Top 10 Phone Accessories and Apps You Didn’t Know You Needed

Date Posted:7 June 2012 

New mobile apps and accessories are being created nearly every day, and some are more practical than others. Here’s a list of 10, rated in order of usefulness.

1. Bluetooth helmet

The Bluetooth helmet is major breakthrough for motorcycle riders. Bluetooth connectivity now means they can make hands-free mobile calls, listen to music, talk to their pillion passenger and fellow riders and be guided to their destination by voice navigation.

2. Portable solar charger

Another great invention. When you’re not able to use a regular power source, the solar panels on the portable solar charger can re-juice your mobile phone battery in as little as five hours, using only the free power of the sun.

3. Fast customer

A great time saver for busy people on the go, this business phone app does all the waiting for you. It navigates its way through the automated phone system of the company you’re calling until it gets hold of a real person, and then it calls you back and puts you through. It can literally save you hundreds of hours a year spent hanging on the phone.

4. Flight Tracker

This app is great if you do a lot of travelling by plane. All you have to do is enter your itinerary and it does the rest, alerting you when there are delays or cancellations and even providing you with maps of the airports en route.

5. Pet tracker

It may sound hokey, but this is actually a great idea. You attach a device to your cat or dog’s collar and, if it goes missing, you can track it down by mobile phone using GPS technology. Another kind uses an early warning device that calls or emails you when your pet wanders outside a designated area, so you can head it off before it gets too far away.

6. Digital Girlfriend

Okay, you can probably see we’re getting closer to the silly end of the list now. This app sends you regular messages from a fictional girlfriend and includes four video calls a day. Developed for lonely Korean men, it includes messages such as “Time for breakfast!” and “Goodnight, sweet dreams!”

7. Auto will

If you’re trapped somewhere with only hours to live, this app lets you leave a last will and testament for others to find. It’s probably not a legal will, but they’d get the general idea anyway. Told you it was the silly end.
 
8. Confession

Yes, confession is now available on your mobile. This app lets you atone for your sins wherever you happen to be. No more queueing up at the confessional. Get it off your chest at any hour of the day or night. Truly a modern miracle.

9. Karaoke

No matter how awful your singing voice is, just start crooning into your mobile phone and this app will analyse your voice and then make it tuneful. It will then add effects and suitable music to make you sound like a star.

10. Melon Meter

And lucky last, congratulations to the winner of the most unlikely mobile phone accessory. The melon meter is a phone app that tests the ripeness of a melon before you buy it, by analysing the sound your fingers make when you rap on the skin. Guaranteed to get some interesting comments in the fruit and veg aisle, if nothing else.