Chris Wedel is a fan of all things tech and gadgets. Living in rural Kansas with his wife and two young boys makes finding ways to stay online tricky — not to mention making my homestead smarter.

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Virtual assistants will soon be as commonplace as smartphones -- in many parts of the world, they already are. Most smartphones have a built-in ...

Achieve's HELOC has flexible terms and an unusual fixed rate, but the draw period is shorter than other lenders'. Sample HELOC rates are posted online. Fixed interest rates make payments predictable.