4 Linux distros that are better at gaming than SteamOS
MakeUseOfby Dipan Saha23 Aug 2026
When SteamOS launched in 2013, it was quite undercooked. It used a Debian base and was much slower to update.
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makeuseof.comadded August 2026
top 49%If I built my Dolby Atmos home theater again, these are the 3 things I’d do differently
MakeUseOfby Brady Snyder22 Aug 2026
I used my TV's built-in speakers for years before taking the leap and building a Dolby Atmos home theater. I started off small, buying affordable bookshelf speakers in JBL's Stage2 lineup.
The VRAM question finally has a real answer — and it's not what GPU marketing suggests
MakeUseOfby Dipan Saha22 Aug 2026
For years, VRAM has always been a major constraint for gaming. VRAM caps have grown astronomically in the past decade alone, jumping to over the baseline of 8GB, mandating some rather expensive...
The free Roku app replaced my remote, headphone adapter, and on-screen keyboard
MakeUseOfby Bryan M. Wolfe22 Aug 2026
The of a week. Not dead batteries, not wedged in the couch cushions where I'd already checked — actually gone, the kind of gone where you look in the same three spots four times each and it still...
I dumped hours of shopping reviews into Gemini Notebook and it cut through the noise
MakeUseOfby Saikat Basu22 Aug 2026
I needed a fitness tracker and smartwatch under $200. I did what I have always done. A dozen browser tabs, a few prompts in AI chatbots, and some YouTube review videos thrown in for good measure.
I bought the wrong NFC tags because I missed one tiny specification
MakeUseOfby Yadullah Abidi22 Aug 2026
NFC stickers sell a dime a dozen. Packs of 10, 20, even 50 can be picked up on Amazon for pocket change.
Google just made the Pixel Buds Pro 2 the obvious earbuds for Pixel owners
MakeUseOfby Brady Snyder22 Aug 2026
By now, you probably know about the Google Pixel 11 series and the new Pixel Watch 5, which were announced at a Made by Google event last week.
4 free RustDesk features that make a TeamViewer subscription the worst deal
MakeUseOfby Tashreef Shareef22 Aug 2026
I've mainly used TeamViewer as my go-to remote desktop tool for family tech support. However, with its aggressive push to upgrade and limitations, I needed an alternative that was less restrictive...
Your Thunderbolt port can be used to steal data from a locked PC — here's the setting that stops it
MakeUseOfby Afam Onyimadu22 Aug 2026
When you turn on your computer and reach the Windows lock screen, it feels like a solid barrier. It isn't. You're prompted to enter a password before access is granted.
I turned Ryobi's budget tools into workshop staples by swapping in their premium batteries
MakeUseOfby Jonathon Jachura22 Aug 2026
Several of my Ryobi tools sat unused for most of last year. None of them broke. They quit early, bogged down under load, or felt weak enough that I reached past them for something corded.
The 24-hour delay on Android sideloading isn't what you think it's for
MakeUseOfby Brandon Miniman22 Aug 2026
Most people get apps on the Google Play store and call it a day. But one of Android's unique features versus iOS is the ability to sideload apps, which lets you install any app you want.
4 free DNS servers that each win at one job Google's and Cloudflare's don't
MakeUseOfby Pankil Shah22 Aug 2026
Google DNS and Cloudflare DNS are popular for good reason. They're faster and more reliable than most ISP-provided DNS servers.
5 services you should set up before you expose your home server to the internet
MakeUseOfby Oliver Haslam22 Aug 2026
Building a home server is fun, and it's a great way to learn something new. From hosting your own cloud storage to streaming media across your devices, a server can benefit your home in many ways.
The best thing about the Pixel 11 is the discount on last year’s model
MakeUseOfby Yadullah Abidi22 Aug 2026
Google just launched the Pixel 11 lineup, and if you squint at the spec sheet, you'll find something odd: the phones cost more, but in some ways, they give you less.
My phone's camera was capable of pro-level footage the whole time; I just had the wrong app open
MakeUseOfby Abhijith N Arjunan22 Aug 2026
I've always felt that default smartphone camera apps haven't kept up with how advanced smartphone camera hardware has become recently. You may notice this especially in smartphone videography.
7 fantasy book series that are dark enough for Game of Thrones fans
MakeUseOfby Dan Selcke22 Aug 2026
The Song of Ice and Fire books by George R.R. Martin (adapted by HBO as Game of Thrones) are distinguished by their vast cast of characters, their uncommon level of detail, and by a willingness to...
Google Lens is hiding features you'll wish you'd found sooner
MakeUseOfby Brandon Miniman22 Aug 2026
Google Lens is the original tool that gives your phone's camera super vision, letting it "see" whatever you're seeing. But it's evolved well beyond identifying objects.
I turned off my subwoofer for music and my speakers finally sounded right
MakeUseOfby Brady Snyder21 Aug 2026
When I bought my first set of bookshelf speakers, the modest Edifier R1700BTs, I specifically sought out a pair that could be easily linked with a subwoofer.
This Android launcher turns your home screen into a physics playground
MakeUseOfby Sagar Naresh21 Aug 2026
I love customizing my phone to make it feel more "me" than the out-of-the-box version the company gave me.
5 smart home gadgets where running an Ethernet cable is a complete waste of a Saturday
MakeUseOfby Brady Snyder21 Aug 2026
The conversation around Wi-Fi and Ethernet in the home usually boils down to a single piece of advice: when you can use an Ethernet cable, you should.