Phones of the week

Over the last few years, the Mobile Fun Blog has taken a close look at loads of accessories for all the latest handsets – as soon as a phone is announced we’re busy trying to find the best accessories to go with it. That’s all well and good, but what about the phones that have been out for a few months?

Well, we realise that not everyone wants the latest all singing, all dancing phone, so over the next few weeks I’ll be taking a look back at some of the accessories that are available for older or more popular handsets that often get over shadowed by handsets such as the iPhone and the HTC Desire.

Samsung Tocco Lite

The Samsung Tocco Lite (also known as the S5230) originally went on sale back in May 2009, but 16 months on it’s still one of the most popular phones and often finishes in our top 20 handsets. If you’ve had one for a while you’ve probably got most of the accessories you need, but by now your memory card will be filling up and your case might be looking a little tatty. Here are a few recommended Samsung Tocco Lite Accessories that might breathe a little life back into the phone.

Martin Fields Screen Protector – Samsung Tocco Lite / S5230

If the screen of your Tocco Lite has a few small scratches it can really spoil the look of your phone. Martin Fields screen protectors do a great job of not only protecting the screen of your phone, but they also cover up any minor scratches, making your phone look like new. They can be fitted in seconds and can be removed easily for cleaning. They don’t interfere with the sensitivity of the touch screen and won’t affect the display.

Genuine Samsung Tocco Lite/ S5230 Premium Flip Case

If your Tocco Lite is starting to look a little tired, this case is a great way to breathe new life into it. Not only does it cover the front of the phone, but it’s also a replacement back cover too. I know from experience that the back cover of a phone is normally the first place to get scratched and scuffed, so this case really will make your phone look like new in no time at all. There are loads of different styles of case available though, so if this isn’t exactly what you’re after, take a look at the full range of Samsung S5230 Cases and Tocco Lite Cases.

MicroSDHC Card – 8GB

The camera on the Tocco Lite is great for snapping photo’s while you’re out and about, but if you’re anything like me, these photos will stay on your phone and rarely get transferred over to your PC. As a result, you’ll find your memory card soon fills up and you have to start deleting stuff to carry on taking photos or to add more music to your phone. Memory cards have come down in price considerably over the last 12 months and you can now get an 8GB memory card for less than £20 and a 16GB memory card for less than £31. View all Samsung S5230 Memory Cards

BlackBerry Bold 9000

The BlackBerry Bold was an incredibly popular handset – particularly in the business world. It was released in the UK in September 2008, but as with most BlackBerry phones  it’s been built to last. The BlackBerry Bold is a work horse, and as a result lot of companies will have issued these as a company phones – if that’s you then you’ll need to keep it in top shape to avoid any penalties when it’s time to hand it back. If you’ve had one for a while you might be in need of a case that’s not falling apart at the seams, a spare battery to make sure the phone lasts the day or a car charger to keep it powered while you’re on the road. Here are my top 3 BlackBerry Bold accessories.

BlackBerry Bold Series Leather Pocket – Black – HDW-19608-001

This is a similar style case to the one that would have been in the box with your BlackBerry Bold. It’s a simple leather pocket that keeps your phone protected but easily accessible. It features the built in sleep sensor that changes the profile of your phone while it’s in the holster and has the BlackBerry logo embossed into the front. Cut outs let you see the LED indicator that tells you that you have a new message or email.

BlackBerry Bold / Bold 9700 M-S1 Battery – BAT-14392-001

If you’ve had your Bold for more than 12 months you’ll probably be starting to notice that the battery isn’t holding it’s charge like it used to. Generally speaking, most batteries will last for around 12-18 months, so getting a replacement or spare is a good idea.

BlackBerry Car Charger

If you spend all day on the road and rely on your BlackBerry as your primary source of contact for both phone calls and emails then keeping your phone charged has to be your top priority. A car charger is the simplest, cheapest and easiest way to keep your phone fully charged.

Nokia 5230

The Nokia 5230 is the most recent of these three phones having only been on sale since February this year. It was released as a baby brother to the Nokia 5800. It’s an easy to use touch screen phone that focuses on music and media playback so I thought I’d highlight some of the best Nokia 5230 accessories that help you to enjoy your music, photos and videos.

Nokia BH-505 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

If you enjoy listening to your music through headphones you might like this. It’s a stereo bluetooth headset that lets you enjoy your music without the wires. It works in the same way as most bluetooth headsets, but with two earpieces. You can be up to 10 metres away from your phone, and there are controls built into it that allow you to play/pause/change track/adjust volume with out having to touch your phone.

Kingston MicroSD Card – 16GB

The bigger the memory card in your phone, the more music, photos and videos you can store on it. As with most Nokia phones, the internal memory is rather pathetic so you’ll have to buy a memory card if you plan on using the 5230 as your camera or MP3 player. The Nokia 5230 supports cards up to 16GB, and with prices of 16GB cards lower than ever, now’s the time to treat yourself. You can get an 8GB memory card for less than £20 and a 16GB memory card for less than £31.

Official Nokia 5230 Flip Case

Flip cases are great at protecting all parts of your phone without covering it all up. This case from Nokia is a fairly rigid plastic case that clips on to your 5230. The fold down cover has a soft lining to help protect your screen and has a magnetic fastening to keep it closed. All charging ports, memory card ports and volume buttons are accessible and you can still use your headphones while the phone is in the case.  If flip cases aren’t your thing, head over the the Nokia 5230 cases page where you’ll find over 50 different styles of case.

Have you got a phone that you’re looking for accessories for but aren’t sure what to get? Let me know using the comments form below and we’ll get some suggestions together for our post next week