Jan. 25 & 26, 2025 Show Notes
🎙️ 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
The Podcast
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If you missed our special "Tech Talk" show from CES, it's here…
…and the Show Notes for our special CES show are here…
1) Watch out for fake Air Miles "account compromised" emails
The scam emails, as shown in this screenshot from astute Tech Talk listener Elizabeth, claim your Air Miles account has been locked because of an unauthorized log-in, and encourage you to secure your account by tapping/clicking on a link…
The emails — which do not include your name or your Air Miles account number — are coming from email addresses at maxwire.net (highlighted in yellow above), a wireless internet provider in Illinois.
The link they want you to tap on or click on, takes you to a fake Air Miles log-in page hosted on a website at AirMilesWorldServices.LindoAI.com — which interestingly, is based here in Victoria!
The scammers are hoping you'll give them your AirMiles log-in info, so they can redeem your Air Miles.
NEVER click on links in emails like this!
If you want to check your Air Miles account, go directly to AirMiles.ca or use their app.
2) If you spot a scam email, forward it to the security team at the company being scammed, so they can trace it
Instead of just deleting a phishing email, you can help authorities track down the senders by forwarding it to the security team at the company being impersonated.
I've updated my list of the email addresses to use for the most-common phishing emails, to include Air Miles (phishing@AirMiles.ca), and that list is here so you can download it and use it…
3) If you get a call from someone claiming to be from Telus, or Bell, or Rogers, offering a great deal on a new phone, it's likely a scam
The caller will offer you a new iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phone for a great rate, and if you sound unsure, they'll even offer to email you the details to you can see it's 'real', as shown in the screenshot of the email which I got from 'Sandra' at (supposedly) Telus…
There are lots of red flags in this email, the first being that it's from an address @telusmobilitys.com — an obvious misspelling. It also talks about the rate including VAT — here in Canada, we pay GST, not VAT which is in Europe. It also talks about the iPhone being delivered by U.P.S (it's actually UPS), and says its covered by American Family Insurance, which doesn't operate here in Canada.
What's the scam? It's actually quite ingenious.
If you accept the offer, the caller will explain that Telus is going to text or email you a security code to confirm your identity, and they'll ask you to give them that code. The code actually is then used by the scammer to order the phone on your Telus account — at full price. When you get the phone a few days later and see the full price, you'll presumably return it using the return label in the box. But that shipping tabel does not send it back to Telus, but instead to a mailbox belonging to the scammer, who then takes your phone and sells it and disappears. When you contact Telus after getting your bill for the new phone, they'll say they never got the phone back, and you're on the hook for paying for it.
DO NOT buy a new phone — or change your phone plan — from someone who calls you.
If you think you're dealing with someone from a carrier, get their name and number and then call the carrier directly — do NOT call the caller back at the number they gave you!
4) The PowerSchool breach has grown, affecting school boards in most parts of Canada, and potentially involving decades of data.
School districts in Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan all use PowerSchool to student personal info, grades and other learning details; some districts also use it for storing student medical info or to communicate directly with families.
The extent of the breach is still under investigation, and its impact appears to vary by district or region, depending on the specifics of the data stored. In Cape Breton, for instance, that included SIN numbers of past and present staff, or student records back to 1965 in the case of the Peel District School Board.
In the meantime, there are steps that families can take to protect themselves, or at least help mitigate the impact. As the CBC lays out, these include securing accounts with two-factor authentication wherever possible, changing any potential affected passwords and ensuring they're unique, and being wary of odd emails or requests.
CBC
Cyberattack affecting school boards across Canada may involve decades of data. What can families do? | CBC News
The scope of the PowerSchool data breach impacting school boards across the country is widening, with some boards revealing it may involve student data dating back decades. Still, experts say there are steps families can take to protect themselves.
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) If you're going overseas, Freedom Mobile's great prices for their 106-country "Roam Beyond" coverage end this Monday
For more than a year, Quebec-based Freedom Mobile has been offering awesome rates on plans that let you use your phone at no extra cost in many countries around the world. The current rates are…
These plans have prompted a lot of people to switch to Freedom…but as you can see, these great rates are now set to end this coming Monday. So if you're going travelling outside Canada this year, sign-up for one of these plans this weekend, so you're grandfathered-in.
We don't know what will happen next week — whether the prices will jump (likely), or whether the plans will be discontinued. If you're already on one of the plans, you're fine — these plans will remain in effect for you until you change your plan.
