Cellphone Accessories

Buying Cellphone Batteries and Accessories

A new cellular phone is surprisingly cheap; even free with a two-year service contract. But you can easily add on several times the cellphone's cost in accessories. Cellphone accessories tend to cost more than one would think they're worth. It's like a Christmas tree; the bare tree doesn't cost that much but thousands of dollars worth of ornaments may be hung on it. Fortunately, global online competition tends to keep the prices of cellphone accessories under control.

CellPhoneShop.net is a wildly popular online store that sells everything for cellphones, at pretty good prices. They cover the spectrum of makers, including LG, Samsung, Motorola, Apple, BlackBerry, HTC, Nextel and many others. You can even shop for accessories by carrier.

It's not the only cell phone shop out there but it's a great place to start. AccessoryGeeks.com and eBay often have excellent deals on cellphone accessories. Just about any online cellphone shop offers better prices than a cell phone's manufacturer or a retail store. Especially a retail store... I went to my local Verizon retailer looking for a phone charger, and they wanted $38 for it. I found it for $3 online, and bought two!

Some mobile phone accessories are essential, and their prices tend to remain exorbitant. Cell phone batteries are the prime example. Cell phone chargers are constantly lost and must be replaced; many people want highly adaptable chargers that plug into wall, car, and international power outlets, or even charge batteries with sunlight. I personally like Eton's solar-powered, AM/FM/Weatherband portable radio that includes a flashlight and USB cell phone charger. It even has a hand crank in case there's not enough sunlight to operate the device.

Cellphone batteries and cellphone chargers are critical. And then there are non-essential or ornamental mobile phone accessories.

Cellphone Cases, Boosters and Other Accessories

Cell phone cases come in thin, plain leather or hard plastic. But you can also buy a case studded with gems and gilt with gold. Cell phone covers are not quite cases; the latter have hooks or clips for fastening them to belts and purses. Cell phone covers simply cover the phone with a more stylish "skin" of soft silicone rubber, providing protection against scratches as well as a fashion statement.

Cell phone boosters are popular but of dubious efficacy. The classic "magic" cell phone booster is just a postage stamp-sized bit of copper cut to look like a printed circuit; it slips behind the phone's battery and supposedly boosts reception strength. Such a thing costs less than a penny to make but some people pay $15 to $20 for them. Some cell phone boosters are actually antennae that plug into a socket on a phone; make sure your phone has such a socket before buying a cellphone booster antenna.

Mobile phone accessories go on and on. At CellPhoneShop and other online stores you can buy styluses for punching tiny buttons; new LCD screens for various makes and models of cell phones; Bluetooth headsets so you can walk around talking to yourself like a schizophrenic; faceplates that protect phone from scratches and fingerprints; car kits that mount a cell phone on a steering wheel for hands-free operation; data cables and memory cards; and all sorts of things for iPods and other MP3 players.

The best way to shop for cell phone accessories is to note your phone's exact make and model number. Then search for what you want, i. e., "travel charger," and add on the model name to your search term. That should pull up only items that are compatible with your cell phone.

Do you have a favorite place to shop for cellphone accessories? An accessory you can't live without? Post a comment and tell me about it...