Indispensable Mobile Phone Accessories

Date Posted:15 May 2013 

The mobile phone is fast becoming the one tool everybody carries with them wherever they go. It not only lets you make and receive phone calls, but also text, fax, video conference and much more. And with the addition of accessories such as those listed here, your mobile becomes a device that is capable of just about anything.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth connectivity allows you to connect your phone wirelessly with any other Bluetooth-enabled device, such as a laptop, a PC or another mobile phone. This allows you to exchange data, use a full-size keyboard, listen to music or communicate hands-free or via a headset -- something that is particularly useful for motorcycle riders.

Battery charger

Being able to charge your mobile phone away from home gives portability a whole new meaning, and there are a number of different battery chargers available depending on your particular needs.

• AC charger -- this is a standard inclusion with every mobile phone; it allows you to recharge your phone at any AC power outlet.
• Portable phone charger -- plugs into the phone for charging anywhere on the go and can also be built into the phone’s case, so that it charges automatically.
• Car charger -- this plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter port and recharges your phone using the car’s 12-volt battery; very handy for those who spend a lot of time on the road.
• Solar charger -- this uses the sun’s rays to recharge your phone and usually employs a fold-out solar panel of some description; a great way to stay in touch when camping or bush bashing.

Phone locator

Mobile phones are wonderful things, but they’re also expensive, so a device that can locate yours if you lose it is worth its weight in gold. Such a device simply clips onto your keychain and connects via Bluetooth and a free app to your mobile phone. If you leave your phone behind, as soon as you get a certain distance away from it, it will begin chirping for you to come and collect it.

TV tuner

If you have an iPhone 4S, a new iPad or an iPad 2, you can now turn your mobile phone into a portable television. The iDTV tuner is available from Apple and lets you watch free-to-air TV on your phone or iPad absolutely free.

The only cost is the tuner itself, which plugs into your phone and uses a free app from iTunes to scan in the channels. There’s no streaming, Internet bandwidth or Wi-Fi network required; just a small telescopic aerial to help with reception, as with a normal TV. With real time digital video recording, time-shifting and digital radio as well, the iDTV tuner turns your mobile phone into a mobile entertainment system.

There are literally hundreds of mobile phone accessories out there and many more apps being developed every day that, combined, make us more mobile and self-sufficient than we have ever been before.