At last, there’s an iPhone as big as a Frisbee. The iPhone 6 Plus, with its 5.5-inch screen, finally brought Apple-loving small business folk into the world of big-screen smartphones.
But here’s the really ”big” news: The 6 Plus, and to a lesser extent the iPhone 6 (with its 4.7-inch screen), could be large enough to serve as your laptop alternative on a brief business trip. Of course, if you’re planning to work for hours on a presentation, report, or other important document, no smartphone is a viable alternative.
On the other hand, if you’ll primarily be checking email, surfing the Internet, and doing some light editing or presentation work, an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus—when accessorized appropriately—might be all you need. Let’s accessorize!
Top 10 iPhone 6 Accessories
iPhone 6 Cases
1. Incipio Stowaway: A phablet like the iPhone 6 Plus demands a case with a pop-out stand for viewing documents, spreadsheets, watching video, or when typing with a Bluetooth keyboard. The cleverly designed $35 Incipio Stowaway features a back “door” that opens up and lets you carry up to three credit cards (or a driver’s license and a few dollars). A second door pops out to act as a kickstand, but your credit cards and such still stay in place. The case is available for iPhone 4s and later models.
Figure 1: Waterfield Design’s iPhone Spinn Case can be worn holster style with an optional belt clip.
2. iPhone Spinn Case: San Francisco-based Waterfield’s new iPhone Spinn Case ($59 and up) is a classy and convenient way to carry your iPhone 5s, 6 or 6 Plus, holster style. You can customize the leather case by adding a belt/strap clip. The case comes in black, chocolate, and “grizzly” colors. And you can opt for a case that’s big enough to hold your iPhone while it’s in one of Apple’s cases (for extra protection). The iPhone Spinn Case features a clever ‘patent-pending’ wheel, around which you can wrap earbuds to prevent tangling.
External Keyboards
3. Microsoft Universal Mobile Keyboard: Microsoft’s new Universal Mobile Keyboard ($80) is a nearly ideal external Bluetooth keyboard. It lets you pair up to three devices at one time, which can be an iPhone or iPad, Android device, or Windows tablet. A handy switch lets you toggle between the operating systems and devices.
The keyboard’s protective cover doubles as your device’s stand. Flipping open the cover turns on the keyboard, and closing it shuts it down. Nicely compact, the keyboard measures 9.53 inches by 4.29 inches with a thickness of 0.47 inches when closed. It weighs just less than 13 ounces.
Despite its compactness, the keyboard’s keys are nicely spaced, so fast typists won’t be slowed down (much). Dedicated keys let you stop/start media playback, increase/decrease volume, activate a search, and more. There’s also a home key and a few other dedicated keys, but not so many that it cramps the keyboard.
4. Logitech Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard K810: The Logitech K810 ($100) isn’t as compact or lightweight as the Microsoft keyboard. But unlike Microsoft’s product, Logitech’s attractive keyboard offers backlit keys. You also get a super-roomy typing area (with keys well-spaced apart) and a handy switch to toggle between connected devices, including an iPhone, iPad, Android, or Windows computer. (There’s no dedicated Command key, so this isn’t ideal for use with a Mac.)
Recharging on the Go
5. HyperJuice Micro: Available in 10 metallic colors, the HyperJuice Micro ($50) features a 3,600mAh battery that can recharge two USB-connected devices simultaneously, such as an iPhone 6 and an iPad Air. By comparison, the iPhone 6 Plus battery is 2,915mAh, with nearly twice the iPhone 5s battery capacity of 1,560mAh and more than the iPhone 6’s 1,810mAh battery.
6. Mophie Power Reserve: With a battery capacity of 1,350 mAh, this $50 recharging device doesn’t have as much capacity as the HyperJuice Micro. But it has a few tricks of its own, including a built-in lightning cable and key ring. It’s easily portable at 1.5 inches by 2.84 inches by 0.56 inches, as the key ring suggests. The Power Reserve comes in black, white, and red. As of this writing, Mophie hadn’t released a version of its famed iPhone recharging cases for the iPhone 6 models.
Figure 2: Mophie Power Reserve features a built-in lightning connector and key ring.
Other iPhone 6 Accessories
7. iOGear MediaShair Hub: Is 128GB (the maximum iPhone 6 storage) not enough? The iOGear MediaShair Hub ($100) might be the answer. You can’t directly connect a portable hard drive to your iPhone, but MediaShair Hub is the next best thing. You connect portable storage, such as an SD card or hard drive, to the MediaShair Hub.
From there, the white, compact MediaShair Hub box wirelessly shares the files on the connected storage device with your iOS device, as well as with Android, Windows, and Mac machines. The MediaShair Hub uses its own built-in Wi-Fi network along with an iOS app to share your portable storage files — including documents, videos, music, and photos — with your iPhone.
8. Bose QuietComfort 20i Earbuds: These noise-cancelling earbuds come with an inline iOS mic/remote for handling both calls and media playback. As with other Bose noise-cancelling products, the QuietComfort 20i does a great job of blocking outside noises so you can concentrate on work, music, or a movie—but without the heft of big headphone ear cups. They’re expensive ($300) but worth every penny, especially for frequent fliers.
9. Kenu Airframe+ Car Mount: Where to put your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus when driving? This inexpensive car mount ($30 on Amazon) clips onto an air vent and positions your smartphone in plain sight—ideal for GPS navigation, for instance. The adjustable mount’s clip holds smartphones with screens up to six inches—even if it’s in a case.
Figure 3: Tumi Alpha Pocket Bag Small is a low-profile but stylish bag for carrying your new mega iPhone, along with keys, wallet, and other stuff.
10. Compact Bag: Don’t want to shove your iPhone 6 into a pants pocket or wear it holster style? Tumi’s Alpha Pocket Bag Small (currently $89 on Tumi.com) is small, durable and attractive (it’s black ballistic nylon). An iPhone 6 Plus slips easily into the bag’s front pocket.
James A. Martin is a marketing consultant specializing in SEO, social media, mobile apps, and business blogging. Follow him on Twitter and Pinterest.
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