Accessories

Though it came as a surprise to absolutely no one, along with the Apple iPhone has come an absolute barrage of accessories and other products to pair with your iPhone, leaving all of us with a sea of merchandise to sort through and evaluate. Slowly but surely, feedback will be available on all of these products. Some things, however, are important to be informed about right from the get-go. Depending on the person you're asking, virtually any mobile phone accessory can be considered essential.

JBL is now accepting pre-orders for two new iPhone 5 speaker docks with built in Lightning connectors. The OnBeat Micro is a portable speaker dock with up to five hours of battery life. It also features a USB port for compatibility with other devices, and it weights just 0.8 pounds for easy travel. It's compatible with all current iPhone and iPod models.

The OnBeat Venue Lightning is a wireless speaker with Lightning connector for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini. The Venue can wirelessly stream music from any Bluetooth device, and features HARMAN TrueStream audio technology.

The OnBeat Micro is priced at $99.95 and the OnBeat Venue Lighning will set you back $199.95.

Apple is now offering Lightning to Micro USB adapters to help customers cut down on their growing piles of cables. The adapter allows users to connect the Lightning connector to a micro USB cable to sync and charge the iPhone, iPad, or iPod. The new adapter is available for $19 via Apple's online store, and should be available at brick-and-mortar locations soon. Apple also offers Lightning to 30-pin adapters for $29, and Lightning to VGA adapters for connecting to VGA-equipped TVs, monitors, or external projectors for video mirroring. The VGA Adapter is $49.

Striiv has launched a new wearable Play Smart Pedometer which works with the free Striiv iPhone fitness app. The Striiv Play Pedometer uses Bluetooth 4.0 to connect to your iDevice to help you easily keep track of your fitness activities wirelessly. Its built-in rechargeable Lithium ION battery allows for up to one week of usage on a single charge, and its nickel-plated clip fastens to any workout gear or clothes.

The Striiv Play plus app allows users to measure their activities like walking and running, play games and share their achievements with friends via Facebook and Twitter.

If you have you ever wished your iPhone was more like Batman's utility belt then you should check out the ReadyCase Indiegogo campaign. The surprisingly thin case (less than 3mm thick) not only protects your iPhone, but it also crams in a multi-tool, a USB memory stick, a kickstand, a headphone clip and three lenses for the iPhone camera.

The case ships with a knife / screwdriver / bottle opener multi-tool, your choice of 8GB or 16GB memory stick (which doubles as a kickstand) and an integrated lens ring for attaching a variety of lenses (a macro lens, a fish eye lens and a wide angle lens) specifically designed to work with the iPhone. The case keeps is slim pocket-friendly design by allowing you to snugly attach the multi-tool and memory stick to the back of the case, and the headphone clip eliminates knotted cord headaches by keeping your EarPods tangle free.