Android
Backing up an Android phone before a reset
A factory reset wipes the phone. The built-in backup brings most of it back, but not the files you saved yourself or codes that lived only on the device.
Every guide
Archive
Every guide on the site, in one list.
Each guide describes the software as it stood on the date it carries. A certificate price, a free plan or an app’s name may have moved on since, so check the date before acting on the details. Pieces added later show the date they were written.
To read by subject, open one of the sections: Small business tools, Web, security and privacy, Windows and gaming or Android.
2026
4 guides
Web, security and privacy
Turning on two-step sign-in for the accounts that matter
A password alone fails the day it leaks. A second step stops most of the people holding it, and the inbox is the place to start.
Web, security and privacy
Shorter certificate lifetimes and what they mean for a small site
The longest a public certificate may last is coming down in steps until 2029. For a site renewed by hand, every step adds another date to miss.
Small business tools
Sharing your bank account with an app: how open banking access works and how to revoke it
Connecting a bank account to an app hands over a view of the account, not the keys to it. The useful skills are reading which permission is being granted and knowing where to take it back.
2022
3 guides
Small business tools
Choosing an ecommerce platform
The right store platform depends on how many products you sell, who will maintain the site and how you want to take payment. Fifteen options, sorted by what each one does well.
Small business tools
Five marketing tips for boat rental businesses
Renting a boat is a local purchase that most people make a few times a year at most. The marketing that works follows from that.
Small business tools
Choosing a website builder
A website builder bundles hosting, design templates and an editor into one subscription. The right one depends less on feature lists than on what kind of site you need and how much control you want later.
2021
1 guide
Web, security and privacy
Cheap wildcard SSL certificates: where to get one
One wildcard certificate can cover every subdomain at one level of a domain. It is cheap to buy, sometimes free, and has a few limits worth knowing first.
2020
4 guides
Web, security and privacy
Affordable VPNs for travel and public Wi-Fi
A VPN protects your traffic on networks you do not control. It does not change what a streaming subscription lets you watch, and the services say so.
Web, security and privacy
YouTube alternatives for publishing your videos
YouTube has the audience, but it is not the only place to host a video. Each alternative trades some reach for something else: cleaner playback, live audiences, looser length limits or independence from a single company.
Windows and gaming
How to reset or change your Steam password
Steam never needs your old password to let you back in. It needs access to the email address or the Steam Guard phone linked to the account, which is why those matter more than the password itself.
Small business tools
How to create a PDF from Microsoft Office
Every version of Office since 2007 can save a PDF without extra software. The menu path depends on the version, and the options dialog is worth a look.
2019
11 guides
Web, security and privacy
Free email service providers compared
A free email account is paid for with ads, with data, or with limits that nudge you toward an upgrade. Knowing which one each provider uses makes the choice easier.
Web, security and privacy
Choosing an SSL certificate provider
Every certificate trusted by browsers encrypts traffic the same way. What you pay for is the level of identity checking, the support around it, and sometimes only the brand name on the invoice.
Android
Free antivirus apps for Android
Every Android phone with Google Play already runs a malware scanner. A free antivirus app adds a second opinion and a few extras, and some add clutter you do not need.
Windows and gaming
Free video editors that do not add a watermark
Plenty of free editors stamp their logo on your export or hide it behind a paywall at the last step. These ones do not, though a few limit resolution instead.
Windows and gaming
Can you use iMessage on Windows 10?
Apple has never released Messages for Windows, and nothing sold as an iMessage download for PC is the real thing. A few legitimate routes get close.
Small business tools
Alternatives to Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is powerful, Windows-only on the desktop and priced per user. The right replacement depends on whether you need Gantt scheduling or just a shared task list.
Windows and gaming
How to connect a PS3 controller to a Windows 10 PC
Windows 10 sees a DualShock 3 when you plug it in, but games do not. The fix is a driver layer, and which one to use depends on where you play.
Android
Instagram repost apps for Android, and how to credit the original
Instagram lets you share a public post to your Story, but not to your own grid. Repost apps handle the grid part. Used with the creator's permission and a visible credit, they are a normal part of running an account.
Windows and gaming
iPhone emulators for PC, and what they really are
Most programs sold as an iOS emulator for Windows are either developer tools that need a Mac somewhere in the chain, or skins that imitate the iPhone's look without running a single real iOS app.
Web, security and privacy
Disposable email addresses: temporary inboxes and aliases
A throwaway address is useful for a one-off download, a forum you will visit once, or testing a sign-up form you are building. It is the wrong tool for any account you may need to recover.
Windows and gaming
PS3 emulators for PC and Mac: what actually runs
Search for a PS3 emulator and you get a long list of names. One of them is a working open-source project. Several emulate other consoles entirely, and some are survey scams.