If you have an iPhone or an IPad made in the last within the last seven years, Apple has released an important update — iOS/iPadOS 17.1.2 — which includes security patches as well as bug fixes. The security patches include critical fixes for two flaws which hackers have started exploting to gain access to iPhones. More here.

If you have a Mac that's running macOS Sonoma, Apple has released a critical security update — macOS 14.1.2 — to fix the same security holes as in the iPhone/iPad update above. More here.

If you click the RENEW SUBSCRIPTION button, you'll be taken to a fake Norton screen hosted on a website in France (.fr), where they'll offer you a renewal at a rediculously low price — provided you give them your credit card info. If you do, the scammers will max out your credit within an hou! Two important lessons: one, NEVER call a number in an email invoice or receipt for something you didn't order, and two, NEVER click on buttons in emails (or texts) warning you that something bad will happen if you don't take action immediately.

Numerous police departments and others in the USA have recently issued warnings that “anyone can place their iPhone next to yours (or your child’s iPhone) and automatically receive their contact info”. This is completely wrong. When two iPhones running iOS 17 are placed next to each other, contact cards containing an email and phone number appear on the both devices, but with two on-screen prompt options: ‘Share’ or ‘Recieve Only'. Share allows users to swap details, while Recieve Only allows one user to share info with the other. But nothing can be shared without both people tapping on one of the buttons, something which law enforcement agencies seem to be overlooking. So, if you see a post online urging you to immediately disable NameDrop, relax — you don't need to. More here.

In order for users of its search tools to be allowed to continue to find content from Canadian news sources, Google has agreed to contribute $100 million a year to Canadian news outlets. The agreement is a compromise for the Government of Canada — and for Google. The government wanted Google to pay $172 million a year, while Google didn't want to be responsible for paying individual outlets. The Online News Act agreement means Google will pay the $100 million — which will be indexed annually to inflation — to a collective which will distribute the money to news outlets based on the number of people they employ. Facebook's parent company, Meta, is so far refusing to make a similar deal, and instead is continuing to block users of Facebook and Instagram from sharing Canadian news content. More here.

If you see "No Service" in the corner of your phone, you likely missed a package mailed to you by Rogers, which contained a new SIM card and a cutoff date when your Shaw Mobile account would be shut-down and your number auto-migrated. If you can find that package, you can insert the SIM card in it or scan the eSIM code in it, and get back online. You can then follow the instructions to create your My Rogers account. If you can't find that package, you can go to a Rogers store for help. If you're a Shaw Mobile customer and haven't yet migrated to Rogers, please follow the instructions in my Migration Notes here and get to a Rogers store ASAP before your service gets cut off! More here.

In an unexpected move, Apple and Google have both independently skipped AI apps in choosing their App Of The Year. Apple has instead chosen AllTrails. It's a superb app, and we highly recommend it, even if you're just a casual hiker. It includes trails that even locals don't know about, and excellent info about degrees of difficulty and elevation gains. It'll also guide you back to your starting point if you get lost! There's both a free version, and AllTrails+, which is $36/year and which lets you download trail maps for navigation in areas where there's weak or no cell service. We recommend you try the free version (available for iPhone and Android), and if you like it, subscribe to AllTrails+. More on AllTrails here, and on the other category winners, here.

The visual-learning app Imprint is Google's choice for App Of The Year. Imprint helps you understand complex topics quickly, with elegant visuals that clarify key ideas and help you stay focussed and retain what you'e learned. Note: Imprint offers a one-week free trial, but after that, it's $16 USD per month or $100 USD per year. More on Imprint, here, and on all the winners, here.

The MW editors say "authentic" is a high-volume word lookup most years, but saw a substantial increase in 2023, driven by stories and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media. Merriam-Webster says other notable words of 2023 include rizz, deepfake, coronation, implode, dystopian, EGOT, and doppelgänger. More here.

