Nov. 2 & 3, 2024 Show Notes
Time Change / Día de los Muertos / Weekend Edition
🎙️ Show airs live
Saturday: 10:05am-Noon
🔁 Rebroadcast
Sunday: 1:05pm-3pm
🎧 Podcast
Anytime
Your crew this weekend:
Our international student guests: Hannah from Frankfurt in Germany, and Vittoria from Florence in Italy
1) Apple has released iOS/iPadOS 18.1 with 28 security fixes, plus bug fixes, as well as Apple Intelligence
There's a lot of online chatter about the first round of Apple Intelligence features that have arrived with 18.1 — but none of them work here in Canada yet (not till next month), and then will work only on iPhone 15 Pro and 16 models.
However, we still encourage you to update your iPhone or iPad ASAP anyway, because the 18.1 updates also include new features that work on all iPhones and iPads (see item #13 below) and a number of additional bug fixes plus 28 security fixes, some of them important ones.
Upgrade by going to Settings, General, Software Update. If you're not yet on 18, scroll down below 17.7 to iOS 18 at the bottom of the page, and it'll automatically bring you up to 18.1.
2) Watch out for unusual Goverment of Canada parking ticket scam texts
The scam texts, as shown in the screenshot, appear to come from a 226 area code number, and include Government of Canada logos.
The text warns that your parking ticket remains unpaid, and that if you don't pay it, your licence could be suspended, and your vehicle registration renewal will be blocked. It encourages you to click on a link, which if you do, takes you to a real-looking (but fake) Govertnent of Canada web portal hosted at ticket-unresolved-transports.com hosted on a server overseas…
Tapping on your province, itakes you to a real-looking page and asks you to fill in your licence plate info to get your ticket…
No matter what plate info you put in, you'll be told you owe $59 (notice the $ at the end in the screenshot) and they'll ask for your credit card info…
If you give them your credit card info, within minutes, overseas scammers will be using it to buy as much merchandise online as they can before your credit card company detects the scam and suspends your card. NEVER click on links in texts like this, and NEVER give credit card info online unless you know and trust the online merchant!
3) Watch out for what looks like a pop-up that claims your iPhone has been severely damaged by viruses…
The message (as shown in the first screenshot below) claims your browser has been 59% damaged by browser trojan viruses picked-up by surfing recenb corfrupted websites. you to install a free app to fix the problem and speed up your iPhone.
Your iPhone has NOT been damaged or infected. It's scam. You were simply tricked into clicking on a link that took you to a scam web-page designed to look like a pop-up. If you were to click on the "Install" button (or on the "Cancel" button, it'd take you to the Apple App Store and a free app called Trust-Access as shown in the second screenshot…
What's the scam? Trust-Access (which has only been reated by one person, presumably the scammer who made it), is a useless free app, but it comes with a free three-day trial which then charges you $19.95 a month unless you cancel it! The scammers are gambling that if you do cancel it, it'll be after they got their first $20 out of you.
They avoid getting caught because they delete the app from the app store almost weekly (before anyone can post a review that it's a scam), and replace it with one with a different name. And because apps like these are not harmful to your iPhone, it's hard for Apple to detect that they're being used for subscription scamming. NEVER install apps on the basis of a pop-up screen like this one!
You can make the message go away by simply closing your web-browser or re-starting your iPhone.
And if you do install a subscription app and don't realize that till after your free trial is over, contact Apple and they'll almost always refund your first subscription fee. Here's how…
Tech Deals This Weekend
a few more Epson Eco-Tank ET-2850 refurbished printers are now at London Drugs for just $185
We love Epson Eco-Tank printers because they come with bottles of ink that last two years, but they're pricey. However, London Drugs made a deal with Espon to be the outlet for refurbished units which are like-new and come with a full warranty at a huge discount. This ET-2850 loads paper from the top, so you can use photo paper and card stock if you want.
They're just $185 while they last, (a new unit is $400) and if you're an LD Extras member, you can buy the extended warranty at a 25% discount for peace of mind.
