Top 10 HTC Magic Accessories

The HTC Magic is the second touchscreen phone to run on Google’s Android OS.  It’s essentially the same as the HTC Dream/Google G1, but without the qwerty keyboard and the addittion of a few extra features.  The HTC Magic is geared towards music, internet and messaging and has a high gloss white finish that can scratch easily so you’re going to want to keep it protected from knocks and scrapes. There are a wide range of HTC Magic cases, chargers, car kits and bluetooth headsets available, but which one will be right for you and which one should you go for? To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of our top ten accessories for the HTC Magic.

1. HTC Magic Carry Pouch

This is a simple no frills carry case for your HTC Magic.  Just slide your phone in and it’s protected. The case has a microfibre lining that will wipe away smudges and fingerprints as you insert/remove your phone.  The slim design of this pouch makes it ideal for carrying your phone in your pocket or bag.

2. Krusell Orbit Flex for the HTC Magic

The Krusell Orbit Flex range of cases are one of our most popular.  They are made from premium leather with a suede finish lining to protect your screen.  The case holds your phone securely and leaves all your buttons and navigation keys accessible. If you’re going to be using your phone for extended periods of time, the front flap can be detatched from the rest of the case to improve accessibility. The inside of the flap has storage space for memory cards. The Krusell Orbit Flex case can be used with the Multidapt range of mounting options and includes a ratchet belt clip as standard.

3. HTC Magic InvisibleSHIELD

InvisibleSHIELD’s are more than just a screen protector.  Not only does it cover the front screen of the HTC Magic, it also includes the same tough protective film for the back of your phone. Installation takes a little bit longer than a normal screen protector, but the end result is well worth it.  It covers almost all of your phone and will withstand the toughest of scrapes.  The InvisibleSHIELD has a matte finish with a non slip feel to it. It is great at repelling fingerprints and reducing reflections and most importantly doesn’t affect the sensitivity of the touch screen. As the InvisibleShield doesn’t add any extra bulk to the HTC Magic, you can use in in conjuction with most HTC Magic Cases.

4. Jabra BT530 Bluetooth Headset

The BT-530 is a fantastic Bluetooth Headset from Jabra that packs in a lot of features.  As well as having 2 noise cancelling microphones, the Jabra BT530 has intelligent volume controls that will automatically increase the volume when you enter a noisy environment and support for multipoint – this allows you to use the headset with two mobile phones at the same time (Read our post on ‘What is Multipoint‘).   

5. Samsung SBH-650 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

The Samsung SBH-650 lets you listen to music in stereo and answer calls over a bluetooth connection.  The main unit is designed to be worn around your neck or clip on to your clothes.  It has music playback controls built in, so changing track is extremely quick and you don’t have to touch your phone either.  The SBH-650 includes a pair of earphones and will work with any standard 3.5mm headphones too.

6. Sandisk 8GB Micro SD Memory Card

One of the slight downfalls of the HTC Magic is it’s limited amount of storage, so without doubt, one of the first purchases you will need to make is a memory card.  The Magic supports cards of upto 16GB, but unless you planning on storing all of your music and photo’s on it an 8GB card will be more than sufficient. This 8GB memory card from Sandisk can store upto 7232 high quality photos, 1500 songs and 9 hours of video.

7. Jabra SP700 Bluetooth Car Kit

The Jabra SP700 is a self install Bluetooth Car Kit that simply clips to the sun visor of your car and pairs to your HTC Magic using Bluetooth.  The SP700 supports the A2DP profile, which means that you can stream your music to it over Bluetooth and listen to it either using the built in speaker or you can stream the music using it’s built in FM Transmitter to your car stereo. The Jabra SP700 will also  play your phone calls through your car stereo speakers for improved clarity.  The battery life of the SP700 is fantastic with up to 14 hours talk time and 250 hours stand by.

8. HTC Magic Car Charger

Battery life is never great on a touch screen smartphone so a car charger is a worthwhile investment. The genuine HTC Magic Car charger will work in both 12v and 24v vehicles (Cars, Lorries and Trucks). It has a Mini USB connection so will work with all Mini USB devices. Find out more about HTC Chargers.

9. Brodit Passive Holder for HTC Magic

This phone-specific cradle will hold your Magic securely in the car and has a cut out that allows you to charge your phone while it’s in the holder. They are made from a strong ABS plastic and are designed to be screwed onto your dashboard, although if you don’t fancy doing this you can use a Brodit ProClip. These are secure mounting pads that clip on to your dashboard and can be removed without causing any damage to your vehicle. ProClips provide an ideal base for fixing a Brodit holder on to.

10. Parrot MKi9000 Bluetooth Car Kit

Parrot have always made fantastic car kits and the Mki range are no exception.  There are three options available, the MKi9000, Mki9100 and the Mki9200.  The main differences between them being the display screen that comes with them.  I’ve chosen the MKi9000 as the best one for the HTC Magic as you don’t need an external screen as well as the 3.2″ screen on the phone.  You can play music from your phone through the MKi9000 using Bluetooth.  The Mki9000 will synchronise with your phone book, and supports voice dialing.  There is also a small remote that you can attach to your dash or steering wheel to control your music. Regular software updates that improve compatibility with the Android OS are available free of charge from the Parrot website.

This isn’t the full range of accessories, just a selection of the ones that we think do the best job of enhancing your phone. If you’ve not seen the accessory here that’s right for you, then take a look at all of our HTC Magic Accessories.