accessories

How do you make the phone of the moment even more enticing? Layer on accessories.

Samsung has just announced the Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, followed by mention of a slew of accessories that range from several protective covers to a desktop dock -- and even a wireless charging player and an MP3 player.… Read more

You see that battery meter dwindling down to zero. There's a knot in your stomach. You'd pay anything just to squeeze another 10 minutes from your phone.

Your panic is justified. Not only does a dead phone battery cut you off from communication with the outside world, but it strips you of your contact book as well. There was a time when I could remember close to a dozen phone numbers off the top of my head. But today, I can barely remember my wife's number without the aid of my phone.

Fortunately, there are a number … Read more

When it comes to Bluetooth speakers, small is hot. We have Jawbone and all the marketing it put behind its Jambox partially to thank for that. With its rechargeable battery and impressive sound for its size, the Jambox showed how you could take a tiny portable speaker and pair it with your smartphone, tablet, or laptop to create a mini wireless stereo system just about anywhere you were.

But some folks don't want to drop $150 to $175 on a portable speaker, which is why I've put together this list of less expensive alternatives. We'll be reviewing more inexpensive portable Bluetooth speakers as the year goes along and we'll continue to update this list as we listen to new products and earlier models we might have missed.… Read more

A lot of CNET readers like to complain that we cover too many Apple accessories and not enough Android ones. Well, the truth is there just aren't nearly as many accessories out there marketed toward Android users. … Read more

Updated April 18, 2013 with two new accessories.

Whether you have the larger iPad or the iPad Mini, Apple's tablets -- while versatile -- can't do everything. That's where peripherals come in. Connecting a camera, streaming audio or video to a TV or stereo, or writing with a real keyboard are just a few extremely useful things that accessories enable. Or, maybe you just want to keep it standing neatly on your desk.

Here are some of the most useful iPad accessories I've found. Some work for both the iPad Mini and the larger iPad; some work with just one. You probably won't need all of them, but you're almost guaranteed to get serious use out of more than one.

Any I left out? Share below.… Read more

Torn between Apple's iPad and the MacBook Pro? Here's an accessory that could solve your dilemma.

The NoteBookCase for iPad2 transforms the tablet into a smaller version of the MacBook Pro, complete with a similar MacBook-style keyboard. Aside from the Bluetooth-connected keyboard, the case comes with an integrated battery that charges the tablet, too. … Read more

Grab them while you can.

Nokia is bringing back its Xpress-on color cover program by giving Lumia 710 owners in the U.S. one free cell phone cover during the month of April.

The manufacturer reported that the last time it implemented the offer, thousands of customers applied for the giveaway and received their covers.

Last month in March, the company surveyed 1,000 U.S. customers about their preferred shade. Blue won the majority of votes, with white, pink, and yellow following behind.

And just when you think the Lumia couldn't get any "freer," all throughout … Read more

One of the more interesting things that Suke Jawanda, chief marketing officer of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), ever saw enabled with Bluetooth was a toothbrush. It measures how long you brush and the number of strokes you make.

"It's all these telematics from your toothbrush that are tracked and sent to an app," he said. "And it's like...what can't be connected?"

For Jawanda and everyday consumers, it seems like everything these days features the Bluetooth logo on its box. In fact, in 2011, 50 Bluetooth-enabled products are shipped out every … Read more

I'm just going to put this out there. The Playa Case for the iPhone 4/4S just might be one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.

Created by Australian company Annex Products, the brainchild behind the Opena bottle opener case (which I'm totally onboard with, by the way), the Playa Case features a slide-out compartment where you can store -- wait for it -- condoms!

That's right, no more rings on your wallet. Instead, you can now flirt worry-free with this classy and discreet rubber dispenser. Just imagine how impressed your lady friend will be when you slide open the Playa Case to reveal a selection of condoms as if you're offering her a mint. You're sure to get lucky in no time like Chris in the video below. Yeah, no. … Read more