04-25-26 How Robotaxis Work And What To Watch For

Waymo is officially giving rides around metro Orlando, and that single fact kicks off a bigger question: are we ready for a world where “rideshare” no longer includes a driver? We walk through what Waymo’s launch looks like on the ground, why it is avoiding interstates for now, and the real-world situations that test every self-driving system, from construction zones and emergency vehicles to Central Florida heavy rain. We also touch Tesla’s robotaxi ambitions and how quickly this technology can reshape the same transportation industry Uber upended.

Then we get practical. New tech brings new scams, so we share how to protect yourself from fake ride apps, sketchy QR codes, and phishing texts designed to steal your info. We also talk privacy in autonomous vehicles, because “no driver” does not mean private. Cabin audio and video recording, plus GPS location history, can be part of the service, and you should assume it is stored somewhere.

From there, we shift to something you can control today: your next computer purchase and your online security. We explain why refurbished computers can be a better value than new, especially when bloatware is removed and the refurb process is done right with details like fresh thermal paste and a new CMOS battery. Finally, we break down the booking.com breach mindset and the defenses that matter most: unique passwords, password managers, passkeys, authenticator apps, and even pausing your credit card to stop fraud before it starts.

If this helped, subscribe so you never miss a week, share the show with a friend who needs safer tech habits, and leave a review with the one topic you want us to tackle next.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Hey then, welcome to Tech Talk here on WDBO 1073FM and AM580, Orlando's News and Talk. I'm Greg Rhodes here with David Levitt, president and founder of Refresh Computer Superstore. And you can contact the Refresh Computer Superstore by calling their free tech support hotline at 407-478-8200. Or if you have any other comments during the show, go ahead and leave an open mic using the WDBO app. You can also check out the website over at Refresh Computers.net or stop it at the Refresh Computer Superstore in Longwood at 820 East State Road 434, just three and a half miles east of I-4 in Longwood. Store hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you're listening to the show here on Saturday, means you still have time to stop by. They'll be open until 7 p.m. today. And now for the man himself, David Levitt.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

All right. Thanks, Greg. And thanks everybody for listening to Tech Talk with Refresh Computers. We got a lot of really cool stuff to talk about today. One of them, Greg, is Waymo just entering the place in Orlando.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Entering the market in Orlando, expanding their market share in Orlando, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:12

They are. And so, you know, we're that's kind of an exciting thing. So you can actually download the Waymo app and use that to get rides around Orlando. We'll talk a little bit more about that and also what's going on with Tesla's Robo Taxi as well. And a little later in the show, we're going to be talking about the difference between refurbished and new. That's not maybe apparent to a lot of people. Refurbished computers and laptops, that is. And then we'll talk about data breach that happened with booking.com. So if you're using them, it's important for you to listen up for that segment. That's coming a little later on the show. And then we will follow up with the show that, you know, hey, Blue Origin figured out how to talk about refurbishing. They talk and Blue Origin figured out how to reuse a rocket, and they had their first success at that.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

Figured out how to catch a rocket. Not sure if they know how to put a satellite in the correct orbit just yet, but we'll talk a little bit more about that later on in the show.

SPEAKER_00 2:09

That's right. So let's get into Waymo and what that means. So, yeah, folks, it's available now in the Orlando area. It was launched in by invitation only back in February.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

And that was very restrictive to the area. It was kind of over in only the uh tourism areas, so like near Universal and that kind of block. But recently a big expansion, right?

SPEAKER_00 2:30

So yeah, it expanded to you know public access via the Waymo app, like I mentioned earlier. It's just started here in mid-April. And gosh, there's 60,000 plus early riders already.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

That many already? My goodness.

SPEAKER_00 2:46

So just in the Orlando area. So you've mentioned that it won't go on the interstate yet.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Right. Yeah. They're kind of keeping it from getting it to the high speed travel just now. And uh everybody who's driven on I-4 can probably understand that people have enough trouble on I-4, much less uh some of the new AI uh models. But I think the the Waymo right now, it's just kind of taking like highways and byways to kind of get you around the full metropolitan area right now.

SPEAKER_00 3:11

Wow. So I wonder if you could actually do a Waymo from Longwood to downtown. That's a good question.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

I'm not sure exactly where that boundary runs.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

We'll have to, you know, we I bet you the app will tell you.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

We could do a we could do a show from the back of a Waymo.

