dimly lit environments Archives

Winsage

August 29, 2026

I test Windows laptops for a living, and these are the 7 features I can’t pass up

The author has spent five years testing laptops and has identified seven essential features for selecting a Windows laptop based on their experience and travel needs: 1. An OLED display for better contrast and deeper blacks. 2. A 14-inch chassis that is lightweight, ideal for travel. 3. At least 512GB of storage to accommodate large files. 4. At least one USB-A port for compatibility with older hardware. 5. All-day battery life, enhanced by Intel's "Lunar Lake" processors. 6. A backlit keyboard for usability in low-light environments. 7. No proprietary chargers, favoring USB-C for flexibility and convenience. The author notes that while many brands offer these features, pricing has been affected by the ongoing memory crisis, pushing preferred models into a higher price range.

AppWizard

August 18, 2026

I found an Android magnifier app for my aging eyes that beats camera zoom

The Magnifier + Flashlight app has over 10 million downloads and a 4.9-star rating from nearly 250,000 reviews on the Google Play Store. It functions as a digital magnifying glass, allowing users to enlarge text and images. Key features include the ability to freeze images on the screen, a color inversion option for easier reading, and a flashlight feature for low-light conditions. The app has been tested in various settings, successfully helping users read small print on medicine bottles, nutrition labels, and signs. While it lacks a reference window found in the built-in Google Magnifier, it is free to use with ads, and a paid ad-free version is available for .99 per year.

AppWizard

June 5, 2026

Can you stow your torch in Gothic Remake?

In Gothic Remake, players activate torches from the hotbar to illuminate dark environments, but cannot stow them back in inventory. Instead, selecting a weapon causes the torch to be stabbed into the ground, where it remains lit for a time. If the player rests in a bed, the torch will extinguish by the time they awaken. The torch also goes out if it comes into contact with water. Torches are plentiful in necessary areas, allowing players to place them along paths for easy retrieval later. To avoid accidental deployment, players are advised to assign the torch to slot 0 in the hotbar. There is a suggestion for future updates to allow players to extinguish torches on the ground to reclaim them more easily.