How-To Geek

This was another busy week in tech, with Google announcing a big change to Maps navigation, impressive updates for the Dolphin emulator and Ghostty terminal, Amazon's ad-free Prime Video plan going up in price, and much more. Here are the biggest stories you might have missed.

Thanks to big leaps in lithium-ion battery technology, the days of the tangled extension cord are finally winding down. There's a new class of powerful, portable cordless tools designed to solve common household problems. You no longer have to deal with bulky equipment or hunt for an outlet to deal with a sudden mess or emergency. Here are some of the best tools for the job.

Microsoft has a pretty long history of bringing out ambitious products and then, sometimes really quickly, just stopping them. Its graveyard of discontinued projects is full of promising, and sometimes much-loved, software and hardware that, for various reasons, just didn't fit into the company's long-term plans. This whole process is a big part of how Windows has changed over time, often leaving you scrambling for other options. From simple, nostalgic apps that were too pure for today's Windows and were killed, to clever hardware platforms that maybe launched a bit too soon, a new bunch of services and features have officially been retired. We're going to look at several recently discontinued Microsoft products and features that you may not know are dead.

I want to love OpenClaw… I really do. But I just can’t bring myself to accept the security vulnerabilities and complicated setup that comes with it. Perplexity Personal Computer? Now that’s something I can get behind, as it might finally deliver my dream of a proper AI personal assistant.

There aren't a lot of things that are as annoying as it is to spin up a new SSD, only to find it's not even close to the performance that was advertised.

Back in 2015, Microsoft announced Windows Continuum, a feature that could transform Windows 10 Mobile phones into full-blown desktops, complete with a desktop-like interface, full-screen apps, and support for keyboards and mice. The catch was that Continuum was impressive on paper, but not in practice.

Excel is easy to use, right? You put some data in, write a few formulas, sort the columns, and you're done. While that might work for simpler tasks, it's a recipe for disaster if your workbook grows. In this scenario, your data should sit in the background while you do the work elsewhere.

I have a large number of Home Assistant automations, from the simple to the incredibly complicated. While complex automations are often necessary, the best automation I have is the simplest one of them all.

Streaming has become the default option and is arguably trying to take the role of traditional cable. However, that doesn't mean that streaming is the only option, or even a good one. Subscriptions and entertainment costs are constantly rising, but the TV antenna has only gotten better and cheaper in some cases.

Everyone loves to blame PowerPoint for their boring meetings, but the problem isn't the software—it's your workflow. While you were making beige bullet points, Microsoft quietly spent the past decade turning PowerPoint into a professional-grade motion graphics engine. If your presentations feel like a relic of the past, the program isn't what needs an update.

I can’t seem to avoid 3D printed slop like articulated dragons and octopi with dangling legs. It wouldn’t be so bad if these models didn’t remind me of some of the worst aspects of 3D printing.

Most days, my terminal is a purely practical space, a place for important commands, logs, and the occasional script. It’s efficient, minimal, and not particularly exciting to look at. But every once in a while, a tool comes along that reminds you that the command line can still surprise you.

iPhone owners have AirPods, but what about Android users? The answer should now be the Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro. They sound terrific, are comfortable to wear, and block noise well. These headphones can do it all, from fitness and commuting to long days in the office.

When I started building my smart home, I was still figuring things out and making mistakes. But one thing I’m glad I got right from the start was the decision to use a mesh network, rather than just relying on Wi-Fi for everything.

Taylor Sheridan's latest Paramount+ show, The Madison, is scheduled to premiere on Saturday, March 14, 2026. Written and created by Sheridan, the star-studded drama series is headlined by Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell.

There are plenty of ways you can repurpose old tech to give it a new life. Sometimes, however, devices are so old as to be virtually useless for modern purposes, and if devices won't even turn on anymore, there's not much you can do with them. You may be able to sell old and broken devices for more than you think.

The weekend is here, finally, and that means downtime and maybe watching something great on TV. HBO Max is no stranger to premium TV, but there's so much to choose from that finding the right show can still feel like a part-time job.

The shift from local-only user accounts in Windows to Microsoft accounts wasn’t great for many reasons, and one of them is that your home folder would always have the same name as your email address. Now, that’s finally changing.

With the excitement and fanfare of the Oscars weekend here, you might find yourself craving a dose of acclaimed films. With Netflix, you can explore a large collection of both award winners and nominees across decades.

Techie people love to say things like, “You know phones are just computers, right?” This has never been truer than it is today. Your broken Samsung Galaxy phone doesn't need to be discarded—it can quite literally be the brains powering a mini PC setup with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.