11) Netflix is raising its rates again
On the heels of reporting a huge jump in subscribers, Netflix Canada has announced that rates for its streaming services are going up again. Here are the new Netflix prices here in Canada:
- Standard with Ads: Increases by $2 to $8/month
- Standard: Jumps $2.50 to $19/month
- Premium: Rises by $3 to $24/month
- Extra-member fee: No change to the cost of adding extra members, still at $8/month each
These new prices apply immediately for new subscribers; current subscribers will see the updated rates on their next billing cycle.
Netflix says the higher prices (the USA, Portugal, and Argentina are also having their rates hiked) are to allow it to continue to invest in new programming, especially live events like the recent Mike Tyson fight, and NFL games. The rate hikes come after Netflix reported 18.9 million new subscribers, pushing the #1 streaming service to more than 301.6 million worldwide subscribers.
iPhone in Canada Blog • Leading Tech News for Canadians
Netflix Just Increased Prices in Canada: Here are the Changes • iPhone in Canada Blog
Netflix is increasing prices for most of its plans in Canada, according to its latest Q4 shareholder letter from today. The streaming service saw revenue up 16% year-over-year to $10.2 billion US, while it now has 301.6 million subscribers globally, with Q4 adding 18.9 million subs. That's a good quarter for Netflix, which has sent
12) Microsoft 365 rates are jumping by 45% — but existing subscribers can avoid the price hike if you don't want Copilot AI
For the first time since Microsoft started offering Office 365 subscriptions 12 years ago, Microsoft is raising the price, but the hike is a big one: 45%. Microsoft 365 Personal jumps to $115/year from $79, while Microsoft 365 Family — which can be shared with up to six people — is going up from $109 to $145/year. The new rates include access to Microsoft's powerful new Copilot AI services.
If you don't want these new features, Microsoft is giving existing Microsoft 365 subscribers the ability to 'downgrade' to Microsoft 365 "Classic" plans when their subscription comes up for renewal, which are at the same price as before the hikes, without the AI features.
This downgrade option is only for current Microsoft 365 subscribers who have recurring billing turned-on. New subscribers can either pay the full price with Copilot, or opt for the Microsoft 365 Basic plan which gives 100GB of OneDrive storage and online versions of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint for $19/year.
Saturday afternoon update: If you're a current Microsoft 365 subscriber, you can downgrade by following these instructions…
13) End of an(other) era: Sony is ceasing production of Blu-Ray discs, MiniDiscs and MiniDV cassettes
Almost two decades after Blu-Ray discs arrived in 2006, ushering-in the era of HD movies in the home, Sony has announced that its ceasing production of Blu-Ray's and also MiniDiscs and MiniDV cassettes.
Sony's announcement follows LG and Samsung discontinuing selling Blu-Ray players.
MiniDiscs, which debuted in 1992, were designed to replace cassette tapes using a magnetic optical disk with anti-skip technology. Sony discontinued its MiniDisc player in 2013. The 2025 discontinuation affects the recordable MiniDiscs that are still in production.
Sony has also discontinued Mini DV cassettes, which are used in both amateur and professional videography. DV cassettes were mainly used in camcorders until digital cameras made the format obsolete.
14) Samsung unveils new flagship S25 smartphone lineup
The new phones are a bit faster, more expensive, and come with new AI features, but otherwise are largely much the same as the S24 models which they replace
The S25 models are all powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which is designed to provide enough computing power for Samsung’s new AI features.
Samsung also announced a partnership with Google, which will integrate parts of its Gemini AI platform into the new devices, which will be in stores on February 7, and available now for pre-order.
The S25 base model starts at $1,199 CAD ($100 more than the S24 when it debuted a year ago), the S25+ starts at $1,439, and the S25 Ultra starts at $1,919.
Rich DeMuro, who hosts the "Rich On Tech" podcast, really likes the new S25 Ultra phone in particular…
15) A new startup, Omi, has announced a new AI personal assistant that will ship in a few weeks
To quote WIRED, "the real magic is in the software" behind Omi and its "Friend". Omi is a wearable pendant that can also be affixed to your head using medical tape and the company hopes that, long-term, it could analyze brainwaves to know when you want to use it, without the need for any implants via wearable electrodes. The pendant will go on sale for $89 US "in a few weeks".
They've released a concept video detailing how this would look and be used. Uses range from helping with real-time translation to planning a date or asking it to help schedule meetings. The device pairs with your phone to provide you the answers or do the various tasks; it s essentially a Bluetooth microphone that talks with an app on your phone that does all the heavy lifting using the power of AI.
