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: 35 min 46 sec ago

Raspberry Pi projects to try this weekend (April 24 - 26)

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 17:00

It’s that time of the week again—time for more Raspberry Pi projects! Today, This week I'll be showing you how to know if your backyard is safe from drones or not, how to track how much milk you have left, and even a way to tell the temperature of your swimming pool without ever walking outside.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Upgrade Advisor is vibe-coded chaos—but it might save your Home Assistant setup anyway

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 16:45

Home Assistant releases regular updates each month. These updates add useful new features and integrations, but they can also include breaking changes that can stop some things from working. When I learned there was a new vibe-coded integration that can check what will break before you upgrade, I wanted to try it out.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why your homelab needs a domain

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 16:39

Are you still typing in IP addresses and port numbers to access your self-hosted services? It's time to stop. You need a domain name for your homelab, as it simply makes it far easier to access your self-hosted services like Scrypted, Calibre, or any other piece of software you use inside your home network.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop installing these 4 apps—Windows does it all now

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 16:30

I'm one of the first people to bring up how bloated Windows has become, stuffed with features and software that no one needs or wants. However, I also have to give credit where it's due.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Don't upgrade your 3D printer's nozzle until you've tried these 5 things first

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 16:15

When you work with 3D printers, it's easy to assume that every surface flaw or failed print means your hardware isn't good enough. When layers don't stick or extrusion becomes inconsistent, premium upgrades like hardened steel nozzles look really appealing.

Categories: IT General, Technology

EndeavourOS made Arch easy to install—CachyOS made it easy to use

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 15:46

Arch Linux is famously difficult to install and use, especially if you're new to Linux in general. EndeavourOS went a long way towards making the installation process easier, but it doesn't solve many of the basic problems that Arch creates for beginners. CachyOS takes things one critical step further.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This tool lets you make magical code changes—without AI

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 15:30

In the land of programming, text is king, so tools like grep, sed, and awk are fantastic companions to your compiler or interpreter. Every programmer’s toolbox can also benefit from a text-based version control system, like Git.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Your TV’s built-in speakers sound awful—even a cheap Bluetooth speaker is better

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 15:18

Modern TVs are a marvel of technological engineering and have never looked better. So why do they still sound so bad? It’s simple, really—to deliver the sleek and super-thin televisions that consumers demand, there just isn’t enough room left behind the pixels for a decent audio system, and that often means flat, tinny, and underpowered sound.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Hybrid drives tried to bridge HDD and SSD, but neither side was good enough

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 15:00

Did you know that, at one point in time, we had a hybrid drive that included both a flash memory section and spinning platters? Dubbed the SSHD, it sounded like the best of both worlds. But, it never really caught on because it might have been a Jack of all trades, but it truly was a master of none.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Windows just got 5 features that actually change how you work

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 13:30

Microsoft is constantly updating Windows 11. During the first three months of 2026 we received three quality updates. Some introduced brand-new features to the world's most popular operating system, while others finally rolled out certain 2025 features to all Windows 11 users. Below are five new Windows 11 features that arrived this year that I believe matter the most.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Don’t listen to Bambu Lab’s latest printer filament scare tactic

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 13:00

Following a recent update, a small warning has appeared in Bambu Studio, the slicer software that Bambu Lab forces on you if you want to use all the features of your printer. But, like most nagging tactics from companies that would rather you never venture beyond their ecosystem, there’s nothing to worry about.

Categories: IT General, Technology

My favorite PDF tool keeps letting me down, so I switched to its open-source rival

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 12:30

For a long time, my relationship with PDF tools followed a predictable arc. I would try something bloated, uninstall it within a week, and go back to stitching together command line utilities like a person who clearly had too much patience and not enough time. Then I found Stirling-PDF, and for once, the story seemed to end differently.

Categories: IT General, Technology

12 years ago, Android fans couldn't stop talking about a phone from a company nobody knew

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 12:15

Every time I look back at big moments in Android’s history, 2014 pops up again and again. Wear OS was born, Material Design arrived, HTC’s iconic One M8 hit shelves, and people were clamoring to buy a $300 phone from a company they’d never heard of. This is the story of the OnePlus One.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Kia's Vision Meta Turismo is a peek at future performance EVs

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 00:19

Kia is finally ready to reveal full details of its Vision Meta Turismo concept car after a brief glimpse in December. It's clear the sports car is built to preview the brand's long-term approach to performance EVs, including more to do while you're not moving at all.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This Toyota SUV is quietly beating BMW, Mercedes, and Audi

Thu, 04/23/2026 - 00:00

It might feel like a curveball to compare a Toyota to the likes of BMW or Mercedes-Benz. Usually, these brands exist in different worlds. However, the 2026 Toyota Crown Signia is not a typical SUV. It replaces the traditional (and dare we say boring) mainstream feel with a luxurious cabin, a quiet ride, and a standard feature list that rivals the best from legacy European brands.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Tesla is back to year-over-year growth, if you don't look at EV sales

Wed, 04/22/2026 - 23:58

Tesla has reported its earnings for the first quarter of 2026. The automaker is reporting $22.4 billion in total revenue, a 16 percent year-over-year increase, and $0.41 earnings per share (non-GAAP).

Categories: IT General, Technology

9 Netflix shows canceled or ending in 2026, so far

Wed, 04/22/2026 - 22:00

Netflix is cleaning house this year and making some sweeping cuts to its library of content. The streaming giant has confirmed numerous shows that are either canceled altogether or are concluding with their final seasons.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Google Maps has monthly travel recaps—here’s how to get them

Wed, 04/22/2026 - 21:00

Everyone seems to love recaps. Spotify popularized them with Wrapped, and now dozens of apps have their own version. You may not know that Google Maps does, too, and it’s pretty cool to see your travel history every month.

Categories: IT General, Technology

5 highly-rated Netflix Original movies to watch this month

Wed, 04/22/2026 - 20:00

Netflix is home to a large library of exclusive content: from Netflix Original shows and movies to documentaries, this catalog is available to stream only on this platform. You can find many genres, tropes, and styles within this exclusive library, but how good are the titles?

Categories: IT General, Technology

Framework laptop to get royalty-free Oculink port

Wed, 04/22/2026 - 19:40

Thunderbolt and USB4 have an equally capable alternative, Oculink. Although it can ensure external peripherals work as if they were installed on the motherboard, adoption has remained a challenge. After announcing the first ever modular laptop with a touchscreen, Framework has confirmed it will support Oculink. This will allow laptop users to connect eGPUs, NVMe drives, and other high-speed peripherals at speeds exceeding 120Gbps.

Categories: IT General, Technology

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