The HTC Wildfire is the baby brother to the HTC Desire. Visually they look quite similar, but when you look a little closer you’ll spot a few key differences. The Wildfire has a slightly smaller, lower resolution screen, that doesn’t drain your battery so quickly, touch sensitive controls and is generally smaller and lighter.
Whether you’re upgrading from an older Android phone such as the Hero or Tattoo, or if you’re new to Android and touch screen phones, the Wildfire is an excellent choice of handset.
You get a few Wildfire Accessories in the box to start you off, but if you really want to make the most of the phone, there are a number of accessories that are well worth investing in. Here are my top 5 accessories for the HTC Wildfire.
If you’re only going to invest in one accessory for your Wildfire then it really needs to be a screen protector. The screen on your phone is the most vulnerable part of the handset, damage it and it could render your phone useless. This screen protector is made by HTC specifically for the Wildfire and is a perfect fit. It doesn’t interfere with the touch sensitive controls at the bottom of the screen or the earpiece at the top of the display.
Another accessory from HTC that’s made specifically for the Wildfire is the PO S530 Carry Pouch. What makes this one stand out is the built in pull strap. When your phone is in the case the strap tucks in and prevents your phone from falling out, but when you want to remove your phone, just give the strap a gentle tug and it will raise your phone from the case quickly and effortlessly. The case is made from a high quality leather and has a soft interior that helps keep the screen clean and prevent scratches.
Ask any smartphone owner about their battery life and you’ll be met with a pretty negative response. Even though the battery in the Wildfire out performs that of the HTC Desire, it’s still going to drain quickly as soon as you start using your phone in the car with any GPS apps - Sat Nav in particular.
HTC Wildfire Car Charger
The HTC CC200 is a genuine HTC accessory that will keep your Wildfire charged in the car. Unlike some cheaper car chargers, the CC200 is powerful enough to charge the phone even when it’s being used for GPS.
The 3.5″ screen on the Wildfire is great for looking at photo’s, watching movies and playing games, but the limited internal memory means that you’re not going to be able to store much on the phone without replacing the memory card. The HTC Wildfire supports memory cards of up to 32GB in size, but considering the processing power of the phone I’d suggest sticking to 16GB for now.
You might think it strange to see a Sony Ericsson headset in a list of accessories for a HTC phone, but the truth is this is one of the best bluetooth headsets available at the moment. It’s incredibly compact and is designed to be either hung around your neck or clipped on to your clothing.
Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Headset with Radio
The main body of the headset packs a lot in to a small space. It’s a multipoint headset that allows you to use it with a phone and a music device at the same time. It has a 3.5mm headphone jack so that you can use any standard 3.5mm headphones with it. What really makes it stand out though is the built in FM Radio. Smart phone users have been crying out for an FM radio to be added to the phones, but the manufacturers seem to be ignoring their requests.
These are just a handful of the accessories available for the HTC Wildfire so if you’ve not seen anything here that does what you want, don’t worry, just head over to our HTC Wildfire Accessories page where you’ll be able to view hundreds of products to help you make the most of your phone and keep it looking at its best.
This is the Tigra BikeConsole for iPhone, which although made for the 3GS also makes a very neat iPhone 4 bike mount that is weatherproof for those times when you simply have to cycle in the rain.
iPhone 4 Bike Mount
I liked the fact that the touchscreen remains sensitive and works well for both the 3GS and the iPhone 4 whilst the rubber gasket closure makes the case water resistant. It is great for riding in all weathers and means you can use a GPS app to prevent you getting lost, whether you are in the Scottish Highlands or back-streets of London.
If you have been looking for the Dahon BioLogic iPhone bike mount then this one is the same, just branded differently as a Tigra, and at £39.99 it is a quality product at the right price.
Not all 3GS products make good iPhone 4 accessories but this one is versatile enough to be acceptable for both iPhones.
It’s still early days for the iPhone 4, but that doesn’t mean that there is only a limited range of iPhone 4 accessories. The latest generation of Apple’s iPhone uses the same 30 pin dock connector as previous models and runs on an updated version of the same software. This is great news – especially for those upgrading from an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS, as it means that most iPhone 3G accessories will also work with iPhone 4.
There are a few exceptions – anything that uses a moulded holder, moulded dock or form fitting case won’t fit as the phone is now slimmer and has a square profile.
To help all you early iPhone 4 adopters keep your new device looking it’s best and working to it’s full potential, here are 10 of the best iPhone 4 accessories.
Over the coming weeks and months, we’re going to get inundated with skins for iPhone 4, but one of the best ones will always be the InvisibleShield by Zagg. They’re perfect for iPhone 4 as they’re thin, incredibly tough and easy to fit – especially now that the iPhone is flat. The Full Body Shield includes film to cover the front and back of your phone, as well as the antenna band that wraps around the phone. Not convinced? Watch the video to see just how tough these are.
