There are so many iPhone accessories available in stores and online. In almost any place you go, you will find a small section of the store carries at least one accessory for the iPhone.
There are some Apple iPhone accessories that are really cool and strange.
For example, You can use a special
Stylus for the iPhone if you have long nails for example. The
Dahon bike mounting and charging
unit that mounts and charges your iPhone while riding your bike is a neat accessory for bikers.
There is also a small
iPhone projectorthat connects to your iPhone dock to display your presentation on a big screen.
When I go to any store and see iPhone accessories, I must stop and look at the different items and ideas available for the iPhone. I just enjoy looking for a new and cool iPhone accessory. Sometimes I don't need the accessory right away, but it is just so cool and cheap that I just buy it.
Since the iPhone also has a built in bluetooth, there are so many cool bluetooth accessories available. Unfortunately, the iPhone bluetooth is not complete yet. There is no data support and many drivers are still missing. However, with some iPhone hacks many of the bluetooth functionality becomes available.
Apple introduced a new support for accessories in iPhone OS3.0. For example, when you connect an accessory to your iPhone that requires an Application from the App Store, a message would inform you of the app availability and it will link you to the App Store to install it. This similar to installing a driver for a new hardware for your
computer.
Some controllers are simple
game grip, or a
steering wheel
that hold the iPhone and use it with accelerometer games.
Other iPhone game controllers require jailbreaking and designed to control classic games running on iPhone emulators, like the iPhone NES emulator or Sega emulator. The wiiMote is a great example. Visit the iPhone game controller page to learn more about the wii remote connection to the iPhone.
The iPhone has a glass screen that is anti scratch but when I bought my iPhone I immediately bought a screen protector with it. This is the single most important
iPhone accessory
that any iPhone owner must buy.
I bought my iPhone screen protector from the Apple store, it is called Crystal Film Set, and it has lasted me over a year now, and I don't have a problem with it at all. I don't think I will replace it anytime soon. Invisible shield is a brand that has many good reviews on the internet. It is available to protect both your screen and the iPhone body.
An iPhone case was my second iPhone accessory that I bought. I waited for sometime to find the one I want as I didn't like any of the cases in stores.
I wasn't very comfortable holding my iPhone without a case, but even with a case, I wanted something more.
There are thousands of cases available for the iPhone in so many different styles, shapes and materials. There are cases made of leather, rubber or plastic. Some cases are built in a little mount that holds your iPhone either horizontally or vertically if you need to watch a video for example.
My main feature in a case that I was looking for is to have a strap that I can wrap around my wrist. Just like any portable digital camera or device, they come with a strap that you can hold around your wrist just in case they fall. The iPhone has a camera and it should qualify for a strap from Apple, unfortunately it doesn't.
It is very frustrating for me to hold the iPhone from the edges to take a picture for example. It only takes that one push off your hand, and it will fall. Imagine taking a picture from the second or third floor in a balcony or from above a swimming pool!. So, a strap was a must have in my requirement for an iPhone case.
Click here to see the DLO SlimCase for iPhone 3G, 3G S (Black)
that I have.
FM transmitters are accessories that allow you to listen to your iPhone audio, internet radio or iPod music through your
car stereo
FM. Those
FM transmitters
usually charges the iPhone while transmitting the audio so you won't loose the charge while listening to your music.
You can connect
FM transmitters
either to the line output of the iPhone, or through the iPhone dock. The iPhone dock option is the more efficient way as you can charge you iPhone at the same time. Once the FM transmitter is connected, you can select a station on the FM transmitter and select the same station on the car stereo or any
FM radio, your audio will be transmitted from the iPhone to that
FM radio.
The new Griffin iTrip takes full advantage of the iPhone OS3.0 accessory support by installing an app from the App Store that takes full control of the FM transmitter.
Those are the type of iPhone accessories that you will find in many gas stations on the highway or even in grocery stores. There are so many different kinds. Some of them are simple car or wall chargers that plugs directly to your iPhone dock.
Other types of car or wall chargers have a USB port. Those are more common and more universal chargers. Some of the iPhone battery chargers come with the USB cable but some don't. You simply plug the USB end of the cable to the USB port of the charger, and connect the other end of the cable to the iPhone dock.
I prefer the USB chargers type. You can use the same USB cable to charge your iPhone using any PC or Mac as well as using it in the car or at home.
Those iPhone accessories give additional power to your iPhone when you need it. They are simply an additional external rechargeable battery. Some of them have their own rechargeable battery, but some others can even use AA or AAA batteries to power and charge your iPhone.