SPEAKER_00 3:24

That's right. We'll download the app and and give that a shot and see what we can come up with. And so the other news in the autonomous ride sharing programs are is Tesla. You know, they announced they're they're expanding in Dallas and Houston. So they're, I mean, going big time there, self-driving cars. And you know, this whole thing is centers around, you know, robotaxi, right? For lack of another better term. What what does it actually mean? It's basically a rideshare service, just like Uber, but there's no driver, right? So it's all autonomous and it's all self-driven. And what does autonomous mean? So it's using cameras and also sensors to navigate. So, you know, it has a you know, there's some tough things for it to be able to do in order to navigate safely, I should say. You know, safety's a big, a big deal, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:24

Right. And I think that's been a lot of people's kind of hesitation to kind of work into some of these new programs. They they kind of don't see the the safety aspect there quite yet. You kind of need sometimes, and like I mentioned, the I-4, it was a little bit of a joke, but also a little bit serious. There's some critical thinking that needs to take place when it comes to navigating some of these busy roadways and some of these unique situations that come up when we're traveling around sometimes.

SPEAKER_00 4:47

Well, yeah, I mean you have construction zones, right? So it has to know how to navigate around construction zones that it probably didn't know about until it came upon them. Right. You know, so it has to be able to do that. Emergency vehicles coming and going, pedestrians, people just, you know, darting out and in the intersection. And, you know, I I can see this now, some crazy kids out there playing with autonomous vehicles, you know, right doing that kind of stuff. Heavy rain, you know, which we get a lot of right here in Central Florida. That's another thing that these vehicles have to learn how to navigate in because they don't just shut down when the rain starts coming. Right. Yeah, hopefully not very helpful when it's not supposed to anymore.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

Not very helpful when it starts raining and I can't get a ride anymore.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

But yeah, so there's a lot of you know repeatable routes, right? So and this is what they they excel in, like maybe to the airport. Yep, that kind of thing is nice. And of course, all of the parks, all the thing parks in Central Florida would be a good place to take a Waymo.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

Right. No, as we mentioned, that was kind of where Waymo started out here with their test here in Central Florida, was in that universal studios district. A lot of travel between those different parks and eateries and all those kinds of different areas. I I wonder how much the mapping of a city helps. Like if you're more of like a grid-styled city, that would really probably help a lot with the mapping and kind of planning out for these routes, right? Probably.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

And that might have to do with why they chose or why they choose certain cities over others, right? Is how well it's easily mapped.

SPEAKER_01 6:24

I remember a few years ago, and it feels like it now eons ago, that they were not even allowing rideshare apps to pick you up from the airport. Well, now this is uh this is changing the uh industry completely at this point.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

I remember taking a picture of a sign at the Orlando International Airport says warning, big warning, do not use rideshare vehicles because they're dangerous. It actually had that. Right. You know, at you know it maybe not worded exactly like that, but that was the gist of it.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

Right. Such a just it's turned on its head completely at this point. And it'll be interesting to see if they start having kind of those same things for the autonomous vehicles. But it seems like a lot of these are kind of really in agreement with those cities, the way that they're kind of transplanting things around now at this point.

SPEAKER_00 7:09

Oh, of course. And so it's really crazy how fast technology displaces things, right? So remember when Uber first came out? What did it display? I mean, the whole taxi industry was up in uproar. I mean, it was just it r ruined in their mind the entire taxi industry. It it it certainly I don't know if it ruined it, but it it severely modified it.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Yeah, which I mean, to be fair it needed. You realize how archaic it was to still have to call somebody to schedule a ride that wouldn't be there first. It would take they'll they would come at their convenience to come pick you up.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

But you know, that that seems kind of old fashioned. And not to know the price. And not to know the price.

SPEAKER_01 7:58

And then not to know the price. I th there's well again, so much technology and advancement, even up to that point.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 8:04

That now, yeah, I agree. It definitely needed that wake-up call to come back to the same thing.