As the InvisibleShield covers the stainless steel sides of the phone, it prevents you from touching the antenna. This should cure any signal loss that you get as a result of the so called ‘Death Grip’.
iPhone 4 has a better battery than my previous iPhone, but it’s still not fantastic. Use your iPhone 4 in the car for Sat Nav and you’re going to be running low on power pretty quickly. A car charger is an obvious solution, but beware – not all car chargers are created equal!
Monster In Car Charger 800 for iPhone 4
Using GPS on your iPhone drains the battery quickly, so quickly in fact, that some cheap car chargers can’t get the power back into the phone fast enough for the phone to charge. I found this out the hard way after driving to Brighton, my iPhone 3G was plugged into a car charger and I was using Sat Nav and listening to music. I didn’t even make it half way before the phone died.
The solution is a more powerful car charger, and that’s exactly what this is from Monster. It’s powerful enough to charge 2 high drain devices at the same time – an iPhone and any other device that you’ve got a USB charging cable for.
OK, I’m jumping the gun a little on this one as it’s not even been released yet, but if their iPhone 3G version is anything to go by, this is without doubt the best in car holder you can get for your iPhone. They are moulded to fit the phone perfectly and have a soft felt coating to prevent scratches.
Brodit Car Holder with Pass Through Connector for iPhone
The best bit about them is the pass through connection on the bottom. This is basically just a dock connector built into the cradle, so that you can leave your car charger or FM transmitter plugged into it all the time. This way, you only have to slide your phone in and out of the cradle to connect/disconnect your phone – no messing around with cables.
The slight downside is that they’re not cheap and they’re designed to be screwed onto your dash. You can get round this by using a Brodit ProClip, a damage free bracket that clips onto your dashboard.
If you enjoy working out, cycling or running and like to listen to your tuns or podcasts you’ll know how tricky it can be to find somewhere sensible to put your iPhone.
Belkin FastFit Armband - iPhone 4
The simplest and easiest option is an armband. They have velcro fastening for quick and easy removal and are made from a waterproof, breathable material. You can still use your iPhone’s touch screen while it’s in the case and this armband even has a handy storage pocket for your earphones.
Some of the iPhone 3G armbands will work with iPhone 4, but they might be a little on the large side.
One of the most frequently asked questions we get from iPhone users is “how do I listen to my music in the car?” There are a few ways of doing it, but the easiest way, with the least amount of effort or cash is with an FM transmitter. You can get cheap battery operated ones for about a fiver, but they’re a waste of time.
If an FM transmitter is your only way to listen to tunes in the car, it’s worth paying the money for a decent one. The Belkin TuneCast Auto Live is the smartest FM transmitter available. It works in conjunction with a GPS powered app on your phone to determine the clearest frequency for where you are using the phone.
Belkin TuneCast Auto Live FM Transmitter for iPhone 4
If you move into an area where the frequency you’re using is used by other stations, the transmitter will automatically select another frequency for you – all you need to do then is re-tune your stereo and continue to listen to your tunes.
A speaker dock is another wildly popular accessory for iPhone owners. The Altec inMotion Max speaker dock not only fills the room with your music, they also charge your iPhone, have a built in FM Radio and can be connected to any audio device with a 3.5mm headphone socket.
Altec inMotion Max iPod iPhone Speaker
The dock on the front of the speakers uses a similar inlay system to the universal Apple Dock – this means that you can use it with any iPod or iPhone. 4 inlays are included with an iPhone 4 one promised shortly, but just because the insert isn’t included, it doesn’t mean you can’t use it. I always find that the inserts are a bit of a fiddle and prevent you from using several devices with the speakers, so I don’t use them. The dock works just as well without them fitted and means you can switch from an iPod classic to an iPhone 4 without any messing around.
Like listening to your music, but hate the trademark white headphones that tell the world you’ve got an expensive bit of kit in your pocket? Me too. You can of course change the headphones to black ones, but why not lose the cable connection to your phone completely?
The Sony Ericsson MW600 Stereo Bluetooth Headset works brilliantly with iPhone 4 and is currently my favourite set of Bluetooth Headphones. They’re not completely wireless as there are still cables running from the Bluetooth receiver to the ear pieces, but that’s not a bad thing. The earphones have a standard 3.5mm jack plug on them and can easily be replaced with headphones of your choice.
Sony Ericsson MW600 works brilliantly with iPhone 4
The Bluetooth receiver is small – about the same size as an AA battery – and for such a small device they’ve crammed a lot into it. As well as being able to play your music in stereo, the MW600 allows you to make and receive calls handsfree and has a built in FM radio – something that some iPhone users have been requesting be added to the phone for years.
