Podcast
Comfort Zone
Hosted by Christopher Lawley, Matt Birchler, and Niléane · EN
Comfort Zone is a podcast that pushes its hosts outside of their, well, comfort zone. Every week, each host will bring new technology they've tried to the show to discuss whether it worked and how it pushed them out of their comfort zone.
Then, at the conclusion of each episode, one of the hosts will issue the dreaded challenge to the others to try something new, and perhaps even something they might not like. It's a fun, fresh way to learn something new, along with the hosts every week.
43episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Mine is Free and Open Source, Baby!
Mar 2601:03:01Tap to summarizeMatt poisons the show with Android, Niléane brings us back with Forkflift, and everyone finds a really great Mac app they've never used before. This week's Cozy Zone, we discovered who has a good backup system, who has a robust backup system, and who basically doesn't care about their data. Want more from the gang? Cozy Zone is a bonus podcast every Monday where we let loose on all sorts of fun topics. You can get cozy with the Comfort Zone crew for just $5/month or $50/year, which not only makes the bonus episodes possible, but supports Comfort Zone, too. How would you have done our challenges? How would you answer the question at the end of the show? Let us know! Things discussed Charjen AirFoams Pro v30 Ear Tips Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro Forklift Bloom Transmit Moonshine Tuna Thaw Follow the Hosts Chris on YouTube Matt on Birchtree Niléane on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Bluesky
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The MacBook Neo is my Mistress
Mar 1901:08:48Tap to summarizeA budget laptop is the hot tech product of 2026, and the whole gang has thoughts. Then, everyone evangelizes Vivaldi with varying levels of success. This week's Cozy Zone, Chris and Matt teach Niléane the real rules of the road right before her driver's test. They're pretty sure it was a lot of help. Want more from the gang? Cozy Zone is a bonus podcast every Monday where we let loose on all sorts of fun topics. You can get cozy with the Comfort Zone crew for just $5/month or $50/year, which not only makes the bonus episodes possible, but supports Comfort Zone, too. How would you have done our challenges? How would you answer the question at the end of the show? Let us know! Things discussed First, Last, Everything Season 2 MacBook Neo Niléane pitches Vivaldi Matt pitches Vivaldi Chris pitches Vivaldi Follow the Hosts Chris on YouTube Matt on Birchtree Niléane on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Bluesky
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I Need My Turn to Pop Off
Mar 1201:24:59Tap to summarizeNiléane is replacing Discord with Slack, Chris has the new iPad Air in hand, and everyone found something nice to say about password managers. This week's Cozy Zone, we tier-listed app icons, and opinions were stronger than anticipated (probably should have seen it coming). Want more from the gang? Cozy Zone is a bonus podcast every Monday where we let loose on all sorts of fun topics. You can get cozy with the Comfort Zone crew for just $5/month or $50/year, which not only makes the bonus episodes possible, but supports Comfort Zone, too. How would you have done our challenges? How would you answer the question at the end of the show? Let us know! Things discussed Back to Alfred Apple Introduces M4-Powered iPad Air mood.camera KeePass Bitwarden Vivaldi Follow the Hosts Chris on YouTube Matt on Birchtree Niléane on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Bluesky
Transcribe →I Paid for Those Pixels
Mar 501:23:40Tap to summarizeMatt demands we roast his home screen, Niléane drops some knowledge on SSDs, and (almost) everyone has fun with Pokémon. This week's Cozy Zone, we played Geoguesser, and it has a better ending than we could have even scripted. Want more from the gang? Cozy Zone is a bonus podcast every Monday where we let loose on all sorts of fun topics. You can get cozy with the Comfort Zone crew for just $5/month or $50/year, which not only makes the bonus episodes possible, but supports Comfort Zone, too. How would you have done our challenges? How would you answer the question at the end of the show? Let us know! Things discussed Swipe to type on the Mac Sharge USB-C cable BILRESA Ikea buttons Follow the Hosts Chris on YouTube Matt on Birchtree Niléane on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Bluesky
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Pizza is an American Invention, and it Involves Pineapple
Feb 2600:57:36Tap to summarizeChris has a Mac-related confession to make, Matt has to admit something about his Apple Watch, and Niléane is like, "boys, I don't think you can even handle taking your phones off silent." (She was not wrong.) This week's Cozy Zone, we roast home screens again, and this time there weren't any hidden codes…we think. Want more from the gang? Cozy Zone is a bonus podcast every Monday where we let loose on all sorts of fun topics. You can get cozy with the Comfort Zone crew for just $5/month or $50/year, which not only makes the bonus episodes possible, but supports Comfort Zone, too. How would you have done our challenges? How would you answer the question at the end of the show? Let us know! Things discussed Helium Apple will kill iPadOS Quick Subtitles Follow the Hosts Chris on YouTube Matt on Birchtree Niléane on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Bluesky