Microsoft is reportedly working on a mobile gaming store to directly compete with Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. Microsoft’s mobile gaming store would leverage its cloud gaming technology, which allows users to stream high-quality games to their phones without downloading them. More here.

Google has begun deleting millions of (gMail) accounts that have been inactive for two years or more. Google says it's initially deleting accounts that were created but never used, but will then move on to ones that just haven't been used since late 2021. The vast majority of affected accounts are @gmail.com accounts, but there are a fair number that were created using non-gmail accounts. If you have an @gmail.com account that's forwarded to another address, you won't be affected. To find out if you have an inactive Google account that's about to be deleted, go to Accounts.Google.com and see if it offers an @gmail.com address you don't use, and sign in if it does. If not, try signing-in with any non-gmail email address that you do use, and see if that's a Google account. More here.

Two years behind schedule, Elon Musk's Tesla company this week began delivering the first of its much-anticipated Cybertrucks. The price has jumped from the initial 2020 estimate of $53,000 CAD; the cheapest model is now $83,000 CAD, while the top-of-the-line Cyberbeast model is $135,000 CAD. On the other hand, they now have a 540km charge range, which you can boost to 750km with an extender package. And there are videos showing a Cybertruck outpulling electric trucks from Rivian and Ford as well as a Cybertruck handily beating a Porsche 911 in a drag race — while towing another Porsche 911! More here, and here.

Consumer Reports has released its annual review of electric vehicles, and it concludes that owners of most EV's experience considerably more problems than gas or diesel vehicles. To be fair, some of the problems are minor, such as panels that aren't perfectly aligned. CR says hybrids were found to be the most reliable cars, while PHEVs (plug-in hybrids) were the least reliable in its most recent survey, and Tesla's Model Y is newly recommended, joining Tesla's Model 3 in getting a CR thumbs-up. More here.

Just in time for the holidays, Air Canada has added real-time baggage and mobility aid tracking to its mobile app. The system is based on the same tag scanning info that Air Canada employees use at each stage to handle these items. Initially available to customers travelling within Canada, the tracking feature will be expanded to Air Canada's U.S. flights next year and, over time, to select international destinations. The tracker's "What's Next" feature tells you the next step for your belongings, including info on where to pick up your bag, such as an airport baggage carousel number, either at a transfer point or the end of their journey. More here.

The European Union has quietly decided to delay the start-up of the ETIAS VISA Waiver program until 2025. It was supposed to start next month. ETIAS stands for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, and the EU created it in an effort to identify any risks associated with visa waiver-exempt visitors, including Canadians, travelling to Europe. An ETIAS Visa Waiver will cost €7 which is about $10 CAD. Canadians under the age of 18 or 70 years of age and older will not have to pay for an ETIAS Visa Waiver, but will still need to get one before travelling to Europe. However, the start-up of the program has now been delayed until 2025. More at ETIAS.ca.

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and the owner of X/Twitter, has accused some of the biggest advertisers of trying to “blackmail” him and his social network by pulling their spending following his endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory. More here.

If you're looking for a gift for a techie who has everything, our friend Ron Fraser found this: a USB-C rechargeable waterproof and windproof plasma-powered lighter with a built-in LED light. This'd be a great gift for someone who goes camping a lot, as the lighter has no fuel and works even in the rain…

Ron bought one and says it works well! I can't find it in any stores, but it's just $22 on Amazon, here.

Apple AirTags are great, but don't fit into a wallet. Enter Eufy, who have made a Find My-compatible SmartTrack Link tracker which is the size of a credit card and just twice the thickness. It's also twice as loud as an AirTag, and has a QR code on the back that someone who finds it can scan to see contact info for the owner. Android users can also track their wallet by using the MyEufy app. The Eufy SmartTrack Link is $40 at Best Buy stores and online.

Eufy also makes an AirTag-style tracker which is twice as loud as an AirTag and doesn't need a holder, as it has a keyring hole in the corner. It's $30 at Best Buy stores and online. More on how they work, here.