SPEAKER_00 8:07

So that displaced that was a big displacement because of technology, because of the Uber app that came out and the others that followed. And so now Uber is getting replaced and in some cases by itself because Uber is also getting into the autonomous vehicle marketplace because they basically don't have any choice, right? I mean, they it's it's it's it's pay to you gotta play the game, you gotta go move forward with technology. And so the one app that changed the world has just changed it all over again. All over again. You know, within a short amount of time. When when did Uber come out? I'd have to look that up. It hasn't been 10 years, right? I mean, probably probably not even ten years ago, if it was ten years ago. And now it's all being updated with these autonomous vehicles.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

In 2009. 2009 in San Francisco, but again, same idea. It started out in a very limited release in San Francisco in 09.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

And you know, and city governments didn't want it, you know, they it was just crazy. Now city governments are loving the autonomous vehicles and just and and just can't wait to have them in their city. So, and for you know, for good reason. So, but before you ride, make sure you are using the correct app. Very important. And and guess what's going to be coming? It's probably already coming. QR codes, text it to you, things like this to sign up for, ride share, or you know, these types of autonomous things that are fake.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

Things that we've warned you about in past episodes of Tech Talk here. And if you haven't, if you haven't checked it out, go ahead and check out the podcast listing there on the RefreshComputers.net website where you can listen back to all those different episodes that we've talked about so many times to watch out for these kinds of scams.

SPEAKER_00 9:59

And you can also sign up for these podcasts because this radio show turns into a podcast. You can sign up for them so it they'll come in your email. So just go to refreshcomputers.net. Down at the bottom of any page on the website, there's just a simple box. Enter your email address. We don't ask you for all this other information. All you have to do is put it in your email address right down there, and you've signed up to receive these notifications when the podcasts come out. So some really cool, cool stuff that we talk about here, and I hope you're enjoying it. So another thing that you need to be aware of when you're using autonomous vehicles, the privacy issue. Right? There's a privacy thing that you need to you need to know. You're being recorded the whole time you're in one of these vehicles. You're being recorded. And so not only are you being recorded with video and audio, there's they're storing that someplace. And and then and they might be using it to better their service, you know, in their own words. Sure. And so just you know, maybe be careful what you talk about. Right. You're using one of these rights here.

SPEAKER_01 11:07

You think that you're in a private situation because there isn't a driver, but think of it like you're still in one of those kind of drivered taxis. You have somebody that maybe you shouldn't have that kind of conversation in front of. All of these, like you mentioned, are it's gonna be all recorded, it's all gonna be somewhere. Just be mindful. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 11:25

And not only does it record your video, the video and audio of you, it records where you are. So the GPS data is noted. So, you know, there's some things here, and you know, when you sign up for the app, let's be clear, somewhere in the fine print, you're okay with all that.

unknown 11:43

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 11:44

So just so you know, if you use an autonomous vehicle, whether it's Waymo or any of the other ones, because th they'll they'll be very prevalent here, very quick. I mean, they're already very popular in Orlando and they just got released. Yeah, no, you you like you mentioned some 60,000 people already done. In just a week or two, you know, have been using the the Waymo service. So, you know, and or I think Orlando's like a perfect place for these because tourists number one. And you know, wherever you live, it seems like just about anywhere you live in the in the metropolitan Orlando area, to get to the airport is just not a very easy direct thing to do. It's like it's you know, just because of where it's located, it's it's it's it's not an easy ride to the airport. So yeah, I'm definitely gonna check out the possibility of using it instead of using an Uber or a Lyft service, which is we we use that a lot in our household to get to the airport and come back because well, it's convenient.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

Right, right. And to your point on that, I wonder what the pricing difference could be between utilizing these new autonomous vehicles versus the traditional Uber Lyft drivered vehicles, you know?

SPEAKER_00 13:01

Yeah, you know, and that's another reason to go ahead and I I think I'm gonna get the app and try it out and see what the pricing is. And supposedly it's it's it's compatible or comparable to the the the rights here. And then you know when these companies get this down I mean a hundred percent, and I don't think they're quite there, but when they get this whole thing going a hundred percent, you know, with with accuracy and everything else, it should be cheaper because it there's no driver to pay. They've already invested in the in the vehicle. So, you know, the and by the way, the the vehicle itself that Waymo's using is a really cool, it's called a it's a Jaguar. It's called a Jaguar eye pace, they call it built specifically for for for Waymo uh and to be used in these autonomous vehicles. So it'd be pretty cool to take a ride just you know for the heck of it.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

I guess we'll have to we'll have to set it up and record a a segment of the show in the back seat. That that's okay for them to listen in on. We're happy for them to listen in on an episode of our show being recorded.