Save $20 on Malwarebytes Premium (3 devices) at London Drugs
We keep checking for a metter anti-malware software, but Malwarebytes Premium continues to outperform the others, and now you can get a one year licence good on any three Winows, Mac and Android devices for $35 — a $20 saving — at London Drugs stores or online till Nov. 14.
20% off HP corporate-grade 14" EliteBook laptops at Tesseract
When Tesseract Computers re-opens on Monday after the weekend, Gary will have all in-stock refurbished HP EliteBook laptops on sale for 20% off.
These are corporate-grade laptops powered by AMD Ryzen 5 processors, with 16GB of RAM, new 256GB SSD's and Windows 11 Pro. That's $399 after discount. Tesseract Computers is on Broughton Street near Douglas in downtown Victoria.
Tech News Of The Week
Items start at #10, so the numbers don't get thrown-off if we add more security items above!
Tip: if an item in these Show Notes has the icon on the right in the upper-right corner, you can click/tap on it to make the additional info open in a new tab.
10) Time change: we 'Fall Back' for (hopefully) the last time!
Most of us change our clocks back an hour on Saturday night, as we shift back to (Pacific) Standard Time.
(The Yukon, most of Saskatchewan, and some border pockets of BC and Quebec don't fall back, because they run on Standard Time year-round.)
BC agreed years ago to scrap the time-change in tandem with Washington, Oregon, and California, and those three stats all agreed. But in the USA, states require the approval of the US Congress to do that. Although the 'US Sunshine Protection Act' has had bipartisan support for two years, the feuding in Washington DC has prevented it from being brought up for a vote.
FYI, in the European Union, DST ended on the last Sunday in October, which was October 27.
In Australia and New Zealand, where their seasons are opposite ours, Daylight Saving Time started in Australia on the first Sunday of October, which this year was October 6. In New Zealand, DST began a bit earlier, on the last Sunday of September, which was Sep. 29, 2024.
11) Apple unveils new 24" M4 iMacs, up to 6x faster than the fastest Intel-powered iMac, and now with double the RAM
Apple's super-thin new 24" iMac's, powered by their new M4 chip, come in six colours and offer performance up to 6x faster than the most popular Intel-based iMac, and up to 2.1x faster than iMac with M1 chip, and 4x faster than a Windows 11 PC running an Intel Core i7 chip and Intel graphics. The M4 chips ensures they can take advantage of all the new Apple Intelligence features.
They start at $1699 CAD for an entry-level iMac with an 8-core CPU, 16GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD. There are three models that have 10-core CPU's and GPU's and larger unified memory and SSD's they range in price from $1949 to $2449. Pre-orders are now being taken; first units should be in stores on the 8th.
12) Apple releases new smaller but much-more-powerful Mac mini
Apple's long-awaited new M4-powered Mac mini is up to 20x faster than the 2018 Mac mini, and 2.2x faster than the 2020 M1 Mac mini it replaces, and is noticably smaller and thinner. It has the fastest GPU available, and can power up to three displays at the same time. Their M4 chips ensures they can take advantage of all the new Apple Intelligence features.
It starts at $799 CAD for the 16GB RAM/256GB SSD, on up to $1299 for a 24GB RAM/512GB SSD.
(There's also an M4 Pro model which is $1899.) Pre-orders are being taken now; in stores Nov. 8.
If you have a 2018 Mac mini, Apple Insider has an excellent article showing what a massive improvement the new smaller and lighter model is, and at a lower price…
13a) iPhones and iPads get useful new features with iOS/iPadOS 18.1, but no Apple Intelligence features here in Canada till next month
The first round of Apple Intelligence features have rolled-out for iPhone 15 Pro and 16 models — but because many of the features are language-focussed, only in the United States for now.
Here in Canada, they'll become available via another software update in December, and also in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Other countries will follow in April.
In the meantime, there aren't a lot of new features you can use, but there is one notable one…
13b) You can now record phone calls on an iPhone running iOS 18.1
For the first time, you can record a phone call on an iPhone without needing a paid third-party app.
This new ability is accessed via a new Record Call icon that'll appear in the upper-left of your screen once someone answers a call. Either the caller, or the person being called, can trigger a recording, but neither can do that until a call is answered.
