Month: February 2022

Enlarge / Windle is a clone of Wordle meant to fit in with old Windows games like Minesweeper and Chip’s Challenge. (credit: Dialup.net)

If you thought that Wordle was old news, here’s something even older: Dialup.net has created and released Windle, a Wordle clone designed to run on Windows 3.1 and the early ’90s PC hardware that would have been running Windows 3.1. 

You could run Windows 3.1 and its apps on modern hardware within a virtual machine or DOSBox, but to maximize its authenticity, Windle was built and run on period-appropriate hardware with period-appropriate tools. The PC used was a Gateway 2000 4DX2-66V with a 66 MHz Intel 80486 DX2 CPU, Windows 3.11 for Workgroups, and the very first version of the Borland Delphi development environment. Running on the original hardware helped expose issues that may not have been evident in a virtualized copy of Windows 3.1—like a system hang that would occur as the entire dictionary was loaded into memory by a 66 MHz processor, for example. 

Playing Windle works great in a virtual Windows 98 SE environment, just like the other Microsoft Entertainment Pack games. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

Windle was designed to fit in with Microsoft Entertainment Pack games like Chip’s Challenge, JezzBall, Minesweeper, and Rodent’s Revenge, making its aesthetic instantly recognizable to anyone who grew up surrounded by the bulky beige PCs of the early ’90s. Like those games, it also runs well in early 32-bit versions of Windows like Windows 95 and 98—I tested it using a Windows 98 Second Edition installation I set up in DosBox-X to run old games and other software. 

Enlarge / The Galaxy S22 Ultra. It has a pen. (credit: Samsung)

Just like the Pixel 6 before it, the Galaxy S22 seems to be claiming some misleading battery-charging specs. The Samsung Galaxy S22 is not yet released worldwide, but a few early reviews are trickling out, and GSMArena put Samsung’s new “45 W” charging to the test. The site was not impressed with the results, calling the spec “misleading” thanks to not being any faster than the old 25 W charging.

Last year’s Galaxy S21 Ultra maxed out at 25 W charging. This year, Samsung upgraded the S22+ and S22 Ultra to 45 W charging, and it sells a new charger (sold separately, of course). Charging should presumably be significantly faster, but it’s not.

Last year, reports showed the 25 W S21 Ultra taking about 62 minutes to charge its 5000 mAh battery. This year, the Galaxy S22 Ultra has a “45 W” charger, and GSMArena clocked the phone at 59 minutes to charge its 5000 mAh battery. If we’re trusting the marketing numbers, that’s an 80 percent wattage increase for 5 percent faster charging—probably still in the margin of error for such a measurement.

Enlarge / The Van Hool CX45E that completed the 1,700-mile round trip. (credit: ABC Companies)

An electric coach just completed a 1,700-mile (2,743-km) trip from Newark, California, to Seattle and back. The journey was a demonstration of battery-electric transport and was organized by the coach operator MTRWestern and ABC Companies, the US importer for Van Hool coaches.

What makes this trip noteworthy—some might even say amazing—is that it relied on public fast chargers. The coach averaged 280 miles (450 km) between charging stops, with some stretches of over 300 miles (482 km).

The coach in question is a Van Hool CX45E and uses a Proterra battery pack similar to the one that powered a Proterra bus that completed a 1,101-mile (1,772-km) journey on a single charge in 2017. Van Hool picked Proterra as its battery supplier later that year.

Enlarge / Spotify’s Car Thing thing in a car. (credit: Spotify)

Spotify is entering the hardware market with Car Thing, a smart music player meant to sit on your dashboard.

The company released Car Thing to a limited number of subscribers in October, and it announced on Tuesday that anyone can buy the device for $90—but you need a Spotify Premium subscription to use it. Spotify Premium currently costs $10 per month for individuals, with plans going up to $16 per month for six accounts. Car Thing also requires a connection to your phone for mobile data or Wi-Fi.

The device is meant to provide a way to listen to Spotify in your car without the need to look down at your phone or deal with clunky built-in car interfaces, which can be dangerous to use on the road. A 12 V power adapter connects to Car Thing and your car’s auxiliary power outlet, and the device then connects to your phone via Bluetooth. Finally, you connect the device to your car stereo via AUX, Bluetooth, or USB. The player also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.