Advertise on podcast: Brothers in Tech

As much as we have loved YouTube TV as a live TV streaming service, the recent price hikes (along with several other services) have led us to look for more cost-effective ways of accessing TV content. With a few one-time purchases, some software, and a reasonable distance to some TV towers, Brian explains and shows off his plan to stick it to the man

What could be better than hearing about one of the Brothers’ struggles with technology-related issues?... That’s right, hearing about struggles from both Brothers! Well, if hearing us vent about our frustrations is your thing…this episode is for you.

If you have listened to the podcast before, you know that the Brothers love automation. We are all for ways of increasing our efficiency (i.e., why use 2 steps when you can do it with 1?)…especially when there is some cool tech we can use to do it. Well, this week Alan introduces NFC tags as a way of using your phone as a way of trigging automation tasks. He walks through the process of programming the tags using Shortcuts, and we brainstorm about possible uses. As a bonus, the Brothers discuss some of the new features in iOS and MacOS that you may want to check out.

If you are anything like us, you have what seems to be a never-ending list of things to do. How do you keep track of it all? Sticky note? Write on your palm? String on the finger? Whatever the method…if it isn’t working for you, it might be time to look for a creative solution.

Well, it has been a while…but the Brothers are back. No, Alan’s beard has not grown any longer…and Brian still doesn’t have hair. But, they do have opinions! Watch/listen as the Brothers break down their initial thoughts on Apple’s iOS 17 release. Are there any show-stopper features? Any issues/concerns with upgrading? Any hidden features that you may need to search to find? You will hear about widgets, passwords, voicemail, AirTag sharing, Recovery/Legacy contacts, and more. Plus, you get to meet Beverly…and possibly rethink how smart AI services really are.

To our busy fan base…we hear you. The Brothers tend to talk…and talk. We know that some of you love to hear us ramble on and deep dive into our tech topics…but we also know that sometimes you just want a quick BYTE (you see what we did there?) of tech information that you can consume on your breaks. Well, let us introduce you to the Brothers in Tech BYTES.

After a couple of weeks of testing out the new messaging, browser, email, and social apps we presented in the previous episode(s), the Brothers are back to give their verdicts. Which apps are still in the regular rotation, and which have been moving to app purgatory and why?

In this episode, the Brothers discuss not one, but two exciting new apps which aim to rethink the way you perform some of our most common computing tasks…web browsing and messaging. With some very intriguing features, these (currently) free apps may be worth a try.

After a few weeks off, the Brothers are back to share their latest tech suggestions that could benefit you and your family. Home automation, weight loss, harnessing the sun, and creating images…this episode covers some exciting apps and hardware. Although this episode runs a bit long (what’s new?), you will want to stick around to see which one of the Brothers will be a Jedi Knight riding a dragon. Spoiler alert…it’s Alan…but I think you probably guessed that.

Although home automation is not a new topic for the Brothers (see the Home Automation series from 2020…including Convenience, Security, & Safety)…there are quite a few changes that have occurred across this market that are worth discussing. With both of the Brothers having recently set up or adapted their automation ecosystems, it is time to share those experiences, successes, and frustrations. If you have been thinking about using/migrating to HomeKit, you will want to listen to this episode. Listen/watch as Brian attempts to (begrudgingly) set up HomeKit (along with his Alexa environment)…and his therapy session with Alan. Luckily, Brian made a mistake in his set-up (on purpose, of course)…just so Alan could feel good about helping him to correct it.

In case you haven’t been following the s%!t-show that is Twitter as of late…you might not know that there is yet another attempt at replacing the social media service. Will this “newcomer” actually have what it takes to become the new social media town square? Well, 100 million users in the first week is a pretty good start…. In this episode of Brothers in Tech, the Brothers discuss Meta’s new Threads service…how it works, pros and cons, and expectations for the future. Plus, you get to see which brother Threads believes should be following Kim Kardashian.

You may be completely happy with the native calendar app on your phone or computer…and if so, you may not need to listen to this episode (but of course you should…just for sheer entertainment). But, if you are like us, you may have a need for more than the standard features to keep up with all of your events. Features such as scheduling availability, weather integration, and natural language input may be enough to warrant trying something new. The Brothers discuss their must-haves and ideal calendar app features that you should consider, as well as two of the top calendar applications on the market. Which app do the Brothers use, and which do the Brothers wish they were using? You will have to watch/listen to find out.