POSTED BY

Joel Johnson

AT 4:11 PM
Tuesday June 23, 2009

Accessories • Phones and Wireless

accessories • iphone

Four iPhone accessories I'd buy tomorrow...if they existed

3642306116_45c364e114.jpgThe iPhone is an all-in-wonder device, capable of replacing an increasingly large number of other gadgets. But there's some things that it can't do—things that are so specialized that they're best made possible by aftermarket peripherals.

Now that the 3.0 firmware makes the addition of peripherals possible (at least through the dock connector, if not Bluetooth), here are a few accessories I'd like to see:

⌦ Tripod mount – It would be dead simple for a third-party to make a case with a couple of the standard issue screw holes: one in the bottom for portrait; another on the side for landscape. This makes even more sense now that the iPhone 3GS can shoot video.

⌦ Underwater housing – I know—how would you use a touchscreen underwater? I'm just a whiny gadget blogger. It's my job to complain about this stuff—it's up to manufacturers to figure out how to make a touchscreen that works even through a waterproof membrane.

Bonus points if it's actually able to be taken to recreational scuba depths (~100ft). Update: My Google is weak: iDive makes a speaker housing that works with iPhone. (Thanks to @danfrakes seting me straight.)

And because I'm going for ideas here and not bullet points, you could combine something of the first two points and get another good one: an Action case that could be clipped to vehicles or athletes that is rugged enough to withstand a few hard knocks.

⌦ Multitool – You can already get an iPhone case that doubles as a wallet. So why not one that turns the metaphorical Swiss army knife into a literal one? I'm sure someone like Gerber, Leatherman, or Victorinox could make a slim case that held at least a knife, scissors, and a bottle opener. (And hopefully designed it in such a way that you wouldn't be torquing it against the iPhone screen. Krueesush!)

⌦ Keyboard – There have been wireless Bluetooth hacks that need jailbroken phones and ones that work by tricking the phone (which can be purchased), but as of today there's still not a good way to use an external keyboard with the iPhone.

The onscreen keyboard works just fine for daily use, but as someone who writes several thousand words a day, I would love to be able to use a portable full-size keyboard. My little dream is that it could be the Apple Wireless Keyboard paired over Bluetooth, but at this point I'd be happy with something that connected through the dock.

With the speed of the 3GS, coupled with push updates that enable a primitive multitasking, I think I could happily live without a laptop—or even a netbook—for days at a time. But I've got to have that keyboard if I were going to do any real work.

Photo: Mike Rohde

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18 Comments

Mike C

#1 – 4:25 PM June 23, 2009

a small 9-volt-powered pre amp to connect an external mic and/or a line in, like a guitar or some other line-level sound input. All of sudden, the 4track app is a whole lot more valuable. Make it stereo-capable so I can turn my cassettes and records into MP3s right there on my phone.

kleer001

#2 – 5:14 PM June 23, 2009

If not a tripod mount then at least flat edges so we can set the thing down without it needing to be propped up.
Hmmm, maybe I'll just fab one.

haineux

#3 – 8:10 PM June 23, 2009

The case I bought came with a small plastic stand, but I simply won't carry that around. I can watch mini-movies with the device laying flat, or in my hand. Any iPod Dock will also work as a stand.

As for a tripod mount, well, before there was video recording, there wasn't much need, no? I do hope someone comes up with a GorillaPod for iPhone, though. That'd be pretty sweet.

There are many iPod accessories to record audio, but all of them are $200 and up. I guess the real question is, have any hobbyists figured out how to use the iPod dock connector for digital audio in and out?

I am purely guessing that doing so is all but impossible, especially without violating the DMCA. (Cory should be complaining about that.)

Anonymous Anonymous

#4 – 10:49 PM June 23, 2009

tripod mount, bam:

http://joby.com/products/gorillapod/gogo/

stefan_gruber

#5 – 10:49 PM June 23, 2009

For Underwater Housing, we used heavy duty Ziplock bags on some pretty expensive filmmaking equipment at Calarts, without a drop getting in. I'm not going to try it on my Iphone though... just saying, someone besides me should try it.

Benjamin

#6 – 11:16 PM June 23, 2009

I saw a vid where a guy actually created a shoulder camera mount for an iphone (ignore the lame spot in the beginning):
http://pixelcorps.cachefly.net/mbkv_227_540p_h264.mov

Anonymous Anonymous

#7 – 2:19 AM June 24, 2009

I'm not sure that a radio-linked device will work underwater - isn't that why submarines use sonar rather than radar? Certainly I think that they can receive, but not send, radio transmissions while underwater.

Of course, that's ignoring all of the wonderful things you crazy iphone-toting creatives get up to that don't use the aerial! It just means that you can't live-stream your flickr pics to your facebook tweets.

george57l

#8 – 5:03 AM June 24, 2009

@ #4

But unless I want to permanently bond the mounting plate to my iPhone ...

WE still need the case/cradle with the tripod threaded hole(s) in it!

Nelson.C

#9 – 5:55 AM June 24, 2009

I don't see why it would be difficult to make a touchscreen-capable waterproof housing for an iPhone; there are screen protectors already which, as far as I can tell, are just plastic. You just need to wrap the whole phone in the stuff.

ansate

#10 – 7:51 AM June 24, 2009

While Bluetooth keyboard would be pretty cool ... I only have an iPod Touch, and I'd love a full size keyboard for it. Remember those folding ones with docks for Palm devices ~ 10 years ago?

Steve Stroh

#11 – 10:07 AM June 24, 2009

It continues to mystify me why Apple doesn't make it possible to use their very nice Bluetooth keyboard with the iPhone / iPod Touch. The only reason I can think of is that they're afraid that Yes, there are a number of us out there that WILL forsake carrying around Apple laptops if it were possible to use a full size keyboard.

Narual

#12 – 11:59 AM June 24, 2009

I have a waterproof iphone case by Otterbox. It's friggin huge though, and they don't seem to make it anymore. They do have a waterproof ipod touch case, but it looks like it's not as safe as the iphone one I bought was.
http://www.otterbox.com/waterproof-cases/ipod-touch-2nd-gen-armor-case/

beejamin

#13 – 9:24 AM June 25, 2009

I keep dreaming about a programmable instrumentation nugget with modular sensors. A compass was my original thought (before 3GS), but gas sensors, laser rangefinders, proximity thingies...

Anonymous Anonymous

#14 – 9:12 PM June 25, 2009

On the water proof case, a dive computer app would be even better. An external tank and ambient pressure sensor is all it needs to calculate and display everything you need to know down there, and it takes pictures and plays music too!

Kirk

#15 – 9:20 PM June 28, 2009

Or a 50 cent suction cup makes any tripod work with it like I did on my Treo 650 back in the day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mozul/161827702/

Mike Rohde

#16 – 10:48 AM June 29, 2009

Joel, thanks for choosing to use my iPhone unboxing sketchnote for illustrating the article, it's much appreciated.

Prompter Bob

#17 – 2:17 PM June 29, 2009

I got this little iPhone tripod mount last week on eBay, but the guy doesn't seem to be selling them any longer. It's just the little black rubber device on top of the tripod in the picture.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cauttero/3673276850/

Rodney

#18 – 2:17 PM July 23, 2009

Or you can get a smaller more useful waterproof iphone case - http://www.gadgetking.com/2009/06/30/waterproof-ipodiphone-case-idive300/

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