Just as the cell phone world is constantly innovating and reinventing itself, the same thing can be said about all of those accessories that accompany our mobile phones. In continuing with our digital lifestyles, it’s not enough just to have the coolest cell phone on the block; you need to have the right accessories to boot. Whether you’re rocking an Apple iPhone 3G, a BlackBerry Bold, a Samsung Omnia, or any number of other cool new handsets, there are innumerable peripherals for you to consider.
Instead of looking at the latest assortment of cell phone cases, random anime-inspired charms, and those weird signal-boosting stickers that you can buy from eBay, we’re going to take a look at some cell phone accessories that might actually be useful. Yes, those exist too.
YUBZ Talk Mobile Bluetooth Headset
When most people think of Bluetooth headsets, they imagine those tiny things that you plug into your ear. Most Bluetooth headsets are popular among Wall Street executives, because they can keep their hands free while talking to you on the phone. They’re also very popular in states like California where it is illegal to talk on a handheld phone while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. That’s conventional thinking. Of course the YUBZ Talk series of headsets (and I use the term “headset” loosely) from YUBZ is anything but conventional.
As you may recall, we paid a visit to the YUBZ CES 2009 Show Suite during our time at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year. The YUBZ Talk, available in both Bluetooth and non-Bluetooth variants, is a reaction to the emerging trend toward smaller and more portable headsets. It’s a reaction to our push toward being faster and more efficient in everything that we do. That’s why the slogan for YUBZ is “Why You Busy?” Why are you so busy? Do you not have time for a regular conversation with an old college buddy anymore?
Unlike other headsets that clip onto your ear, the YUBZ Talk takes on the form of an old landline telephone, not unlike the one that you may have used at your grandma’s house. There’s no rotary dialer, unlike granny’s phone, but the retro factor is definitely there. Did I mention it was radiation free as well?
The YUBZ Talk headset (perhaps “handset” is more appropriate) shown here is dressed up in a plain black case, but the Talk series is also available in a range of vibrant colors and even artist-inspired designs as well.
Pairing the YUBZ Talk Bluetooth headset with a compatible phone is as straightforward as you’d expect. You set up the YUBZ Talk to be discoverable, enter the default passcode, and you’re good to go. You can also set the headset to ring or not ring, depending on how far away you are from your actual phone. It was quite the unique experience using my mobile phone as if it were a traditional landline.
The wired version of the YUBZ Talk headset sells for $44.95 US and is available with a variety of connectors for different phones. The Bluetooth version shown here isn’t available on the YUBZ website yet, but expect to pay a premium over the wired alternative.
iLuv i316BLK Micro Bluetooth Headset
Don’t want to carry around a giant YUBZ Talk headset? I can’t blame you. It’s definitely not for everyone. A lot of people would prefer to take the more conventional route and find as compact a Bluetooth headset as possible. Well, the guys at iLuv seem to have just the ticket, because the iLuv i316BLK is about as small as it gets when it comes to Bluetooth headsets.
iLuv markets the i316BLK as a “micro size hands-free headset with Bluetooth wireless technology.” As you can probably imagine, the real emphasis is on the “micro size” part of that product description. It weighs just nine grams and the body of the earpiece measures about 35mm in length. That’s pretty small.
And therein lies the problem. The greatest strength of the iLuv i316BLK is also its greatest weakness. Just like the Bluetooth Stereo Backphones from iLuv that I reviewed a while ago, the microphone portion of the i316BLK is too far away from your mouth. As a result, it has a hard time picking up your voice. I was told that I sounded distant. The person on the other end, however, sounded crystal clear in my ear.
If you’re looking for an affordable and compact Bluetooth headset, the iLuv i316BLK could be a viable option. It’s listed at $34.99 US.
Proporta Mobile Device Charger by Ted Baker
The whole point of a mobile phone is that it is inherently portable. You can stay connected and be made available no matter where you happen to find yourself. However, you may find that the battery life on your phone leaves much to be desired. It’s just not practical to be tethered to a wall charger all the time.
