Dec. 28 & 29, 2024 Show Notes
Boxing Week / Year-End Edition
🎙️ Show airs live
Saturday: 10:05am-Noon
🔁 Rebroadcast
Sunday: 1:05pm-3pm
🎧 Podcast
Anytime
Your crew this weekend:
Kyle Wilson
Colwood-based IT Specialist, Wikipedia Administrator, and a contributor to Business Insider
X: @KWilsonMG
1) Watch out for another round of fake Shaw "We're closing the old version of your webmail account" emails
The emails, which are being sent from various @gmail.com addresses, urge you to click on an "update Now" button to maintain access to @shaw.ca email servicea, as shown in this screenshot…
In the actual email (not in the screenshot above), if you hold your finger on the "Update Now" button, or hover your mouse over it on a computer, a pop-up will show that tapping or click on it will take you to a fake Shaw webpage hosted on Google Docs… (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQgYG
…and the "Upgrade Now" button on that fake web-page takes you to a fake Shaw Webmail log-in page hosted in Hong Kong…
If you provide an @shaw.ca email address and password and click/tap on "Sign In", you'll be giving ovderseas hackers direct access to all your emails. They'll almost immediately start forwarding a copy to themselves, and then start triggering password reset codes for your bank accounts and other accounts so they can steal your money and identity. NEVER click on links in emails or texts like this!
2) Watch out for scam emails claiming your iCloud storage is full, but offering you an additional 50GB for free
The email, which I've screenshotted here, warns that you've reached your iCloud storage limit and are at risk of having files deleted.
If you were to tap on the Storage Icloud® sender's name, you'd see that the email was sent from an email account ending in .se — which is Sweden.
If you click on the "Receive 50 GB" bar at the bottom of the actual email, it takes you to a fake iCloud log-in page hosted on Amazon Web Service (which is an Apple competitor!)
The scammers are hoping that you'll give them your Apple ID email and password, which they're hoping you use for your email account so they can steal your identity. But even if you give them wrong info, you'll be taken to a payment webpage where you'll be offered 50GB for free, providing you give them your credit card info to pay a $2 "processing fee".
If you do, they'll immediately begin racking-up fake charges on your card.
NEVER click on links in emails like this. If your Apple iCloud storage actually does fill-up, you'll see a red (1) on the Settings app, and a pop-up which takes you to the iCloud Storage page within the Settings, where you can see what's using-up your storage and see options to buy more storage. Apple provides 5GB of storage for free, and you can upgrade to 50GB for $1.29 CAD/month.
3a) Watch out for scam emails claiming you've won a $500 Petro-Canada gift card
The emails come from "Petro Canada Winner" with no email address, and say (see screenshot) that "you've been selected as one of the lucky few for an opportunity to receive a Petro-Canada $500 gift card.
If you click on the "Start Survey" button, it takes you to a fake Petro-Canada web-page (hosted on a website in Germany) where you have to answer three basic demographic questions and then pick a prize box. No matter which box you pick, you won't "win". But, they'll give you a second chance, and no matter which box you pick, you will "win". You pick your prize, and then they'll ask for your contact info and mailing address, and then you'll be asked to give them your credit card info to pay a $5 "shipping fee".
If you give them your credit card info, within minutes, the overseas scammers will be racking-up fake charges on your card. But even if you don't, by that point, you've already given them your contact info and mailing address, which they can use to try to steal your identity.
NEVER tap on buttons in pop-ups like this! Just force-close the app or web-browser, or if necessary, restart your device.
3b) Watch out for scam emails that say you've been selected to get a free $500 airline gift card
This screenshot is for one that pretends to be from Flair Airlines, but others are circulating that claim to be from Westjet, Home Depot, Petro-Canada, Walmart, etc.
If you click on the button, it takes you to a fake web-page (hosted on an overseas website) for the company in question, where you have to answer three basic demographic questions and then pick a prize box. No matter which box you pick, you won't "win". But, they'll give you a second chance, and no matter which box you pick, you will "win" the gift card. They'll then ask for your contact info and mailing address, and then you'll be asked to give them your credit card info to pay a $5 "shipping fee".
If you give them your credit card info, within minutes, the overseas scammers will be racking-up fake charges on your card. But even if you don't fall for that, by that point, you've already given them your contact info and mailing address, which they'll use to try to steal your identity.
NEVER tap on buttons in pop-ups like this! Just force-close the app or web-browser, or if necessary, restart your device.
5) If you’ve recently received an Interac e-transfer for $36.29 from MNP, it’s part of the settlement for Facebook’s Sponsored Stories class action lawsuit.
