Mar. 15 & 16, 2025 Show Notes
Spring Break / St. Patrick's Day / Weekend Edition
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Tech Talk - March 15, 2025 by Tech Talk with Alan Perry
Tech Talk is back with another info-packed episode! Host Alan Perry is joined by Gary Beyer from Tesseract Computers to chat about: - Essential travel tech tips - The latest email scams (and how to avoid them!) - Why you should upgrade to Windows 11 now - The hottest tech deals - Plus, we answer your live tech questions!
Or, you can subscribe to "Tech Talk with Alan Perry" (it's free) on any podcast app including these…
1) If you have an iPhone or iPad, Apple has released a small but very important update, which fixes bugs and one big security hole
The update is iOS/iPadOS 18.3.2, and it fixes a critical WebKit flaw that hackers have discovered and are using to steal data and execute code attacks.
To get the update without waiting for it to be installed through Automatic Updates, tap on Settings, General, Software Updates.
2) If you have a Mac, Apple has released a tandem update to fix the same critical security hole as well as different bugs
The macOS update is 15.3.2 and there's a also a companion update for Safari on a Mac, Safari 18.3.1.
To install these updates on a Mac, click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner of your screen, click on About this Mac, and then on Check for updates.
3a) Beware a new round of emails advising that you'll get a new password unless you tell them to keep using your current one
Capitalizing on the recent server change that made millions of outlook.com users re-enter their password on iPhones and iPads, scammers are flooding inboxes with scam emails like this one, submitted by a "Tech Talk" listener…
If you click/tap on the "Continue with current password” bar, it takes you to a fake outlook.com account log-in page where you're asked to put in your current password, supposedly so you can keep using it. If you do that, you're giving overseas hackers access to your email account, which they can then use to trigger password resets for your other accounts, such as onliune shopping, banking and credit cards. NEVER click or tap on links in emails or texts like this!
3b) Watch out for scam emails urging you to upgrade your Outlook email service or get cut off from your emails
This one, which has poor sentence structure, claims your email account will be deactivatred if you don't upgrade. This screenshot was submitted by new "Tech Talk" listener Susan in Vernon…
Note that the email is coming from a sender "System Upgrade", but is actually coming from an email account (highlighted in yellow, above) hosted by Tiscali in the UK.
If you hover your mouse over the “click to upgrade to the new version now” Button or if you hold your finger on it on a touch screen device, you will get a pop up showing you that that link would take you to a fake outlook.com login page (which has since been shut down) at https://mtr.bio/hotmailserver
The overseas hackers are hoping you'll give them your email address and password so they can start stealing you identity and money. NEVER click on links in emails like this!
4) Watch out for more scam emails claiming to be from Netflix about your subscription expiring
This Is one of those scams that comes in waves, and a screenshot of the latest one is below, which was forwarded by astute new Tech Talk listener Susan in Vernon.…
The emails, are, interestingly, coming from an address at Morris-Shea Bridge Co. in Birmingham Alabama! I suspect someone hacked into their system and created the scam email addresses.
The "Reactivate my account" link takes you to a fake Netflix log-in page at be.opti-free.com which is hosted overseas. The scammers (one of the clues is their use of the phrase "in case of ignorance"!) Are hoping you'll give them your Netflix account email address and password, Because they're gambling that you use that same password for your actual email account so they can start to stew your identity and money. Never click on links in emails or texts like this.
If you get a text or email telling you that a service you use Has been cancelled or suspended, you can just go to that service and see if it's still working!
5) Watch out for scam texts claiming to be from Costco
The text, as shown in the screenshots below submitted by Ron Fraser, urges you to keep your account information up to date in order to ensure the continuity of your membership…
…but if you hold your Finger on the name of the sender, you'd see that it's actually coming from an email address in Italy (.it), And the scammers want you to click on the link which they didn't even do a very good job of disguising, sending you to a webpage at faltbuecher.de which is in Germany!
NEVER click on links in texts or emails like this!
Tech Deals This Weekend
Just in time for Spring Break, Public Mobile is offering a 20GB Canada/USA/Mexico 5G plan for just $29/month this weekend
Telus-owned budget carrier Public Mobile has the best mobile deal as we head into Spring Break: unlimited Canada/USA/Mexico calling, unlimited international texting, and 20GB a month of 5G data good in Canada, the USA and Mexico, plus 100 minutes of international phoning, for just $29/month.
This offer is only valid until the end of business on Monday.
That compares to Freedom Mobile which is offering 6GB of Canada/US/Mexico calling and data roaming for $29.
Heading overseas? Freedom Mobile has discounted its 100+ country "Roam Beyond" plans by $4/month again this weekend
If you're planing on heading off the continent, Freedom's "Roam Beyond" plans are ideal, because they let you use your phone in more than 100 countries at no extra charge.
