Episode Summary:
Will and Brandt reunite to kick off a new season by unpacking their favorite and most practical takeaways from CES, from stair climbing robot vacuums and smart mobility devices to breakthrough display tech and unexpected innovations. Along the way, they reflect on Brandt’s career transition, changing media coverage at CES, and how emerging tools like vibe coding and home lab setups are empowering individuals to build exactly what they need.

Discussions Include:

• Brandt Krueger’s departure from his full time production role at EideCom and what comes next
• CES trends around robots, AI, and devices that genuinely improve daily life
• Notable tech highlights including Roborock’s stair climbing vacuum, smart mobility aids, next-generation TV displays, and E-Ink signage
• Vibe coding, Raspberry Pis, and why building small personal tools may be the future of software

Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):
“I feel like usually CES gets a lot more mainstream coverage, but it definitely didn’t feel like that this year.” - Brandt Krueger

“I want to talk about the things that I think actually really are cool, not just everything that happened.” - Will Curran

“The future of coding is make your own stuff, scratch your own itch and make it do exactly what you want.” - Brandt Krueger

Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ on TWiT, along with some other great coverage of CES 2026:
https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech/episodes/1066?autostart=false

Brandt just popping in to say "We're still here!" and will have exciting news shortly. Stay tuned!

Episode Summary:

We kick off with an impressive AI-generated intro from Suno's newly released V5 model, showcasing how far AI music creation has come. The conversation quickly shifts to hands-on hardware reviews, with Will sharing his one-week impressions of the iPhone 17 Pro Max (in orange) and both of us discussing the new AirPods Pro 3. From iOS 26 performance quirks to the practical realities of running beta software on production devices, we cover the full spectrum of Apple's latest releases. The episode wraps with an extended discussion on electric vehicle charging strategies, vehicle-to-grid technology, and why Brandt might finally be warming up to those Rivian headlights.

Discussions Include:

• Suno's V5 model release and whether the $20/month subscription is worth it for better AI music generation
• Real-world impressions of iPhone 17 Pro Max and iOS 26 after a week of daily use
• AirPods Pro 3 features, including hearing aid functionality and adaptive transparency mode
• Electric vehicle charging economics and the future of vehicle-to-grid technology

Quotable Quotes (Should you choose to share):

• "You handed a caveman a flame- and then took it away from him." - Will Curran
• "I noticed that iOS 26 just runs better on it. This is what I'm noticing- with my being in the iPhone upgrade program is that I'll do the beta, I run it on my 16 Pro or Pro Max, whatever it is, and I notice slight performance issues." - Will Curran
• "Every time [a Rivian] drives by me and I'm like, well, it's actually not that bad looking. It's like, it's wearing me down... I can't get past the headlights. Weeelllll, I might be able to get past the headlights." - Brandt Krueger
• "So the guy basically insinuates 'I'm on the employer's dime. I'm going to be charging my car and then I'll just go back and sell it back to the grid and make a profit,' heheh..." - Will Curran