How-To Geek

Microsoft Excel's default column charts are fine for a quick glance, but they often feel generic and don't tell the whole story. By making a few small tweaks and using hidden data series, I turn boring visuals into custom dashboard tools that give me a much more useful view of my data. Here's how you can too.

Google didn't rock the boat for this year's budget Pixel. Instead, the company fully delivered on what the Pixel 9a wanted to be. While this release doesn't quite feel like a fully realized sequel, the Pixel 10a is still a better phone and one that's easy to recommend.

If you've ever felt that Microsoft PowerPoint has weak image-editing tools, that may finally be changing. A new update adds AI-powered editing features that let you erase objects, move subjects, upscale images, and even edit text directly inside a slide.

Physical media are having a bit of a revival as I write this, as old and new generations discover the weaknesses in the streaming model. Shows and movies become available nowhere, and digital platforms offer no way to truly own and control the media you care about.

Recently, I've seen a huge number of people promoting apps on forums. These are apps that they've vibe coded themselves, and that they're trying to monetize. There are so many reasons why you shouldn't pay for these apps.

Not all hybrids are built the same. The word “hybrid” often brings the Toyota Prius to mind, but that famous fuel-sipper represents just one approach to hybrid technology—and it’s far from the only one on the road today.

March is ripe for must-see TV. While 2026 has seen a fair number of new releases so far, they’re nothing compared to the superstar shows that the streaming world is dropping on us viewers this month.

Our time is limited, but there’s a nearly unlimited number of podcasts, audiobooks, and YouTube videos to watch. You wouldn’t be alone if you turned to the seemingly innocent “1.5x” or 2x” speed button as a solution, but at what cost?

Smartphones have gotten ridiculously good over the years. Screen resolutions went from 480p to 4K, performance has more than quadrupled, and cameras are well over 20MP. They’re super thin and sleek now, too, and yet some would have you believe thickness is still a problem. It’s not.

Netflix's new additions on the movie front are warming up like the weather is, with some interesting picks landing in the streamer's recent Top 10 (at time of writing), including Expendables 4, The Addams Family animated movie, K-Pop Demon Hunters (37 weeks and counting!), and a couple on the list below.

Compact SUVs have come a long way in a short time. What started as a niche alternative about a decade ago is now the default choice for families, and just about every automaker—from budget brands to luxury heavyweights—wants a slice of the segment.

Smart buttons are a useful way to trigger scenes and automations in your smart home. With Home Assistant, I've found that sometimes NFC tags can be more useful, as they allow me to know not just when a tag was scanned, but also the device that scanned it.

2025 has seen some of the biggest leaps forward for folding smartphones. With its newly refined look, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the most well-received foldable to date. And yet, while these book-style devices are getting all the attention, it'll be the smaller flip phones that ultimately win out.

Today, the NVIDIA Shield TV is a niche but well-regarded streaming box. However, when it first saw the light of day, that wasn't at all what the company had in mind for it. Yet through some clever pivots, that's what the Shield TV eventually became.

IBM OS/2 was an alternative to Microsoft Windows throughout the 1990s, but Microsoft won out in the end, and the operating system was relegated to niche use cases. Over 24 years since the final OS/2 release, and 19 years since IBM's support ended, the officially-sanctioned continuation ArcaOS is still going.

The big selling point of SSDs over hard drives has always been the fact that they are fast. You might think, then, that speed is the most important thing about an SSD. But these days, there are actually a lot of other things you should prioritize instead.

Google Photos is generally considered one of the best apps from the company, but it’s not without problems. One feature in particular has been under constant fire since it was announced. Thankfully, Google has finally relented, and “Ask Photos” can be turned off.

I use a lot of Zigbee devices in my smart home. For my needs, Zigbee still offers the best combination of low cost and utility. The truth is that Zigbee isn't perfect; it has plenty of frustrating issues.

Reliability rankings often shift from year to year, but a few automakers consistently compete for the top spot. In recent years, Subaru managed to climb to the front in several industry reports, challenging Toyota’s long-standing reputation for building some of the most dependable vehicles on the road. Now, new data suggests that the balance of power has shifted once again.

Getting someone to try Linux is one thing—getting them to stay is another. After helping several friends and family members make the switch, I’ve found that some distros do a better job of keeping people around and encouraging them to explore the OS further. I call these “gateway” Linux distros—and here are my top five picks.