How-To Geek

Smart lighting often promises more than it delivers, usually resulting in a dim bulb that barely illuminates your room while demanding a dozen apps to function. Govee’s Pendant Lights break that pattern by offering genuine utility alongside millions of color options. It currently sits at $110 on Amazon, which is a $40 discount off its regular $150 price.

The iPhone Duo is an expensive grab-bag of compromises that definitely is not for everyone. But it's also the most fun iPhone I've used in years

Every week, I'd receive another Excel report that eventually had to make its way into a PowerPoint presentation. Then came the repetitive part: combining the latest figures with previous data, updating my charts, and making sure the slides reflected the changes. None of those tasks were particularly difficult, but they were easy to forget and tedious to repeat.

In today’s fast-paced world, who still carries cash? Let me tell you a secret: I do. I love having a few notes in my wallet instead of carrying a bunch of cards. It's comforting to know I have cash on hand whenever I need it.

More people are trying Linux distros these days. Modern desktop environments make Linux easier to use than ever, while offering the freedom and flexibility that Windows users often crave. But there's still one thing that intimidates newcomers: the terminal.

My oldest and my newest eReaders both have something in common: physical page-turn buttons. They may have been released more than a decade apart, but both have buttons built into the device that you can press to turn pages forward and backward. After using my wife's 2024 Kindle, I realized how much I'd miss these buttons if they were gone.

The holiday season is fast approaching, and many of us will be traveling to visit our loved ones. You can make your journeys more fun and less stressful with the right travel accessories.

Whether you're a longtime Samsung owner or just bought your first Galaxy, you know they're some of the best phones around. That said, they're also packed with bloatware and pre-installed apps that take up storage space, slow things down, and make the app tray a mess. Here are the apps I always uninstall within minutes of unboxing any new Galaxy phone.

So you've won the lottery, and the first thing you do is buy a shiny new graphics card, but what do you do with the old one? Common sense says you should sell it and defray the cost of the new card. However, what if I told you that your old GPU could keep providing value to you, worth more than any money you could get for it?

The year may be coming to a close, but that doesn't mean your Netflix watch list has to go through a drought of exciting titles. This November, the streaming platform's release schedule is packed with thrillers, classics, and more, offering variety before the holidays hit.

It’s no secret that the iPhone Duo launch has been plagued with issues. However, a nasty screen defect is far from the only reason why people are unhappy with Apple’s first foldable phone. The complaints go beyond the surface.

I spend a good chunk of my day in a browser, jumping between research, source-checking, writing in a CMS, and keeping up with emails. Chrome has been my home base for years, so switching browsers wasn't exactly something I was looking to do.

My husband and I can’t seem to agree on one thing whenever we’re in the car: the infotainment interface. He’s firmly on Team CarPlay, while I prefer Android Auto and keep finding reasons to defend it. I use it for Google Maps and Spotify on almost every drive, so I notice even the small things that could improve the experience. I’ve often wished Google would refresh the interface instead of making us stick with the same familiar layout.

The days of huge desktop PCs are over for everyone, but gamers and most buyers are moving to mini PCs, like the Acemagic K1, which pack a punch despite their compact size. Now's the time to replace that old desktop with the Acemagic K1 mini PC, now 26% off with a limited-time Amazon deal.

Microsoft has been around for decades, dating back to 1975 with its BASIC software. BASIC was written for the Altair 8800 microcomputer built by MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems). Bill Gates and Paul Allen created the software when MITS approached them, needing a programming language for their personal computers. Back then, the brand was referenced as Micro-Soft in a letter from Bill Gates to Paul Allen. The brand had not been established yet.

Disposable cans of compressed air are a frustrating way to maintain your electronics. They always run out when you need them most, leaving propellant residue on your sensitive components. A reusable electric duster like the WOLFBOX MF60 is a far better way to get rid of dust, and it's currently available at an impulse buy-worthy discount.

Home Assistant is incredibly powerful and almost endlessly customizable. If there's an idea you want to make a reality, the chances are that you can make it happen. I've used Home Assistant to replace several different apps that just couldn't match what I could set up with the smart home software.

I have seen plenty of people run into problems with refurbished laptops. Sometimes, reinstalling Windows reveals the machine is still enrolled in an organization’s management system, and it gets locked again. Other times, buyers discover that the laptop was stolen or has some kind of firmware or administrative lock. I have been fortunate enough to avoid these problems myself, but my experience with refurbished homelab hardware has been considerably more interesting.

If Netflix is your favorite streaming service, this list is for you. Several new movies are premiering on Netflix this week, including a dramedy directed by Chris Rock, a documentary by Ron Howard, and a mystery thriller starring Jessica Chastain.

Obsidian is arguably one of the best apps out there for taking notes and organizing your knowledge base, but it comes with its fair share of imperfections. One of my main qualms with Obsidian is how difficult it can be to sync notes between my phone, desktop, and other devices. Sure, you could pay $4/month to get sync support, but I'm a cheapskate.