Feb. 15 & 16, 2025 Show Notes
Flag Day / Family Day Long Weekend Edition
๐๏ธ Show airs live
Saturday: 10:05am-Noon
๐ Rebroadcast
Sunday: 1:05pm-3pm on C-FAX
๐ง Podcast
Anytime
Your crew this weekend:
Ricky Winter
Co-Host
Tech Experience Manager at London Drugs Tillicum Centre
store +1 250-360-2753
To install these updates on an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, General, Software Update.
On a Mac, click on the Apple logo in the top left corner of the screen, click on About this Mac, and then click on Software Updates.
1) Important security update released for iPhones, iPads, and Macs
Apple has released iOS/iPadOS 18.3.1 to fix a security hole that hackers are known to be exploiting to gain access to devices.
Apple has also released a special update โiPadOS 17.7.5 โ for iPads that are too old to be upgraded to 18, along with tandem updates for the last three versions of macOS: 15.3.1 for Sequoia, 14.7.4 for Sonoma, and 13.7.4 for Ventura.
There's also watchOS 11.3.1.
These updates also include bug fixes.
"Articles" like this one are called "clickbait" because they have headlines that are carefully crafted to trigger an emotional response so you'll tap or click on the item.
2) Watch out for "clickbait" stories which try to scare you into installing scam apps
The stories (as in this screenshot shared by astute Tech Talk listener Malinda) look like real news items.
They show up below actual news items on apps and websites, and link to dubious websites created solely to trick people into installing crappy apps that come with expensive subscriptions after a short free trial.
NEVER click on stories like these without checking first to see that it comes from a reputable news source!
3) If you're asked to buy Amazon gift cards for someone, it's a scam
The scam begins with a short email which appears to be from someone you knowโฆ
If you reply, they'll reply back with a heartstrings-tugging message about how they're in hospital or something else equally dire and want you to buy some Amazon gift cards on their behalf for a relative's birthday or other important occasion, with a promise to reimburse you.
If you agree, they'll ask you to scratch-off the panel on the back of the gift-cards to reveal the redemption code and either send that code or pictures of it to them, or to the supposed recipient along with a heartfelt message. If you do that, the overseas scammer will immediately redeem the code and spend the money and you'll never hear from them again.
NEVER agree to buy Amazon (or any other) gift cards for someone โ it's a scam.
In most cases, the email is coming from an address one character different from the real email address of your friend. In some cases, especially with @shaw.ca email addresses which are easy to hack, the scammer will actually be using the email account of your friend.
If you sincerely think the request is real, phone the person, or email them back and ask them a question to which only they would know the answer.
Tech Deals This Weekend
Epson Eco-Tank ET-2850 refurb printer: $185 this weekend
If you're tired of constantly buying expensive cartridges for your printer, we recommend you switch to an Epson Eco-Tank printer/copier/scanner, which comes with bottles of ink โ enough for literally two years of printing for most people โ in the box.
They're pricey, but this weekend, you can get a refurbished ET-2850 model for just $185 at London Drugs stores. New, that model sells for $400! They're impossible to tell apart from a new model, and no-one who's bought one has had any problems.
These machines come with a full Epson one-year warranty, and are eligible for a reduced-price London Drugs extended warranty, which we recommend. (If you're an LD Extras member, you'll also get an additional $20 off that extended warranty)
Epson EcoTank ET-4850 printer with ADF: $400 at Staples
If you do a lot of scanning, or if you want to scan legal-sized documents, Epson's ET-4850 Eco-Tank printer/copier/scanner has a 20-page ADF (automatic document feeder).
Like other Eco-Tank printers, it comes with bottles of ink in the box which contain enough ink to last two years for most people. And a replacement set of bottles is about the same price as a set of ink cartridges for other printers which contain literally 1/20th the ink of the bottles!
The ET-4850 is on sale at Staples till Feb. 27th for $400 โ that's a $200 saving off the $600 regular price. London Drugs will price-match.
Update: you can also get a refurb version of this model at London Drugs, while stock lasts, for $330!