SPEAKER_00 14:09

Yeah, that's right. So, anyhow, so you know, we're just about out of time for this segment, and so stay tuned because we're gonna talk about refurbished computers versus new computers and why oftentimes getting a refurbished computer is better than a new computer. There's lots of reasons why. Lots of great reasons. Not just price, but performance also, surprisingly. We'll talk about that after this next break.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

Important piece to all of it. You've been listening to Tech Talk right here on WDBO 1073FM and AM580. I'm Greg Rhodes here with David Levitt, president and founder of Refresh Computer Superstore. You can contact the Refresh Computer Superstore by calling their free tech support hotline at 407-478-8200. Or if you have any other comments during the show, we'd love to hear them use that open mic feature inside the WDBO app.

SPEAKER_00 15:19

And now back to David. All right, thanks, Greg, and thanks everybody for listening to Tech Talk with Refresh Computers. If you missed anything in the last segment, we talked about Waymo, which is actively running in the Metropolitan Orlando area right now. It just started a week or two ago. And you can download the Waymo app on your favorite device and use it to start using that service. Some 60,000 people have already done that in Central Florida. It's crazy. Just in a week or two. And if you missed any of that, you go to the go to our website, refreshcomputers.net. You can click on the podcast link and listen to this show in its entirety without commercials. And while you're there, go to the bottom of the page, enter your email address down there, and you'll be subscribed to receive notification whenever a new podcast has been published on the website. And you know, we've made a little change of that too, Greg, as we give actual bullet points of what we're talked about.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

So I've seen the new postings on social media that are tied to those, and they have a great they'll go into great detail exactly what we talk about. If it's an episode you're interested in, you can listen to the whole thing, or if you just want a couple of the quick bullet points to review.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

There you go. So it's really easy to use now. So we're that was by popular demand. I mean, that was the customers, actually listeners, saying, Hey, I really need this. And so you develop that using AI and it comes out really well. So refurbished or new. So what do you get? So one thing that you get in a new computer that you probably can do without, or most people can do without, is all the bloatware.

SPEAKER_01 16:58

Oh, the bloatware.

SPEAKER_00 17:00

So we've talked about this before. So what is bloatware? Bloatware is, you know, when you buy a new computer somewhere and you turn it on, and the first time you turn it on, you'll see something telling you to sign up for this antivirus, you know, program. That's bloatware. It's taking up space and resources on your computer. And then it's time. So it'll wait probably a couple days. You'll get another pop-up. Oh, you need to sign up for this too. Don't forget that.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

That's all we have a free trial for your new computer purchase on the show. That's right. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 17:32

So this continues for a while and it and it's just aggravating. And like and it slows down your computer. So bloatware slows it. We've had people that bought new computers somewhere and had and brought them in and just had us just remove all the bloatware, which we can do for you.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

That's great service. That's so important. Like you mentioned, we were we're gonna focus on refurbished here in a moment. But when you get that new computer, bring it in, and you guys are able to set that up like it's supposed to be when it's brand new.

SPEAKER_00 17:59

When you turn it on, it just comes on. It's not begging you to do something else. And so uh refresh computers, we we install no bloatware on our computers whatsoever. There are places that refurbish computers that still install the bloatware on the refurbished computers too. So kind of got to watch out for that. We don't do that at all. And you know, there's so many things that that makes our refurbished computers faster than a new computer. One is there's no bloatware, so it's not taking up those resources or space, it takes up disk space as well. And the other is the fact that it gets brand new thermal paste on the desktops, and that's so important. Which if you see refurbished computers somewhere else online, I'm gonna tell you the chances are probably in the high 90 percentile that they do not put new thermal paste on the thermal, in other words, right? Because it's a process, takes a little bit of time, but we want to make sure that your computer is gonna run better than new when you buy it from refreshed computers, and in order to do that, we just apply new thermal paste to all the CPUs by default. Another thing that we do that you're not gonna get probably anywhere else is put a new CMOS battery in all the computers just by default. You know, we don't bother taking the battery out and testing it and if it's good, putting it back in. No, we don't do any of that. We take the battery out, recycle it, put a brand new battery in there for you.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

It's the housekeeping steps that other people don't take or that makes a refresh computer better and different than everybody else. That's the whole point behind it.

