Smartphone Stocking Stuffers: 15 Hot Accessories and Add-Ons

Apple’s iTunes App Store is currently the only official mobile software shop that offers gift cards. That’s just unfortunate—yes, I’m looking at you BlackBerry App World—because app store gift cards not only enhance recipients’ smartphone experiences, but also let recipients pick their own software to ensure just the right gift. You can always send off an AmEx or Visa gift card with instructions to buy software, but that’s not the same…You can order and customize iTunes gift cards online or pick them up at your local Target or Walmart.

GPS-based, turn-by-turn navigation applications are currently available for every major mobile platform and on all U.S. wireless carriers—though your device must be GPS-enabled to employ the services. GPS navigation apps offer nearly all the same features as standalone GPS units, but unlike those dedicated gadgets, smartphones don’t often come with car-mounts. No worries. Quality vehicle-mounts for smartphones can be had for less than $30. (I’m partial to the Gomadic mount I’ve been using since last Christmas.)

Smartphones increasingly double as media players, and a good pair of headphones can vastly improve the multimedia experience. In fact, one of the best ways to consume audio content via smartphone is to employ a set of stereo Bluetooth headphones, which connect to your smartphone wirelessly to do away with those pesky cords. I’ve had good experiences with stereo Bluetooth headphones from Samsung, Motorola, Jabra and others. Check out Amazon.com for reasonable prices; you can expect to pay between $40 and $100 for a decent set of wireless headphones.

There’s no better way to organize and store smartphone media cards than in a memory card wallet. With slots for a variety of card-sizes, memory card wallets make it simple to keep track of those tiny microSD cards, and all your other cards, while protecting them from damage. A variety of wallets in different sizes, materials and styles can be found online, but I keep it simple with CarryMobile’s $25 memory card wallet.