The case centred on Facebook using users’ names and profile pictures in ads without their consent, violating privacy laws in BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The settlement, approved earlier this year, saw $51 million CAD to be shared among eligible class members. These people were Facebook users in the above provinces between January 1, 2011, and May 30, 2014, who had their real names or identifiable photos used in Sponsored Story ads.
iPhone in Canada Blog • Leading Tech News for Canadians
Mysterious $36.29 e-Transfer from MNP? Why Facebook Sent You Money • iPhone in Canada Blog
If you’ve recently received an Interac e-transfer for $36.29 from MNP, it’s part of the settlement for Facebook’s Sponsored Stories class action lawsuit. The case centred on Facebook allegedly using users’ names and profile pictures in ads without their consent, violating privacy laws in B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The settlement, approved earlier
Boxing Week Tech Deals
iPhone 16: $16/mo or Samsung S24 5G: $10/mo. or Pixel 9: $4/mo
Boxing Week phone deals are, for the most part, not as good as the deals on Black Friday weekend, but three deals stand out, all at Freedom Mobile:
- Freedom Mobile has an iPhone 16 on for the same deal as they had for Black Friday: $16/month for 24 months on a $45/month plan that gives you unlimited Canada/USA/Mexico calling, international texting, plus 100GB of data good in Canada/USA/Mexco and 20GB of data roaming in 106 countries, a saving of $745. You can get an iPhone 16 Pro on the same plan for $24/month.
- If you prefer Android, you can get a Samsung Galaxy S24 5G for $10 a month on the same plan, or a Google Pixel 9 for $4/month on the same plan.
- At the end of two years, either return the phone in good condition, or buy it out and keep it (which makes much more sense): the buy-it-out price for the iPhone 16 would be $445, for the 16 Pro it'd be $573, for the S24 it'd be $240, and for the Pixel 9 it'd be $264.
Other carriers and stores are offering gift cards of up to $300 when you buy a new phone, but those offers are on plans that cost a lot more per month (up to $90/month, in some cases), and/or which don't include international roaming.
- Fido has the iPhone 16 for $28.38/month for 24 months, which is a saving of $20/month, and while that makes the phone yours with no extra payment at the end of two years, that requires a $49/month plan which gives you 100GB of data good only in Canada, although the plan does come with unlimited calls and texts from Canada to US, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, and UK.
- Telus has the iPhone 16 for $12/month for 24 months, but that requires an $85/month Canada-only calling and data plan, plus you'd have to pay $380 to keep it at the end of two years.
- Rogers has the iPhone 16 for $12/month for 24 months, which is a saving of $20/month, but that requires a $65/month Canada-only calling and 200GB/month data plan, plus you'd have to pay $393 to keep it at the end of two years. If you get an iPhone 16 with this plan at London Drugs, Best Buy, or Costco, you'll get a bonus $200 store gift card.
London Drugs Boxing Week specials: up to 50% off many items
- Sennheiser HD 450BT Over-Ear BT headphones with ANC: $120 (reg. $230)
- Beats Studio Pro over-ear BT headphones: $250 (reg. $470)
- Sennheiser SPORT earbuds: $90 (reg. $200)
- Lexar Armour 700 1TB external SSD: $145 (reg. $240)
- Malwarebytes Premium: one year licence for up to three devices: $30 (reg. $55)
- Logiix Studio rechargeable pocket LED light:
$50(reg. $80)SOLD OUT (this is the light I carry with me to get great night shots with people's faces showing, like this shot… There are a raft of them on Amazon: Amazon.ca/s?k=led+pocket+photo+light&crid=2GLJWCCALCPMH&sprefix=led+pocket+photo+light%2Caps%2C153&ref=nb_sb_noss
See all London Drugs Boxing Week specials here…
Best Buy has a lot of tech gear on sale with hefty discounts
The biggest discounts are on TV's, some of which are up to $800 off.
Best Buy also has the 9th-gen iPad on for $50 off, but we'd recommend you wait till the spring when a much more powerful 11th-gen model will be released, likely for the same regular $500 price.
They also have a one-year three-device Malwarebytes Premium licence on for $30 (reg. $55). You can buy one or more of these for use in future months or years when your licence expires.
See all of Best Buy's Boxing Week specials here…
Staples has big discounts on many tech items…
- 10th-gen Apple iPad on sale for $449, which is $50 off.
- AirPods Pro (2nd-gen) are $260 (reg. $330). (Also $239 at Costco, if you have a membership.) This is the model which you can use as inexpensive but effective hearing aids with an iPhone 13 or later if you have mild to moderate hearing loss.
