Peter Thayer Butler

5 days ago | cnet.com | Peter Thayer Butler

When a horror movie hits big in theaters or on streaming, I always expect to see at least a trilogy. (And if the sequels are popular, we'll see nine or 10.) If a film only gets one sequel, you might assume that the second movie wasn't so great. The double feature of Creep and Creep 2 from Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice -- streaming now on Netflix -- might be the strongest argument against that.

1 week ago | cnet.com | Peter Thayer Butler

One of the biggest problems with older smartphones is keeping the battery charged. Conventional wisdom says that the lithium-ion batteries in iPhones will maintain 80% capacity up to 500 charges, or about two to three years. After that, you'll start to notice your iPhone needing to be charged more often. Optimized charging and setting a charge limit can extend the health of your iPhone battery, but what about Low Power Mode?

2 weeks ago | cnet.com | Peter Thayer Butler

Your credit score plays a big role in your financial life. It affects everything from getting approved for loans to opening new credit cards, and in some places, it can even impact your car insurance rates. Most people know that paying bills on time is key, but there's another factor that's just as important - your credit utilization ratio. If you're trying to raise your score, understanding how this ratio works can make a big difference.

1 month ago | cnet.com | Peter Thayer Butler

AI Overviews in Google Search are having yet another moment. After mistakenly telling people that should at least one small rock a day for minerals last year, the AI answers are now inventing meanings for nonsensical idioms. While AI Overviews can occasionally be helpful, they're often frustrating or pull from incorrect or outdated information. If you find yourself wishing for the Google searches of old where you'd encounter a list of links, we've got good news.

1 month ago | cnet.com | Peter Thayer Butler

AI has shown up more and more over the last few years, and now Google's AI Overviews show up in almost half of all searches. While AI Overviews can occasionally be helpful, they're often frustrating or pull from incorrect or outdated information. If you find yourself wishing for the Google searches of old where you'd encounter a list of links, then we've got good news. By configuring your Google settings, you can ensure you get only websites in your search results using the "Web" search filter.