iPhone Accessory Thread

RobM · 25-06-2009, 1:00 PM

Since we have big, dedicated threads to software, jailbreaking and protection... I thought I'd start something about must-have accessories for the iPhone

Question is... what accessories do you consider a must-have?

For me... Apple Dock (now they are being stingy and not including it) and decent headphones are about all I ensure I have.

I guess the TomTom cradle will appear in many peoples must-have list at some point.

What else is there? What do I need to rush out and buy this weekend?

Azzin · 25-06-2009, 1:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobM83

Since we have big, dedicated threads to software, jailbreaking and protection... I thought I'd start something about must-have accessories for the iPhone

Question is... what accessories do you consider a must-have?

For me... Apple Dock (now they are being stingy and not including it) and decent headphones are about all I ensure I have.

I guess the TomTom cradle will appear in many peoples must-have list at some point.

What else is there? What do I need to rush out and buy this weekend?

Good thread.

I'm kind of in the same boat as I've just made the jump from 2G to 3G and am thinking about a dock (or two!) and some earphones as I hate the Apple ones!.

Am I right in thinking you can use any earphones with the 3G?

I've ordered an Incipio Feather case, which I'm hoping will arrive tomorrow.

leeb-1977 · 25-06-2009, 1:10 PM

For me the only 'must have' accessory (apart from a decent case) is a chilled bottled of abbots ale.... that way i can relax and have a play with the phone properly!

leeb-1977 · 25-06-2009, 1:13 PM

oh yeah.... earphones!!

I have an external penguin tin amp and a set of AKG240S cans for in the house and the amp and a set of Equation Audio RP21's for when im out and about.

...hate in the ear 'bud' type phones... they sound unatural (imo) and hurt my ears after a short while.

Tall_Paul · 25-06-2009, 1:19 PM

One thing I do need, which I'll probably pick up at the apple store this weekend, is a USB cable extender

The one provided is pretty short, means you can't really use the iPhone plugged in to a wall socket.

RobM · 25-06-2009, 1:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azzin

Am I right in thinking you can use any earphones with the 3G?

Yes Sir

In fact... typing this while listening to music through my Sennheiser CX500's... my every-day earphones

Azzin · 25-06-2009, 1:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobM83

Yes Sir

In fact... typing this while listening to music through my Sennheiser CX500's... my every-day earphones

Oooo-I like the look of those.

One question if I may-is the earphone lead split equally, or is it one of those silly leads of an unequal length that you are supposed to wrap round the back of your head (that I hate)?

Play have them for £16.99 in black: Play.com (UK) : Sennheiser CX500 Headphones (Black) : Electronics - Free Delivery)

iAural have them for £8.99 or £8.28 in black or white respectively: iAural: All Electronics: CX 500

(I think iAural trade via Amazon).

RobM · 25-06-2009, 1:39 PM

It's split evenly, the same length goes to the left and the right, thank goodness

I paid considerably more for them than those prices and I'm very happy

Azzin · 25-06-2009, 1:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobM83

It's split evenly, the same length goes to the left and the right, thank goodness

I paid considerably more for them than those prices and I'm very happy

Thanks.

I've just realised that I'm £16 in credit on my Amex card (from when I returned some earphones I bought from the O2 shop as it happens!), so I'm going to order a set of CX500s from iAural.

On your recommendation....

RobM · 25-06-2009, 1:46 PM

Uh-Oh...

On the subject of accessories... one thing I really want is a multi-device charging station. I ordered one of the Idapt ones but it made an electrical noise and got very hot within a few minutes, so that went back along with my trust in it.

Does anybody know of anything similar? Anything to save me having multiple leads and wires all over the place for my phones, iPod, PSP etc

Azzin · 25-06-2009, 1:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobM83

Uh-Oh...

On the subject of accessories... one thing I really want is a multi-device charging station. I ordered one of the Idapt ones but it made an electrical noise and got very hot within a few minutes, so that went back along with my trust in it.

Does anybody know of anything similar? Anything to save me having multiple leads and wires all over the place for my phones, iPod, PSP etc

My pleasure!

Griffin PowerDock 2 Dual Charger - Apple Store (U.K.)

Griffin PowerDock 4 Charging Base for 4 iPod or iPhone Models - Apple Store (U.K.)

RobM · 25-06-2009, 1:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azzin

My pleasure!

Griffin PowerDock 2 Dual Charger - Apple Store (U.K.)

Griffin PowerDock 4 Charging Base for 4 iPod or iPhone Models - Apple Store (U.K.)

Oooooh.... so close

Think along those lines... but with support for non-Apple devices too. The Idapt I3 would be perfect if it weren't for the risk of death, burning and losing your home.

karlak · 25-06-2009, 2:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobM83

Yes Sir

In fact... typing this while listening to music through my Sennheiser CX500's... my every-day earphones

Do these have a microphone for making /taking calls ?

Waser · 25-06-2009, 2:47 PM

Talking about Docks. I've ordered one of these. Primarily for use in my car with the Aux connection. Should result in better sound quality:

SendStation - Products - PocketDock Line Out USB

muffins · 25-06-2009, 3:41 PM

A set of comply foam tips for my Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 EB earphones, that I use with my iPhone. God what a difference they make.

Professor Chaos · 26-06-2009, 4:36 PM

talking about Docks ... whats so good about them? what can a dock do that a normal USB lead can't ???

in other words, why would i want to spend £20 or so buying a dock with my Iphone which Apple used to include , but now don't

Also, what do people use for keeping your iphone charged at work ? Does a normal USB lead do the trick (plugged into a PC or laptop at work of course) or do you need a power adaptor too ?

