Sep. 13 & 14, 2025 Show Notes
Terry Fox Run / Rifflandia / Weekend Edition
🎙️ Show airs live
Saturday: 10:05am-Noon PT
🔁 Rebroadcast
Sunday: 1:05pm-3pm on C-FAX
🎧 Podcast
Anytime
Your crew this weekend:
Kyle Wilson
Colwood-based IT Specialist, Wikipedia Administrator, and a Business Insider contributor
X & BlueSky: @KWilsonMG
The Podcast
Listen now:
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Tech Talk – September 13th 2025 by Tech Talk with Alan Perry
On this week’s Tech Talk, Alan Perry is joined by Kyle Wilson, Colwood-based IT specialist, Wikipedia administrator, and Business Insider contributor. We dive into the latest tech headlines, including Apple’s brand-new iPhone 17 lineup, AirPods Pro with real-time Live Translation, and new Apple Watches. Plus, we warn you about scammers posing as Telus Mobility reps and answer your tech questions live on-air!
Or, you can subscribe to "Tech Talk with Alan Perry" (it's free) on any podcast app including these…
1) Watch out for scam emails claiming you won't be able to access your emails unless you do a Windows update
The scam emails (as shown in a screenshot below from astute Tech Talk listener Vicky), claim to be from Microsoft and claim that customers who do not take part ina scheduled update will no longer be able to access their email.
But if you look closely, you'll see (highlighted in yellow) that the emails are being sent not by Microsoft but from an address @emailengine.net which is based in Tallinn, Estonia and is operated by a company called Postal Systems OÜ…
You'll also see that the "click here" link will take you to a file on OneDrive, which is basically a PowerPoint slide with an embedded link…
…and if you click or tap on that, you'll be taken to a fake Microsoft account log-in portal on a website hosted by Studio Design in California…
If you give the scammers your email address and password, they'll immediately email you back to say that they're sending you a code to confirm your identity and asking you to give them that code. In fact, they're trying to change your account password and that code is what they need to do that, which would lock you out of your own account so they can steal your identity and then your money!
NEVER click or tap on links in emails or texts like this!
If you think it might be real (it NEVER is), you could go to Account.Microsoft.com and check your account status there.
2) Watch out for scam emails claiming to be from Shaw requiring you to log-in and accept a new privacy policy and Terms of Service
The emails, as shown in the screenshot below from careful Tech Talk listener Don, are coming from accounts pretending to be Rogers Care — except that there's a dot in Rogers and a space and a hyphen (R.ogers -Care) and are in fact being sent from @gmail.com…
As shown in the screenshot, the "Login and Update button takes you to a fake Shaw webpage on makeweb.co — which is based in Wellington, New Zealand…
If you provide an @shaw.ca email address and password and click/tap on "Sign In", you're giving overseas 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!
3) Beware of scammers posing as Telus Mobility reps, who phone and offer a new phone and a better rate
This has been happening in Oak Bay here in Victoria, but also in other communities.
The scam works like this: you get a call from someone claiming to be from Telus Mobility, who offers you a new smartphone and a better rate than your current rate.
They say they'll courier you the new phone with your number transfered into it, and ask you to send them your current phone. You mail your phone to the address for Telus on the mainland, but never get a new phone. The address you sent your current phone to was not Telus — it was a drop address for the scammer.
If you get a call like this, first of all, don't answer calls from numbers you don't recognize. And either way, if you get a pitch like this, just hang up.
4) The UK's Information Commissioner's Office is warning about students hacking their schools and universities for "fun"
The UK watchdog has issued a warning about the "worrying trend" that they've been observing of students either being dared to hack their educational institutions or just doing it for entertainment. Since 2022 the office has conducted 215 investigations into hacks and breaches in educational settings and determined that 57% of them were conducted by students. Almost a third of the breaches involved students logging into staff computers by guessing passwords or using stolen credentials.
The youngest student that they flagged was just 7 years old. That child was "referred to the National Crime Agency's Cyber Choices programme to help them understand the seriousness of their actions."
Tech Deals this Weekend
iPhone 17 models are already on sale at Freedom Mobile
Most Canadian Carriers are taking pre-orders on the new iPhone 17 and iPhone Air models, but prices vary surprisingly widely from carrier to carrier.
MobileSyrup.com has compiled a summary of the prices, and that's below,but to save you reading, far-and-away the best prices are being offered by Quebec-based Freedom Mobile.
