A closer look: Accessories for the HTC One M8

Buying a new phone these days is much more involved than I remember from my first smartphone purchase. I bought the T-Mobile MDA (aka HTC Wizard 200) a Windows Mobile powerhouse that had a 1.3 megapixel rear camera and a 3″ display. It was kind of a big deal back then, but I didn’t buy any accessories for it, nor did I feel like I needed any. I didn’t even need to buy a replacement stylus, because I kept good tabs on the ones that came in the box. The screen wasn’t as solid at they are these days and it was also less prone to attract scratches so I didn’t have to worry about buying a screen protector.

Screen Protection

Does the M8 need a screen protector? The all new HTC One comes with the HTC Advantage program that offers a free screen replacement within the first six months of ownership for cracks and scratches (read the full details from the link above). On top of that dynamite offer, the HTC One M8 has Gorilla Glass 3. The strongest glass we’ve seen to date. Paired with a metal shell to make the phone, well, a bazillion times stronger than phones with a combo of anything less than metal and Gorilla Glass 3. I’m not picking on any competitor’s phones in this instance, I’m merely stating that a phone with a stunning metal exterior has more perks than simply looking good; it also reinforces the structure of the display making it less prone to cracking if dropped.

I have been a fan of Zagg products for years. I uploaded an image of my son to their website and purchased a protective film with the image for the back of my HTC HD2. The film could have lasted longer than the 18 months I had it on, but my screen stopped responding to touch and I had to have the phone replaced. For my previous primary devices like the HTC One S, HTC Evo View, and the HTC One M7, I always installed a Zagg screen and if it came off for some reason I could request a replacement for free minus shipping of the old protective film back to Zagg’s trash can. I haven’t bought a screen protector for my HTC One M8 yet, but I have looked at prices and availability so you could say I’m “looking into it.” Part of me thinks I don’t need one and part of me keeps thinking about the “what if” possibilities.

Cases

I fall into the group of people who prefer to show it all. I have had some level of protection added to my phone thanks to Zagg products that cover the front and back of my phones, but unfortunately, they aren’t offering an option for the back of the HTC One M8 at this time. PLEASE DO! Because I’m almost forced to put the M8 in a case so I don’t mess up that polished finish that covers so much of my phone. My phones are usually naked at all times, because after all the attention HTC gives to the external design of HTC phones it is almost a disservice to cover them with a case… Until HTC one-up’d every thing I’ve ever seen in a flip case when we were introduced to the HTC Dot View Case.

Dot View Case – Showing off the HTC One now starts with the case in my daily encounters with future HTC fans. Besides showing off my beautiful phone I now get to show others how I can interact with my phone before I even flip the case away from the screen. The HTC Dot View case has a bunch of transparent dots on the face of the case and activates a special Dot View app pre-installed on the HTC One M8. It allows users to use voice dialing, answer or ignore incoming calls, adjust the main volume level, and get notifications like calendar events, text messages and even a weather display. This case is supposed to come in five different colors, but the only one I’ve seen in stock so far has been the color black.

Shell/Holster Combo w/Kickstand – I’ve never been a fan of holster cases; especially with the size of smartphones these days so I bought the shell/holster combo from Verizon mostly for the shell and kickstand. My wife used it for a couple of week and I recently applied it to my phone. The kickstand is a great hands free feature and even while holding the HTC One M8, you can slide a finger or two through the slot for the kickstand for a little more security while holding the phone.

Monopod

I take a lot of pictures and videos with my phone and even though this monopod has the title “tourist” written all over it the benefits outweigh the funny comments from friends in my book. I like to call it the ultimate selfie stick, because you can snap shots that look as if someone else was holding your phone since the capture distance is further than your extended arm.

The monopod is an adjustable arm that has a standard tripod threaded head at the end and a simple, universal holder for just about any smartphone (they even make mounts for bigger phones and tablets). The standard mount works on both the HTC One M7 and M8, but was a little snug with the HTC Droid DNA and I imagine with a bulky case a larger mount would be necessary. You can even add the universal phone holder to a camera tripod to take still photographs with your HTC phone. While mounted to either a monopod or tripod you can use the built-in timer or you can step up your game with the HTC Fetch.

HTC Fetch

This is another great accessory! It has several useful features like:

• Find my phone
• Find my keys
• Remote shutter in camera mode

I love carrying this device with me, but I have a bit of discomfort when an accidental button mash while in my pocket has triggered the alarm on both HTC Fetch and my phone… WHILE AT CHURCH! This has happened enough times that I have started removing the battery before church to avoid this embarrassing and distracting alarm. I think the battery door is a little too thin and when in my pocket has had enough pressure to somehow set the thing off. The features of the HTC Fetch are enough for me to continue to carry it despite the big issue mentioned above.

Car Dock

I am really missing my car dock for the HTC One M7, but I have to be honest, I couldn’t pay almost $60 for this accessory. The only reason I had the custom made car dock was that it was offered for free when I upgraded to the HTC One M7 through T-Mobile. I did however, use this thing daily and I really liked how the special cable that came in the package was extra long and woke the phone up or could launch a specific app, so I was torn when I discovered HTC didn’t make one for the HTC One M8, but at the same time I don’t know if I could afford one if they did. So this is what I settled with:

• Fat Gecko Mini Camera mount

• Standard mount from iStabilizer

If I could give HTC one bit of advice in the area of the car dock, it would be o only build a piece that cradles the phone and can attach to a standard camera tripod thread. Let us pick the kind of base we want, but offer us a custom fitted cradle for the phone with long cable and auto-aware feature which should keep the price down all around.

These days buying a new smartphone isn’t just about the phone alone. We often have to look at options for keeping our pricey phones in one piece until we can afford to swap them for the next generation phone or something else that steals our attention. What item(s) have you paired with your current phone? What would you consider buying with your next smartphone?