Those who travel often by car, those who have to travel several kilometers every day to go to work or who are often in the middle of traffic, can enjoy their precious smartphone to better pass the time, without however getting away from driving (since it can be very dangerous ). The smartphone is certainly useful today as a GPS navigator, to listen to streaming music and to make calls via handsfree, but not all cars are equipped to make the most of this technological device. In this article we see together the best accessories that you can buy in electronics stores and on Amazon, to keep your smartphone handy, to keep it constantly charged, to connect it to the car stereo and to get a hands-free system. cheap.
READ ALSO: How to add Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on each car
1) Car holder
Car holders allow you to have your smartphone next to or behind the steering wheel, so you can view maps and directions in a comfortable way without taking your eyes off the road too much; they have been on sale for years and can also be bought in physical stores for a few euros. There are various types: suction cup (the best), adherence (non-slip cloth), support from the CD player and hook (to be placed on the front air vent).
However, if you want something more solid and modern, without spending an extra Euro, you can search on Amazon and really find intelligent solutions suitable for every type of machine.
The first model to be considered is the Aukey Magnetic Holder (7 €), which allows you to attach the phone to a magnet which, in turn, fits onto the air nozzle. The system is inexpensive, very resistant and completely hidden from view when the phone is not there.
If, on the other hand, we are looking for a sucker model to be attached to the windshield, we recommend using the Mpow Grip Flex model (€ 9), easy to assemble, adjustable and very resistant, suitable for any modern smartphone (including the latest iPhone and Samsung models).
A third type of car holder for mobile phones of all types provides for the insertion of the support holder inside the car radio, therefore without suction cups and without having to occupy the air vents.
An example of this type of support is that of FISHOAKY Bike Cell Phone Holder (11 €).
If you want to save money and create the smallest footprint, you can always buy the simple silicone mat (7 €) that sticks and holds everything that rests on it, including the phone.
With these supports, the features offered by Google Maps and Android Auto become perfect, to have an on-board computer that is always on and accessible.
2) Travel charger
Car chargers allow you to keep your phone charged at all times and attach to the cigarette lighter socket. Modern car chargers are cheap and usually have more than one USB port so you can charge two phones together.
One of the most popular car chargers on Amazon is the two-port USB Anker AK-A2228011 Poverdrive Speed 2 (€ 14) with Qualcomm's QuickCharge 3.0 support and cable included.
It plugs into the cigarette lighter port and converts the electricity of this particular port into a current useful for charging all types of smartphones, including those equipped with certified rapid charging.
3) USB charging cables
If our car already has one or more USB ports, we recommend that you have all the USB cables necessary for charging any smartphone.
To meet everyone's needs, we recommend taking the following USB cables:
- Micro USB cable, Gritin (3 pieces, 6 €)
- Rampow - USB Type-C cable (7 €)
- AmazonBasics - Lightning cable on USB (7 €)
We buy all the cables and store them in some storage compartment, so we can use them at the right time to charge any device.
4) Dedicated speakerphone
If you do not have hands-free support in the car, we can adopt other very comfortable solutions to be placed near the steering wheel, so that you can answer calls without even taking your eyes off the road.
An intelligent handsfree system and also advantageous for the price is the Aigoss Bluetooth Handsfree (18 €); this small device is positioned on the sunshade of the machine, automatically connects to the smartphone and activates itself when you enter the machine, using if necessary also voice commands to be able to control playback or answer a call (commands supported Assistant voice tags).
This model allows you to connect up to two Bluetooth devices simultaneously and recharge via USB port, even if the built-in battery guarantees enough autonomy even for longer trips.
5) Streaming music
To listen to music using your smartphone and streaming music apps (Spotify) you need to connect your mobile phone to the car radio and stereo system .
Music streamed from your phone with streaming music apps, using the power of the machine's audio system to enjoy your favorite tracks.
This connection can be done in several ways:
- We can use the USB port of the car radio, if available;
- Alternatively we can use the AUX port, using a male-male audio cable (€ 6) to be attached to the headphone output of the smartphone and to the port of the car radio or car (if the car radio is integrated).
- Via cassette adapter (€ 7), so as to insert a special cassette with 3.5mm jack wire, to be used on older cars.
If you don't want to use cables for playing music, we have two ways:
- Use a Bluetooth AUX receiver (€ 12), to be connected to the AUX port of the car radio or machine, capable of receiving music via Bluetooth signal (it works via an internal battery that guarantees the necessary autonomy).
- Use a Bluetooth FM transmitter (€ 16), to be connected to the cigarette lighter port, it is able to connect via Bluetooth to any device and to transmit music on a free FM frequency, so as to exploit it on any car radio (just tune it) .
READ ALSO: Add bluetooth in the car (and on the car radio)
6) Tablet holder on the back seat
If you travel with other people on board and in the back seats, we can attach the iPad or any other 7 or 10 inch tablet to the back seat to show passengers movies.
One of these supports is that of Targus (€ 33) which according to reviews is very easy to assemble and works perfectly.
With this support it will become really pleasant to travel in the rear seats, especially if we have small children who are easily bored.
READ ALSO: Android app to use in the car, in traffic, while driving the car
