Explainers Articles - How-To Geek

How iOS 13’s Dark Mode Works on Your iPhone and iPad

With iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, Apple is finally bringing a system-wide dark mode to the iPhone and iPad. This feature will work automatically with websites and supported apps as well. Here’s everything you need to know....

Khamosh Pathak 2d ago

What Is microSD Express, and Why Does It Matter?

SD cards—everybody’s got a few, but nobody thinks much about them. That’s a testament to how well they work. But performance always matters, and microSD Express promises to make microSD cards much faster....

What Does “Yeet” Mean, and How Do You Use It?

Yeet is one of the internet’s newest and least understood words. It’s used everywhere, seemingly without any form of context. But words have to mean something, and yeet does have a few precise meanings....

The Tech Industry Wants to Kill the Password. Or Does It?

Some people can’t stop talking about the death of the password. Passwords are old, insecure, and easily leaked. Soon, we’ll all be using biometrics, hardware security keys, and other futuristic solutions—rig...

How Do Holograms Work on Stage?

Whether holograms of Tupac and Michael Jackson give you the heebie-jeebies or a dose of nostalgia, you’ve got to admit the technology is impressive. But how does it work? And are these really holograms or just projectio...

Why Free OTA TV Beats Cable on Picture Quality

It sounds ridiculous, but free broadcast TV offers noticeably higher visual quality than expensive cable. But they both operate at a 1080p resolution, so what gives? Why does a simple antenna get you a better picture than pri...

What’s the Worst Thing Someone Can Do With Your Unlocked iPhone?

We use our phones for event tickets, reservations, insurance cards, and even driver’s licenses. But what happens when someone takes your unlocked iPhone out of view for a moment—what’s the risk? What’s...

Chris Hoffman Aug 5th

What Does “TLDR” Mean, and How Do You Use It?

Unlike most internet acronyms, TLDR (or TL;DR) has found its way into news articles, professional emails, and even Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary. But what does TLDR mean, how do you use it, and where did it come from?...

Andrew Heinzman Aug 2nd

USB-RF vs. Bluetooth for Mice and Keyboards: Which Is Better?

When you buy a wireless mouse or keyboard, you can choose either Bluetooth or wireless peripherals that communicate through a USB dongle over radio frequencies (RF.) USB-RF has less latency, in our experience, but Bluetooth h...

Josh Hendrickson Jul 24th

What’s the Difference Between NTSC and PAL?

Whether you’re a movie nerd, a gamer, or an amateur filmmaker, you’ve probably heard of NTSC and PAL. But what’s the difference? And how are these formats still relevant today?

Andrew Heinzman Jul 23rd

Not All 5G Is Equal: Millimeter Wave, Low-Band, and Mid-Band Explained

You’ve probably heard that 5G uses the millimeter wave spectrum to reach its 10 Gbps speeds. But it also uses the low- and mid-band spectrums, just like 4G. Without all three spectrums, 5G wouldn’t be reliable....

Your Next SSD Might Be Slower (Thanks to QLC Flash)

Newer isn’t always better. Recently, SSD manufacturers have begun to trade off speed and reliability in the interest of cramming more storage space into their drives. Protocols like NVMe and PCIe are getting faster, but...

Can Pacemakers (and Other Medical Devices) Really Be Hacked?

From pacemakers to smartwatches, we’re increasingly becoming a cybernetic species. That’s why recent headlines about vulnerabilities in implanted medical devices might set off alarm bells. Can your grandfather’s...

What Is Slack, and Why Do People Love It?

Slack is a workplace chat app that’s so popular, the company that owns it was valued at more than $20 billion. You’ve probably seen it mentioned in the news. If you haven’t used it yet, here’s what you...

Rob Woodgate Jul 17th

Xeon vs. Core: Are Intel’s Expensive CPUs Worth a Premium?

Apple made a big splash in June 2019 when it introduced an overhauled Mac Pro desktop computer dripping with processing and graphics power. The primary components behind the new Mac beast are Intel Xeon processors. They range...

Are You Watching 4K Content? Here’s How to Tell

A common complaint about 4K TVs is that they don’t look any better than HD TVs. But the problem is rarely the TV’s fault. Often, the content that you’re watching simply isn’t in 4K....

Andrew Heinzman Jul 15th

How Alexa Listens for Wake Words

Alexa is always listening but not continually recording. It doesn’t send anything to cloud servers until it hears you say the wake word (Alexa, Echo, or Computer). But listening for wake words is harder than you might t...

How Criminals Order Phones in Your Name (and How to Stop Them)

A new type of phone theft is on the rise. Instead of stealing phones directly from you, thieves impersonate you to get brand new smartphones from your cellular carrier and stick you with the bill. Here’s what’s g...

Why Am I Getting Spam From My Own Email Address?

Have you ever opened an email only to find it’s spam or blackmail that seemed to come from your own email address? You’re not alone. Faking email addresses is called spoofing and, unfortunately, there’s litt...

Josh Hendrickson Jul 11th

How Does Facial Recognition Work?

Most people are comfortable with facial recognition for its use in Instagram filters and Face ID. But this relatively new technology can feel a little creepy. Your face is like a fingerprint, and the technology behind facial ...

Why Does Windows Still Use Letters for Drives?

Windows typically assigns your system drive the letter C: and gives different letters to other storage devices. That’s unusual—macOS and Linux don’t use letters. Windows can access drives without letters, so...

How Do Internet Speed Tests Work? (and How Accurate Are They?)

Speed tests are a quick way to see just how fast your internet is. ISPs promise “up to” a certain speed in optimal conditions, but a speed test will confirm how fast—or slow—your connection is....

What Is “Upscaling” on a TV, and How Does It Work?

As 4K replaces HD in our homes, manufacturers are unveiling some interesting marketing jargon, like “Ultra HD upscaling” (UHD). But upscaling isn’t some unique feature—it just allows 4K TVs to work wit...

Andrew Heinzman Jul 5th

Why You Should Buy AMD’s 2019 CPUs for Your Next PC

AMD is often the top choice when you’re looking for value in a processor, but soon, it may take the crown of top performance from Intel—at least in the short term. Consider AMD when building your next PC....

How Do Bone Conduction Headphones Work?

If you haven’t heard of bone conduction headphones, then prepare yourself for something weird. They’re ultraquiet, they don’t sit on (or in) your ears, and they vibrate your skull. But how can you hear sound...