How-To Geek

AI tools can be useful, but the costs add up quickly once you start looking beyond the free versions. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other platforms all have their strengths, but paying for multiple subscriptions just to get the best parts of each one isn't something most people are going to do casually.

One of the oldest hardware features in smartphones is vibration motors. While the technology has improved, the functionality hasn't really changed much over the years. However, I recently discovered a feature on my Google Pixel phone that makes vibration a lot smarter.

Cleaning up data by hand in Excel is a recipe for mistakes, and even well-built formulas can become difficult to maintain as spreadsheets grow. Power Query is often dismissed as a tool for data experts working with massive datasets—but it's actually one of the most practical tools for everyday Excel tasks. It offers a safer way to automate spreadsheet chores without the complexity most people expect.

3D printing has democratized fabrication at home, but there are a lot of items that many of us assume cannot be 3D printed. For a while, I put threads in this category.

Ubuntu has done a lot for the Linux desktop, including making installation less frightening, pushing Linux into normal laptop conversations, and giving many people their first working desktop. The problem is that Ubuntu's GNOME no longer feels like GNOME with a distro underneath it. It is a negotiated settlement between GNOME's design, Canonical's old Unity instincts, Snap integration and an entire set of defaults designed to make the transition from other desktops less awkward.

When reliability tops the wish list, most luxury buyers head straight for Lexus. It makes sense, considering the brand has built its reputation on Toyota engineering wrapped in a premium package, but it's far from the only Japanese luxury automaker making dependable SUVs.

There are many reasons why you might want to get or send emails from an email address that's not your main one. Setting up entirely new Gmail accounts for one-time use purposes can get annoying quickly, though.

As a Gen-Xer, I believe that the 1990s featured excellent sitcoms thriving on both cable and network TV. While many gained widespread popularity and stole the spotlight, there are countless worthy sitcoms that have since fallen into complete obscurity and deserve some attention.

PivotTables can summarize thousands of rows in Excel in seconds, yet many people still waste time filtering raw data, building duplicate reports, and writing formulas that already exist inside the tool. These five overlooked tricks eliminate that extra work and have become part of my everyday workflow.

You may already know that Android Auto lives on your phone, but it’s not officially possible to literally use Android Auto on your phone’s screen. I’ve always thought that was a shame since so many people drive around with their phone in a mount and Google Maps open. Why shouldn’t the phone interface adapt to the car? Turns out it can.

It's no mystery that there's a bountiful harvest of excellent open-source apps for Android. All five of the utilities in this article should be on your phone if they're not already. They are all open source, have no ads or trackers, and they all just work.

Modern free and open-source (FOSS) apps are incredibly capable—in fact, I’d argue some are even more powerful than their paid counterparts. The problem is that, because they’re free, most FOSS projects don’t have the budget for major marketing campaigns. That means word of mouth is often the best—and sometimes the only—way to discover them. This week, I’ve rounded up three trending FOSS apps that are picking up serious momentum and are good enough to become your new defaults.

And with that, The Bear has come to an end. Hulu's Emmy-winning drama released all eight episodes of season 5 on June 25. That was the final season, so don't expect new episodes this time next June. The Bear will always hold a special place in my heart as the rare instance where I preferred binge-watching over a weekly release.

The Material 3 Expressive design language is the reason your Pixel phone's UI looks so good, but many Android apps haven't implemented it yet (and many never will), resulting in a ton of apps that look kind of out of place on Pixels.

As often as not, the PC or laptop that is headed for the recycling center can easily be repurposed to do something in your homelab, especially if you're careful about the job you give it.

Is your UniFi networking setup not as clean as it could be? Whether you have an access point just sitting on your desk or you want to make your Dream Router look more like a decoration than a piece of networking equipment, here are 5 ways to use 3D printing to make your UniFi setup cleaner.

There was a time when serious storage meant buying serious hardware. More expensive drives, more expensive servers, and more expensive storage arrays all promised the same thing: reliability.

July is shaping up to be a busy but amazing month for Netflix users. With summer titles dominating the platform right now, there's plenty of new content to watch. Alongside a fresh batch of Netflix Originals, the streamer is adding several acclaimed movies and fan-favorite TV shows to its library.

By 2026, luxury hybrid SUVs have gone from a niche experiment to the default choice in the premium market. What used to feel like a compromise is now the main event, with efficiency tech improving fast and luxury brands pushing hybrids across their core lineups.

Few things can ruin a Stranger Things binge quicker than buffering. It happens from time to time on a Fire TV Stick. It's often a temporary glitch, but if it keeps happening, you'll want to try out these steps to fix it.