Though most of today’s mobile phones are powerhouses that allow one to carry one’s work and entertainment along they always fall short in realizing the full potential of the device. The mobile phone accessory industry has grown up to solve this “last mile” performance problem. As most the modern day phones as smart devices, meaning they offer much in the way of connectivity and processing power they can always be improved upon using accessories to get better performance out of them. Here are my favorite cell phone accessories that have allowed me to realize the complete potential of my Smartphone.

Extended Battery:

The increase in processing power and the transition of phones into complete portable entertainment and connectivity devices has brought about a need for extended battery lives. Though mobile phone manufacturers are making constant improvements in increasing battery capacity they almost always seem to fall short of consumer expectations. Third party power packs or additional batteries with extended power capacities are way to go for increasing the working time of mobile phones and other mobile devices.

I use the Just Mobile Pro Portable Battery pack which gets the job done for my iPod, Smartphone and portable router!

Ergonomics and comfort:

Most of the modern day mobile devices always to seem to fall short on the ergonomics front which seems to be the last priority for manufacturers. A modern day Smartphone is capable of delivering a full length TV program or movie for that matter and still does not come with a setup that would allow the device to lay on a tabletop for comfortable viewing. There are some manufacturers like Archos which seem to provide built-in stands for the purpose but most others don’t bother. The availability of compact stands and mounts has however solved this issue at a very nominal price. A dock or a stand is available for almost every Smartphone that allows the user better comfort and flexibility in enjoying a portable device. Also docks that combine a music player, clock serve as a wonderful music system, but you can always go for the classical small dock that just lets you stick the phone in and get charged and synced with your computer.

I use a iHome iP9, which is one of my favorite gadgets for music, alarm clock and charging my iPod. A Walimex iPhone/iPod Touch stand lets me watch my favorite videos and podcasts when on the go.

Speakers/headphones & Keyboards:

Just about every Smartphone or internet tablet today comes with a standard pair of headphones. The problem is that these add-ons are usually not best at what they do. The iPhone, iPod, iPad or for that matter most media consumption devices provide better quality audio which can never be completely appreciated with the bundled headphone/mic combination. One does not have to be an audiophile to notice the difference that a good third party headphone can bring to a Smartphone or tablet. Some recent Smartphones and tablets now offer the capability of using external wireless keyboards that provide a better interface for type input. If you are a writer or do serious word processing, trust me, a physical keyboard always beats the onscreen one easily! There is something about touching physical keys and the ergonomic comfort that it offers which so far haven’t been matched by virtual keyboards (and probably will never be). Lastly if you’re the outdoor type of person, pick up one of the portable speakers available and enjoy music through the speakers meant for music rather than the puny ones on your device. Portable speaker technology has seen great improvements and there are wonderful portable wireless speakers available that are just fabulous for use at a picnic, barbecue and at any other outdoor activity.

I use, a Logitech Mini Boombox as a portable speaker (over Bluetooth) and Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10 vi for the headphone/mic solution.

This post was sponsored by OLX.