How-To Geek

Google Home is one of the big players in the smart home world, offering cross-platform support for a large number of devices at a reasonable price point. Though there are many reasons that you might turn to Google for your smart home needs, there are a few uncomfortable truths that are worth acknowledging.

Android apps are required to ask for permission to access your photos, track your steps, read notifications, and much more. Some Permissions have a bigger impact on your phone’s performance than others. There are three, in particular, that shouldn’t be granted willy-nilly.

Recently I needed to set up a publicly available form. I didn't want to use Google Docs, and I don't have enough web development skills to build my own and deploy it securely. That's why I ended up using an alternative: CryptPad.

This was another busy week in tech, with Discord making everyone upset, Sony's long-awaited WF-1000XM6 earbuds, YouTube TV launching new cheaper plans, and much more. Here are the biggest stories you might have missed.

Bash, and other shells like zsh, support several test operators that you can use to check conditions: whether something is a file, or if one number is larger than another, for example. These tests are very useful and will likely feature in most shell scripts you write.

Modern cars are packed with technology that promises to make driving safer, easier, and more convenient. Touchscreens manage climate control, cameras guide parking, and sensors warn us of obstacles we can’t see. Yet despite all this innovation, the most-used and most practical tool in my car didn’t come from a dealership or an electronics store. It came from a supermarket aisle and cost me just two dollars: a simple towel.

Thread is the hot new low-power mesh network in the smart home world, with IKEA recently adopting it for a new range of Matter devices. But even though Thread is the future, Zigbee still gets my personal pick for the present. Let me explain.

This weekend I'm going to start using a new distro on the secondary disk drive on my Linux laptop. It's one that had escaped my notice for a long time, but I was pretty sure I'd struck gold when I saw it.

The Google Pixel Buds 2a are a good option if you're looking for budget-friendly earbuds that don't compromise on essential features like sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC). They don't do anything extraordinary or new, but what they do, they do well.

Blank buttons are the bane of the automotive industry. You know the ones that take up space on your center console but don’t actually do anything. They’re little more than a subtle reminder that you didn’t pay extra for a feature, which is just one more reason you might want to get rid of them.

SSD speeds are far from the only thing that matters. In fact, many will say that they're almost irrelevant, and buying an expensive SSD is a waste of money.

According to the 2025 Overland Industry Report, over eight million Americans took an overlanding trip in 2024, with that number expected to increase to double digits in the years ahead. Nearly three million identify specifically as overlanders among those eight million, and among those new to the hobby, 72% are Gen Z or Millennials.

As someone who spends a fair amount of time on streaming apps, my eyes are always peeled for good documentaries, no matter their focus. From true crime, cults and religion, aliens, and lifestyle to biographical, sports, cultural, and historical, Peacock boasts quite a diverse collection. That’s why it’s one of my go-to platforms when I’m in a real-life-scenario kind of mood.

Tax season is back, which means sorting through paperwork, clicking through forms, and hoping it all ends with a decent refund. It’s not exactly fun, but that check from Uncle Sam can take some of the sting out of the process.

If you’ve got a fast-charging USB-C cable that you’re also using for data transfer, you ought to check just how fast it is. The fact is, many “fast” USB-C cables are anything but when it comes to data transfer rates.

It's early 2026, and the internet is teeming with Galaxy S26 rumors. Some sound credible, others less so. But there are enough reliable rumors going around that we can paint a pretty clear picture of what the Galaxy S26 series should bring to the table when it launches later this year.

Calendars are helpful for keeping track of critical dates, tasks, and appointments. While many digital calendar options exist, Excel allows you to create one that suits your style and schedule. With just a few clicks, you can build a custom calendar, either using a template or starting from scratch.

Are you planning on buying more tools this year? If so, we have some good news from DeWALT. Team yellow is one of the most popular tool brands on the market, especially among professionals, thanks to its solid products and steady stream of new tools. In recent weeks, DeWALT has unveiled several new tools for 2026, and here are a few that are actually worth waiting for.

For years, brands like Volvo were almost synonymous with safety, but 2026 marks a notable shift in what today’s safety-focused buyers prioritize. According to Consumer Reports’ new Safety Verdict ranking — a comprehensive assessment that looks beyond crash test scores to include emergency handling, braking performance, driver-assist tech and real-world usability — Mazda now sits at the top of the list as the safest car brand overall.

What to watch, what to watch, this weekend? With so many streaming services, it really is a banquet of choice. If you're partial to real-life stories, Prime Video has a boatload of interesting and unique documentaries and docuseries to stimulate your brain cells.