How-To Geek

Building a smart home can be an expensive process. You need something that can control your smart home as well as all the devices that you want to control. You don't always need to buy new smart home devices; you may already have some useful Home Assistant accessories gathering dust in your junk drawer.

AI fatigue is a real thing. Companies continue to shoehorn unnecessary and unwanted AI features into everything they can, to the point where just seeing the letters "AI" can be enough to put you off. Using the free Assistant plugin for KOReader to add AI to a jailbroken Kindle seems like a terrible idea, but it turns out that it can be incredibly useful.

The state of SSD pricing as I write this isn't great. In fact, you might describe it as an apocalyptic trash fire, but I'll let you be the judge on whether that's hyperbole or not. Yet, the need for storage isn't going anywhere, and with massive media files and ballooning video game installs, you're going to need more storage eventually.

Widgets have been a core part of the Android experience for nearly two decades, but I must admit I’ve never fully taken advantage of them. At most, I usually have a couple of widgets on my home screen, but that’s it. I decided to finally and truly use Android widgets to their full potential.

After literally decades, I'm frankly sick of reading (and writing!) about the "year of the Linux desktop" where the world's most popular server and embedded OS finally makes a dent in the desktop OS market.

Your 3D printer’s hotend is responsible for melting filament so that it can be extruded and formed into new shapes. This printer component can be damaged if you don’t take enough care, putting your printer out of action and costing you money in new parts or repairs.

I probably couldn't use Excel today without XLOOKUP. For quickly pulling information from one table into another, it's one of my most-used Excel functions. But as my workbooks grew, I found myself adding countless lookup columns and formulas just to make reports work. Power Pivot gave me a better way to connect my data.

YouTube Premium has never piqued my interest. While I use YouTube daily, I'm content with ad-supported videos. Plus, my music streaming service of choice is Spotify. Therefore, YouTube Music is a luxury that I don't need right now.

The type of person who likes to self-host services on their home network is often also the sort of person who likes to optimize and tweak everything. For some, it's hard to accept that the default settings in the software they're using are already as good as they're going to get.

Wi-Fi extenders are marketed as a way to expand your Wi-Fi coverage, so it's no wonder people think of them as a dead-zone fix. They're inexpensive to buy, and once you plug one in, you'll usually see an instant improvement in your signal strength. I totally get the appeal.

The Pixel Watch isn’t exactly known for being super open. You’re mostly stuck with Google’s own apps and services, and certain things only work with Pixel phones. However, there are plenty of great open-source apps available to download. Here are five to get you started.

A couple of years ago, Microsoft introduced a new specification that allowed laptops and desktops to brand themselves as "AI PCs" or "Copilot+ PCs." One of the requirements to meet the specification was having a dedicated physical Copilot key.

Replacing worn-out windshield wipers should be one of the simplest ways to improve visibility, but sometimes brand-new blades can leave your windshield looking worse than before. If you've just installed a fresh set, and you're still seeing streaks, smears, or patches of water left behind, the problem may not be the blades themselves. Several less obvious issues can prevent even a new set of wipers from making proper contact with the glass.

Kia has detailed U.S. pricing for the EV3, and it's now clear the compact electric SUV will be one of the best deals for a new car in the country — even if you aren't looking for an EV. The base 2027 EV3 Light FWD model will start at a price of $28,950, before the $1,459 destination fee, when it arrives later this year.

Audi has moved on from the A4, but that doesn't mean buyers looking for a premium sedan have to follow. There's still plenty of appeal in choosing something that feels upscale without carrying a traditional luxury badge.

Most Android users don't realize their phone can run a full Linux environment, and if they do, they may think a popular app called Termux is the only path to get there. However, if you need something that goes a little further than just a Linux terminal, there's another option that might just do the trick.

Not all of your storage is the same, and you shouldn't treat it as such. There are many advantages to tiering, and organizing said tiering, over just dumping everything on your storage in no particular order.

Back-to-school season sometimes means re-evaluating whether your current family hauler can handle drop-off lines, an avalanche of football gear, and a packed carpool of your kids and all their friends without falling apart.

Back in July 2021, Microsoft announced Windows 365, a service that would let you use Windows on any device you like, including your iPad.

Every month, Netflix always has something new in store for every type of viewer. Whether you're a romantic, horror buff, or suspense lover, the streaming platform has a diverse pool of titles to pick from. And if you love documentaries, the collection of new titles is always solid.