The plans include unlimited Canada/USA/Mexico calling, international texting, and 15GB or 25GB of Roam Beyond data in 106 countries. Plus, till the end of business on Monday, the plans are $4/month off, and that discount will continue as long as you stay on that plan.
Eligible plans include:
- 80GB/month + 15GB of "Roam Beyond" data: $45/month with $4 discount)
- 100GB/month + 25GB of "Roam Beyond" data: $55/month $4 with discount)
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) Windows 10 hits end-of-life in just seven months; please get someone to upgrade you to Windows 11 before then!
If your computer is running Windows 11, the clock is ticking, and you're likely seeing full-screen messages from Microsoft like this, warning that support for Windows 10 will cease in October…
Contrary to what that message says, you don't necessarily need to replace your computer.
Unless you're using it for work, if it's less than seven years old, it's probably worth paying someone to upgrade it to Windows 11, and it should be good for another year or two. You don't need to buy a new Windows licence; you just need to pay someone to do a clean-install of Windows 11 and transfer all your files and reinstall your software.
If your computer is eight or more years old, or if you use it for video-editing or watching movies, your money would be better spent on a newer PC, as it'll struggle to run a lot of current software and apps.
12a) Heading to the USA by vehicle for more than 30 days? You'll soon have to pay $6 USD to register before you get to the border
The new requirement is spelled-out in an Executive Order signed by US President Donald Trump, harshly entitled, "Protecting The American People Against Invasion" (linked below).
Since it was signed, US Homeland Security has exempted Canadians going to the USA for more than 30 days from the fingerprinting requirement that most others will be forced to submit to, but effective April 11, Canadians going into the USA by vehicle for more than a month will still have to apply in advance for an I-94 permit, and carry proof of approval with them at all times while in the USA.
Applying for a I-94 costs $6 USD, and requires you to fill out an online form which includes questions around your past addresses, criminal record if any, and what you plan to do during your extended stay.
You must apply online for an I-94 within seven days of your intended date of driving into the USA, and no earlier, and paying the $6 USD fee is not a guarantee that you will be admitted.
The link to apply is below (click on the "Apply for new I-94" link on the website)…
12b) Updated: Canadians can now (finally!) renew their passports online, and so can Americans
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is now allowing Canadians to renew their passports online, as long as you can wait three weeks to get it. This is a new service, and capacity is limited, while they make sure the system doesn't crash.
Which Canadians can renew their passport online
- You’re applying to renew your own passport.
- Your home and mailing address is in Canada.
- Your current passport:
- is a regular (blue) passport
- was valid for 5 or 10 years
- shows your place of birth
- was issued when you were 16 years of age or older
- was issued in the last 15 years and
- is expired or
- will expire in the next 6 months
- You’ll use the same name, date of birth, place of birth and gender identifier on your new passport.
- You don’t have any observations in your current passport. (Observations are notes some people have on a separate page of their passport to explain special circumstances (like a name that was too long to be printed in full or if you have a diplomatic passport). Most people don’t have observations in their passport.)
You'll also need to go to a photographer who knows about, and can meet, the requirements for a digital passport photo.
You can create an account and start your application until they reach their daily limit. The limit resets at 4am and 4pm Pacific time each day. If you can’t create an account when you try, try again when the limit resets.
You new passport will be mailed to you, or you can pay an additional fee and pick it up at a Service Canada office. The link is below…
The US State Department has announced that Americans can now renew their passports online, bypassing the usual long lineups and waits. Fees are the same as for mailed-in renewal applications: $30 for a Passport Card, $130 for the traditional Passport Book, or $160 for both.
The online renewal portal is Travel.State.gov/renewonline
Here in Canada, the federal government announced early last year that online passport renewals was "coming soon"…but back in February, the government said that plan was on "hold" because of 'vulnerabilities' that surfaced during assessments of the new system.
In wake of the US passport renewal system going live, Canadian officials say we can expect to be able to also renew our passports online "in the near future".
United States Department of State
Announcing Online Passport Renewal - United States Department of State
The Department of State is making our new online passport renewal system fully available to the public today, a significant step forward in ensuring that Americans can more easily access passport services. Instead of printing a paper application and mailing it with a check, Americans can now renew their passports through a secure process that […]
13) iPhones can now support up to 8 eSIM's — but only two can be actived at any one time
If you have an iPhone, you're doing a lot of travelling, and have different SIM cards for different countries, you can now keep up to 8 phone numbers from around the world on your phone.
But, only one of them can be a physical SIM card; the others have to be eSIM's, and only two of the numbers can be active at any one time. So to start using a third number, you'd have to turn off one of the other active numbers.
Most carriers allow you to convert your current SIM to an eSIM, so you can use the SIM card slot for a physical SIM if you travel to one of the few countries, such as China and Turkmenistan, that don't yet use eSIMs.
Most Android phones made in the last five years let you have two active phone numbers at the same time — either two eSIM's or one SIM and one eSIM, depending on the model.