If you go for the option to pay $299 up-front, you'll save $240 over two years on the iPhone 17, and you'll save $315 over two years on the iPhone 17 Pro, Pro Max, or iPhone Air, and will be on a $39/month plan giving you 60GB of Canada/USA/Mexico calling and roaming.
The breakout of the different options is in the PDF which is below…
See how Freedom's prices compare with the other carriers, here…
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.
10a) New iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max
The base-model iPhone 17 is powered by a new faster A19 chip, an improved Neural engine for faster AI work, a 20% faster GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a ProMotion variable refresh-rate screen to minimize blurring in fast action videos, Ceramic Glass 2 which is 3x more resistant to scratches, a new N1 networking chip for faster connectivity, plus faster charging (a 50% charge in 20 minutes). It comes with double the base storage — 256GB — and starts at $1129, the same price as the iPhone 16 did.
Apple's incredibly thin iPhone Air is the world's thinnest smartphone — just 5.6mm (less than ¼ inch) thick.
To prevent it from bending in your back pocket, Apple has made the frame out of polished aircraft-grade titanium, and says it's actually now the strongest iPhone made to date!
To enable it to have all-day battery life, Apple moved all the components up to the top, under what's being called the 'camera plateau', so the battery could fill all the rest of the space.
The iPhone Air has a base storage capacity of 256GB and starts at $1449 CAD — the same price as the iPhone 16 Pro when it was introduced last year.
The iPhone 17 Pro and larger (6.9") iPhone 17 Pro Max are made out of a new aerospace aluminum alloy which Apple says dissipates heat 20x better than the 16 and 16 Pro. The glass on the back is now a Ceramic Shield, which is 4x more resistant to cracking. The new Camera Plateau on the back allows for larger batteries, with the 17 Pro Max having the best battery life of any smartphone on the market, two hours more than the 17 Pro.
But the standout feature is their three 48MP Fusion cameras (ultrawide, normal, and 4x zoom), which offer up to 8x optical zoom, and up to 40x digital zoom while still retaining HD-quality…
The iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are powered by the blazing-fast new A19 Pro chip, as well as Neural Accelerators allowing the GPU and CPU to deliver up to 40% better sustained performance than the 16 Pro models they replace.
They have 256GB base storage and start at $1599 CAD and $1749 CAD respectively. That's $150 more than the 16 Pro (the only price hike in the lineup) while the 17 Pro Max is the same price as the 16 Pro Max was.
10b) New AirPods Pro with real-time Live Translation, Heart-Rate Sensing, and 2x better ANC (Automatic Noise Cancellation)
Apple has released AirPods Pro 3, and due to new foam tips (in five sizes instead of three previously) which it says bring a much-better acoustic seal, the Active Noice Cancelling is said to be twice as good as the AirPods Pro 2 they replace, and 4x the noice-cancelling of the original AirPods Pro.
They also bring heart-rate sensing to help you track your heart rate and calories burned during workouts via LEDs that pulse invisible light 256 times per second — and sensor fusion from the accelerometers. You can expect eight hours of use (including noise cancelling) on a single charge.
But the feature that's getting the most buzz is the addition of AI-powered Live Translation. Powered by Apple Intelligence, you can listen to people speaking in different languages around you, and hear real-time translations through your AirPods Pro 3. To respond, you just speak naturally, and your words will appear in the other person’s language on your iPhone screen. If you both have AirPods Pro 3, you can each speak in your own language and hear translations through your AirPods!
Live Translation is not limited to the new Airpods Pro 3, though; it's also coming to AirPods Pro 2 and the newer AirPods 4 models from last year, as long as they are paired with an iPhone that has Apple Intelligence — so iPhone 15 Pro and later models.
The Live Translation feature on AirPods will be blocked for people physically in the EU and users with EU-based Apple accounts
The exact reasoning behind this is unclear, but MacRumors suggests that could be related to the tight regulatory environment around artificial intelligence in the European Union.
The new iPod Pro 3 MagSafe Charging Case has a built-in speaker and more powerful Precision Finding to let you keep track of your AirPods Pro 3 no matter where they are.
The new AirPods Pro 3 are the same price as the model they replace — $329 CAD.
10c) New Apple Watch Series 11, SE 3, and Ultra 3
A trio of new Apple Watch models are here, all of them faster, brighter, and with longer battery life.
First, there’s the Apple Watch Series 11, its “thinnest and most comfortable” watch yet. Its Ion-X glass display has been improved to provide double the scratch resistance, while the battery life has been increased to 24 hours.
