February 26 2018
Want to soup up your mobile phone? Rather than relying on apps for that (as we so often do), let's head down the road less travelled instead. Today, we're exploring the world of physical accessories that work with--and enhance--your smartphone.
That's right, we're ditching the digital in favor of things that attach to or sync to your phone and boost its functionality. And we have to say, there are a LOT of different types of mobile phone accessories--so much so that we've broken up this article into two parts.
Today, we're taking a look at accessories that enhance the multimedia capabilities of your phone, and make those photos and Facebook Live videos so much better.
It's true that today's smartphones have genuinely impressive cameras, but there's always room for improvement! In fact, one of the biggest drawbacks to phone cameras is that they're too high-tech. When you use zoom on your phone to make your photographic subject larger, all your phone is doing is digitally enlarging the center of the image. It's not a true zoom, and it often results in unclear, pixelated images. With optical (read: analog) zoom, the mechanics of the lens operates much like our eyes do, and the results are much crisper.
While our phones are not capable of optical zoom, there are multiple lenses on the market that you can purchase and attach to your phone. They don't only offer telephoto capabilities, either--there are fish-eye lenses, wide angle, macro, and so much more available today! Here are a couple suggestions to get you started:
If you're looking for something higher end that a professional photographer might use, you can explore the mobile lenses and filters at this website.
When looking for a lens, check to be sure that it's compatible with your device. If you're on a site like Amazon, try searching the consumer reviews for reviews that mention your phone model to see how a particular lens performs.
Forget the selfie stick--just pair a smart watch with your smartphone to trigger your phone's camera from a distance. Smart watches like the Apple Watch let you use your watch as a viewscreen for your phone's camera to frame the perfect shot. When you're ready, just tap your watch to snap a photo instantly or after a 3-second delay.
That's not all smart watches can do, either. From managing phone notifications to helping find a misplaced phone, smart watches and smartphones were clearly made for each other.
If you're in the market for a smart watch, look for one with the same operating system as your smartphone. This ensures that the devices will work together well. So, for example, look for an Android-based smart watch if you have an Android phone. iPhone owners should scout out Apple Watches for maximum compatibility.
It's hard to keep our hands off our smartphones, but sometimes we need to--literally. Sometimes that's because we're driving, or taking photos, or using our phone as a makeshift computer screen or TV. Fortunately, there's a hands-free solution for each situation. Here they are:
Rounding out our list of multimedia-focused phone accessories is the humble microphone. If you shoot any videos--whether that's a listing video or a Facebook Live video, you should be using a quality microphone to capture the best, most clear audio possible.
What's next? Read Part 2 to learn about more accessories that can give your smartphone superpowers.