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Execute a Leveraged Takeover of MacStories
Feb 1901:22:41Tap to summarizeChris wants to know what the heck is going on with Discord. Niléane has a massive backlog of things to talk about now that she's back. And everybody does their best with Apple's Creator Studio. This week's Cozy Zone, the gang discusses what they'd do if they couldn't use Apple products anymore. We are releasing this just days after ATP did the exact same thing, but we swear we recorded this a couple weeks ago! Want more from the gang? Cozy Zone is a bonus podcast every Monday where we let loose on all sorts of fun topics. You can get cozy with the Comfort Zone crew for just $5/month or $50/year, which not only makes the bonus episodes possible, but supports Comfort Zone, too. How would you have done our challenges? How would you answer the question at the end of the show? Let us know! Things discussed Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month iPhanpy for iPhone Vivaldi Thaw Itsyhome Our pitch deck Follow the Hosts Chris on YouTube Matt on Birchtree Niléane on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Bluesky
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I'm Holding Up Poop
Feb 1201:07:37Tap to summarizeMatt wants to do an AI check in, Chris serves a master class on getting started with 3D printing, and Niléane is away, so the dads talk a little Formula 1…just a little. This week's Cozy Zone, Chris gets a brand glow up! Want more from the gang? Cozy Zone is a bonus podcast every Monday where we let loose on all sorts of fun topics. You can get cozy with the Comfort Zone crew for just $5/month or $50/year, which not only makes the bonus episodes possible, but supports Comfort Zone, too. How would you have done our challenges? How would you answer the question at the end of the show? Let us know! Things discussed Two wolves Claude Code OpenClaw Bambu Lab A1 (and A1 mini) Gridfinity MakerWorld Printables Thangs Follow the Hosts Chris on YouTube Matt on Birchtree Niléane on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Bluesky
Transcribe →40% Sickos
Feb 501:31:22Tap to summarizeMatt wants to talk about his (quick) notes, Niléane brings 3(!) topics, and everyone brings old(?) tech back from the dead. This week's Cozy Zone, we tier listed Star Wars. All of it. Yes, even that one. If there was ever a time to give Cozy Zone a shot, it's now. Want more from the gang? Cozy Zone is a bonus podcast every Monday where we let loose on all sorts of fun topics. You can get cozy with the Comfort Zone crew for just $5/month or $50/year, which not only makes the bonus episodes possible, but supports Comfort Zone, too. How would you have done our challenges? How would you answer the question at the end of the show? Let us know! Main topics Quick Notes 2 NuPhy Air75 V3 Meze 99 Neo Ear Pads Other things discussed Rubber ruck debugging Fraunces font Klack! Enable ProMotion ion Safari The new unified MacStories site GameHub on Android Follow the Hosts Chris on YouTube Matt on Birchtree Niléane on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Bluesky
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What is This, 1995?
Jan 2901:19:49Tap to summarizeChris has a Creator Studio, Matt has a less official Creator Studio, and the whole gang shows off their Minecraft houses. This week's Cozy Zone, we tier listed iPads. Chris has never been more in his element than in this one! Want more from the gang? Cozy Zone is a bonus podcast every Monday where we let loose on all sorts of fun topics. You can get cozy with the Comfort Zone crew for just $5/month or $50/year, which not only makes the bonus episodes possible, but supports Comfort Zone, too. How would you have done our challenges? How would you answer the question at the end of the show? Let us know! Main topics Apple Creator Studio Aqua Voice Framous DevCleaner balenaEtcher Sparkle Ghostty Zed Other things discussed Hand Mirror 4 is cute! The Secrets of the Apple Creator Studio Niléane's Minecraft House 1 Niléane's Minecraft House 2 Niléane's Minecraft House 3 Niléane's Minecraft House 4 Niléane's Minecraft House 5 Niléane's Minecraft House 6 Matt's Minecraft House 1 Matt's Minecraft House 2 Matt's Minecraft House 3 Matt's Minecraft House 4 Matt's Minecraft House 5 Matt's Minecraft House 6 Follow the Hosts Chris on YouTube Matt on Birchtree Niléane on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Bluesky
Transcribe →Where is Everybody?
Jan 2200:28:15Tap to summarizeMatt's on his own for this one, as Chris and Niléane managed to both get sick at the same time. Fear not, we get to rant and rave about the latest "Xbox"! This week's Cozy Zone, we roast each other's backpacks. One's all black, one's is full of color, and the other is just a mess! Want more from the gang? Cozy Zone is a bonus podcast every Monday where we let loose on all sorts of fun topics. You can get cozy with the Comfort Zone crew for just $5/month or $50/year, which not only makes the bonus episodes possible, but supports Comfort Zone, too. How would you have done our challenges? How would you answer the question at the end of the show? Let us know! Main topics ROG Xbox Ally X Matt's review Follow the Hosts Chris on YouTube Matt on Birchtree Niléane on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Mastodon Comfort Zone on Bluesky
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