- Samsung 11" Galaxy Tab 9 FE: $400 (reg. $600)
- We recommend you pass on the HP SmartTank 5000 printer which is on sale for $170 (reg. $250) because the excellent price is offset by the fact that you cannot use it unless you connect it to the internet and keep it connected, and use the HP Smart app so they can track what you print.
See all Staples Boxing Weeks sale items here…
Visions has huge savings on TV's…
Visions in Langford has virtually every TV on sale, with some models on for more than $1000 off.
And if you buy their extended warranty and don't need it, when the warranty is up, you can return to Visions and they'll give you a gift card for the full price of the warranty.
See all Visions Black Friday deals here…
Andre's has big savings on TV's, electronics, and phones…
Andre's Electronics Experts in Langford has hefty discounts on many items, especially TV's, plus a scratch-&-win card good for up to an extra $200 off when you buy a new phone on a Telus contract.
See all Andre's Boxing Week deals here…
Crave is offering 35% off for four months
Crave is offering 35% off monthly subscriptions through January 6. As one of the top streaming services in Canada, this is definitely one that’s worth looking into…
- Crave Premium is available for $14.30/month (regularly $22)
- Crave Standard is available for $9.74/month (regularly $15)
- Crave Basic is available for $6.49/month (regularly $10)
Memory Express
Memory Express has a number of computer monitors on sale. Two that Kyle recommends are:
- MSI MAG 274UPF 27-inch 4K monitors are on sale for $400 (regularly $560). This is a monitor that Kyle has used for a year and highly recommends.
- MSI MAG 321UPX QD-OLED 32-inch monitors are on sale for $1089.99 (regularly $1259.99). This is one of the more reasonably priced 4K OLED monitors currently available on the market. They don't currently exist in the 27 inch form factor. Kyle is still testing this out but so far is impressed with its visual quality.
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) Rogers is being sued by Canada's Competition Bureau for allegedly running misleading ads offering 'unlimited data"
The Competition Bureau says Rogers' ads created a "false or misleading impression" that its phone plans provided consumers with limitless data. In reality, the bureau says, the plans introduced in 2019 have data caps and once reached, the transfer speed is reduced by more than 99%.
Rogers says it plans to fight the allegations, saying it is 'distrubing' to be singled-out when other carriers also offer unlimited data plans and also 'throttle' data after data caps are reached (although most don't slow the data speed down anywhere near as much as Rogers).
11) iOS/iPadOS 18.2.1 security-&-bug-fix update expected soon
Indications are that Apple will, with days, release a small update for iPhones and iPads that will close more security holes and fix more bugs.
If you have an iPhone or an iPad, you can wait for the 18.2.1 update to be pushed out to your device via Automatic Updates, but because we're expecting it to close some security holes, we recommend that you check manually for the update every few days until it pops up, and install it as soon as it's out.
You can that, by going to Settings, General, Software Update.
12) Game-changing moment: the next two FIFA Women's World Cups will air in the USA only on Netflix
In a surprise move, FIFA has announced that it has made a deal with Netflix to have the streaming platform be the exclusive platform to air the 2027 and 2031 women's World Cups in the USA.
(Who will air the matches here in Canada has not yet been decided; CTV/TSN had the rights in 2019.)
The 2027 Women's World Cup will be hosted in Brazil; the host country for the 2031 event has not yet been chosen.
Netflix and FIFA haven’t said how much Netflix is paying for exclusive airing rights. But Netflix and other streaming services have been paying out hefty, sometimes record-setting sums to air live sporting events as the company seeks to earn more revenue from commercials and draw more viewers. Netflix, for example, paid $5 billion to swipe the World Wrestling Entertainment’s weekly RAW program from the USA cable network for 10 years, starting next month.
13) New ReportIn app allow people awaiting immigration to report their location without having to regularly show-up at a CBSA office
The Canadian government has a new mobile app that tracks permanent residents, foreign nationals, and people seeking refugee status, who are all in the final stages of immigration (or deportation).
The app is called ReportIn and uses facial scanning and location data to confirm someone’s identity and location, so that the Canada Border Services Agency can check-in on them without them needing to visit a CBSA office in person.
The app is purely optional, and CBSA says it isn’t constantly tracking users, but when they’re required to check in, the app will build a report when they log in, and it will also drop a pin where they checked in, but it won’t constantly track their location.
The app costs $3.8 million to develop and took four years, but it still has a $600,000 budget for ongoing support to tackle any bugs or additions that might be needed as it rolls out to more people.
