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: 1 hour 1 min ago

Please stop trusting RAID 5 for your home NAS

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 16:16

As useful as a NAS can be, it's also hardware that's really expensive to set up—a good NAS with several terabytes of storage might cost more than your PC did. So you definitely don't want any of those drives failing and sacrificing your data.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This viral flashlight is now a staple in my pocket

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 16:00

I never leave the house without a few essential items. I'm talking about my smartphone, wallet, keys, along with my daily carry pocket knife and a flashlight. I've tested dozens of flashlights over the years, and after seeing this particular model go viral on social media, I decided to pick one up. Now, I'm confident in saying it's the best $20 I've spent in a long time.

Categories: IT General, Technology

7 reasons to get a travel router

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 16:00

Whether you're a frequent traveler or an occasional vacationer, Wi-Fi is usually an annoyance. It's always a pain to log your devices into a hotel's network, and in some cases, it can actually be a security risk. Thankfully, these travel woes can be solved with a simple, affordable travel router.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This is the tiniest Linux distro I've ever seen

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 15:30

Linux has a reputation for reviving old hardware, but it's surprising just how old that hardware can be. There's a modern Linux distribution that packs the entire kernel, a file system, and a graphical environment into just 20MB. It's called Tiny Core Linux, and it can even run on hardware from the 90s. Here's everything this tiny operating system can do.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This is the tiniest Linux distro I've ever seen

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 15:30

Linux has a reputation for reviving old hardware, but it's surprising just how old that hardware can be. There's a modern Linux distribution that packs the entire kernel, a file system, and a graphical environment into just 20MB. It's called Tiny Core Linux, and it can even run on hardware from the 90s. Here's everything this tiny operating system can do.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Dell's new 52-inch ultrawide monitor is just enormous

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 15:00

Dell just revealed the UltraSharp 52 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor, which the company says is the world's first 52-inch ultrawide curved 6K monitor with IPS Black technology. You will be paying a high price for all those pixels, though.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Dell's new 52-inch ultrawide monitor is just enormous

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 15:00

Dell just revealed the UltraSharp 52 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor, which the company says is the world's first 52-inch ultrawide curved 6K monitor with IPS Black technology. You will be paying a high price for all those pixels, though.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I wasted years listening to music on a smart speaker

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 15:00

I've spent a lot of time listening to music from a single smart speaker in my home office. While the sound quality is okay, there's only so much a single speaker can do. I recently acquired a ten-year-old hi-fi system, and the difference is night and day.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to enable and customize Linux Mint Cinnamon’s built-in gestures

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 14:30

Linux Mint is known for being intuitive and beginner-friendly, but did you know it packs one of the most powerful gesture systems in the Linux ecosystem? Here's a closer look at Cinnamon’s built-in gestures and how they outshine other desktop environments.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How a defunct smartphone brand made the best Android phone of all time

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 14:01

Some iconic phones, like the iPhone 4, light the world on fire and have sales numbers to match. Others may not have sold as many units, but they’re no less beloved. Ask an Android user what the best looking phone of that era was, and most will tell you the same thing—the HTC One M7.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why I use Qubes: 3 security reasons a normal Linux distro can’t match

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 13:30

I don't know about you, but after some time using a normal Linux or Windows installation, I become pretty paranoid about what I have picked up along the way. I was often reinstalling my system just for peace of mind. Things like files, flaws in software, and even badly written web applications can expose you to enormous problems. Qubes is a game changer and persistently feels like a fresh system—here are three reasons why it puts my mind at ease.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I replaced Trello, Toggl, and TickTick with this one free, open-source app

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 12:30

Are you juggling multiple productivity apps just to stay on top of your work? Looking for a single app that can handle all your productivity needs? Well, here’s a free and open-source app that has replaced Trello, Toggl, and TickTick in my daily workflow—and it’s aptly called Super Productivity.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Flic Duo review: a better smart button, but that's no longer enough

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 12:00

Smart homes may introduce apps and voice assistants, but buttons aren't going away as a central way to control lights, fans, and everything else. Flic Duo shows how helpful a smart button can be, and it’s absolutely worth adding a device like this to your smart home. The problem is, this probably isn't the one you want.

Categories: IT General, Technology

AMD's best gaming CPU just got a clock boost

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 04:30

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is widely regarded as the best gaming desktop processor available today, with its 3D V-Cache providing an extra performance boost in many games and applications. Now, there's a slightly better version: meet the Ryzen 7 9850X3D.

Categories: IT General, Technology

AMD's best gaming CPU just got a clock boost

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 04:30

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is widely regarded as the best gaming desktop processor available today, with its 3D V-Cache providing an extra performance boost in many games and applications. Now, there's a slightly better version: meet the Ryzen 7 9850X3D.

Categories: IT General, Technology

AMD has two new Ryzen AI Max processors to fight Apple Silicon

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 04:30

The AMD Ryzen AI Max series is already an excellent option for compact and powerful PCs, and now AMD introducing more of them at CES 2026. The company just revealed the Ryzen AI Max+ 392 and AI Max+ 388, coming to a compact PC near you.

Categories: IT General, Technology

AMD has two new Ryzen AI Max processors to fight Apple Silicon

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 04:30

The AMD Ryzen AI Max series is already an excellent option for compact and powerful PCs, and now AMD introducing more of them at CES 2026. The company just revealed the Ryzen AI Max+ 392 and AI Max+ 388, coming to a compact PC near you.

Categories: IT General, Technology

There's a Ryzen PC hiding in this HP keyboard

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 04:30

HP just revealed the EliteBoard G1a Next Gen AI PC at CES 2026, a device that crams a full AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processor directly into a keyboard chassis. HP is calling this the world's first "AI PC built into a keyboard."

Categories: IT General, Technology

There's a Ryzen PC hiding in this HP keyboard

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 04:30

HP just revealed the EliteBoard G1a Next Gen AI PC at CES 2026, a device that crams a full AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processor directly into a keyboard chassis. HP is calling this the world's first "AI PC built into a keyboard."

Categories: IT General, Technology

AMD's next-gen laptop processors have arrived

Tue, 01/06/2026 - 04:30

AMD has just revealed the Ryzen AI 400 series at CES 2026. It's the company's new lineup of premium laptop processors, with a Zen 5 architecture, CPU boost clocks up to 5.2 GHz, and even more TOPS.

Categories: IT General, Technology

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