On this episode of Smart Tech Today, Mikah and I talked about:
Category: Offsite
On this episode of Smart Tech Today, Mikah and I talked about:
On this episode of Smart Tech Today, Mikah and I talked about:
On this episode of Smart Tech Today, Mikah and I talked about:
Last Monday night, I streamed on Twitch for about a half hour on the topic of Ferrite for iPad with my friend Alec Pulianas, a computer engineer and podcast editor at AMP Creative Studios.
We both edit podcasts and audio using Ferrite, a purpose-built audio editing app designed primarily for spoken word content (as opposed to Logic Pro or Garage Band which were built for music). It works on both iPhone and iPad, enabling a very natural touch input paradigm for editing your audio that both Alec and I prefer to use.
In our stream, we talked about the additional benefits when you edit on the iPad, including how using the Apple Pencil in this app feels like a remote control and which custom settings we use to edit.
We also covered details like Ferrite templates, the keyboard shortcuts, and a few of the downsides as well – it doesn’t have the same speed-changing capabilities as Logic, for example.
I really enjoyed talking with Alec—he’s a great guy—about this tool we both enjoy, especially because it’s changed how I edit audio and opened up where I can do my work.
Check out the clip on Twitch and follow my channel if you want to see future streams like this.1
- I’ve saved the entire stream as a “highlight” so it lasts past Twitch’s normal 30-days, but doing so unfortunately removes the live view count and chat comments. ↩
On episode 14 of Smart Tech Today, Mikah and I talked about what I saw at CES 2020.
But before I get to what we covered in the show, I have exciting news – Smart Tech Today is now available as a video show in addition to our regular podcast feed!
We’ve always had the cameras on for our livestream, but the show’s been doing well enough to add in video production as well.
So, make sure to subscribe on YouTube if you want to watch along afterwards, or add the video podcast feed to get them delivered directly in Apple Podcasts.
On episode 11 of Smart Tech Today, Mikah and I covered a K-Pop rapper’s AirPods problem, Samuel L. Jackson on your Echo, and Sling TV on your Google Nest Hub:
On our tenth episode of Smart Tech Today, Mikah and I talk about these stories:
- Sony brings AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to select 2018 and 2019 TVs
- Ikea’s smart blinds won’t work with Apple’s HomeKit until ‘early’ in 2020
- Studio Neat Apple TV Remote Stand
- Amazon launches new battery-powered Echo exclusively for India
- Amazon’s Ring is making its first smart light bulb, FCC documents reveal
- Google Assistant supports more bedroom, kitchen appliances
- Google Assistant now follows your dietary restrictions when recommending recipes
- Google Assistant is ready to give you holiday updates from the North Pole
- White balance and color temperature – what it means for your home (and on camera)
- Mikah’s pick of the week: Wemo Wi-Fi Light Switch 3-Way 2-Pack Bundle
- Matthew’s pick of the week: Philips Hue Smart Button
On episode 9 of Smart Tech Today, Mikah and I talked about:
- Smart tech news:
- Amazon:
- Decorating your smart home:
- Mikah’s pick of the week: Eve Energy Strip
- Matthew’s pick of the week: Enable seasonal doorbell chimes on your Google Nest Hello
On episode 8 of Smart Tech Today, Mikah and I talked about:
- Amazon Music now free for Android, iOS, and Fire TV
- Amazon expands its free, ad-supported streaming music service to iOS
- The Verge Guide to Amazon Alexa
- Spotify adds recommended commands on Google Assistant
- Google Assistant’s latest feature is a personalized audio news feed
- Spotify adds recommended commands on Google Assistant
- Google Assistant Launches ‘My Storytime’ Feature for Families to Read Together When Apart
- Google Assistant uses ‘Duplex on the Web’ to buy your movie tickets
- The new Apple Maps is now available in more than half of the U.S.
- HomeKit Secure Video is a privacy win, but expect some missing features for now
- Abode delivers promised HomeKit support for its Iota DIY home security system
- Sonos acquires voice assistant startup, says not building Siri competitor
- Sonos Acquires Voice Assistant Startup Snips for $37 Million
- Shortcuts User Guide
- Logitech POP Smart Button
- Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box
- Philips Hue Play White & Color Smart Light
- Mikah’s pick of the week: Philips Hue for Android
- Matthew’s pick of the week: OneCast for Mac, iOS, and Android
On episode 7 of Smart Tech Today, Mikah and I talked about the following:
On this episode of Smart Tech Today, Mikah and I talk about:
On this episode of Smart Tech Today, Mikah and I talk about:
Mikah Sargent and I have recorded episode 2 of Smart Tech Today, this time over Skype and on the Twitch livestream. Here’s the description from the TWiT page:
- Mikah reveals he’s now dual-wielding mobile operating systems. Along with his iPhone 11 Pro Max, he’s carrying a OnePlus 7 Pro to better understand and make use of the Google Assistant and Android in general.
- The two discuss recent discounts on mesh WiFi systems and how mesh WiFi systems can lead to a better smart tech user experience.
- Matthew explains how Siri and Spotify are working together to provide Spotify users with Siri voice control and the two hosts reveal why they subscribe to both Spotify and Apple Music.