Bonus $200 gift card when you buy iPhone 16 series at Best Buy
This weekend, Best Buy is offering a $200 bonus gift card when you buy any iPhone 16 series phone on a two-year contract with Freedom Mobile, Telus, or Koodo. Most other stores will price-match.
Electric shoe-warmers: $15 (that's half price) at London Drugs
Emrge brand electric shoe dryers and warmers are on sale for $15 a pair (half price) at London Drugs stores (not online) this weekend.
$50 (save $55) for an HP All-In-One printer/copier/scanner โ but we recommend you do NOT buy it, and here's why
London Drugs has HP's 2855E Deskjet printer/copier/scanner on sale for $50 this weekend, which is less than half price, but despite the great price, we encourage you to NOT buy it.
Two reasons: one, all HP printers use Dymanic Security, which requires you to connect it to the internet and to HP.ca to set it up, and to keep it connected โ so HP can keep track of what you print. and to make sure you only use expensive HP brand cartridges.
Two, it has a USB port so you can connect it to your computer, but HP covers that with a sticker and insists you can only print wirelessly using their HP Smart app, so again, they can track what you print.
You can read more about this, and why we recommend you not use refilled ink cartridges, belowโฆ
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.
11) Buy Beaver app will tell you if a product is Canadian made, or if the ingredients were grown in Canada
The two Montreal guys behind the increasingly-popular IsItFromCanada.ca website have now released a great free app called Buy Beaver which does a superb job of ranking from 1 to 5 how Canadian a product isโฆ
You just scan the bar-code of a product, and the Buy Beaver app gives you a 1-to-5 Canadian rating in three categories: whether it was totally or partially made in Canada, how much of the ingredients came from within Canada, and whether the brand is Canadian-owned or notโฆ
The Buy Beaver app by Chris Dip and Alexandre Hamila is available free on Apple's App Store andcoming soon for Android devices, and the database can also be accessed on the IsItFromCanada.ca websiteโฆ
12) Don't power-off your printer โ let it go to sleep and save a LOT of ink and money
Many of us were taught when growing up to turn things off when we're not using them. But that does NOT apply to printers and other tech gear โ in fact, quite the opposite.
Printers are a great example. If you look at yours, it'll have an EnergyStar sticker on it, which means it's designed to go to sleep to save energy and ink when you're not using it. If you power it off on the other hand, it will take all the ink in the printhead (about eight pages worth) and dump it into a sponge called a "printer diaper". And then, when you power the printer back on the next time you want to print something, it'll prime the printhead by squirting on average, another four pages worth of wasted ink.
Don't turn off your printer โ let it go to sleep!
When you go to print something later, it'll automatically wake-up and print, without having wasted any ink, and in sleep mode, it'll use only a negligible amount of power.
We also recommend you not power-off your computer โ but for other, different reasons.
One reason is that powering-on a computer after you've powered it off, is hard on it. It's somewhat akin to taking the engine out of you car when you park it in the garage or driveway. You can do that, but it's really hard on the components.
Another reason is that computers are designed to wake up periodically when they're sleeping and do scheduled maintenance and updates so they don't slow you down when you're using them. If you power yours off when you're not using it, they get behind, and either struggle to get caught up while you're using it the next time, or they get out-of-date and things stop working.
Choose the duration that works best for you, but we generally recommend setting your computer to gfo to sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity when plugged-in. Laptops can be set for much shorter steep triggers when on battery power. If you're in the habit of closing the lid on a laptop when you're finished using it, be sure to go into the Settings at least once a month to check for updates to keep it current.
13) Where to recycle small home appliances and tools for free
You can take electronics for recycling for free at Return-It bottle depots, and to stores like London Drugs, but what about small appliances and power tools that are not fixable?
You can now take them for recycling for free at 230 locations across BC, including 10 locations in Greater Victoria, and 9 in Kelowna. You'll find a list of what you can recycle, and where, at ElectroRecycle.ca.
14) Update the phone #s in Contacts to include +1 for North America and + and the Country Code for overseas
Especially if you're going travelling, but even if you're not, make sure the numbers in your Contacts for people you're going to call are saved with a +1 before the area code and number if they're here or in North America, or in some cases, you won't be able to call them.
Update: We had previously suggested just a 1 for North American numbers, but we've discovered that because of the myriad of phone carriers here in Canada, the USA, and Caribbean, some calls cannot be completed unless there's a +1 in front of the area code and number.
If you're going overseas, many of you have switched to Freedom Mobile to take advantage of their "Roam Beyond" plan, which let you use your phone in dozens of countries around the world at no extra cost. Or, you may be using the Airalo app to add an overseas number via an eSIM.
But, either way, in order to call people in a foreign country when you're there, you must save their phone number beginning with + and the country code.
If you don't do that, depending on the carrier, your call either won't go through, or you'll get billed for an international call as it'll be routed back through Canada, or the first digits of their phone number will be interpreted as a country code and you'll get billed for a call to Russia or Finland or some other country!
On home phones, you have to dial 011 and then the country code and their number, but on mobile phones, you just need + and the country code and their number.
Regardless of which carrier you're on, we recommend you go through your contacts and, one-by-one, add a +1 in front of their number if they're in Canada, the USA, or the Caribbean โ even if it's a local number โ and add + and the Country Code if they're overseas. You can find a full list of Country Codes at CountryCode.org
Note that Caribbean country numbers use the North American calling format, so you just need a +1 in front of their area code and number.
16) Apple now (finally!) lets you migrate purchases from one Apple Account to another
Good news if, over the years, you've bought apps or movies or songs on two or more different Apple ID's: you can now finally merge the purchases into one account.
There are some strings attached โ for example, both accounts have to be in the same country (and not in the EU, UK, or India), and you have to know the password)s) for both accounts.
A support document on the Apple website details the exact procedures and requirements for transferring purchases between Apple Accountsโฆ
17) If you're on Koodo, check your bill: many customers are paying $4 a month more, with the hike in fine print on the last page
The screenshot above from Reddit sums it up pretty well.
Koodo says the rate hike was printed on the previous bill (but they neglect to say that it was in fine print on the last page). Unless you're paying off a phone bought from your carrier and are in a contract until that phone is paid-for, carriers can up their rates with 30 days notice, and printing it on the last page of your bill is considered enough notice, even if you have to log into your account to see your bill.
If you're not happy with what you're getting for what you're paying, shop around!
The current best deal we can find, especially if you're travelling, is Freedom Mobileโฆ
By comparison, Fido's best budget plan is 2GB Canada-only for $37.50/month, while Koodo's best budget plan is $35/month for 3GB but not only is that Canada-only, but the data is also at painfully-slow 3G speed! Freedom's plans are all 5G and include Canada/USA/Mexico roaming and unlimited calling and texting.
18) TikTok is back in app stores in the USA, after President Trump signs executive order exempting Apple & Google from penalties
There's still legislation on the books requiring TikTok to shut down in the USA unless it sells its American operations to a US buyer, but Apple and Google have returned TikTok to their app stores after the US President signed an Executive Order exempting them from being penalized for violating that legislation while he works on a deal with TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
The executive order which he signed also extended the deadline for a deal by another 75 days.
19) Apple Maps bows to pressure and agrees to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America" worldwide
Apple and Google had initially said they would rename the Gulf of Mexico for Americans as soon as the official database maintained bythe US Board on Geographic Names (BGN) was updated to reflect the US President's executive order renaming it the "Gulf of America".
But, in a sign of how much things have changed under the new Trump administration, Apple has now quietly agreed to make that name-change for all users worldwide, without giving a timetable.
Google has changed the name for US users only, for now; for Google Maps users here in Canada nad elsewhere in the world, both names are presented with 'Gulf of America' in parentheses.
21) We've also started compiling a list of our favourite phone apps
The "Our Favourite Apps" list โ which will have a lot more added in the coming weeks โ is on our home page, and you can also get to it by going to Tech-Talk.ca/apps.
โฆand finally, our "Sign Of The Week"โฆ
And so it goesโฆ