(You're reading all posts by Erfon Elijah)
About Erfon Elijah
Erfon Elijah is the producer and host of The CultCast, a photographer, and the founder of the Seattle indie brand Might Tees. When not designing graphic tees or recording podcasts, you’ll find him on Xbox Live hunting Modern Warfare 3 foes like the Predator. Here are his tweets...(sorry, you need Javascript to see this e-mail address)
Plantronics Voyager Legend UC Is Almost The Perfect Bluetooth Headset [Review]
![Plantronics Voyager Legend UC Is Almost The Perfect Bluetooth Headset [Review]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/plantronics-voyager-legend-uc-1.jpg)
There are a ton of Bluetooth headsets on the market today, and because I prefer talking hands-free, I’ve tried a lot of them. But as a Bluetooth enthusiast (yes, we exist), I’ve been continually frustrated. That’s because all the headsets I’ve tried thus far have missed the mark, especially when paired with an iPhone, delivering callers’ voices as muddy and hard to decipher, or making me sound like I live under the sea (I don’t).
Category: iOS and Mac Accessories
Works With: iPhone, iPod, iPad, Mac
Price: $200
So when I got my hands on the Plantronics Voyager Legend UC, with its promises of excellent audio, call routing touch technology, and the ability to work on both my Mac and iOS device, I was dubious. Not anymore. This little Legend hasn’t just proved my first impressions wrong, I’m now convinced it’s the best Bluetooth headset I’ve ever used.
Why Facebook Home Is Good, Bad, And Probably Irrelevant On Our Newest CultCast
Steam! That’s what Steve Jobs would have had rocket from his ears when he heard about Facebook Home. We’ll explain why on our newest CultCast, but also covet aloud the one feature we hope Apple borrows for iOS. Plus, inside Leander Kahney’s Jony Ive book; Ron Johnson father of the Apple Store takes a boot to the rear; and we wrap with an all new Faves ‘N Raves, the segment where we pitch our favorite tech and apps then vote on which one’s best!
Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing now on iTunes, or hit play below and let the good times roll.
Click on through for the show notes.
Sound Cylinder Is A Portable Speaker With A Very Neat Trick [Review]
Rechargeable, portable, and built to live on or under your Mac or iDevice, the Sound Cylinder (SC) speaker is a first from audio maker Definitive Technology (DT), who usually focuses their acoustic talents on high-end home theater equipment.
Category: Wireless Speakers
Works With: iPhone, iPod, iPad, Mac, or anything with Bluetooth
Price: $200
But can Definitive Technology, with its years of experience engineering coveted boutique audio, create a portable speaker that usurps the top spot of the much-loved and most-excellent sounding Jawbone Jambox?
Why iOS 7 Will Be A Jony Ive Masterpiece On Our All-New CultCast
This week on The CultCast: Jony Ive’s huge sweeping iOS 7 changes; Apple Television and the Ring of Power; our favorite April Fools pranks; and careful, your iPad might be giving you Gorilla Arm… all that and the best listener shout out ever on this minty-fresh episode of The CultCast!
Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing now on iTunes, or hit play below and let the good times roll.
Show notes after the jump.
Forget Huge Combo Amps, Vox’s New amPhone Headhphones Are The Lightweight Alternative [Review]
Category: Headphones
Works With: Anything with a jack hole.
Price: $99
As one who aims to have a daily shred session, I have a love-hate relationship with guitar amps. I love the way they look and sound, especially the vintage ones, but they’re so big and unruly, I often find I’d rather practice without one than head to the lonely room in my house where they reside.
Vox’s amPhones ($99) aim to give you the best of both worlds; the portable headphones plug right into any guitar, amplifying its sound, and include effects like reverb, chorus, and delay. And though they’re built to emulate the sounds of some of Vox’s most popular boxes, they can also be used as regular headphones.
Sounds likes a winning combo, right? I plugged a pair into my best electric guitar to find out.
Kordl Makes Straightening Out Your Tangled Earphones Easy [Review]
![Kordl Makes Straightening Out Your Tangled Earphones Easy [Review]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/kordl-1.jpg)
My pre gym ritual, aside from beating my chest with my bare fists and grunting, always seems to include 2-3 minutes of loathsome headphone detangling. How those confounded white wires always weave themselves into a tangled ball, I do not know, but now there might be hope.
Category: Accessories
Works With: Earphones of all kinds
Price: $7.50 for three!
Kordl is a little clip that secures the pod and plug ends of your headphones together, thus, theoretically speaking, making annoying detangling sessions a thing of the past. Kordl’s founders, now trying to fund their product, go so far as to promise Kordl will make your headphones tangle proof.
Bold claim! So I decided to clip a preproduction Kordl to my Earpods and find out how well it really works.
The One Mac App You Should Install Right Now On Our All-New CultCast
Look, every once in a while a Mac app comes along that’s so incredibly useful, it becomes one of those rare staple apps no Mac should go without. On this week’s CultCast, we’ll introduce you to the incredibly talented Alfred, and reveal all the time-saving totally amazing feats this little bit of code can perform for you.
Plus! Word on the streets is T-Mobile’s getting the iPhone and their new plans could give the industry a shake down. We’ll tell you the pros and cons of big T’s contract free “uncarrier” plans and explain what makes them different from the pack.
All that and more on this episode of the CultCast! Subscribe now on iTunes to download our new episodes or just hit play below.
MOS Unclutters The Cables In Your Life With The Power Of Magnets [Review]
![MOS Unclutters The Cables In Your Life With The Power Of Magnets [Review]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/mos-magnetic-organization-system-4.jpg)
You know when you unplug your iPhone and your $20 Lightning cable goes slithering to the floor? I hate that, and it used to happen to me all the time in the morning when I set free my phone from its charging cable, and each time it happened, I thought to myself, “there’s gotta be a way to prevent this.”
Category: Accessories
Works With: Any cable!
Price: $24.00 for plastic versions, $40 for aluminum
Well, with the MOS securely attached to my bedside table, now there is.
Harnessing the power of magnets, MOS (Magnetic Organizing System) is a handy little puck that keeps your cables stuck to its surface and ready for use instead of lying listless and tangled on your desk or floor.
The Galaxy S4 Features The Next iPhone Should Steal On Our Newest CultCast
There’s been a lot of buzzing lately about Samsung’s hot new Galaxy S4 phone and its gimmicky cutting-edge new features. But bizarre air gestures aside, we’ll tell you which of its features we’d love to see Apple “borrow” for iPhone 6 on our all-new CultCast.
Plus, a new Steve Jobs movie you’ll actually want to see; and, is it possible for Apple for make a device more perfect than the iPad mini?
All that and more on this episode of the CultCast! Subscribe nowon iTunes to download our new episodes, or easily stream new and previous episodes via Apple’s newly updated Podcasts App.
Or, you know, just hit play below.
Bem’s Portable Speakers Are Great For Parties—When They Work [Review]
Bem’s Wireless Speaker Trio: Fully charged and ready for action.
If you’ve ever had a party with people in various rooms of your house, maybe even outside, Bem’s Wireless Speaker Trio was made just for you.
Category: Cases
Works With: iPod, iPhone, iPad, Mac, or anything with Bluetooth
Price: $299.99
The Trio is a neat idea: connect your music source (iPhone, iPad, iPod) via Bluetooth to its base station, then move any of its three rechargeable satellite speakers anywhere in your home, up to 120 feet from the base, and they’ll fill that room with music from your iDevice or Mac.
But while Bem’s Wireless Trio is a great idea and was awesome when it worked, my tests brought to light some problems I just couldn’t ignore.