SPEAKER_00 19:37

So there's some red flags out there. So when you're looking for online for refurbished computer, if you don't buy them from refresh computers, like anything that's as is or they give vague condition notes. Uh missing serial numbers, uh no mention of testing, and a lot of times the sellers don't they're not even available to answer simple questions, which is another big plus of buying a refurbished computer from refreshed computers, because we're right there. If you have any questions and you need any help with anything, we're right there.

SPEAKER_01 20:05

You've been listening to Tech Talk right here on WDBO 1073FM and AM580. Hey there and welcome back to Tech Talk here on WDBO 1073FM and AM580, Orlando's news and talk. I'm Greg Rhodes here with David Levitt, president and founder of Refresh Computer Superstore. You can contact the Refresh Computer Superstore by calling their free tech support hotline at 407-478-8200. Or if you have any other comments during the show, go ahead and leave one using that open mic feature inside the WDBO app. You can also check out their website over at RefreshComputers.net or stop at the Refresh Computer Superstore in Longwood at 820 East State Road 434, just three and a half miles east of I-4 in Longwood. Store hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. And if you're listening to the show here on Saturday, that means you still have time to stop by. They'll be open until 7 p.m. today.

SPEAKER_00 21:09

And now back to David. All right. Thanks, Greg, and thanks everybody for listening to Tech Talk with Refreshed Computers. If you missed anything, the first segment we talked about the new robo taxis that are prevalent in the Central Florida area now. Actually, prevalent, yes. Waymo just announced that they, well, they announced a couple weeks ago, going live. They went out of test mode into live mode. So you can download that Waymo app and try it out yourself in Central Florida. They don't drive on the interstate yet, though. Not quite, but they will. They will. And we also talked about the difference between refurbished computers and new computers and why oftentimes refurbished computers are a better deal. Well, they're always a better deal, but why they're better purchased to begin with, because a lot of times they are faster than a new computer. We get we got into the reasons why. And so this segment we are going to talk about a new data breach that came out with booking.com, very popular booking site, right? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 22:10

It seems like there's a a new one of these almost every other week where these data breaches that contain a lot of your very important data. You need to give up a lot of information to go through some of these booking sites.

SPEAKER_00 22:20

Just to use the app. So you're giving up your your credit card information, of course, your you know, things like your age are prevalent there. Your address where you live, you know, that's all out there. And sometimes you, you know, it's even your social security number, probably not for booking.com, but other apps, you know, that that might be might be used. So, you know, so the stakes are are pretty high, and breaches are basically a when, right? Not a if. So when are they gonna happen? So you always have to have that in mind that you know your data is going to be breached if you're online. It just is and what can you do to protect your data? We're gonna talk about. We've talked about some of these things in previous shows, and and why is it when and not if. You know, the big why is because these nefarious people, these these these scammers out there can can make money off of you and they're gonna figure out a way to do it. A lot of times they're most of the time, they're in foreign countries, you know, they're Iranian, even they're Russian, they're Chinese, and all over the world, you know, these people make their living scamming you.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

Right. Yeah. Your data is more valuable in just from the advertising point of view for the legitimate uses to all the way to, like you mentioned, to those nefarious uses of fake accounts and stealing your credit, things like that.

SPEAKER_00 23:53

So, what does data breach mean? That's you know, sometimes it's just your email and your password options. So we'll talk about what you can do with that. Um oftentimes it's just your addresses, payment information, even partial payment information, like the last four, your credit card number, all that stuff can be used against you, you know, with by these people when they get your data. So we're gonna talk about changing your passwords often if you still use passwords. You know, so and don't use, of course, don't you know this? Should be old news by now. We preach it, we preach it all the time. Don't use the same password on more than one site. Use a password manager and use a different password for every site.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

That's the advantage, especially with those password managers anymore. You they used to tell you always, like, try and come up with these really complicated passwords, but you had no help to come up with them. So it was really difficult to kind of come up with those. So now you've got these password managers that can create these random character arrangements that you don't have to remember because it's saved somewhere.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

