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Hacks & Workarounds

1192 articles

All articles tagged Hacks & Workarounds.

6 Ryobi Tools Under $130 That Belong in Every Garage

Ryobi's ONE+ battery platform powers over 350 tools, making it the largest DIY ecosystem in the industry. Here are six budget-friendly additions under $130 that deliver solid value for homeowners and weekend warriors.

Huma Shazia·7 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

5 Smart Home Devices You Can Buy Cheap Without Regrets

Not every smart home gadget deserves a premium price tag. From Home Assistant servers to temperature sensors, here are five categories where budget options work just as well as expensive alternatives.

Huma Shazia·7 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

5 Windows 11 Tweaks That Actually Improve Performance

A fresh Windows 11 install comes loaded with bloatware, ads, and data collection enabled by default. These five steps take about 30 minutes and make a noticeable difference in how the OS feels and performs.

Manaal Khan·7 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Why Curved TVs Disappeared From Living Rooms

Curved TVs launched in 2013 with promises of IMAX-like immersion at home. A decade later, they've vanished from store shelves. The technology failed because it demanded a single 'sweet spot' viewer position, proved impossible to wall-mount cleanly, and cost 20-30% more than flat panels with no meaningful benefit for most households.

Huma Shazia·7 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

5 Windows 11 Features to Disable for Nearly 1GB Free RAM

A tech writer disabled five default Windows 11 features and recovered almost 1GB of RAM on an 8GB laptop. The culprits: widgets, OneDrive sync, startup apps, and telemetry services that run silently in the background.

Huma Shazia·7 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

3 Ways to Monitor Appliances with ESP32 Instead of Smart Plugs

Smart plugs cap out at 15-20 amps and don't work with hardwired appliances. A $5 ESP32 paired with the right sensor can monitor almost anything in your home, from water heaters to dryers, without the per-device cost adding up.

Manaal Khan·7 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

How to Make Gemini Actually Useful on Android

Google's Gemini has frustrated Android users for years by failing at basic tasks like setting timers. The fix is a hidden extension called Gemini Utilities that transforms the chatbot into a proper system assistant. Here's how to enable it.

Huma Shazia·7 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

5 Samsung DeX Features That Make It a Real PC Alternative

Samsung DeX has matured into a capable desktop replacement for many users, but some of its most useful features remain hidden. From surprisingly usable wireless mode to full Linux compatibility, here are the capabilities that transform a Galaxy phone into a genuine workstation.

Manaal Khan·7 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

Samsung's Customization Service Drains Your Battery. Here's the Fix

A hidden Samsung background service called Customization Service can silently consume 5% to 20% of your daily battery. The fix takes about 30 seconds and requires no technical knowledge.

Huma Shazia·7 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

Claude vs ChatGPT: Which AI Refuses Fewer Legitimate Requests?

A tech journalist tested both AI assistants on the same edge-case prompts. Claude completed tasks that ChatGPT refused, revealing a growing gap in how each model balances safety with usefulness.

Huma Shazia·6 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Navidrome: A Self-Hosted Spotify Alternative That Actually Works

An open-source music server running on hardware as modest as a Raspberry Pi Zero can replace your Spotify subscription. Navidrome uses just 48MB of RAM at idle and connects to dozens of client apps through the Subsonic API.

Manaal Khan·6 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

2 Linux Tools That Fix Storage Problems in Minutes

Running out of disk space on Linux doesn't require hours of manual file hunting. Two tools, Baobab and BleachBit, can identify space hogs and clear system junk in under five minutes. Here's how to use them effectively.

Manaal Khan·6 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

5 Ways to Fix 3D Printing Support Marks and Waste

Support structures remain one of the most frustrating aspects of 3D printing, consuming filament and leaving ugly marks on finished prints. These five techniques can help you minimize or eliminate the problem entirely.

Manaal Khan·6 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

ChatGPT vs Gemini for Excel Dashboards: Which AI Wins?

A How-To Geek editor pitted ChatGPT Free against Gemini Flash in a direct Excel dashboard creation test. Both AI tools struggled with file generation, but Gemini produced a usable blueprint while ChatGPT delivered incomplete results.

Manaal Khan·6 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

3 Prime Video Thrillers to Binge This Weekend: June 5-7

Prime Video's thriller lineup offers three distinct flavors of tension this weekend. From Nicolas Winding Refn's neon-drenched crime fever dream to espionage drama, here's what's worth your time.

Manaal Khan·6 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

3 Hulu Shows to Stream This Weekend: June 5-7 Picks

Hulu's June 5-7 weekend lineup brings Mindy Kaling's Gen Z workplace comedy 'Not Suitable for Work,' the fifth season of 'Welcome to Wrexham,' and the critically acclaimed return of 'Deli Boys.' Here's what to watch and why each show deserves your time.

Huma Shazia·6 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

Python Plotting: How to Build Better Charts Than Excel

Excel charts work for quick visuals, but Python's Matplotlib and Seaborn libraries offer automation, precision, and aesthetics that spreadsheets can't match. Here's how to set up a professional plotting environment and start creating publication-ready visualizations.

Manaal Khan·6 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

4 Galaxy Watch Features That Deserve More Attention

Samsung's Galaxy Watch packs several underused features that can transform daily interactions. From gesture controls that let you reply to texts without touching the screen to smart notification routing between phone and watch, these settings are buried in menus most users never explore.

Manaal Khan·6 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

Claude vs Gemini: Context Window Size Isn't What Matters

A 150-page document test reveals that Claude outperforms Gemini not because of raw context window capacity, but because of source fidelity and reasoning precision. Both models now exceed 1 million tokens, yet real-world performance depends on how accurately they reason across complex documents.

Huma Shazia·6 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Sigma File Manager Shows What Windows Explorer Should Be

Windows File Explorer hasn't fundamentally changed since the Windows 7 era. Sigma File Manager, a free open-source alternative, demonstrates what modern file management could look like with better navigation, tagging, and project-focused workflows.

Manaal Khan·6 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

This $199 Adapter Brings CarPlay Back to GM EVs

General Motors removed Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from its electric vehicles, but a third-party adapter called EV Play LT restores both features. The device works on 2024-2026 model year Chevy, Cadillac, and GMC EVs, though GM could disable it via software update.

Huma Shazia·6 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

NFC Tags Under Your Nightstand Fix Smart Home Bedtime Woes

Automating a bedtime routine stumps most smart home setups because there's no reliable signal that everyone is ready for lights-out. One user solved this with a pair of NFC tags hidden under each nightstand, requiring both partners to tap before the routine runs.

Huma Shazia·5 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

3 Open-Source Apps That Replace Your Paid Subscriptions

Subscription fatigue is real. ONLYOFFICE, Jellyfin, and KeePass offer free alternatives to Microsoft 365, streaming services, and password managers. Setup takes a weekend, but the savings are permanent.

Manaal Khan·5 Jun 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

7 NERF Blaster 3D Printing Projects You Can Build This Weekend

The 3D printing community has turned foam dart blasters into a legitimate engineering hobby. These seven projects range from beginner-friendly sidearms to a 300 FPS powerhouse that outperforms anything Hasbro sells.

Huma Shazia·5 Jun 2026