You'll get the spash-screen shown in the screenshot, and both parties will hear an automated massage advising that this call is being recorded. If the other person says they do not want the call recorded and youy stop recording, you'll both hear an automated message that recording has stopped. If you continue recording after the other party says they do not want the call recorded, you need to be aware that that is illegal in most jurisdictions, and so is letting someone hear an illegally-recorded call.
When the phone call is ended (or when you stop recording), you'll get a prompt to save the call into your Notes app, where it'll appear with an attached transcript. Tap any recording to access a range of options: You can play back the audio, read the full transcript, view an AI-generated summary of the conversation (on iPhone 15 Pro and 16 models), or share and delete recordings as needed.
14) Rogers/Shaw 'Ignite' TV and internet apps are now 'Xfinity'
Rogers is changing the branding on its TV and home internet services and apps to Xfinity, to match the brand of Comcast, the US firm whose products and services its using under a 10-year licence signed back in April.
IgniteTV will now be known as Rogers Xfinity TV, the Ignite HomeConnect app has been rebranded as Rogers Xfinity, and for Shaw users, the app is changing to Rogers Xfinity (Shaw). Despite its desire the eliminate the Shaw brand, Rogers has been unable to persuade banks and credit card companies to automatically switch automatic payments to what was Shaw to Rogers.
15) We've compiled all our tech tips and solutions (four dozen of them, so far) into one indexed set of "Tips and Solutions" Notes which you can find on our home page.
You can also get to them by going to Tech-Talk/ca/faq or by clicking on the link below…
16) We've also started compiling a list of our favourite phone apps
The "Our Favourite Apps" list — which will have a lot more added in the coming weeks — is on our home page, and you can also get to it by going to Tech-Talk.ca/apps.
17) If you want to lighten your wallet or purse, use the free Klarna app (formerly StoCard) to store all your loyalty and membership cards
Klarna, which is an online installment-payment service, has bought StoCard and folded it into its app, calling it the Klarna Wallet.
Klarna stores your loyalty cards, rec centre and attraction membership cards, library cards — any card that has a barcode in the Klarna Wallet in the bottom-right of the app.
If you already have StoCard, open it, and you'll see a big splash-screen about the migration. Follow the prompts to give Klarna your mobile number and email for two-factor authentication (they send a one-time code to both). It'll create a Klarna account for you if you don't aready have one.
If you don't have StoCard, go to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and get Klarna, and follow the prompts to sign-up (it's free)…
When you tap the card in Klarna Wallet, the screen goes to full brightness so it can be scanned and used, and then dims the screen as soon as you go away from the card.
If a card has your picture on it, like an IMAX card, you can take a picture of the card and add it to the Klarna Wallet so you can show it if requested.
Klarna is free, but will regularly display offers. When it asks to send Notifications, tap on Do Not Allow. When offers appear, tap on Dismiss. Klarna is available for both iPhones and Android phones.
18) For the second time this year, Disney+ just got more expensive here in Canada
The latest increase works out to about $1/month more or $10/year, depending on your subscription.
Here’s how the price increases break down:
- Disney+ Standard With Ads: $9/month (previously $8/month).
- Disney+ Standard: $13/month or $130/year (previously $12/month or $120/year).
- Disney+ Premium: $16/month or $160/year (previously $15/month or $150/year).
19) Google to pay $100 million to Canadian news outlets for this year within 60 days; gets five-year "Online News Act" exemption
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has granted Google a five-year exemption from the Online News Act, ordering it to pay to Canadian news outlets within 60 days the $100 million which Google agreed last year to pay in exchange for access to their news coverage.
Google has tasked the Canadian Journalism Collective with distributing the money to news outlets, but the CRTC has added stipulations including that it must allow more news businesses to join the Collective.
If you're curious how that $100/million a year will get divided-up, here's the CJC's worksheet…
20) Microsoft has again delayed its AI-supercharged "Recall" feature, buy more time to ensure its 'secure and trusted'.
