurations, I finally added reliable transit information to my Home Assistant dashboard.

Excel is great at crunching numbers, but its standard charts can feel a little dull. So when I stumbled across a Microsoft 365 add-in called People Graph, I had to try it. Within minutes, it was turning ordinary spreadsheet data into infographic-style visuals that looked far more polished than I'd expected—and it barely required any setup at all.

I love the Google Pixel 10a for the camera quality it delivers, but I'll freely admit the official $499 price is off-putting for what's ultimately a warmed-up 9a. Thankfully, that isn't an issue at the moment — Amazon is selling the Pixel 10a for $100 off during Prime Day 2026, making this budget phone much easier to justify.

Hybrid cars have come a long way from being niche economy machines bought only by early adopters. Today, they're everywhere—from family SUVs to luxury sedans—and for plenty of drivers, they've become the sweet spot between gas-powered cars and full EVs.

Prime Day is full of discounts across all categories, but maker hobbies are especially benefited by the discounts and deals. 3D printing is seeing a number of fantastic sales across all categories, from the printers themselves to filaments, tools, and more. Here are the best Prime Day 3D printing deals that I've found so far.

The owner's manual is one of the most useful documents you have and one of the most underutilized aspects of car ownership. Tucked in the glovebox from the day you drive off the lot, it covers maintenance schedules, tire inflation specs, fuel requirements, and warranty terms that can directly affect what you spend over time.