Tom` · 26-06-2009, 4:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaggy_x

talking about Docks ... whats so good about them? what can a dock do that a normal USB lead can't ???

in other words, why would i want to spend £20 or so buying a dock with my Iphone which Apple used to include , but now don't

Also, what do people use for keeping your iphone charged at work ? Does a normal USB lead do the trick (plugged into a PC or laptop at work of course) or do you need a power adaptor too ?

I bought one of those small white docks off ebay for like £3 just to hold the phone up on my desk

Waser · 26-06-2009, 5:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaggy_x

talking about Docks ... whats so good about them? what can a dock do that a normal USB lead can't ???

in other words, why would i want to spend £20 or so buying a dock with my Iphone which Apple used to include , but now don't

Also, what do people use for keeping your iphone charged at work ? Does a normal USB lead do the trick (plugged into a PC or laptop at work of course) or do you need a power adaptor too ?

Well I got the doc I linked cause the audi quality via a dock is much better then if just connecting to the headphone socket.

But you can also then just charge your iPhone using any old USB socket so rather than carring the lead around everywhere you can just keep the dock in your pocket as there is usually a USB cable lieing around near most PCs.

Some more info here:

SendStation - Products - PocketDock Line Out USB

ste v p · 26-06-2009, 5:46 PM

I'm looking for a decent ipod dock for the iphone 3gs but i'm not massively flush. I'm tempted to get portable ones too that can be taken abroad and played unplugged etc. i'd also like to be able to charge the phone while potentially linking up to an amp and a home cinema (5.1) system which is yet to be purchased.

So far, this dock looks to be the best Altec Lansing iM600. Can be found for about £80 elsewhere on t'internet but less reputable sellers.

However, I went into Comet the other day to have a play with the aforementioned speaker system and as soon as i put the phone my phone told me "the dock wasn't designed for this phone - switch to airplane mode YES/NO". I opted for no and the music played fine, phone seemed to be charging OK etc. Why should I have opted for airplane mode? Would it be because of incoming call interference?

Anyway, still not sold yet, worried about the lithium battery and the fact it doesn't seem to be removable (I had to replace my laptop battery after 2 years because it didn't hold any charge any more)

RobM · 27-06-2009, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaggy_x

talking about Docks ... whats so good about them? what can a dock do that a normal USB lead can't ???

in other words, why would i want to spend £20 or so buying a dock with my Iphone which Apple used to include , but now don't

Also, what do people use for keeping your iphone charged at work ? Does a normal USB lead do the trick (plugged into a PC or laptop at work of course) or do you need a power adaptor too ?

A normal USB lead does the trick nicely for charging and data... but personally I like to have the dock so it's easy to just slot in place. It also means it's standing upright and is therefore less prone to damage or having things dropped on it.

I don't charge mine at work really, but a USB cable should be all you need to do it. Or one of those mobile battery packs.

I'm heading to the Apple store today so hoping to come back with at least a couple of new toys

jerryjal · 27-06-2009, 11:33 AM

Just bought what looks and was advertised as a genuine dock for £11 in p&p on ebay.
Turned up this morning and must say very happy, it does exactly what it says on the tin

SourKraut · 28-06-2009, 8:42 PM

I've just bought a small dock from the O2 shop for £19.99 which has a basic IR remote control - volume control and track selection

It has a external port at the back for an A/V cable (not supplied) so you can link it up to your home audio system, made by Dexim.

Looking around the web, I found that this model has been upgraded now DEXIM

Professor Chaos · 03-07-2009, 11:34 AM

word of warning for those wanting a cheap dock off ebay. Looks like some (all? ) are not compatible with the 3GS yet. Heres an example:

Charger & Hotsync Dock Cradle For Apple iPhone 3G 8GB on eBay (end time 16-Jul-09 03:31:52 BST)

Alan13 · 03-07-2009, 5:15 PM

[QUOTE=shaggy_x;9850039]word of warning for those wanting a cheap dock off ebay. Looks like some (all? ) are not compatible with the 3GS yet. Heres an example:

Hello Shaggy, I bought one of these for my 3g. Upgraded to 3gs and it works perfectly. Charges without getting hot and sits on desk looking the part. At that price you can't go wrong.
Regards Alan

Tom` · 03-07-2009, 5:31 PM

[QUOTE=Alan13;9852327]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaggy_x

word of warning for those wanting a cheap dock off ebay. Looks like some (all? ) are not compatible with the 3GS yet. Heres an example:

Hello Shaggy, I bought one of these for my 3g. Upgraded to 3gs and it works perfectly. Charges without getting hot and sits on desk looking the part. At that price you can't go wrong.
Regards Alan

Yep I ordered that exact dock, 3GS fits into fine

Is it possible to get sound out without using an aux cable?

spiderman78 · 03-07-2009, 5:39 PM

[QUOTE=Alan13;9852327]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaggy_x

word of warning for those wanting a cheap dock off ebay. Looks like some (all? ) are not compatible with the 3GS yet. Heres an example:

Hello Shaggy, I bought one of these for my 3g. Upgraded to 3gs and it works perfectly. Charges without getting hot and sits on desk looking the part. At that price you can't go wrong.
Regards Alan

Cheers guys just ordered one...not bad for £2.58