When Windows showed off a slate of AI features in May, one that initially excited many people was Recall. The idea behind the feature was that it'd keep a log of everything you’ve done on your computer so you can revert or search your history with ease. However, privacy-minded folks immediately pointed out that this is a nightmare for anyone wanting to keep their work a secret.
The feature had been planned to ship with Co-pilot+ PCs in June but kept hitting delays as Microsoft kept working on Windows security features to help make users comfortable using the all-encompassing feature.
Microsoft now says it won't be roilling-out to Microsoft Insiders till December, to give teams more time to ensure that it'll be "secure and trusted" by users.
One of the main changes coming to the new version of Recall is that it will be opt-in instead of turned on by default and is fully encrypted so only people who set up the feature can access it.
21) Apple is buying Pixelmator
In a surprise move, Apple has bought the firm that makes Pixelmator, Photomator, and the especially-popular world-class Pixelmator Pro image-editing software.
Fans are hoping the acquisition will result in the Pixelmator Pro app coming to at least iPads if not also to iPhones, which currently can run only the basic Pixelmator app.
If you recently bought one of Pixelmator's apps, Apple says they'll continue to be supported until the summer of 2026. Between now and then, their best features will hopefully be added to Apple's own Photos apps.
22) Apple urged TikTok to increase its age recommendations, redacted documents show
It’s not a surprise that TikTok is facing lawsuits from Ontario school board for alleged mental health harms caused to students by use of the app. But it is interesting to find out that Apple acknowledged that TikTok was inappropriate for children and privately pushed the company to reconsider its recommended age rating.
Documents improperly redacted in an ongoing court case in South Carolina against TikTok show that Apple assembled a team back in 2022 to review the app’s age rating. After inspection, Apple strongly recommended that TikTok raise its age rating from 12 and over, to 17 and over, because the the app had “frequent or intense mature or suggestive content,” which was not in line with TikTok’s own claims. “We hope you will consider making the necessary changes to follow the App Store Review Guidelines and will resubmit,” Apple wrote at the time. TikTok refused to change the age rating.
19) AppleInsider: It's time to move off your Intel-based Macs
If you are still using an Intel-based Mac, which Apple stopped making in 2020, it's time to consider replacing it.
Normally Macs are typically well-supported for at least five to seven years, but with the Apple Silicon M1 chip, Apple introduced a new paradigm for its Mac computers. Over the past four years, Apple's own chips have sailed past even the latest Intel consumer chips to deliver a big leap in speed and computing power, in smaller/thinner form factors, generating a lot less heat than older Intel chips.
The eye-popping stats in a pair of articles on AppleInsider also mentions Apple's recent resistance to raising prices on new machines (and in the case of the new Mac mini, actually lowering them) as being designed to lure Intel-based Mac holdouts into upgrading. They've also upped the standard RAM (memory) and storage across the board, with 16GB of RAM and at least 128GB of storage across Mac and iPad products.
More importantly, Apple is likely to cut short the normal five-year OS upgrade cycle (with up to seven years of security updates) for Intel-based Macs, though the most recent Intel-based Mac models are still expected to get updates through 2025. With the holiday season approaching, it may be a good time to consider getting on board the Apple Silicon train, and getting a new Mac.
20) 'Brat' is Collins Dictionary's 2024 Word of the Year
Our first "Word Of The Year" choice from the various dictionaries has been made, and it's 'brat', picked by Collins Dictionary.
The word, used by singer Charli XCX as the title of her sixth studio album, has been defined as "characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude."
Collins lexicographers say in the phrase "brat summer," it became "one of the most talked about words of 2024."
CBC
Not just for summer: 'Brat' is Collins Dictionary's word of the year | CBC News
Collins Dictionary has declared 'brat' — the album title that became a summer-living ideal — its 2024 word of the year. The word, used by singer Charli XCX as the title of her sixth studio album, has been defined as "characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude."
Halloween 2024
Majo, our Grade 12 international homestay student from Mexico, dressed as a pirate at the North Saanich bonfire; Suzanne and me (with our cat Huli) with the RCMP bear at Treat Street in Sidney…
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"…
And so it goes…