MakeUseOf

I don't do any work outside without this gadget

Chris Hachey — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 23:00:17 GMT

Enjoying nature isn't a difficult ask. Although sometimes it can be, especially if you're dealing with tough temperatures and annoying pests and bugs. Sometimes, you just want to be able to go out into your yard and take care of some yard work that you've been putting off for weeks. That's some people's idea of enjoying nature.

I found this Android Auto feature so useful it made me switch from CarPlay

Rob LeFebvre — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 22:00:17 GMT

I plugged in my Android phone to the car the other day on a quick drive down the highway, wondering what Android Auto was like. When I saw Google News on the screen, I had to tap it. When I did, I found a much better audio news feature than I've ever used before.

Everyone fights over 1Password vs. LastPass and ignores the better pick

Afam Onyimadu — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 21:00:17 GMT

Experts spend an embarrassing amount of time comparing 1Password and LastPass. It's easy to get carried away debating polish and pricing plans, but there's more to a password manager. The moment I focused on what happens to your data once it leaves your device, I knew I had to look for options outside these two.

This is the easiest and quickest way to get started with any AI agent

Rob LeFebvre — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:00:17 GMT

I wanted to run an AI model locally on my Mac Mini M4, mostly out of curiosity about what it could do as compared to cloud-based models. So I asked Claude for a document of instructions on how to do so, the same way I'd ask for a any local LLM setup guide, just tailored to my specific setup.

Windows 11's design is broken until you use this free tool to finish what Microsoft left incomplete

Shimul Sood — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:30:17 GMT

I switch between my MacBook and a Windows 11 PC almost every day for work. As much as I enjoy using macOS, there's no denying it feels cleaner and far more polished than Windows. Even so, whenever I want complete control over my computer and the freedom to customize it the way I like, I always find myself going back to my Windows PC.

I solved my outdoor security camera's cable problem by running the right wire through the wall

Jonathon Jachura — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:00:16 GMT

I've run Cat6 through most of my house, and I crimp my own cable from a spool I picked on purpose. I'll run an Ethernet cable to anything that stays in one place, and an outdoor camera never moves, so I added a wire. The catch is the wire itself. Most people shop on price here. They see "Cat6" on the box, grab the cheapest spool, and move on. The feed starts stuttering a few weeks later.

Google vs. Epic is finally over, and third-party app stores are coming

Dave Schafer — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 18:48:07 GMT

After six long years, the legal battle between Google and Epic Games has finally come to an end. The result? Third-party app stores are officially coming to Android starting July 22.

Cat6 is fine, but this is what I'd actually run through my walls today

Jonathon Jachura — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 18:30:16 GMT

I wired the basement of our new build myself, and I ran Cat6 to every drop. It was the right cable then, and I'd still tell most people to skip Cat5e and run Cat6 without a second thought. The runs work. Every wired device gets its full gigabit, and nothing about the network has ever pushed me to open those walls again. So this isn't a confession about a mistake. It's the one call I'd change if I could pull those runs a second time. Cat6 handles what my house needs today. Cat6A handles what it'll need in ten years, and the walls are the only place that difference gets expensive to fix later.

3 hidden One UI settings that fixed problems I'd just learned to live with

Robin John — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 18:00:16 GMT

I've used Samsung phones for years, and somewhere along the way, I stopped noticing the small stuff that annoyed me. Little daily frustrations that never quite crossed the line into being a real problem, so I just shrugged and moved on the way you do. You stop questioning them after a while and assume that's simply how phones behave.

Microsoft just offered 570 critical security fixes — is your PC getting them?

Sara Heritage — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:54:21 GMT

Microsoft just dropped its July 2026 Patch Tuesday update, and this single release addresses a staggering 570 security vulnerabilities. To put that in perspective, that’s a 316% increase over July 2025 and nearly three times the update we received just last month.