Android Accessories

Well, obviously, this is more than just for Androids, but smartphones in general and I can’t go specifically into some brands, but I’ll try to get an overall picture.

On the AndroidInCanada facebook page, I asked “what’s your number one accessory”.  I want to know what is the one thing that must go with you when you take your phone.  For me I have several accessories, but pretty well spread out, so it would be hard to pick with certainty which one tops the others.  So, I’m going to go over several different ‘areas’ and I’ll tell you what I use, and why I like mine.  I hope that you’ll share YOUR views in the comments and we could get a great dialogue going about how to maximize the usage of our phones.

Side note – I really want to link to websites offering these items, but I don’t want to promote one company over another (except in the one case, but you’ll see).  If you have any problems finding them, then you probably shouldn’t have a smartphone… it’s Android… it’s got google built right in!

Charging

Seriously – you have to have options to charge just about anywhere you go.  When you get your phone, you get one battery, one charger.  Not going to cut it.  Especially if you’re like me.  I have 2 extra wall chargers (so the usb cord is on the computer, and then a wall charger up and downstairs) and then I also have a car usb port adapter and then 2 more usb cords.  One that stays at my work computer and another that travels with me (for car or whatever).  One of the things I’ve also picked up is a couple of the micro-mini (and v.v.) adapters.  My wife’s phone uses the mini-usb type and I’ve got the micro.  So I keep a couple of those around just in case [for example, the care we use a mini-usb cord in the usb charger, and when I need it, I just use the adapter to change mini->micro].

One thing I haven’t purchased quite yet is a 2nd battery.  For me, I’d rather charge it up a bazillion times rather than taking off the case, opening up the back, powering down, putting the new battery in, back back on, case back on, then power up and wait.  If my battery power was that limited and I knew I wasn’t finding a usb somewhere, then I might look into it.  But for my standard day-to-day use, it’d be more of a hassle.

Bluetooth

Last Christmas I could have put a workshop on ‘what is bluetooth’ and the difference between headset and earphones.  I wanted earphones, but got a headset.  But not to fret – it came with another charger, which works with my phone.  Bonus!  (plus my wife inherited my old bluetooth headset).  For me, I must admit I hardly use the headset.  I’m not big on answering the phone (plus it’s illegal) when I’m in the car, and I’m not the douche who’ll walk around with it plugged into my ear looking like I’m talking to myself.  Now I’ve only used a few models throughout my time, and I still haven’t found one that doesn’t make the person on the other line go “ow… you must be on your headset”.  Any recommendations?

I did pick up over the Boxing Day sale a set of Sennheiser bluetooth headphones, and I must say ‘great purchase’.  I really didn’t use it all that much in the beginning (more of a novelty purchase), but now that the weather is good, and gas prices are going up I find myself biking to work quite often (my personal blog I’m tracking how much I’m doing) and I NEED NEED NEED to have some music on while I bike.  My audiophile ears don’t really notice that they’re any worse than regular headphones (and how well can you tell with mp3s anyways), plus I’m competing with traffic for noise.  I do like how it has controls on it to switch and pause.  Funny, how I wrote an article a few weeks back saying how I didn’t use my phone as an mp3 player… but I found myself not wanting to worry about headphone cables etc… while I’m biking.  The only negative I have on it is the fact that it has yet another kind of charging cable (one for which I can’t buy an adapter… at least that I’ve not found – had I had the foresight to see that before I purchased, I might have thought twice), but the battery life is quite good!

Carrying around

Cases… we don’t need no stinking cases!  I had always hated cases.  Back when I had a pager it was the bane of my existence to have something to strap to the device, with the possible method of clipping it to your belt.  My waistline precludes me from hanging anything off of there, so I would never buy one of those kinds.  And besides, I have a sleek new geeky product, let me show it off.  Putting a case around it really hides it, and that’s not why I bought it… right?  Well as it turns out no… I bought it to use the thing and as it’s an investment – I want to protect that investment.  My first fall with the phone (has a smudge on the bottom of the case and micro “chip” on the screen on a non-pixel area) taught me quickly that it needs some sort of protection.

Now I used to, in my old Palm days, go over board a little (if I have to protect the item, make the protection an accessory that shows it off as much as no accessory would) and have a case that could hold extra stylii, or credit cards and whatnots… I’ve outgrown that with my phone.  I want as minimal a case as possible.  Holding cases make it hard to get to the phone when it rings (I can never slide it out in time) and the flip type just make it extra bulky.

I’ve been going back and forth between 2 kinds of cases – a rubberized slip on (which I’ve been using mostly now-a-days) and a hard snap-together case.  The rubberized one I think would definitely protect it more in the event of a fall as the rubber protrudes over the screen, so unless it’s falling directly on a rock, it should be good.  However, the rubber stuff picks up all sorts of pocket line and crumbs, so I’m constantly cleaning it.  The hard case is great as it is really minimal and does what it’s supposed to – prevent scratches and nicks.  However, in the “case” of a fall (see what I did there?) I doubt it has the resistance to not break (but then again, better it than the phone) and it’s a bit of a pain to try to pry the thing open.  Not that I do that often, but every now and again I need to pull the battery for a hard reset… just a very hard extra step.  But I do like it’s sleekness.

Car stands are another neat feature – as my phone also doubles as my GPS when I need it.  I’ve looked over the docks for my phone and I just don’t see one unfortunately – then again – I picked up a generic brand in one of my hardware stores (until they provide me with some kickbacks I won’t name names) and it’s worked just as well for me.  The phone just has to sit up there and be able to be plugged in is a bonus.  True enough the little spring that holds the width just so is starting to go, but it still holds; and it’s cheap enough that I could buy another when I need to.

The upside to not only being for navigation, it gives me the chance to do some text reading at red lights without having to look down.

Screen protectors are up there with the cases.  I need to protect the phone.  I can’t believe how obsessed I was over this tiny little chip on my screen when it fell.  You could barely see it… but I knew it was there.  That’s just how I am.  However, I’m horrible at putting those things on.  So it looks like poop.  Couple that with a rubberized bumper case that collects lint and my gorgeous device is now a little sullied.  Would it look better with out it?  Sure, but I know I’d about cry if it got scratched (then I’d have to stare at that scratch until I could afford the HUP).

Miscellaneous

That’s about it for the main types of accessories.  I do also use an FM transmitter in the car.  Stereo adapter to the unit and then send out the music via FM.  Now I don’t know if it’s my phone or the transmitter, but it isn’t as bad on mp3 players, but I do pick up some noise on the stereo jack, especially since the usb port on my phone is right next to it, when I plug in both usb and the headphone jack, definitely a lot of noise.  Anybody know any good bluetooth fm transmitter (when I google I just get ones for voice only… I want to send music through bt to the transmitter which then goes through the car stereo).

One thing I did know was lacking, and we were told were coming out was a dock type station for my phone.  Something that you could plug the phone into, it would then have AV jacks to plug into your tv, charge, butter your toast, etc… To date I have not seen anything on the manufacturer’s website, despite the fact that there’s a specific HOME DOCK and CAR DOCK app  (well DESK HOME and CAR HOME).  I stand corrected, there’s some dock options now on the website – but nothing ‘all in one’ and it’s only on the US page – the Canadian page calls the AV cord a 800mAh battery.

Best of all – the Apps

Really, that’s what we ‘accessorize’ our phones with nowadays, fancy new apps.  And we’ve done plenty of app covering here before, so I won’t bore you with that.

So, leave us your thoughts in the comments below – what’s your favourite accessory?  What’s your essential accessory?  Do you buy it online via some obscure asian company for pennies on the dollar, or do you buy from a carrier store?