16) Some CTV channels — including CTV Vancouver Island — are no longer available to Rogers subscribers on the CTV app or website
A spat between Rogers and Bell has resulted in Rogers/Shaw TV subscribers no longer being able to access live feeds of CTV and CTV2 channels — including CTV Vancouver Island — via the CTV app or via the web on CTV.ca.
A notice on CTV websites says this is a decision made by Rogers, not by CTV, and stresses that the channels are still available to watch via Rogers set-top boxes.
17) The new Outlook Mail app will automatically be installed on Windows 10 and Windows 11 PC's starting next month
If you prefer the classic Outlook software version, you can continue to use it for now, but the new app will be auto-installed in place of the now-retired Windows Mail app starting next month.
The classic Outlook mail software will stop being downloadable in April of next year, although Microsoft will continue to support it until 2029.
The Outlook Mail app brings several powerful new features, including the ability to sweep advertising emails, block senders with one click, and report, block, and delete scam emails also with one click.
18) If you edit photos or videos on an iPhone or iPad, there's now a way to let recipients with iPhones or iPads undo the edits
If you crop a photo, or if you use Portrait mode controls to blur the background, there's now a way to share photos and videos with other iPhone/iPad users and let them undo or charge your edits.
When you go to share photos or videos, you'll see a new "Options" button at the top of the share sheet, and if you tap on it and scroll to the bottom, you'll see a new "All Photos Data" switch…
If you turn on that "All Photos Data" switch and then share photos or videos, if the recipient has an iPhone or iPad, they'll be able to undo or modify edits you've made. For example, in the photos below, I used the Portrait mode settings to blur out the background and to uncrop the picture…
19) AirTags prevent so much car crime that Colorado police are giving them away!
In the latest example of how useful the $30 devices are, Arvada Police in Colorado have turned to AirTag giveaways to cut down on the number of cars being stolen in that city.
There's no detail of how many AirTags were bought by the police, but half of its available trackers were given away at the event. Alongside each one, there was also a free car sticker which says "Warning — Tracker Equipped: This vehicle can be traced by police if stolen!"
20) Apple, Google, Samsung will now accept Matter certification
Matter is a universal standard designed to ensure that smart home devices from different brands work seamlessly together, making it easier for users to set up and control their smart homes. Until now, device makers had to individually submit their gadgets to separate testing programs for each platform to get the "Works With" for that platform. Now, a device can be submitted to be certified for Matter and, once certified, will automatically get certification for participating programs, which will soon include Apple, Google, and Samsung.
The groups behind the Matter standard have also pledged to improve its functionality and reliability in 2025. To aid in this effort and encourage wider adoption of Matter as a universal standard, Apple and Google are now sharing data about their real-world deployment of Matter.
21) Sonos: their $500 million debacle that just won't end
If you have a Sonos speaker or speakers, you're probably still unhappy (seething?) about the changes they made this past year, and you're not alone. The Wall Street Journal has an excellent article detailing what went so very wrong, and why Sonos is still struggling to recover…
22) Despite President Trump's executive order, TikTok is still missing from Apple and Google app stores in the USA
When a US government ban on TikTok and other apps made by ByteDance took effect on the 19th, the apps were yanked from the Google and Apple app stores, and the app went dark for the better part of a day. When President-elect Trump promosed to not enforce the ban once he took office, TikTok was turned back on, and once in office, Trump signed an executive order putting enforcement of the ban on 'hold' for 75 days to buy time to negotiate a better outcome.
But because the legislation banning TikTok without a sale to a US owner is still on the books, Apple and Google are not legally allowed to distribute the app in the USA, so those in the USA who have it can use it, but it can't be downloaded or updated until the ban is repealed by the US Congress.
23) Apple Maps and Google Maps still call it the "Gulf of Mexico" and some USA politicians are upset
US President Donald Trump may have signed an executive order demanding that many landmarks change their names, including the Gulf of Mexico, but Apple Maps and Google Maps haven't changed, and aren't about to. Here's why it isn't quite that simple…
25) 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.
After years of patiently waiting, "Tech Talk" listener Martin, who recently became a flight attendant with Westjet, on Friday became a Canadian citizen along with 61 others from 30 countries at an emotional citizenship ceremony in Vancouver…
Congratulations, Martin!
Along with their Citizenship Certificates, Martin and our other new Canadians received a letter welcoming them to their new country — a letter that, all politics aside, is worth reading…
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"…
And so it goes…