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Hacks & Workarounds

1185 articles

All articles tagged Hacks & Workarounds.

8 Android Features That Started as Standalone Apps

Many Android features we take for granted today began life as third-party apps. Google's pattern of absorbing popular utilities into the OS itself has improved security but raised questions about developer livelihoods and user choice.

Huma Shazia·28 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

How to Sideload Books on Your Kindle After Amazon Cuts Store Access

Amazon disabled the Kindle Store on devices made in 2012 or earlier, but your old e-reader isn't dead. USB sideloading with free tools like Calibre keeps these devices useful for years to come.

Huma Shazia·28 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

2026 Volkswagen Tiguan vs Toyota RAV4: Which SUV Wins?

The 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan starts at $30,805, undercutting the redesigned Toyota RAV4 by roughly $1,100 while offering a more premium interior. With Toyota's RAV4 now hybrid-only and priced higher, the Tiguan positions itself as the value play for buyers who prioritize refinement over fuel economy.

Huma Shazia·28 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

Samsung's Camera Assistant App Kills Shutter Lag for Free

Samsung phones capture photos when you lift your finger off the shutter, not when you press it. This causes 50-100 milliseconds of lag that ruins action shots. A free Samsung app called Camera Assistant fixes this with one toggle.

Manaal Khan·28 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

5 Netflix Miniseries You Can Finish on a Single Flight

Long flights don't have to mean boredom. Netflix offers several high-quality miniseries that fit perfectly into a cross-country or international journey, from wrestling documentaries to psychological thrillers shot entirely in black and white.

Manaal Khan·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

COSMIC Desktop Fixes Linux's Fractional Scaling Problem

System76's new COSMIC desktop environment handles display scaling and window tiling natively, solving problems that have plagued GNOME and KDE for years. Built entirely in Rust, COSMIC offers granular scaling control and built-in tiling without extensions.

Manaal Khan·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

Galaxy Watch's Best Notification Settings Are Buried Too Deep

Samsung hides critical notification features behind three menus in the Galaxy Wearable app. Most users never find them, leading many to think their watch is broken. Four toggles fix everything.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

How NextDNS Blocks Trackers on Every Device You Own

NextDNS operates at the DNS level to block trackers, telemetry, and ads across your entire network. This means smart TVs, phones, laptops, and IoT devices all get privacy protection without configuring each one individually.

Manaal Khan·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Why Zed Might Make You Quit VS Code for Good

A developer shares his experience switching from VS Code to Zed, a Rust-based code editor that uses native GPU rendering instead of Electron. The performance difference is stark enough that going back to VS Code now feels like fighting the tool.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

5 Makita Tools Most DIYers Don't Know Exist

Makita's catalog runs over 350 power tools, but most owners stick to drills and impact drivers. These five lesser-known tools can cut hours off drywall, metalwork, and fastening jobs.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

How to Find Which Apps Are Draining Your Samsung's Battery

Background battery drain on Samsung phones often comes from apps you'd least expect. Chrome, WhatsApp, and Instagram can consume significant power even with minimal screen time. Here's how to identify the culprits and fix the problem.

Manaal Khan·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

3 Linux Tools to Stress Test Your VPS Before You Pay

Shared VPS resources often underperform their advertised specs. A quick stress test with stress-ng, htop, and iostat before committing to a plan can reveal whether your provider actually delivers what they promise.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

10 Windows 11 Tweaks Every Fresh Install Needs

A fresh Windows 11 installation comes loaded with bloatware, aggressive OneDrive prompts, and default settings that prioritize Microsoft services over user productivity. Here's a practical checklist for cleaning up your install, from removing Copilot to enabling System Restore points that Microsoft quietly disabled.

Manaal Khan·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

4 Browser Console Tricks No Extension Can Match

The developer console in your browser is more than a wall of error messages. It's a live JavaScript environment with direct page access that no extension can replicate. Here are four practical techniques that give power users capabilities no add-on can provide.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

5 Excel Mistakes That Break Your Spreadsheets

Excel looks forgiving until your data stops working. From merged cells to manual formatting, five common beginner habits silently corrupt your spreadsheets. Here's how to fix them before they cost you hours of cleanup.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·4 min

4 HBO Max Hidden Gems to Stream This Week

While HBO Max's prestige shows dominate headlines, the platform's catalog hides genuinely creative series worth your time. Here are four underrated picks, from Rick and Morty's post-controversy comeback to a Supernatural prequel that deserved more seasons.

Manaal Khan·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·6 min

10 Most Satisfying Car Brands to Own in 2026

Consumer Reports' 2026 owner satisfaction study reveals Rivian leads with 85% of owners willing to buy again. The rankings show a shift toward tech-heavy brands over traditional reliability metrics, with Tesla, Genesis, and legacy names like BMW competing for loyal customers.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Strava Logs Your Home Address by Default. Here's the Fix.

Strava's social-first design exposes users' home locations unless they manually adjust buried privacy settings. One writer switched to OpenTracks, a free open-source alternative that keeps all data local.

Manaal Khan·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Why One Writer Cancelled ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini for Claude

A tech journalist shares why he consolidated four AI subscriptions into one. His reasoning comes down to context retention, coding accuracy, and honest self-assessment of what he actually uses AI for.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

4 Features the NVIDIA App Needs After Control Panel's Death

NVIDIA has officially retired its 20-year-old Control Panel, forcing all users to the unified NVIDIA App. While the new interface looks better, power users and newcomers alike are finding gaps that need filling.

Huma Shazia·27 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Claude Artifacts Replace My Multi-Tool Workflow

A developer explains how Claude's artifact system eliminated the need to juggle multiple apps for code iteration. The feature renders live previews inside the chat window, cutting context-switching time by 40% according to recent usage data.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·8 min

CB vs GMRS vs Ham Radio: Which License Do You Actually Need?

When cellular networks fail and Wi-Fi dies, private radio services become your lifeline. The three main options in the US offer vastly different tradeoffs between ease of entry, capability, and cost. Here's how to pick the right one for your situation.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Ferrari Unveils Luce EV: Jony Ive's Polarizing First Electric

Ferrari has revealed the Luce, its first electric vehicle, featuring design by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. The four-door supercar blends a minimalist glass house exterior with a 1,036-horsepower quad-motor powertrain, sparking fierce debate among enthusiasts over its departure from traditional Ferrari aggression.

Huma Shazia·26 May 2026

Hacks & Workarounds·5 min

Googlebook Repeats the Same Forced AI Mistakes as Windows 11

Google's new Googlebook laptop platform pushes AI features into every interaction, from context-aware cursors to auto-generated widgets. The approach mirrors Microsoft's controversial Copilot and Recall rollouts, prompting backlash from users who want stable computing over experimental chat-bot interfaces.

Manaal Khan·26 May 2026