How-To Geek

There’s a secret layer of protection on your iPhone or Android phone's screen that keeps fingerprints and smudges at bay. It’s called an oleophobic coating, and it’s something you probably won't think about until it's gone. Let’s keep that coating in tip-top shape.

There is an idea that if you want powerful features and a huge audience, like the kind you find on Discord, you just have to surrender your data and tolerate the constant upselling. Just because something is self-hosted or open-source does not mean it is automatically difficult to use, complex to set up, or somehow lacking in essential features.

I’ve had a NAS for about 10 years now and have heavily used one for the past half a decade. With my NAS, I’ve been able to cancel many subscriptions to save money, including Netflix, Audible, and more.

Netflix's 2026 slate is jam-packed with films and shows that will keep you entertained throughout the year. If you're looking for an enticing update this month, Netflix has you covered with new movies spanning comedy, action, and drama.

Modern computers, laptops in particular, have really slashed the number of ports you get for plugging in peripherals. Following the example of MacBooks, some slim and light Windows laptops have just a pair of USB-C ports, forcing you to use a USB dongle hub to connect more than one thing, or dock your laptop with a desktop setup.

3D printing can be anything from a fun hobby to a serious business. No matter what sort of 3D printing you do, there's always a cost involved. The costs range from small to quite large, but whatever you're spending it's always better to avoid wasting money when you don't have to.

Thankfully, I don't have to buy a new soundbar often, but having bought two in the last year, I had to change exactly the same set of things on both right out of the box after hearing them just once. Soundbar manufacturers sure like packing in the gimmicks, especially for the more affordable class of soundbar that suits my budget!

New versions of Android and iOS come every year, making it hard for developers to keep mobile games up and running on that newer code—especially for titles that aren’t bringing in enough revenue to justify the expense. With that said, let's pour one out for these top-notch mobile games that couldn't survive the hustle and are no longer available on Google Play or the Apple App Store.

These days, with the rise of SSD prices, it might be tempting to go to a shady website and get yourself a cheap "SSD." Don't.

You probably scoffed when you read the title above, and I don’t blame you. But the more I thought about it, the more I considered that the freedom offered by a platform like Home Assistant is something that many of us wield without a second thought.

Reliability is everything when buying a used car. A sweet deal can vanish fast if the drivetrain acts up, electronics act finicky, or warning lights start blinking, turning a bargain into a wallet-busting headache.

Times have changed, and third-party antivirus software is no longer a necessity. Here's why I only use Windows Security, plus some things I've learned about the free, built-in antivirus platform.

PCIe Gen 5 still seems way too fast, but this might be the year of PCIe Gen 6—the next big thing. We might see the first Gen 6 SSDs this year.

I’ve had my AirPods Pro 3 since launch, but I’ve held off on testing one feature the whole time I’ve had them. It’s not like I haven’t had the opportunity; I just never took the plunge.

Whether it’s for charging or transferring files, USB-C is the standard that smartphones use today. But before USB-C went mainstream, micro-USB ruled the smartphone world. What many people forget is that there was a third connector Samsung tried to push—and it was somehow even uglier and bulkier than micro-USB.

Amazon's Alexa is one of the most popular smart home systems on the planet. The relatively cheap smart speakers and displays make it an affordable solution, and it's fairly simple to set up and use. There are some significant issues with using Alexa, however.

This was another busy week in tech, with major updates to Home Assistant, Visual Studio Code, LibreOffice, and Google Home. There was also big news for Raspberry Pi boards, the rumored folding iPhone, and much more—here are the biggest stories you might have missed.

I've enjoyed Android Auto for years, but lately it feels like things are only getting worse. The user interface keeps changing, and not for the better, and notifications completely cover essential navigation directions. There are many ways Google could improve Android Auto, but one in particular would be my first choice.

It’s true—Hulu is home to a righteously gritty historical drama that’s so irresistibly good, it’s poised to become the next obsession and is the perfect replacement for Peaky Blinders fans, even though you have likely not heard about it. A Thousand Blows premiered in early 2025 with only 6 episodes and featured a mostly unknown cast. It was also overshadowed by shows like Dexter: Original Sin and Adolescence. Now, it boasts a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score and two Emmy and Golden Globe winners.

This was another busy week in Linux world, with a new major release of LibreOffice, Raspberry Pi raising prices and redesigning one model, JetBrains IDEs switching to Wayland, and much more. Here are the biggest stories you might have missed.