And so, you know, Google Password Manager. So if you use Chrome operating system, use the Google Password Manager tool. It's built in, it's easy to use, saves your password. So no matter what device you're using, it'll remember, and you can just log in using the password manager. But even that can be breached. And those things have been breached in the past. So, what can you do about that? That's why more recently we've been advocating the use of a pass key. So a pass key is something that's simple to use, it's device specific. So you set when you set up a pass key, it knows that you're using your iPhone, it knows that you're using your desktop, and it knows you. So if you're using your desktop and you set up that pass key on your desktop, it's gonna be on your iPhone also. And so it's just automatic, it's like magic, it just works. Okay, and it's simple to use and it's safer than passwords. Now you still have your passwords in there, but you're using the pass key to get past the password manager in order to log in. And so that's a definitely a very safe thing to do, and we highly, highly recommend it. So if you think that your data has been breached, log into your credit card company. Again, even if you have even if it's not for a fraudulent charge, I'm not talking about just fraudulent charges or oh, it's a charge I don't recognize. So let me log into my credit card company and turn off my credit card until I can get this figured out because you can do that. I mean, every credit card company has that now. So you you can log into your system, to their system, and turn off your credit card. You don't have to cancel it just yet, because maybe, because you know, canceling a credit card is a big major pain. Yeah, and it's not great on your credit report either. It's not. I mean, so it's I mean it's not a major pain to cancel it. That's pretty easy, but the ramifications of canceling your credit card can be very painful if you've had to do it, you know what I mean. So, but in the meantime, you can just pause it. So just make sure it's not usable. You can do that by logging into your whatever credit card company that you use. And if for some reason they don't have that feature, I might be looking at getting a different credit card. Maybe you should close that credit card. Maybe some of the maybe some of the credit unions, I'm not sure. Maybe maybe they don't have that.

SPEAKER_01 27:27

Yeah, I I personally I bank through a credit union and they do. They offer that they offer that feature as well.

SPEAKER_00 27:31

So there's uh nice to know. But so here's are all these are all the reasons or some of the reasons that you should just go ahead and hold, put your credit card on hold, log in, say pause. Don't let anything else charge here. Not just because you got a charge you don't recognize, but maybe you used booking.com a few weeks ago or a month ago or a year ago, and you saw in the news or you heard on this radio show or podcast that booking.com got compromised. So if you had used it in the past, go in there and pause your credit card for for for a while, and then when you're ready to use it again, unpause it. And because it's not just the fraudulent charges, it's it's to prevent the fraudulent charges. So if they got your address, they got part of your credit card number during this this data breach, that gives them tools to start doing some charges on that card that you used on booking.com. Right.

SPEAKER_01 28:38

And just because you're hearing this report now doesn't mean that they're trying to actively use your credit card at this exact moment. There's time frames that they look to try and roll these kinds of data out to try and test what card is still active. The who who did go through the steps and change their credit card number and who didn't, who forgot about it.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

And that's where they really get you. And they do. And and so and they'll send you text to get information. They'll so they have the last four digits of your credit card. So they so you might get a text saying with the credit card ending and blah blah, you know, the last four digits of your card.

SPEAKER_01 29:11

What's your security code so we can confirm this payment now for it?

SPEAKER_00 29:14

So so they this is how they use that information to get you. So you have to be very careful and very cautious. You know, and we've been preaching this over and over and over. And, you know, the better technology gets, especially with AI tools today, you know, you know, we we're using AI tools like crazy now to help us, you know, with lots of things out there, right? Planning trips, you know, doing all kinds of stuff with AI tools.

SPEAKER_01 29:41

I saw people using it for we're just out of tax season. People were using it for helping with their taxes.