The Proporta Mobile Device Charger seems to be an excellent solution. Designed by Ted Baker, this power pack is smaller than a deck of cards, but it provides more than enough power to top up your cell phone. It comes bundled with a range of adapters too, so it doesn’t matter if you’ve got a Sony Ericsson, a Nokia, or an iPhone. They’ve got you covered. You can also choose to use your own cables if you prefer, because the 700mA output is via a standard USB port.
One of the bigger advantages here is that the Proporta Charger packs an impressive 3400 mAh of battery power. Contrast this to a competing portable battery, like the Ecosol Powerstick with its paltry (by comparison) 750mAh internal battery. Depending on the size of the battery of your phone, you may be able to charge it several times over.
The Proporta Mobile Device Charger by Ted Baker retails for 24.95GBP (so about $37 US).
Proporta Gadget Bag
Are you planning a summer vacation somewhere? Maybe you go on business trips on a fairly frequent basis? In either case, there’s a good chance that you’ll be packing along your fair share of gadgetry and it can be a little frustrating getting everything organized and accessible. Just as a TSA-complaint laptop bag will help you zip through airport security, the Gadget Bag from Proporta will help to organize all the little things that accompany your notebook, including the ones that accompany your cell phone.
While it is sold as the Proporta Gadget Bag, it is perhaps more descriptive to refer to this package as the Proporta Gadget “Bags”, because it consists of three or four semi-separate components. They all fit and zip together, so you can use them as one unified force of portable digital enjoyment.
There’s one larger bag and then two smaller bags that zip onto the front. Inside the larger bag is another smaller bag that attaches inside via Velcro. Each of the compartments also has a small rubber hole where you can thread power cables, headphones, and that kind of thing. The Proporta Gadget Bag sells for 24.95GBP (about $37 US).
SanDisk 8GB and 16GB microSDHC Memory Cards
Many of us use our cell phones for more than voice calls and text messages. Lots of feature phones are great for taking pictures, listening to music, and watching videos too. This is particularly true when it comes to smartphones like the Nokia E71 and the BlackBerry Curve 8900. As such, you need some extra storage to handle that multimedia content.
If you happen to have a phone with a microSD card slot, look no further than SanDisk for the biggest tiny card on the market today. To my knowledge, this is the first commercially available 16GB microSDHC memory card. If you want to save a few bucks, SanDisk also has an 8GB alternative which should work better with older handsets that may not support the larger 16GB little giants.
Using a SanDisk microSDHC-to-USB adapter (sold separately), I put the 16GB memory card through its paces in HD Tune 2.54. It generated a very consistent read speed across the entire card, pushing data around at about 18.3MB/sec. The access time was 1.2ms and the burst rate was 12.3MB/sec. This makes it about as fast as some of the entry level USB flash drives out on the market.
SanDisk has kept the extras to a minimum here, so you’ll need to get your SD card adapter or USB card reader somewhere else. However, plugging your phone into your computer works as well for transferring your files. The 16GB SanDisk microSDHC cards sell for $108.99 US while the 8GB version can be found for around $44.99 US. Look for them at Best Buy Mobile and Verizon Wireless stores.
Accessorizing Cell Phones with Functionality in Mind
The YUBZ Talk Bluetooth headset can be great for retro enthusiasts, whereas the iLuv i316BLK is much more compact and reduces that all too often stigma of “Jerk” that headset wearers get slapped with. The Proporta Battery Charger can come in very handy as can the Proporta Gadget Bag while on your worldwide travels. You definitely don’t want to leave anything behind or be stuck without power. Finally the SanDisk 16GB microSDHC card will grant you plenty of space for videos on the go or if you’re more of a cellphone picture fiend then the less expensive 8GB version might be more to your liking. But of course, bigger is better.
Whether you need more memory, more battery, or more convenience, there’s bound to be a cell phone accessory or two for you. We hope you enjoyed our Spring 2009 round up of some useful and cool cell phone gadgets that we’ve stumbled across and we’re looking forward to showing you a few more things for your cell phone lifestyle later this Summer.
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Futurelooks’ Spring 2009 Guide to Cell Phone Accessories – Photo Gallery