They is usually a box that can hold multiple AA or AAA batteries and have a little cable that plugs to the iPhone dock. Some battery extenders charge themselves using solar power from the sun or light. If you have no power source at all, then you can pick a solar energy charger that works completely on sun or light.
iPhone video accessories:
The iPhone is capable of playing YouTube and iPhone videos on the TV. There are several ways of watching your iPhone video on TV. The least expensive method is to use
component video cablesor a regular
Apple composite video cablesthat allow you to connect your iPhone to your TV through the dock port.
When you switch to iPod video or YouTube on your iPhone, your iPhone switch to video out automatically, and you can enjoy full screen video from your iPhone to your TV. Those iPhone video cables are useful when you want to share your favorite YouTube shows or videos with your friends or family.
There are other interesting iPhone accessories that go even beyond that by taking this video signal and feeding it into a
small portable projector, or even
video glassesthat display the video and give big screen effect.
Car mounts allow you to hold your iPhone in your Car. Some of them have a
suction cup
that sticks to the windshield while some others
mount to the air vent
or the dashboard of your car. If you are looking for a mount, I suggest you shop around for one that suites your car.
When you buy a car mount for your iPhone, consider your reach by hand, and also the reach to the car stereo, cigarette lighter and AUX if you have one.
Also don't forget that your iPhone could be rotated, so your mount needs to have a rotation capability.
The worst thing in a car is to have too many wires all over the place, that could be distracting while driving. Therefore, make sure that your mount has a good location.
There is big selection of car mounts that started to appear specially after the release of several iPhone GPS applications in the App Store. TomTom, and Navigon have special mounts that take full advantage of their GPS apps adding sound, AUX, speakers, and charging capability all in one unit.
One of the coolest features to have in your car is bluetooth hands free capability. This allows you to pair cell phones like the iPhone to your car speakers and control your phone calls right from your steering wheel.
If your car doesn't have bluetooth, then you can still install other third party iPhone accessories that have this feature. You simply install those bluetooth devices in your car, and pair them with your iPhone to have handsfree voice conversation.
This is one of the biggest categories in the iPhone accessories. The iPhone has two audio sources, the applications audio that include the music and other video and audio applications.
The other source is the phone audio which is your phone calls audio. This might be a little confusing with some iPhone accessories as which audio source is supported by the accessory.
It is very important to know which audio the accessory supports. For example, you can connect an FM transmitter to your iPhone dock, and transmit every audio from your iPhone to your car stereo, but you won't be able to hear the phone calls through the transmitter. This also applies to other accessories with AUX output to your car. You have to pick up your phone to listen to your party.
Therefore, You have to be very careful when selecting a speaker for your iPhone, and know exactly what you want to hear, your music or your phone, or both. Many bluetooth speakers support both hands free calls and music (A2DP). Just make sure the accessory specifically states that.
You can connect any wired headphone to your iPhone through the audio line out and listen to all your music.
However, iPhone headphones can take full advantage of the iPhone audio port. They allow you to answer phone calls, play, pause, skip and rewind your music with a click of a button on the iPhone headset cable.
iPhone accessories such as headphones can be expensive based on the type, style and sound quality. An iPhone headphone adapter allows you to add features like a microphone and music control buttons to your existing favorite headphone.
With iPhone OS3.0 on the iPhone, you can stream your music or any audio from your iPhone to an A2DP bluetooth headphone or headset. Most stereo bluetooth headphones accessories support A2DP and stereo music.
However, not every headset supports A2DP. Usually headsets are designed for phone calls only and not music. Therefore, if you want to hear your music, internet radio, or TV on your iPhone, then make sure the headset you buy supports A2DP profile like the
Jabra BT 530 Bluetooth Headset.
for the iPhone if you have long nails for example. The
unit that mounts and charges your iPhone while riding your bike is a neat accessory for bikers. 
Apple introduced a new support for accessories in iPhone OS3.0. For example, when you connect an accessory to your iPhone that requires an Application from the 
There are different types of
Other iPhone game controllers require jailbreaking and designed to control classic games running on 
that I have.
or a regular
There are other interesting iPhone accessories that go even beyond that by taking this video signal and feeding it into a
, or even
iPhone Stands:
that sticks to the windshield while some others
or the dashboard of your car. If you are looking for a mount, I suggest you shop around for one that suites your car. 
When you buy a car mount for your iPhone, consider your reach by hand, and also the reach to the car stereo, cigarette lighter and AUX if you have one. 
while you are walking or running or that
to your iPhone through the audio line out and listen to all your music. 
.