SPEAKER_00 29:46

That's right. So yeah, you can use it for just about anything that you do. So what does that mean? That means the bad guys also have that tool and they can use it to do things to help them figure out ways to get you. And and they have been using it in ways to get you. So you just got to be careful about that. And you know, so just to recap a couple things, you know, pass keys are essential. If you want help setting up a pass key, you know, we're we're and you're in the Central Florida area, come on by the Refresh Computer Superstore in Longwood, and we'll help you set up a pass key. We'll show you how it works and why you should set up a pass key like we've been talking about. And so you can get that set up on your device. And remember, it's it's it's it's probably the strongest login security today is using a pass key. Or you can use an authenticator app. So, what is an authenticator app? So that might be a new term for some of you, and that is an extra layer of security that you have installed on your device, right? So it can be usually on your smartphone, like your iPhone or your Google phone, your Android phone. And so, you know, Microsoft has an authenticator, so you can download the Microsoft Authenticator app. And so you can tell a site to make sure that you use your authenticator before it allows you to log in.

SPEAKER_01 31:14

And it'll send you something like a notification. It'll ask for you to use your biometrics. I know I have mine set up to use my biometrics when I'm trying to verify a login. And it'll give you some kind of sometimes it'll give you a task to complete, like select the correct code that we sent you or enter in this text code. But it's just that extra step to make sure that it is you, right?

SPEAKER_00 31:34

Aaron Powell That's right. So and that's and that's the most secure way today to keep your password safe, to keep logins safe, is using either pass keys or that authenticator app. Sometimes both.

SPEAKER_01 31:48

Aaron Powell And like you mentioned, they're not that difficult to set up once you once once you get past the the dauntiness of, oh, a pass key. It sounds something new and foreign. And you've probably kind of already used them in certain regards, just not really realizing that you've used them right.

SPEAKER_00 32:03

A lot of times. So in or a four-digit code to get here. Yep. Well, that's your pass key. There you go. So if you set up something like a four-digit code to get to a site, that's a pass key, folks. That's what you that's what you're using already. And so, and and good for you because that is an extra layer of security that unfortunately, you know, we need. We need today. We need to be able to use that. And I even had a friend of mine saying, I heard you on the radio a few weeks ago about using pass keys, Dave. And that's just, I'm not going to be doing more stuff. Okay, well, you know, maybe we'll see you on down the road.

SPEAKER_01 32:34

Let's say look forward to seeing your information on the internet.

SPEAKER_00 32:37

And and, you know, and people come in all the time, you know, with viruses, you know, where they've been compromised, they've had their photos locked on their computer, they can't access stuff. And even if you use cloud service like OneDrive or Google Cloud or any of these services that stores your pictures there too, well, they've they've locked that also. So you have to be careful and you know, they they try to bribe you, you know, you to give you, you know, make you give them money in order to unlock these photos.

SPEAKER_01 33:14

Just to get access back to your own stuff. All because you didn't set up a pass key. And again, like we said, yeah, those it's probably something you're already using in so many different things, whether it be like you mentioned, the four-digit code that you get sent to the text message. Never share that four-digit code, as they mentioned multiple times. Because again, if they steal your information and they type in your telephone number, hey, I forgot my password, send me a code and it gets sent to you. Well, they have your number too. They can text you and be like, hey, uh, you just got a code as a as a person. Send me that code so we can help protect your account or some other kind of lie that they will send to you.

SPEAKER_00 33:47

They do it in a text, they do it in an email, and if you're not sure, that's what the free tech support hotline is for. One of the main things that people call us about are things like this, Greg. So that phone number is 407-478-8200. Write it down somewhere. Put it on something to stick it to the bottom. Use a Sharpie maybe to write on the bottom of your laptop or somewhere where you know you'll have it all the time. And that number is 407-478-8200. Because maybe you don't need it right now, but pretty good chance that you'll you'll need it in the future and you'll have it handy whenever you do need it. And so call us if you're not sure what you just got is somebody trying to hack you. And we'll go over it with you over the phone. And oftentimes we'll even tell you, just bring it on into the computer, just shut it down, don't do anything else, bring the computer on into the store, and we'll help you figure it out.

SPEAKER_01 34:38

And the best part about it, it's free. So what's the harm? No harm, no foul. So go ahead and uh keep that number handy. You've been listening to Tech Talk right here on WDBO 1073FM and AM580. Hey there, welcome back to Tech Talk here on WDBO 1073FM and AM580, Orlando's news and talk. I'm Greg Rhodes here with David Levitt, president and founder of Refresh Computer Superstore. You can contact the Refresh Computer Superstore by calling their free tech support hotline at 407-478-8200. You can also check out their website over at refreshcomputers.net.

