Nowadays, everyone has a cell phone. It's as ubiquitous an accessory as purses or backpacks. Cell phones are now as essential to carry with you as keys, wallets or even money. Whether to communicate with your workplace for business reasons, to stay in touch with family or a myriad of other reasons, cell phones are simply an essential part of our daily lives. There are a number of accessories available to improve or enhance your cell phone experience, let's look at some of the essentials.

Case

Just about every cell phone should also have a matching case. A case will protect your phone from dirt, dust, minor spills or light rain and even offer some protection from drops and bumps. Your cell phone should last longer if you have a case on it, so it's also a practical accessory.

Car Charger

Pretty much everyone who has a car and a cell phone uses them together, right? So it makes sense to purchase a special charger just for use in your car. A car charger will protect against any charge loss but also provide additional charging power for when you leave your car.

Headset

A wireless headset is another essential accessory. A headset will allow you to talk without having to use your hands. It's safer for when you're driving but can also be handy for when you're walking somewhere or doing something that requires both your hands. There are also special hands-free units available specifically for use in your car.

Emergency Charger

An emergency charger is available in two types currently. One is a hand cranked model, where you turn a knob for a few minutes to generate power for a few minutes of cell phone use. The other is a battery powered model, which requires an AA battery. Both are good options to keep in your car, purse or on your person in case you get stuck somewhere with your car broken down or are somewhere where you have no outlet available to charge your phone. Just remember that with the battery powered model, you need to make sure the battery you carry with you is fresh or you'll need to carry extra batteries. In this case, the hand crank charger may be a better option for most people, since everyone has the ability to crank the charger and, in theory, you should be able to crank the charger to use the phone for as long as you need to. Also, needing batteries to charge your cell phone incurs an additional cost, whereas with the hand crank charger, there is no need to buy anything more for it to work.

Services & Downloads

There are many other accessories for your phone that can be downloaded or purchased in addition to your cell phone plan. For fun, there are dozens of games available for most cell phones, ranging from poker, solitaire and puzzle games to driving, shooting, strategy and adventure games. There's also many additional items available to personalize and customize your cell phone to make it reflect your personality and tastes, like ringtones, wallpaper and screensavers.

In addition to these, you can customize your cell phone to automatically bring you relevant news, maps, restaurant reviews, theater listings, horoscopes, weather, sports scores and much more. Pretty much anything you can get on the web, you can also access through most cell phones.