14) If you have an iPhone, a hidden command can help you find where you parked your car or truck
This is so obvious, you may kick yourself if you've ever had to wander around a parking lot or parkade looking for where you parked!
When you park, simply say "Siri, remember where I parked my car" and a dialogue box will appear with your parked car's location.
When it's time to hit the road, simply ask, "Siri, where did I park my car?" and you'll see the same dialog box to guide you to where you parked.
15) Apple says it has no interest in developing its own search engine and is happy to get paid billions to keep using Google
In court papers filed as part of the US Justice Department's anti-trust case trying to force Google to sell-off its search engine to increase competition, Apple says it does not want to spend hundreds of billions of dollars over the next few years to build its own search engine.
Google paid Apple $20 billion USD in 2022 in exchange for Google being the default serach engine on all web-connected Apple products; that annual payment is thought to have increased yearly since then.
16) So many people replaced Androids with iPhones this Christmas, that Apple's "Move to iOS" app is in the Top 40 Google apps
It'll be a while before we get precise numbers, but an early indicator of who won the Christmas phone shopping competition between Apple and Google is the surprising jump of Apple's "Move to iOS" app up into the Top 40 downloaded apps on the Google Play Store.
There's also a "Switch To Android" app for people who are ditching an iPhone in favour of an Android phone, but it's way down below the top 200 on Apple's App Store.
If you, or someone you know, got a new phone on the other platform, these two free apps are a stress-free way of moving as much of your Settings, Content, and even apps between Android and iPhone.
It's important you carefully follow the instructions, though, including steps to take before launching the apps.
To switch from an Android phone to an iPhone, the instructions are here…
To switch to an Android phone from an iPhone, follow the instructions here…
..and here's what to expect…
17) Congrats to Charles Martin for finally getting a new iPhone!
Charles, who's a regular here on "Tech Talk" as the Program Director for the Victoria Mac and iOS User Group, is also the Weekend Editor for AppleInsider.com and London Drugs' in-home tech expert.
He's written an excellent illustrated article on how he's taking the plunge and updating his tech gear, starting with why he's replaced his iPhone 12 with an iPhone 16 Pro…
18) The owner Oreos is using AI to generate new snacks
Mondelez, the giant corporation that owns popular snacks like Oreo, Chips Ahoy, and Sour Patch Kids, wants to use AI to generate ideas for new snacks.
Mondelez has been working on such an AI tool since 2019. With it, food scientists specify desired characteristics like flavour (i.e. “buttery” or “vanilla intensity”), aroma (such as “oily” or “burnt”) and appearance (“roundness” and “edges,” among other things). The tool also factors in the cost of ingredients, environmental impact, and nutritional value.
Watch the Oreo video we mentioned on air: Trying to burn Oreo cookie
20) Honda and Nissan to merge; Honda will take the lead
Beleaguered automaker Nissan is going to throw its lot in with Honda.
The two Japanese automakers want to merge by 2026, creating the world's third-largest car company in the process.
This comes after the two earlier this year signed memos of understanding to create a strategic partnership focused on software and electrification. Now, they say the changing business environment calls for deeper integration.
21) The first human vs. self-driving car race ended before it began
The race in Abu Dhabi ended before it startec because the team behiund the self-drivig racecar realized that self-driving cars don't know how tos werve back-and-forth to warm-up the tires, which is essential to maintain traction at high speeds.
22) 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.
23) Embodied is shutting-down and taking its $800 USD Moxie robot with it, but there's an effort to allow Moxie robots to keep working
Robotics startup Embodied has announced that it's going out of business and taking its popular Moxie robot with it. The $800 robots, which provide emotional support for kids ages 5 to 10, would soon be bricked, the firm said, because they can’t perform their core features without the cloud.
Only people who ordered one within 30 days before the closure announcement have any hope of getting a refund. Following customer backlash, Embodied is now trying to create a way for the robots to live an open-sourced second life.
We've had a wonderful Christmas, made more special by Emma, our homestay student from last year from Germany, who persuaded her parents to let her return to spend the holidays with us!
Front: Emma from Germany (L) and Klára from Czechia (R). Back: our good friends Rick and Zack, Suzanne with Huli our cat, our nephew Liam, me, and Suzanne's brother and Liam's dad, Richard.
After we picked-up Emma at YVR, we took her and Klára to the European Market on the Vancouver harbourfront, and then to the Canyon Lights at Capilano…
On Friday, the girls went climbing at the huge CragX indoor climbing centre in downtown Victoria, where they got to try out their popular auto-belay system which eliminates the need for a belay person…
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"
…at the Accent Inn on Blanshard at Cloverdale…
And so it goes…