SPEAKER_00 35:26

And now back to David. All right. Thanks, Greg, and thanks everybody for listening to Tech Talk with Refresh Computers. You know, we talked a lot about Waymo coming to Central Florida earlier, and that's that's pretty cool. They just started a week or two ago, so you might want to go out and download that Waymo app. And no, I don't get paid by Waymo to mention them. I just think it's uh it's a cool thing that they're starting to do autonomous ride sharing here right here in Central Florida.

SPEAKER_01 35:51

But if they're interested, give me a call.

SPEAKER_00 35:53

That's right. Hey, there you go. Uh so we also talked about some data breaches that have been going on, especially if you use booking.com, you know, so watch out for that. And the difference between refurbished and new, other than the obvious, right? Um why refurbished oftentimes is better than new. And in that light, we're going to talk a little bit about Blue Origin. Yeah. Right? Something new. They're using refurbished rockets now, just like Elon. And they're using autonomous.

SPEAKER_01 36:24

They're using autonomous drone chips now.

SPEAKER_00 36:26

That's right. A full circle segment. So there you go. So so what does reuse mean in the rocket industry? You know, because they recover the boosters, right? That's what they do. So the the boosters is what gets it up there initially, right?

SPEAKER_01 36:41

Major first stage boosters, those big ones that you see light off when they first go up.

SPEAKER_00 36:45

And so they recover those, they refurbish them. Hey, I love that word. And then they reuse them. So why does it matter? Well, just like refurbished computers, refurbished rockets help cut costs. Absolutely. And and can be reused over and over. And so, you know, a lot of businesses, Greg, rely on refreshed computers because it's a place they can pick up one, two, ten, twenty, thirty of the same computer today and and and and redo their whole office and upgrade their whole office. And we get that all the time. There's lots of Central Florida businesses that do that with refreshed computers because they understand just like Blue Origin does with their rockets, and just like Elon knows with his rockets when they refurbish things. It's it's it's a very cost-effective way to keep doing business is to use refurbished as they keep buying new all the time. Right. And I can guarantee you the refurbished computers that you get at refreshed computers are going to last just as long, if not longer, than any brand new computer you can buy anywhere. That's my pledge to you.

SPEAKER_01 37:52

Especially with the recent trend of a lot of these computers reutilizing kind of older parts, it seems like they're not being as advanced right now because of some of the shortages and things like that. They're not pushing the envelope like they have here over the last couple of years. So you might actually be able to find yourself a uh comparable computer for a deal.

SPEAKER_00 38:09

That's right. So yeah, come on out to the superstore there in Longwood. It's 820 East State Road 434, and check them out. That's the other benefit if you're local to Central Florida of buying at refresh computers. You can come in there and just check them out, look at them, play with them, you know, use them. We have hundreds of computers and laptops on display, literally hundreds of them.

SPEAKER_01 38:32

I'd love to get my hands on a new PC or computer just before I'm about to buy it. Just to kind of, you know, you got to get the feel of it. You got to make sure it's the it's the right feel for where your hands lay and all that kind of stuff. But if you can't make it in, you can also check out all the inventory on the website.

SPEAKER_00 38:44

That's right. And we have things like 17-inch laptops. We probably have the largest display of 17-inch laptops around. Why? I mean, because 17-inch laptops are about the widest laptops that you can buy. So it has the the largest screen in the laptop that you can buy. And it has the extra keyboard on the side, the you know, the number pad on the side of the keyboard. And and you know, a lot of our older customers need that bigger screen because they can make the text bigger and still take up a lot of the screen without having to scroll somewhere when you make your text bigger. So, you know, we we have a very large selection of the larger screen laptops in stock. And Greg, we also have, I would say, probably the largest selection of gaming computers in Central Florida right now.

SPEAKER_01 39:33

That's a bold claim. I like it.

SPEAKER_00 39:35

Dozens of gaming computers on display. And listen, folks, a gaming computer, if you're an architect, you do rendering. Yeah, people I know the term gaming computer can throw some people off, but a lot of architects and engineers will buy a gaming computer because it it does their rendering so fast and so well. And I think that's about all we have time for, Greg. So we're gonna wrap up this episode of Tech Talk with Refreshed Computers. This is David Levitt signing off for this week. We'll be talking to you again next week.