Once upon a time VTEC was unique in the car industry, but your brother is right, a lot of cars do have some form of variable valve timing, especially luxury cars or more performance oriented sport compacts (Celica, WRX, SVT Focus etc.). A lot of companies don't give variable valve timing a name or market it.

Actually VTEC in the B series engines is less advanced than some of the newer variants of variable valve timing like VVT-i or the SVT Focus's timing. VTEC can only change between two cam profiles, but the newer versions can change timing as well. i-VTEC can change timing as well, but's not nearly as widespread as B series VTEC. Honda just did a really job marketing VTEC in its car, and they do make one heck of an engine, of which VTEC is just one piece.