Cell Phone Accessories

Accessories such a coat, purse, or shoes can either complete or dress up an outfit. Cell phones have almost as many accessories as Barbie does. Accessories can be practical, ornamental, or just available. In the cell phone world there are practical accessories that help you to operate the phone safely and those that allow you to carry it safely.

Some, like downloadable ring tones, are there for you if you want them. I have put accessories into groups to make them easier to describe. There are operational accessories that include battery chargers. Chargers are phone and model specific so that they are not interchangeable.

Hands free kits can be bought that are easily installed in your vehicle. These will let you talk on the phone and keep your hands on the wheel. The signal between your phone and cell tower can be strengthened with the use of antenna boosters. Where there are weak cell phone signals these are really good.

There are specific batteries from your cell phone’s manufacturer and for your specific cell phone. Until you can recharge your cell phone battery there is an attachment that will your weak battery a boost. There are speaker phone kits. Rather than drive with one hand and hold the phone with other, these attachments let you talk on the phone and keep your hands on the wheel.

Place dashboard mountable holders well within arms reach. There are a number of styles of cases and holders. The eyeglass case and horizontal case are alike. Pocket eyeglass cases are similar to vertical cases. Cell phone holsters can be worn across your shoulder like a policeman or on your belt.

Wear multi-use cases on your arm, your wrist, or your thigh. Not only will these cases hold your cell but they will hold your license and a few dollars. These types of cases will hold your cell, your license, and a few bucks. These cases hold your cell phone, your license, and maybe a few bucks.

Velcro(tm) are generally found on these cases. You can find accessories for your cell that are technical in nature. Internal accessories include downloadable ring tones and games to help you pass the time while you are waiting. These ring tones can include holiday songs, the traditional ring, or The William Tell Overture.

Cell phones are little computers that are internet ready, organizers, calendars, note recorders, and to do lists; they are no longer just phones. They now have phone directories, recordings of missed calls so you can return calls later, and they record the identity of callers.

There are antenna boosters that strengthen signals and radiation shields to reduce radiation exposure. Cell phone accessories include covers and face plates. There are front and back pieces to phone covers.

Face plates, some with designs, go over the keypad and the front of the phone. Cell phone accessories include very cute plush animal covers. They are both functional and cute, and the phone goes in the back of the animal. The animal acts as a cushion for the phone in case its ever dropped.

Prices of cell phone accessories and cell phones can vary. Most accessories are optional and some are simply fun. It is important to remember that not all cell phone accessories are interchangeable. You should learn all about your cell phone and how it operates.

Are you frustrated with all the choices you have to make when choosing a business cell phone and service plan? It doesn't have to be complicated. Assuming you aren't looking for the latest ubergizmo cell phone, the following three steps are all you need to help you pick the cell phone that's right for your business.

Step One: Figure Out the Cell Phone Coverage You Need

Step one involves figuring out where you are going to be using your new cell phone. Do you work in the city or the country? Also, do you often travel aboard and intend to use your phone around the world?

If you work primarily in US metropolitan areas, you don't have to worry about whether you need a GSM, CDMA or TDMA phone--they all work pretty well. On the other hand, if you work in rural, remote or undeveloped areas, your best bet is a CDMA or TDMA phone since these providers have the best coverage in rural/undeveloped areas.

CDMA and TDMA providers include Verizon Wireless and Sprint-Nextel.

On the other hand, if you intend to use your cell phone while abroad, GSM is the communications standard used outside of North America. If you purchase a GSM phone so that you can use it abroad, you need to make sure the phone is purchased "unlocked", which means that the phone is not tied to a specific network. With an unlocked GSM cell phone, you can easily swap out the SIM card (a white chip usually behind the battery) with local country, prepaid SIM cards to avoid expensive roaming charges. These local country SIM cards are often available in corner stores in most countries.

In the US, GSM providers include Cingular and T-Mobile.

Step Two: Figure Out the Cell Phone Rate Plan You Need

Once you've figured out where you are going to be primarily using your new cell phone, the next step is to figure out what business rate plan is the most economical for your needs. Most providers offer different plans based around buckets of minutes that are allocated between different time periods in a day and/or week.

If you are going to be using the phone primarily during the day, you'll need a plan that will give you the maximum number of minutes when the sun is up. On the other hand, if you are going to be using your new cell phone primarily on the weekends, you'll need a plan that gives you the maximimum number of minutes on Saturday and Sunday. Those are the two extremes--other plans offer some combination of weekday daytime, evenings and weekend minutes.

If you are unsure of your calling patterns, take advantage of the free first-month promotions offered by many providers to figure out when you make your calls and then switch your plan accordingly if necessary. Many phone companies will analyze your cell phone usage if asked to and will recommend a plan that minimizes your monthly cost.

Step Three: Buy Your New Cell Phone

If you are going to be buying a GSM phone because you intend to travel and use the phone abroad, stick to tri-band/tri-mode phones. These phones can operate on a multitude of frequencies that various operators abroad may use. Otherwise, don't worry about whether the phone is tri-band/tri-mode or dual-mode.

Other than that one consideration, choosing a cell phone is all a matter of taste. Generally speaking, if you enter into a one-year or two-year contract, the phone provider will often give away a cell phone that would otherwise cost many hundreds of dollars. That's usually your best bet but be careful of early-termination clauses that can impose a penalty of $200 or more.