It’s multipoint too, so if you wanted, you could use this with your PC/Mac or a second phone at the same time.
Apple are saying that the screen on iPhone 4 is almost indestructible. I’m not convinced. Stick it in your pocket or bag with keys & coins and it’ll scratch. You can’t use scratch removal tools to repair scratches on touchscreen phones, so your best bet is to look after your screen by fitting a screen protector.
There are so many screen protectors out there though it can be a bit overwhelming, after all, they are all supposed to do the same job, but they don’t.
Case-Mate Anti-Glare for iPhone 4
Cheaper screen protectors can start to peel or lift at the edges, allowing dust and dirt underneath them. Others are that shiny, they make it almost impossible to see the screen of your phone. The Case Mate protector does neither of these things. It stays attached to your iPhone 4 and has a matte finish that actually improves visibility of the screen in bright light.
When it comes to using your iPhone 4 in the car there are a number of options available to you. Generally speaking these different kits will fall into one of two categories, fully fitted car kits or portable car kits.
I can never decide between these two kits. Both perform really well and have the same basic features. The idea behind them is simple. They clip onto the sun visor in your car and connect to your iPhone using Bluetooth. They can both be used as a loud speaker for handsfree calling and music play back, but what makes these two stand out is that they both have a built in FM Transmitter so that you can play your calls and music through your car stereo for improved audio quality.
Left: Jabra SP700, Right: Jabra Cruiser
What sets the two apart though is the quality of the microphones and music control. The Jabra Cruiser has 2 microphones for noise cancellation and play, pause, rewind and fast forward buttons, where as the SP700 doesn’t.
Dual Microphones is an obvious benefit, but as the iPhone doesn’t fully support remote music control over bluetooth, only the play/pause button will work (at the moment – this could change with the next update from Apple)
If you’re not too fussed on being able to play/pause your music without touching your phone go for the SP700. If you want better audio and music control, go for the Cruiser.
If you can afford it, and are planning on keeping your car for a while, then getting a fully fitted kit is well worth it. As well as being able to route all audio from your phone through your car stereo, you’ll also be able to charge your phone and the whole kit will be out of sight and hidden behind your dashboard.
I’ve chosen the Parrot MKi9000 as the best fitted car kit for the iPhone 4 as it does everything you’d need a kit to do. If you want a screen on your car kit, you can opt for the MKi9100 or MKi9200, but as the iPhone has a 3.5″ colour display of it’s own, I can’t really see the point of having another one just for the car kit.
Parrot MKi9000 for iPhone 4
The MKi9000 lets you play music from your iPhone through the MKi9000 either by connecting the Apple Dock Connector cable or you can stream your music to it using Bluetooth. The Mki9000 will synchronise with your phone book, and supports voice dialling – although it won’t activate voice control on iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4.
The Mki9000 comes with a small remote that you can attach to your dash or steering wheel to fully control your music when your iPhone is connected using the Dock Cable (Play/Pause & volume only when using bluetooth). When you use Sat Nav on your phone, voice instructions come through your car stereo clearly – in fact, audio from any app on your phone will be routed through the car kit and will be heard through your car stereo speakers.
The biggest mobile phone launch ever is finally over. The crazy queues are starting to die down and people are now sat at home delighted with their new purchase, or sat crying into their coffee and wishing they’d set their alarm to go off a bit earlier.
Whether you waited patiently in line on launch day or managed to successfully order one online on the 15th, you’ll no doubt be itching to play around with some of the new features of iPhone 4 and iOS4. The overall look and feel of using the phone hasn’t really changed that much from the iPhone 3GS, but new additions, such as the retina display, gyroscope and improved camera are all worth checking out.
If you didn’t quite manage to get your hands on one just yet, don’t worry, more stock will be available soon. While you’re waiting, have a read on what youv’e got to look forward to.
New Features
A lot of the new features in iOS4 and iPhone 4 rely on third party apps, so you’re not necessarily going to be able to use them all straight out of the box.
Camera - The camera on iPhone 4 has been bumped up to 5 megapixels and has seen a number of under the hood changes too. It launches faster and is quicker to take a photo. Video recording has also been improved. You can now record video in High Definition (720p) and then edit and share your videos straight from the phone. If you’re into making your own movies, the iMovie app for iPhone 4 is well worth the £2.99 price tag.
Gyroscope - When Steve Jobs announced the Gyroscope in iPhone4, I wasn’t really sure what the point of it was. His demo went some way to explain it, but it’s still better to see it in action than to watch a demo. In a nutshell it can track how your handset moves in more ways than a standard accelerometer can. Not many apps have been updated to support the gyroscope yet, but Real Racing (iTunes link) and Eliminate: Gun Range (iTunes link) both support it.
