How-To Geek - 7 Tech Products You Shouldn't Skimp On

September 29, 2022

Did You Know?

Hyperdontia is a medical condition in which the patient has supernumerary teeth—additional teeth that can appear in any area of the dental arch. In mild cases, a patient may simply have an extra tooth or two, and in extreme cases, they may have upwards of one hundred or more additional small teeth found all along the gums and roof of the mouth.

Happy Thursday! Amazon announced a bunch of new products yesterday, including a Kindle Scribe with a stylus, a new Echo Dot, an updated Fire TV Cube with more connectivity, new Eero Wi-Fi routers and access points, and a new Echo Auto.

There’s also news in the world of email — the new Outlook for Windows is now available to anyone in the Windows Insider or Office Insider programs. It’s still not a full replacement for the Outlook we know and love, which is why it’s still in testing, but it’s getting there.

– Corbin

Some tech products just aren’t worth spending big on, like HDMI cables and RGB lighting for your computer case. But there are some products where the added expense can vastly improve your experience or give you additional peace of mind. Read More »

Spotify wants to be your one-stop for all your listening needs. It has music, podcasts, and most recently, audiobooks. The audiobook experience on Spotify is a bit different than you might expect. Let’s take a look. Read More »

Do you have limited space on your couchside table? Maybe you’re stuck sitting in the middle? It can be annoying if you snacks and drinks near you when playing games or watching TV and you don’t have the room to place them. The solution? A Couch Console.

This simple console allows you to have a small bowl for snacks, a standard-sized can or glass, and whatever else you might need (like your remotes), all in one place. The best part, however, is the counterweight that holds your drink, making sure it won’t topple over on an uneven surface—something a lot of TV trays can’t do!

Amazon’s premium $200 Echo Studio is one of the best smart speakers out there, with an emphasis on sound quality. And if you have one, you’ll be glad to know it’s about to get even better, as Amazon has announced new software improvements — as well as a new color. Read More »

If you have the itch to upgrade an older desktop computer or splash some cash to buy a brand new laptop to get better performance, you really should start with this cheap upgrade. Read More »

Google Search results for some questions are often filled with spam articles that don’t contain helpful answers, which is why filtering search results to only include forum posts and comments (especially those from Reddit) has become increasingly popular. Now it’s an actual feature coming to Google Search. Read More »

Windows may be the most popular laptop operating system in the world, but Chrome OS has gained some significant ground, thanks largely to a diverse supply of Chromebooks. Whether you already have an aging Chromebook that you’d like to upgrade, or this is your first time picking one up, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook at just $279 ($150 off) is a good option to consider. Read More »

Text-to-image AI processors from the likes of DALL-E 2 and Stable Diffusion have been all the rage these days. Still, those generate images, not videos. If you wanted to make your own AI-generated videos too, Meta wants to be the first to get there. Read More »

High dynamic range video, or HDR for short, is all the rage at the moment and many of the latest Mac models and displays support it. Unfortunately, getting HDR video to play back correctly on your MacBook or Apple display isn’t quite as straightforward as it could be. Read More »

Both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay have a very tight grip on the automobile market — one that Amazon just recently got its foot in. The company is now doubling down with a redesigned, second-gen Echo Auto. Read More »

Google Chrome 88 introduced the Manifest V3 API for extensions, which not only significantly changes how some extensions work, but also will be mandatory soon. Google has now shared an updated timeline for the switch. Read More »

The sci-fi selections on Hulu range from action to drama to comedy, including recent releases and renowned classics. Here are 10 of the best sci-fi movies to stream on Hulu. Read More »

You’ve seen them—those Twix commercials with competing left and right Twix factories. The famous candy is a cult favorite because it feels like a two-for-one deal with its double bars, but are those two sides actually different? Read More »

In case you hadn’t already heard (unlikely), fall is here, and that means apple picking season has also arrived. But while you’re out gathering the fall fruit, you might notice something in the orchard—reflective fabric on the ground. Read More »

Have you ever wished you could download Wikipedia in its entirety, and have a copy of it for yourself? There are a handful of ways to do just that — all you need is a third-party program and about 150 gigabytes of storage. Read More »

No one likes internet downtime. It can make you feel completely crippled in your ability to work or communicate, control your home, or monitor your security system. But in those situations, how do you tell who’s to blame? Read More »

It’s useful to have a checklist of things to try when your internet is not working. Sometimes you can fix the problem yourself, while other times, it’s caused by a problem with your service provider. Here’s how to pin down and fix the problem. Read More »

Upgrading to a smart thermostat is a great way to save money on your annual energy bill and automate your home. However, choosing the right one for your home isn’t easy. We have the best for your budget and smart home ecosystem. Read More »

Windows 11 is famous for its strict hardware requirements. Those requirements require you to take some extra steps when you’re setting up a Windows 11 virtual machine — here are all the things you need to do to get it running. Read More »

It’s always a bit humiliating when you’re the guy at the self-checkout whose screen freezes up and starts flashing, prompting the attendant to come over and free you like you’re the kid whose bumper car broke. Read More »

Highlighting text is something you probably do a lot and don’t think much about. There are actually a surprising number of ways to do it, and some are much better than others. We’ll show you the fastest methods. Read More »

The 1st-generation Apple Watch SE was the mid-tier option between a cheap Series 3 and the latest and greatest Apple Watch. In 2022, the new 2nd-gen Apple Watch SE is still the budget model, but it does 90% of what the Series 8 can do. And honestly, it’s probably the best wearable for most. Read More »

Even the humble base-model M1 Macbook Air packs more punch than the previous generation of consoles, yet it may still come as a surprise to realize that the M1 and M2 Apple computers can play some intense games. Read More »

Amazon has a huge foot on the Wi-Fi router space thanks to its Eero lineup. And today, Amazon introduced a handful of new entries to the Eero lineup that are perfect for both homes, businesses, and anyone who just needs high-performance Wi-Fi. Read More »

iOS 16 is out now as a free update for supported iPhones. Not yet updated? Here are some of the new iPhone features that you can get started using right after you upgrade. Read More »

Microsoft released the first version of its completely-new Outlook email app for Windows back in May, but it had many limitations. It’s still not ready to replace the Outlook we all know and love, but there are some new features, and more people can try it. Read More »

Selecting text is a common thing to do on a computer. Just click and drag your mouse to highlight the desired text. Couldn’t be simpler, right? There’s actually a much better way of doing this, and you’ll never go back. Read More »

Amazon sells many different Fire TV streaming devices, from stick-shaped players to the large Fire TV Cube, and many smart TVs have the same software. Today, Amazon revealed the third-generation Fire TV Cube as its best streaming player to date. Read More »

DALL-E 2 is arguably responsible for the booming popularity of AI image generators in 2022. However, it’s been one of the more difficult tools to use. OpenAI has been slowly adding people from a waitlist, but that’s finally over. Read More »

The Nintendo Switch is a fantastic handheld console, and even though it’s not as feature-packed as a gaming PC (or even some other consoles), there are a few helpful features you might not know about. Read More »

The Echo Dot is one of the most popular smart speakers ever, thanks to its compact size and low price. Amazon has updated it many times over the years, and new models are on the way. Read More »

Happy last week of September! As fall sets in and the spooky season gears up, now’s a great time to catch some last-minute discounts on these end-of-summer sales. This week, you can save on great products from Western Digital, Anker, SwitchBot, and more. Read More »