- Mikah waxes ecstatic over the ultra-wideband chip in the new iPhone 11 and the two dream up a future where UWB controls both the smart home and mobile connected tech.
- Mikah details how he’s been using Alexa Routines to start his day and Matthew compares this functionality to Siri Shortcuts.
- Matthew gives us a look at his Google Assistant- and Alexa-controlled Xbox.
Mikah details how he’s trying to use the Google Assistant and Siri to be a little more voice-first with his devices. - Matthew complains about the lack of Google Assistant support for G Suite accounts and Mikah shares how much he enjoys the ETA feature in Apple Maps on iOS 13. The two hosts also try the same feature using Google Maps.
Plus, here’s a set of Siri Shortcuts I created last week for subscribing and listening to the show:
- Open Smart Tech Today website
- Subscribe to Smart Tech Today
- Tune in to Smart Tech Today live on Twitch
- AirPlay Smart Tech Today
- Rate Smart Tech Today in Podcasts
We’ll be live next Monday at our usual 4pm PST – thanks for listening along so far!
Links for the show:
On Monday, Mikah Sargent and I recorded episode 1 of Smart Tech Today in person at the TWiT studio. In the show, we:
- Attempt to create nicknames for the major voice assistants. Be sure to share your ideas for Siri, Alexa, and Google nicknames by emailing [email protected]!
- Discuss all the products Amazon announced at its recent press event. Matthew gets Mikah to change his mind about the smart oven Amazon launched.
- Ponder the future of voice-based operating systems given the fact that every company seems to be announcing earbuds that work with smart assistants.
- Give a brief rundown of their smart home setups.
- Answer questions about automating alarms using Siri Shortcuts and NFC tags.
- Give a shout-out to the one-and-only Gemmy the Twerking Bear.
Here’s Mikah and I after recording – had a blast! We’re off to a great start, but any help sharing the show to new people still goes a long way.
Once we hit 30,000 subscribers, we’ll have a full video feed of each episode too, available on our YouTube channel:
Plus, here’s a set of Siri Shortcuts for subscribing and listening to the show:
- Open Smart Tech Today website
- Subscribe to Smart Tech Today
- Tune in to Smart Tech Today live on Twitch
- AirPlay Smart Tech Today
- Rate Smart Tech Today in Podcasts
We’ll be live every Monday at 4pm PST, with the episode dropping later each evening. Thanks for listening!
Links for the show:
The day after iOS 13 launched, I was a guest on the iMore show to talk all about the updates to Siri Shortcuts (and a bit about the new iPhone):
Shortcuts expert Matthew Cassinelli is here with a wealth of information for making life better with iOS 13! He guides Lory Gil and Georgia Dow through the basics of shortcut creation and shares some of his own creations from matthewcassinelli.com.
I had a really great time talking to Lory Gil and Georgia Dow – Lory is the editor at iMore and corrects the mistakes in my freelance articles, and Georgia does a wonderful job as Senior Editor there too.
We also recorded this as a livestream, so here’s the video if you want to follow along – I even turned on my main camera with a top-down shot for part of it:
Today, I’m happy to announce a new podcast I’m hosting with Mikah Sargent on the TWiT network – it’s called Smart Tech Today and you should subscribe to episode 0 now!
A couple of weeks ago, Mikah reached out to me and asked if I’d like to host a podcast with him about smart technology on the “This Week in Tech” podcast network, commonly known as TWiT.
We’d be covering all aspects of the “Internet of Things”, automation as it stands in 2019 and beyond, and how to think about using & integrating smart tech into your daily life – naturally, I said yes.
Airing each Monday evening (with a livestream at 4pm if you want to tune in), we want the show to be informative, practical, and fun.
Mikah does incredible work, previously for iMore where I met him through my freelance work, but also for the Clockwise podcast on Relay FM and now also full-time for TWiT.
I am super glad to be cohosting with Mikah, because I think:
- We’re both well-suited to finding the right news for you
- We can contextualize it all in a way that’s practical but still critical, and skeptical but not cynical
- We’ll provide a considered look at what it really means to integrate these products into modern life
I’m also looking forward to staying on top of smart tech outside the Apple ecosystem, because we’ll be talking about all types of brands and products on Smart Tech Today.
There will surely be plenty of Siri Shortcuts talk, but I’ll be experimenting and learning about all of it, and intend to cover everything with the same intentionality I do in all my work.
We’re airing our first episode next Monday, October 7th, but please subscribe to the trailer episode now.
Any new listeners and episode ratings are weighted heavily by Apple Podcasts, so a great launch helps propel the show forward – we appreciate the support!
Here are the links for the podcast:
- TWiT’s blog post on the new show
- Website
- Add via RSS
- Add to Apple Podcasts
- Add to Overcast
- Add to PocketCasts
- Subscribe on YouTube
Looking forward to next Monday! Hope you’ll be listening too 🙂
On Thursday, a few hours after the release of my Shortcuts Library, I covered the entire iOS 13 update for Siri Shortcuts in a YouTube livestream.
After a bug in the macOS Catalina beta last week prevented Final Cut Pro from staying open at all, the work on my in-progress video was frozen1. I couldn’t re-do it in time while I was also publishing over 150 shortcuts for people to use.
So I did it live: