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Hacks & Workarounds

1183 articles

All articles tagged Hacks & Workarounds.

5 Android Launchers That Defined the Customization Era

Custom launchers were once essential for Android users escaping carrier bloatware and sluggish OEM skins. From ADW on Gingerbread to Nova Launcher's modern dominance, these apps let users rebuild their phones from scratch. Here's a look back at the launchers that made Android what it is.

Huma Shazia·11 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

Why Refresh Rate Beats Resolution for Gaming

Chasing 4K pixels might be the wrong priority for your next monitor upgrade. A tech journalist argues that 120Hz or 240Hz displays deliver smoother gameplay and faster response times than high-resolution screens stuck at 60Hz.

Manaal Khan·11 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

Why Good Lock Keeps Me on Samsung Over Pixel

Google's Pixel phones deliver a clean Android experience, but they lack the deep customization that Samsung's Good Lock app provides. For power users who want control over every aspect of their phone's interface, Samsung remains the clear choice.

Manaal Khan·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

4 Ways to Force Quit Frozen Apps on Windows Without Hard Reboot

A frozen full-screen app can lock you out of your entire Windows PC. These keyboard shortcuts and system tweaks let you kill unresponsive programs without holding down the power button and risking data loss.

Manaal Khan·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Claude Code's VS Code Mode Beats Terminal for Big Projects

Running Claude Code inside VS Code instead of the terminal gives developers visual diffs, file context, and fewer errors on complex codebases. The shift from chatbot to embedded coding assistant changes how AI fits into real development workflows.

Huma Shazia·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Claude Recovered 1,000 Dead Bookmarks in Minutes

A tech journalist with over a decade of accumulated bookmarks used Anthropic's Claude to organize and resurrect dead links from his browser. The AI sorted 1,000+ URLs, categorized them by topic, and traced broken links back to archived versions.

Manaal Khan·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

5 Apps to Uninstall on Every New Samsung Galaxy Phone

Samsung phones ship with useful features, but also carry redundant apps that waste storage and clutter your app drawer. A veteran Android reviewer shares the apps he removes from every Galaxy device, from shopping portals to Microsoft bundles.

Huma Shazia·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

6 Obsidian Settings to Configure in Every New Vault

Obsidian's default setup works, but a few tweaks make it far more usable. Here are six settings and plugins worth configuring the moment you create a new vault, from themes to trash management to essential community plugins.

Huma Shazia·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

Ratty Turns Your Terminal Into a 3D Workspace

A new Rust-based terminal emulator called Ratty uses GPU rendering to embed 3D models directly into your command line. Built on the Bevy game engine, it treats the terminal as spatial environment rather than a text buffer.

Huma Shazia·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

How to Get Alexa+ Conversation Features Free in Home Assistant

Amazon's $20/month Alexa+ subscription adds LLM-powered conversations to your smart home. Home Assistant users can build the same capability for free using Google Gemini, OpenAI, or fully local models. Here's how to set it up and what you gain by skipping the subscription.

Manaal Khan·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

How Windows 11 Virtual Desktops Replace a Second Monitor

A four-finger trackpad swipe in Windows 11 unlocks virtual desktops that mimic multi-monitor setups. For laptop users working from coffee shops or airports, this gesture eliminates the need for portable displays while keeping multiple workspaces organized.

Manaal Khan·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

5 Netflix Movies Worth Rewatching in 2026

Netflix's shift toward quality over quantity has put rewatchable library content front and center. From action thrillers like Extraction to comfort classics like Chef, these five films prove that the best streaming value often comes from movies you've already seen.

Manaal Khan·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

10 Google Keep Features You Probably Haven't Found Yet

Google Keep has been around for over a decade, downloaded more than 500 million times on Android alone. But even longtime users miss features buried beneath its simple sticky-note interface. Here are 10 that can change how you use the app.

Huma Shazia·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Anthropic Releases Fable 5: You Have 10 Days to Try It

Anthropic has quietly released Fable 5, a Mythos-level Claude model that outperforms existing AI benchmarks. The catch: paid subscribers only have until June 22 to access it before it moves to a restricted credit system.

Manaal Khan·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

3 Claude Privacy Settings You Should Change Right Now

Claude's default settings enable location tracking and model training with your data. A quick trip to Settings can lock down your conversations and stop Anthropic from using them to improve future AI models.

Huma Shazia·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

3 Paid iPhone Apps Apple Quietly Made Obsolete

Apple has quietly built free replacements for common paid subscriptions directly into iOS. Password managers, document scanners, and cloud photo storage now have native alternatives that most users don't know about.

Huma Shazia·10 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

3 Open-Source Operating Systems Beyond Linux Worth Trying

Linux dominates open-source computing, but it's not the only option. A tech journalist shares three alternatives: /e/OS for degoogled mobile, FreeBSD for Unix purists, and a third option for those wanting freedom without the Linux ecosystem.

Huma Shazia·9 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

11 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Films Coming in 2026 Worth Watching

From Steven Spielberg's original alien-contact thriller Disclosure Day to Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday, the second half of 2026 is packed with genre films. Here's a rundown of the movies that should be on your calendar.

Huma Shazia·9 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

How to Find Real Music on YouTube Amid AI Slop

AI-generated music and thumbnails now flood YouTube's study and chill-out playlists, making it harder to find human-made content. A practical guide to spotting synthetic tracks and supporting actual artists.

Huma Shazia·9 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

4 Things That Control Your USB-C Speed (and How to Check)

That USB-C port on your laptop could run anywhere from 480Mbps to 120Gbps. The connector shape tells you nothing about actual speed. Here's what actually determines your USB-C performance and how to verify it on Windows and macOS.

Huma Shazia·9 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

6 Claude Skills That Actually Matter After Testing 100

A How-To Geek journalist tested over 100 of the most popular Claude skills and narrowed them down to six essentials. The findings reveal that most skills target coders, leaving knowledge workers to wade through a catalog of 1.5 million entries. Here's what's worth your time.

Manaal Khan·9 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

Why I Stopped Using Alexa for My Smart Home

After years of using Amazon Echo devices, one tech journalist switched to local control. The reasons highlight fundamental problems with cloud-dependent smart home systems that affect reliability, privacy, and user control.

Manaal Khan·9 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

SpaceSniffer: The 9MB Portable Tool That Finds Hidden Storage Hogs

SpaceSniffer is a free, portable Windows utility that visualizes disk usage through an interactive treemap. At just 9MB, it runs directly from a USB drive and shows exactly which files and folders are eating your storage space.

Huma Shazia·9 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Apple Intelligence Requires 12GB RAM: Full Mac Compatibility List

Apple's WWDC 2026 revealed that advanced AI features in macOS 27 Golden Gate will require Macs with M3 chips and 12GB of unified memory. While older Apple Silicon Macs will run the OS, the full Siri AI experience is reserved for newer hardware.

Huma Shazia·9 Jun 2026