5 tablet accessories you didn’t know you needed
If you just google “(tablet name) accessories” you might find a few device-specific cases and accessories, but some of the most useful accessories out there in my opinion are accessories that aren’t really made for tablets as much as they are compatible with tablets. Here are 5 such accessories that you might not have thought of adding to your gadget bag, but that I’ve been using for a while and can attest to the usefulness of.
Portable speaker
Nothing is more annoying than trying to show something to your friends in a noisy place and having the weak audio from your tablet drown in the background noise. The two in the picture are the FiiO PS1110 [my review | $15] and the FiiO S3 [my review | $26]. The PS1110 is awesome for tablet use because it’s small yet very powerful for its size- and it’s also very cheap.
Headphones
This isn’t exactly an uncommon accessory, but in my experience people leave the headphones at home more and more the close the device is to a PC. Especially if you don’t use it for media a lot it’s not given that you bring headphones with you, but I try to keep a pair of IEMs in my bag at all times for just those situations (I normally bring normal headphones when I know I’ll use them).
Screen cleaning kit
Keyboards are supposedly some of the most dirty, unhygienic items in a household, but tablet screens can’t be far behind. It’s more of an issue with tablets, as you actually have to see what’s underneath all your greasy fingerprints. A t-shirt wipe can only do so much, and even a microfiber cloth falls short of dealing with the most greasiest tablet screens. Pair one with a small spray bottle of screen cleaning solution however, and you have a winner. I always bring such a combo with me, and you can get one in any computer/TV store.
Power accessories
If you fear that you’ll run out of power while away from your charger, there are plenty of smaller chargers and external battery packs that you can bring with you. The Hama Piccolino is a favorite for me because of the size, which paired with a short iPad USB cable is a much more compact solution than the normal charger- even if it charges it significantly slower. If you don’t have access to a wall socket or USB plug at all, there are still options for you to consider. You can even run off the power of the sun if you have the patience (or something that doesn’t use a lot of power, like an ereader).
Stands
If you ever find yourself tired of holding your tablet, that’s a sign that you need a stand. You can get window mounts, table stands, headrest mounts and lots of other solutions that will gladly lend a…hand. If you have a smaller tablet, you might be able to use a product I reviewed last year, the Flightstrap– designed to hold your device on planes, trains, the bus or in a car. And if all else fails, duct tape won’t.
