Fuze/Touch Pro Accessory Round-up

For those who have chosen the Touch Pro/Fuze, you’ve gotten your hardware and now you need to accessorize. WMExperts has offered a Holiday Buyer’s Guide that's full of recommendations for every Windows Mobile user. Now we focus on accessories specific to the Fuze/Touch Pro. Holidays asides, everyone will be looking for essential accessories for their new HTC device ranging from cases to chargers to cables. All of these accessories and more can be found over at the WMExperts Store. Point of reference; to keep things a little simpler, when the Fuze is referenced it will also mean to include the Touch Pro.

To see just a few of the countless accessories available for the Fuze or Touch Pro, read on after the break.

Cases

With the introduction of new devices, it usually takes case manufacturers a little while to catch up with demand. However, some cases cut for other phones are working rather well for the Touch Pro/Fuze.

SmartPhone Experts Horizontal Case:I’m a big fan of SmartPhone Experts’ cases. I have always found them to be well built, stylish and an all-around good buy. The SPE Horizontal case for the AT&T Tilt is being recommended for the Fuze. The case rides well, holds the phone in place securely (I really like the large flap) but the case is cut a little too long. I was a little surprised at how much of a gap was present when I put the Fuze in the case. The phone slides back and forth a bit while in the case but surprisingly the phone stays secure. If SPE can tighten up the fit on this case it will be tough to beat. In the meantime, it’s not a bad choice for a case to tide you over until the more fitted cases come around.

HTC Matte Leather Case:So you figure if anyone has a case that is cut to fit the Touch Pro/Fuze it would be HTC, right? While the SPE Case is cut a little loose length wise, the HTC is cut a little loose length, width, and height wise. The construction is a little concerning as well. Straps are sewn in to attach the front piece of leather with the backing. There are a lot of exposed gaps between these straps and I was a little uncomfortable carrying the Fuze in this case. Based on the loosey-goosey fit, I’d have to give this case a pass.

Body Glove Side Case:I tested this case with the Treo Pro a while back and found it to be a good case but cut a little too tight for the Treo. On a long shot, I tried the Fuze in this case and found it to fit extremely well in it. The case doesn’t have any cut outs at the bottom to allow you to push the phone up and out of the case but instead, there is enough give in the width of this case that you can pull the phone out. The large magnetic flap protects and holds the Fuze nicely in place. While you may choose the Body Glove as a temporary solution until the more fitted cases hit the market, you may end up finding this case to be a more permanent solution.

Golla Cube Case: Golla is building a reputation for casual cases with a touch of flair; from Hawaiian prints to pastel colors. While some may like the extra pockets the Golla Cases offer they may not care for the standout appearance these cases present. Well have no fear, the plain black Golla Cube Case may be right up your ally. It swallows up the Fuze nicely and has an interior pocket for credit cards and a zipper pocket to hold keys, coins, and what-nots. The only downside I could see is that instead of using a clip to attach the case to the belt, it uses a belt loop. Some may prefer the convenience of a clip better but the loop does hold the case securely to your belt.

Bluetooth Headsets

We covered Bluetooth Headsets fairly well in the Holiday Buyer’s Guide but I wanted to mention two additional headsets; honorable mentions if you will.

Jabra BT8040: The Jabra BT8040 is a quality headset that not only brings calls in clearly but also supports streaming music so you can enjoy your music files in between calls.

Samsung WEP-410: This mini-Bluetooth Headset is a strong performer that you may very well forget you are wearing. This tiny headset has a standard feature set (redial, voice dialing support, mute, ignore, etc.) and good call quality.

Charging Solutions

Admittedly, the Fuze doesn't have the largest battery in the world. At times the 1350mah battery struggles to make it through the day. Luckily, there are charging solutions available for "on the go" situations that will help extend your battery's life.

Smartphone Experts Car Charger: There are several mini-USB car chargers out there including HTC’s Charger but the SPE charger will save you a little at check out and keep your Fuze/Touch Pro charged on the go just as well.

Cellet Emergency Charger: One of the biggest complaints about electronics is the battery life. As processors get faster, the Window Mobile devices become more versatile, the more power is needed to keep these devices running. Cellet has developed an interesting emergency charger that uses a standard AA battery to keep your Fuze going. This is a great charging solution to have stowed in a backpack during hikes, on the boat where a car charger isn’t possible or for any other situation where a wall charger or car charger isn’t possible.

Wired Solutions

Wireless is in. There’s no doubt about it when given the choice of wireless solutions or wired, most will choose wireless. But for those who prefer a more physical connection here are two solutions that may prove useful.

HTC Stereo Headset: I think there should be a law making it industry standard that all devices have a 3.5mm headphone jack. I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for industry leaders to support his position so in the meantime; I’ll look at HTC’s Stereo Headset. It doesn’t need the adapter, plugging directly into the Fuze.

Seidio Retractable Sync/Charge Cable: Just behind my wish for an industry standard 3.5mm headphone jack is my wish that manufacturers would include a second sync cable with their phones. I sync my Fuze at work and at home need to connect to my home computer for downloads, capturing screen images and testing software. More times than not, have I left the office forgetting my sync cable sitting on the desk. The Seidio retractable cable gives me a secondary cable that can stay at home or be taken on the road that is easy to take care of and is compact not taking up much space.

With any phone you choose, be it the AT&T Fuze, Sprint Touch Pro or any of the other quality Windows Mobile devices on the market today, you’re going to need accessories. We’ve only touched on a few of what is available for the Fuze and more are over at the store. If you have an accessory for the Fuze (or any other device for that matter) you would like reviewed, shoot us an email. We’ll always be on the look-out for new products but always welcome suggestions.