15) Top Apple executives are embarrassed by the delayed rollout of Siri Intelligence, which might now not debut till next year
We Told you last week that Apple has confirmed the huge upgrade coming to Siri on iPhones, iPads, and Macs is being delayed because Apple is struggling to get it to work properly.
We were initially led to believe that it would debut later this year, but it's now sounding as though it might not arrive till sometime next year. While Apple is vowing that it'll be far and away the best digital assistant ever, when it does arrive, insiders say top brass are embarrassed that Apople is so far behind.
16) Apple AirPods should be able to do instant translations starting this fall
When iOS 19 arrives this far, there are strong rumours that it'll enable real-time translations for AirPods using an iPhone's Translate app to do the translating.
If, for example, you speak English and are wearing AirPods and listening to a person speaking in another language, such as Spanish, your iPhone would detect the audio of the Spanish speaker and use the built-in Translate app to translate their words into English which you'd hear via your AirPods.
If you were to speak back to the Spanish person in English, your response would be translated and played in Spanish via your iPhone speakers.
If you have a Samsung Galaxy S24 or S25 phone, you can do that now via a feature called Live Translate, although users report mixed results…
Google's Pixel Buds offer virtually the same functionality through a dedicated Conversation Mode, but again, users say it doesn't always work, especally outdoors if there's noise or wind…
17) After nine years, Google is officially ditching its Google Assistant and replacing it with Gemini
Google is finally ditching Google Assistant, as it migrates mostr users over to its AI-powered Gemini assistant over the next few months. You won’t be able to download classic Google Assistant or access it on mobile devices “later this year.”
This won’t be for only smartphones. Google is planning to upgrade tablets, cars, and devices that connect to your phone, including headphones and watches, to Gemini. The company is also planning to bring a new Gemini-powered experience to speakers, displays, and TVs.
However, because Gemini requires a lot more processing power, older and budget phones running Android 9 or earlier, or having 2GB of RAM or less, will still have the classic Google Assistant.
18) If you have an Apple device, you can listen to His Majesty King Charles play his favourite music
If you open up the Apple Music app on an iPhone, iPad or Mac and tap on the Radio tab, and then "Latest Episodes", you'll find "The King's Music Room" — a 68-minute playlist of tunes with introductions by King Charles.
His Majesty's playlist may surprise you; it includes artists stretching from 1930s crooners to legendary artists Bob Marley, Kylie Minogue, and Grace Jones, alongside contemporary talent such as Davido and RAYE.
19) For the first time since their debut, smartwatch sales have dipped, with China outpacing North America in numbers sold
The worldwide smartwatch market fell by 7% in 2024, marking the market's first-ever annual decline. Apple is still the leading brand, with 23% of the global market and 53% of the North American market, but saw a significant 19% year-over-year drop in shipments.
Huawei is in second place globally with 13% (but hardly any in North America), while Samsung is in third place with 9% globally, but in second in North America with 24%.
20) US Justice Department is renewing its push for Google to sell Chrome, but is easing-off on its desire for Android to also be sold
In a new filing, the US Justice Department has reaffirmed its demand that Alphabet-owned Google must sell Chrome and stop paying companies to make Google Search the default option, but has dropped its demand that Google also sell-off its Android operating system.
The final decision on how Google must change will be made in April when the judge reviews proposals from both the government and Google.
Google has been battling an ongoing antitrust case for years, and a judge ruled last year that it illegally maintained its monopoly in online search.
21) Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy S25 Edge phone may cost more than $1500 here in Canada, but not be worth it
For people who want a screen bigger than most smartphone,s but not as big as a tablet, Samsung has it's Galaxy Edge line, which features a 6.6" (17cm) display.
The new S25 Edge model is on its way, but reports out of Korea where it's made, suggest it's going to have a hefty pricetag of at least $1500 here in Canada, but will be thinner, which will mean no more telephoto lens, and the screen will only have a full HD+ display and a 3,900mAh battery.
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.
A special "Vitejte" and "Benvenuto" to Lucy and Matteo — the mother and brother of our Czech/Italian homestay student Klára — who've flown in from Prague to join her and us for Spring Break!
After their flight into Vancouver, I took them to Granville Island, Stanley Park, and Capilano Canyon.
Klara is taking her brother to the Canucks/Black Hawks game on Saturday night, before they join us on the island, and we're taking them all to Long Beach on Sunday, along with....
A special "Willkommen in unserer familie" to Elodie, a Grade 11 girl from Winterthur, Switzerland, who'll be staying with us for the rest of the school year!
If you'd like to host an international high school student next year, school districts here and around the province are now looking for host families. Here are links where you can get more info:
Saanich: StudyInSaanich.ca/homestay
Victoria: StudyInVictoria.com/hosting-student
Gulf Islands: StudyInBC.ca/homestay
Central Okanagan: International.SD23.bc.ca
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"…
…submitted by Tech Talk listener Daryl…
And so it goes…