Apple is also introducing two new Health features alongside the Watch Series 11. The first, Heart Health, has to do with high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. The feature analyzes blood vessels and works in the background over 30-day periods, after which you’ll be notified of a potential case of hypertension. The second Health feature is Sleep Score, which ranks your sleep based on time in bed and spent in each sleep stage, when you go to bed and the time you spend awake. This score will then give you insight into how you can develop better sleep habits.
Next up was the Apple Watch SE 3, which brings an always-on display to the SE line for the first time. It also now supports gestures like double-tap and wrist flick, sleep apnea and Sleep Score features, ovulation estimates, an 18-hour battery life and fast-charging for the first time on SE.
And finally, Apple showed off the Apple Watch Ultra 3, which has the largest-ever Apple Watch display with wide-angle OLEDs, increased screen area and wider borders. On top of that, it boasts satellite connectivity for features like Emergency SOS (two free years included with purchase), Messages and Find My, 42 hours of battery life and more.
The starting prices of the SE 3, Series 11 and Ultra 3 Apple Watches are the same as the models which they replace — $329 CAD, $549 CAD, and $1099 CAD, respectively.
11) Apple's new Liquid Glass operating systems will be available as free upgrades starting on Monday - but please hold off upgrading!
Apple's Series "26" new operating systems for iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and Apple TV's will be available for free starting next Monday, the 15th.
Apple has changed the naming nomenclature, replacing the OS issue number (currently 18) with the last two digits of the year in which they'll get the most use, so it'll be iOS 26 for iPhones, iPadOS 26 for iPads, macOS Tahoe for computers, WatchOS 26 for Apple Watches, and tvOS 26 for Apple TVs.
This time, in addition to a raft of new features — including some very useful ones — the new operating systems bring a unified new appearance, called Liquid Glass, with the option of a much more transparent look. The key word here is 'option'. Due to a lot of negative feedback, the initial appearance will be much less-different than it was going to be, with the tranparency look reserved as an option you can turn on, and with several levels.
Info on the new appearance and features is below, but we strongly encourage you to hold-off downloading the new operating systems initally for two reasons — one, the new OS's always have a raft of bugs — and usually some fairly major ones, too — and two, the new features and changes will likely frustrate you until you learn how to use them.
Apple usually releases one or two updates to fix most of the bugs within two to three weeks of the initial release, and we encourage you to wait for those bug fix updates to be released before upgrading. That'll also give us time to make notes for you on the key new features and changes and how to use them.
Here's what's coming to iPhones in iOS 26…
Here's what's coming to iPads in iPadOS 26…
Here's what's coming to Macs and MacBooks in macOS Tahoe…
Here's what's coming to Apple Watches in watchOS 26…
12) iPhone 14 and 15 users are getting another free year of Apple’s satellite features
When Emergency SOS via Satellite launched on the iPhone 14 series, Apple said the feature would only be free for two years. However, three years later, and it looks like Apple has extended the trial even further.
Apple now says the free trial will be extended for iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users until November 2026. The feature is still free for two years after activation on iPhone 14 models and newer.
Last year with the launch of iOS 18, Apple added a new satellite messaging feature, letting you text when you have no data.
Learn how to send non-emergency texts via satellite when you're beyond cell range…
Instructions on how to send an emergency text via satellite are here…
13) High-speed internet finally coming to Jordan River, Port Renfrew, Pacheedaht First Nation, and Piers Island and Texada Island
The federal and BC governments are teaming-up with internet providers CityWest and Telus to extend high-speed internet to 500 homes in the Jordan River, Port Renfrew and Pacheedaht First Nation, as well as to 130 homes on Piers Island off Swartz Bay and Texada Island.
The province is footing $4.2 million of the cost and the federal government is providing $3.9 million.
Internet provider CityWest is also pitching in $476,116 for the two projects on Texada and Piers islands – while Telus is contributing $655,922 for the project on Vancouver Island – and the First Nation Health authority is contributing $664,284 for the project in the Pacheedaht First Nation.
With these projects, 95.8%of BC households will have access to high-speed internet speeds of 50Mbps or higher, and the province estimates that number to grow to 97.8% by next year.
14) Spotify is finally launching lossless audio
Lossless audio has been one of the most anticipated features on Spotify and now, finally, it’s started rolling out to Premium listeners in select markets. Lossless audio is the highest quality of music playback you can get.
It's available now in the United States, and Spotify says it should be available in 50 other countries— including Canada—by the end of October.
Premium subscribers will receive a notification in Spotify once Lossless becomes available to them.