Multitasking
For most people, this is what iPhone 4 and iOS4 is all about – the ability to switch between apps without losing what you’re working on. I’ve found that it works well, but takes some getting used to – especially if you’re a long time iPhone user. Like the gyroscope, not all apps will support multitasking straight away as they will need to be updated by their developers.
There are 2 kinds of multitasking app, those that continue to work in the background while you’re doing something else, and those that will remember exactly where you are the next time you launch the app (Fast App Switching).
You’ve probably noticed that there have been a lot of updates to the App store over the last week, some of these updates are bug fixes, but most are now adding support for either the high resolution display, multitasking or both.
A few stand out apps that now support multitasking or ‘fast app switching’ and are worth taking a look at are:
MotionX GPS – This is a GPS tracking app that’s perfect for those who enjoy cycling, walking or running. It records your GPS position while you’re out and about and then displays your route on a map so that you can track where you’ve been. Until now, if a call came in or you received a message, the app would close and you’d lose data. With iOS4 it now continues to record data in the background even if you’re using your phone for other things.
Trapster – This app is a handy one to have for when you’re driving. It warns you of upcoming speed cameras, mobile police cameras and other places that police might be hiding and waiting to catch unsuspecting motorists. The app will now continue to work in the background even if you’re not in it. As with all GPS apps, it can be a little power hungry, so I’d suggest that you manually close the app when you get to your destination.
Twitter – I’m only just starting to really get my head around twitter, but I know that there are a lot of people out there who spend a lot of time on it. This official twitter app for iPhone now lets you leave it running in the background. It won’t receive tweets in the background, but will continue to post your message after you’ve left it, and when you switch back to it, you’ll be taken to the same place you were at when you quit. Graphics have also been re-created to work with the high resolution retina display.
Enhance your iPhone 4
In addition to getting the latest and greatest Apps on your phone, you’ll also want to splash out on a few new iPhone 4 accessories, especially if you’re suffering with the strange left handed signal loss that seems to be affecting most phones. (If you are affected by this, read our four quick tips to improve iPhone 4 signal.) More accessories will be reviewed shortly, but in the mean time here area a few iPhone 4 Accessories that you should definately take a look at:
iPhone 4 Cases – I’ve written a few posts on iPhone 4 cases already but that was before we all found out that a case is now a necessity rather than an optional accessory, unless of course you enjoy losing signal. At the time of writing this post there are just under 200 iPhone cases available. That’s a lot of cases, so no matter whether you’re after a leather iPhone 4 case or a silicone bumper to help with signal loss, you’ll find one to suit your needs.
iPhone 4 Armband – If you enjoy listening to your music while you’re working out, you’ll know how annoying it can be to have your iPhone or MP3 Player bouncing around in your pocket. The best way to listen to hold your phone during exercise is with an iPhone 4 Armband. They hold your phone securely but keep it accessible. Featurewise they’re all pretty similar, they’re all made from a breathable, waterproof material, allow you to use the screen and have access for your headphones. Some iPhone 4 Armbands will include cord tidy’s and reflective strips to improve visibility at night.
iPhone 4 Dock – It’s the easiest way to keep your phone up to date – leave the dock plugged into your computer and sit your iPhone 4 in it when ever you’re working. There are a number of styles to chose from – everything from simple sync and charge docks right through to powerful speaker docks. iPhone 4 is a different shape to older models and won’t work with most existing iPhone 3GS Docks.
iPhone 4 Car Holder- Planning on using your iPhone 4 for Sat Nav? Then you’ll need one of these. The range is a little limited at the moment, but iPhone 4 specific models have been promised by Brodit and other top manufacturers and should be here in the next few weeks.
iPhone 4 Car Charger- The battery in iPhone 4 has been improved and it now looks as though you’ll get almost 2 days use out of a single charge – unless of course you’re using GPS. Using any app that relies on GPS data is still a massive drain on the battery, so if you’re using your iPhone in the car, get a car charger. You’ll thank me later.
iPhone 4 Headphones – The headphones in the box with iPhone 4 are a slight improvement over those that came with my iPhone 3G 2 years ago, but that’s only because they now have a volume control built in. They sound ok, but aren’t the best fit in the world, so if you’re serious about your music, you’ll want to invest in a new, more powerful set of headphones.
In the next few day’s I’ll be comparing some of the best iPhone 4 accessories and will publish the results in a separate posts. If there are any iPhone 4 accessories that you want me to test or any questions on compatibility, let us know in the comments.
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