Spotify
Lossless Listening Arrives on Spotify Premium With a Richer, More Detailed Listening Experience — Spotify
Lossless on Spotify Premium is here. Lossless audio has been one of the most anticipated features on Spotify and now, finally, it’s started rolling out to Premium listeners in select markets. Premium subscribers will receive a notification in Spotify once Lossless becomes available to them. Whether you’re diving into a new album or revisiting old...
15) You can now submit an online claim for a share of the $500 million dollar Canadian bread price-fixing class-action settlement
If you bought packaged bread here in Canada between 2001 and 2021, you're eligible to submit a claim for compensation from the $500 million which Loblaw's/Weston has agreed to pay to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging the conspired to inflate the price of bread during that 20 year period.
The lawyers handling the case have now open the claims portal at CanadianBreadSettlement.ca and claims can be easily submitted online between now and Dec. 1. How much you'll get will depend on how many Canadians file a claim, but legal analysts figure we should each get about $25.
16) OpenAI executives are concerned that California might stymie their efforts to become a for-profit company.
In a Wall Street Journal exclusive, the Journal says there are growing concerns amongst the non-profit's executive ranks and prompted possible discussions to relocate outside of California.
Regulators have raised concerns over OpenAI's motives for the restructure, citing a rise in troubling ChatGPT-related deaths as a sign the company has been prioritizing revenue and usage over its non-profit mission to create AI for the public benefit. For its part, OpenAI has stated that it is committed to addressing the California Attorney General's concerns.
17) The Encyclopedia Britannica and dictionary-maker Merriam-Webster have sued AI company Perplexity for copyright violations
The two companies accuse Perplexity of plagiarizing their word definitions and stealing web traffic that would otherwise make its way to them.
18) Microsoft will avoid a fine by regulators in the European Union over its popular Teams platform
The anti-trust investigation was originally raised by regulators following a complaint by Teams' business communications competitor Slack regarding the bundling of Microsoft Teams with Office and Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Microsoft has agreed to resolve the complaint by offering versions of both product lines without Teams for a reduced price. The tech giant has also agreed to allow users to move their data out of Microsoft Teams to competitors and provide interoperability for key functionalities with competitors.
20) How to run Onboard Self-Diagnostics Mode on an iPhone or iPad
If your iPhone or iPad is acting-up, you can check for solutions using your iPhone or iPad's on-device diagnostics function.
This is compatible with:
- iPhone 12 or newer (including iPhone SE 3rd generation)
- Most iPad models from 2020 or newer
Start by putting your device into Diagnostics Mode. Instructions on how to do that are here…
More info on how to use that onboard diagnostics tool is here…
discussions.apple.com
Diagnose Issues with your Device Using On… - Apple Community
If your device is experiencing an issue and you would like to run some tests yourself before going to the Genius Bar at an Apple Store or reaching out to Apple Support, you can check for certain issues using your iPhone or iPad's on-device diagnostics function.
21) Albania's Prime Minister has appointed a Minister to tackle corruption, but there's a catch: the Minister is an AI-generated bot
The goal of the AI generated "minister", named "Diella", is to solve 100% of corruption in public tenders, to improve government efficiency, and help ensure "full transparency".
The bot is created in cooperation with Microsoft. Whether this violates Albania's constitution or is allowed by current laws is an open question, and the country's president has stopped short of calling the bot an actual minister in a ministerial post. It's unclear whether lawmakers will vote on Diella's virtual post.
22) Artificial intelligence is helping some farmers tackle a changing climate
The use of artificial intelligence in agriculture has helped farmers identify crop diseases, find affordable farm equipment, and recommend suitable crops for changing soil conditions. Private investment in agri-tech in sub-Saharan Africa rose from just $10 million in 2014 to $600 million in 2022, according to World Bank.
There are, however, concerns about building trust and dealing with AI "hallucinations" or bad advice for those who are already struggling at the brink of poverty, like many African farmers. Despite this, there have been noted increases in productivity where AI has been used, according to the Malawian government. The agriculture ministry has released its own artificial intelligence, Ulangizi, which translates to advisor in the Chichewa language, and trained it on the ministry's own official farming advice.
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.
We're sending wishes for a speedy recovery to our American counterpart, Rich DeMuro, the host of "Rich On Tech" on the iHeartRadio Network in the USA, who was in a car crash in L-A on Thursday…
Rich is normally heard live Saturdays 11am-2pm on KFI 640 in L-A and on iHeartRadio USA.
Find him on Instagram at Instagram.com/RichOnTech
…and finally, our "Sign Of The Week"…
And so it goes…